3D Compositing with Action > Action: Textures > Displacement Mapping >
Displacement Menu Settings

The Displacement menu is divided into two tabbed sections: Controls and Texture.

Controls Tab

(a) Channel box

Channel box
  Select a colour channel to calculate the displacement map.
Softness field
  Displays the level of rounding off, or softening of the spikes that result from colour values in the image that vary from pixel to pixel in the displacement map.

Softness rounds the edges of the displacement. The larger the softness, the smoother the displacement. Softness also affects rendering; the larger the softness, the longer it takes to render.

Displace Direction box
  Select the direction in which a displace occurs when a displacement map is attached to a surface. Geometries parented to a displacement map always use Normal Displace as the direction.

Select: | To Displace:
--- | ---
Flat Displace | In the X, Y, and Z directions.
Normal Displace | Bilinear and bicubic surfaces according to their normals.
Camera Displace | In the direction of the camera selected in the Displace Camera box.

Offset field
  Displays the offset to the displacement of X and Y.
Displace Camera box
  Active only when Camera Displace is selected in the Displace Direction box. Select which camera to take into account when using camera displacement. The locked field beside this box displays the active displace camera number.
Displacement axes
  Specifies the amount of displacement in pixel units along the X, Y, and Z axes. Use positive values for displacement on the positive axis, and negative values for displacement on the negative axis.

Texture Tab

(a) Repeat Mode box

Repeat mode box
  Select how the displacement map pattern is repeated on the surface.
Fill to Surface button
  Enable to resize the displacement map to the resolution of its parent surface.

NoteIf the Displace node is attached to a 3D Geometry or 3D Text node, you must select a UV Mapping mode other than None in the Geometry menu for the displace pattern to have an effect on the geometry. See Using UV Mapping.

The following figures illustrate a possible use of displacement mapping and shows the difference between displacing with and without softness.

Original image | Z-axis displacement (60) using the luminance channel (Y) and a softness of 0
Z displacement (60) using the luminance channel (Y) and a softness of 12 |