Chris Harrison wrote:

> I have created a pretty swanky texture which simulates how a desert or
> river-bed dries and crackles up. However, it is a skin texture (which I
> have applied to a plane): and where the cracks are, you can see through
> it. What I am trying to achieve are extruded segments, so that the
> surface has depth.

Several ideas come to mind.
1. You can very well create a texture that changes both in the x-z plane and
the y direction, by using pigment_map or texture_map
texture{
    gradient y
    texture_map{
      [0 BottomTexture] // this one for the deep cracks
      [1 TopTexture]     //  this one for the upper crust
   }
}
2. Using a height field is a less bad idea that it seems, even at large
scale, because, like meshes, height fields can be replicated a great number
of times without much memory overhead. I you make a tileable height_field,
you may very well use it on a large surface.

 3. Using an isosurface based on a crackle pigment, possibly the one used in
the TopTexture, is another option. It may give lengthy renders though.

G.

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