Final answer:
Bump mapping and normal mapping are techniques used in computer graphics to add details to a 3D surface without increasing geometric complexity. They differ in how they achieve this effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bump mapping and normal mapping are both techniques used in computer graphics to add details to a 3D surface without actually increasing the geometric complexity of the object. While both methods aim to create the illusion of depth and texture, they differ in how they achieve this effect.
Bump mapping simulates small bumps and wrinkles on a surface by perturbing the surface normals. This creates the illusion of a more complex 3D surface, but does not modify the actual geometry of the object. It uses grayscale heightmaps to define the displacement values.
Normal mapping, on the other hand, uses RGB texture maps called normal maps to encode the surface normals of an object at each texel. By applying these normal maps during rendering, the lighting calculations can be performed as if the surface were actually as detailed as it appears to be, resulting in more realistic lighting and shading effects.