All help is always appreciated and .. but I don't understand why he said I'm not using a normal map.. but a bump map..

top is before I flipped the space switch.

bottom is after I flipped the...

well.. your version is more elongated than mine as I didn't go into detail of the different processes.. but anywho.. yup.. it's a good ole normal map not a bump map. :nerd:

technically.. they are the same.. however the process of making them differ in names, yes?

think i fixed it.. changed from tangent space to object space.
:playfull:

laminate? like double faces or something? just a single face. but I went ahead and tried the merge.. same thing still happens. I'l tried to soften edges.. but it just reverses the issue. any...

trying to normal map this but Im unsure the issue with the edges protruding out with the normal map applied.

Any thoughts?

nah.. don't want to use the deformer. Just want to add subdivisions evenly to the object after I edited the shape.

frustrating.. softimage can do it.. and from ive seen 3ds max can do it..
...

was going to say.. the T7500 is a great machine esp with the dual Quad.. tho I dont care much for the daughter card for the extra processor..

dell's warranty is good too.. if u have a 64-bit...

That disappears after you edit the shape using the scale tool and other things.

any other ideas or plug-ins recommendations?

Check out UV Mapping and Texturing tutorials.