3ds max modeling question

[DivideandRender]

I have a question about max. Ive been watching these 3d demo reels on youtube ,which are realy cool, and a few questions come to mind.

I saw one that shows a low poly wire fram model and then it shows the same model but in high detail.
My question is; is it better to turbo smooth to get more detail or to normal/ or displace map/if that would even work, to create more detail. Maybe that is just for animation?

I have been using turbo smooth because of the simplicity. I asume that if I have maps I would have no need for the turbosmooth because the detail is created upon rendering.?. Which renders quicker anyways?

Any advice on this subject would be apreciated.:) ty ...getting lost here people.

[skylertonne]

hi,
turbosmooth or meshmooth won't give you more detail
normal maps work on low poly models but don't need any more actual geometry to achieve this- i'm sure you know what a normal map is so i'll not explain why
every animator i've ever known prefers lower poly models to work with rather than a detailed half a million poly dense model for instance- easier to control (less work too) but basically both map types can be used for animation
normal maps render in a similar time to a non-normal mapped render really
displaced maps- as they have to have an increased density to work with do increase the render time- primarily because there are more polys
which one you use- normal map or displacement map depends on the situation really, nm's simulate high detail but dm's actually change the model, so if the silhouette is good on the raw low poly nm's are perfect

[DivideandRender]

thanks for the reply,

I made a few characters 2,000 to 4,000 polys and they look ok with turbo smooth on, and it makes a better silhouette. the good thing about turbo smooth is that it makes the model all quads.
I rigged my character as an editable poly and applyed turbo smooth after and the mesh looked ok so theres a few less polys I have to rig . getting stuck on little things realy bugs me.
Thanks for your help.:)