That’s very cool, but what if you don’t have subdivisions?
Wait…
How the hell did you do that, you used a mesh insert curve brush right? But you cant do that with subdivisions…
Did you subdivide AFTER drawing the patterns?
The sphere on the right doesn’t have any subdivision levels, but 1, with the displacement map. I just used the Standard brush with radial symmetry on the sphere on the left which has 5 subd being on the highest level.
You can see the cage on the sphere on the right. That’s how low poly it is.
Ahha!
Displacement maps are used on a low poly cage to get medium level details, after which a Normal map is applied on top of that to get the finer details. A displacement map will usually never compensate for or be a replacement for a normal map and vice versa. They usually go hand in hand. At least that’s the way I understand it anyway.
Ok so if the object is the world then displacement maps make hills and the normal map makes bumps on the hills sort of?
I guess that could be an analogy. 
I’m not sure if all apps will allow it. I think Blender will allow you to put a normal map on a displacement map. I don’t know Blender all that well, just the basics. I think michalis knows it quite well and the use of the node editor in Blender to achieve it.
Yep, he does, but I’m going to get a good understanding of how ZBrush does things first, otherwise I will make my confusion worse then it is already and its fairly bad at the moment.
Blender is next though and Unity at the same time sort of.
GRIN!
Persistent aren’t I?
I will learn this stuff if it kills me!