Chris Huff wrote:

> I suspect that you do not understand how the normal feature works.

It's possible.

>  The "normal" feature
> generally takes a pattern, figures out how it is changing at that point,
> and modifies the calculated normal using this information.

Aren't the bright spots "up" and the dark ones "down" ?

> It sounds like you are looking for the slope_map feature, which can do
> some of what you seem to want.

I'd really like to have, as I said,
    texture{
        gradient y
        texture_map{
            [ n1    Texture_1]
            [ n2    Texture_1]
            [ n3    Texture_2]
            [ n4    Texture_2]
        }
    }

Where Texture_1 contains normal{bumps}.

If I use a slope map, I assume I have the following problems:
1. I have to break normal out of the texture_map and instead use pigment_map
and a normal_map: more typing .
2. I'm frequently a adjusting n1,n2,n3.. etc. to get the right look: more
editing in two or three places each time, depending on how I set it up.
3. I don't understand a slope_map when I just want it all to be "down", or
like in the color_map, all black.
   Is the suggestion that I define Texture_2 as:

#declare Texture_2=texture{
    pigment{rgb ....
    finish{ rgb ...
    normal {
      gradient x
      slope_map {
      [0   <-1, 0>]
      [1   <-1,0>]
      }
      }
      }




Hopefully annoying only by my ignorance and not by my disrespect or failure
to RTFM,
greg.

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