Oh, I guess it's best that I explain it.
http://wiki.polycount.net/Normal_Map defines a normal map as: A Normal Map is usually used to fake high-res geometry detail on what is actually a low-res mesh. Each pixel of a normal map is used to transfer the normal that's on the high-res mesh onto the surface of the low-res mesh. The red, green, and blue channels of the texture are used to control the direction of each pixel's normal. The pixels in the normal map basically control what direction each of the pixels on the low-poly model will be facing, controlling how much lighting each pixel will receive, and thus creating the illusion of more surface detail or better curvature. The process of transferring normals from the high-res model to the in-game model is often called baking.
Basically, A normal map is how lighting affects the model. Normal maps are made in two ways (that I know of): From the texture, or from a high poly model. In a texture, there is a plugin that allows the making of a normal map. Basically, it takes the darker and lighter parts of a normal map, and then putting in the scale you want to determine the depth, it makes a UVMap of the normals (ussually in blue, if it is a tangent normal map). That's one way, the other way, with much more flexibility, is to make a low poly model, unwrap it, duplicate it, make it a high poly model and adding it high poly details, and then placing them in the same location, making a new image in the UV image editor, and then baking the tangent normal map.
[/center] When I said baking normal maps, I meant like this (in order, the normal model, the high poly model used in the baking process, and the low poly version with the normal map): [center]
Baking normal maps can also be used for a smoother detal. For example, you could make the low poly model, and then a high poly smoother model, and then bake the normals. Even though not much detail may be involved, the increased amount of normals still makes the low poly model look smoother, though this method is a bit harder then just regular baking details.
[/center] I suggest you become more advanced with blender and texturing, and then when you're pretty familiar with the stuff you try it (I'm not saying your a newbie, I'm saying that I don't know what your experience is, so I assume you don't know about what I'm saying much, even though you still could). It's made the same way as in 3DS max, and the best part is this method can also be used for making textures (bake the texture of a high poly model in) or just speeding up texturing. It's a pain to make the UVMap, and then have trace it with a lasso tool of some sort to be able to fill. Once you UV Map, you can texture the parts of the UVMap different colors, and if you bake the texture the parts of the UV map are already color coded, so you can just use some sort of magic wand tool to quick select each part. Honestly it's a very useful method.
[center] -Hope I helped, SJHooks. PS, sorry for any typos, I ussually type fast and make plenty of mistakes, so if you see a typo please just guess the closest word to it, unless you're really that confused about it.
