Wouldn't what you are looking for be more allong the lines of a displacement mapping shader? Something like Crytek's "Polybump" - http://www.crytek.com/polybump/index.php?sx=polybump (free for non-commercial users/students). It is somewhat similar to a bumpmaping shader - like this one http://216.46.205.166/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=335986&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1 . Oliver's doesn't use displacement mapping, but it is very close. The only major difference is that the bumps do not "overlap" like in this example, http://www.conitecserver.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=335703&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 . I think that with a bit of work a shader could be written for good displacement mapping, but it wouldn't be such an easy task. (You couldn't just "throw one together", that's for sure) Maybe if someone found a good dx8.1 example out there to convert.