You probably know that Designing Worlds did an interview show with the Lindens about SSA and Materials. You can see the video of the show on YouTube (also below). If you have been following this blog, there is nothing new in the video.
You can get a copy of the Materials Project Viewer (see the left column) and see how things are going by visiting Hippo Hollow. I suggest you set the Sun to midnight.
Hippo Hollow – Materials Test Area – 5/2013
They have a number of examples of things with normal and specular maps. Above them they have lights rotating so you can see the effect.
I think this is a live testing area and will likely change. You may notice some of the items shown in the video are in the test area.
Normal mapping is going to be a pretty big disappointment from the testing I did. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with normal mapping but because it’s only as good as the lighting engine let’s it be..
There a reason why this video only shows normal mapping at night with direct lights. SL’s lighting engine is so poor that under any other condition it’s almost impossible to see norm’s reacting, worse you’ll have zero effect if that object is shadowed at all.
It’s really disappointing but not surprising. You can only shine a turd so much, SL is just dated.
I think it works as well at the Blender render. The night and lights is so you can see changes quickly. Waiting for the sun to move doesn’t show much.
You did have advanced lighting on, right?