Why embarrassed? If you got the term wrong the worst that's going to happen is that you're going to momentarily confuse whoever it is you're talking to if they happen to be more familiar with it than you are. The biggest problem I have with not knowing terms is having trouble searching if I need help with something XD
On this particular example my understanding is that normal maps just make low poly look like higher poly without adding geometry, but displacement was better if you wanted better shadows and to actually see bumps close up (because normal maps apparently didn't do shadows well or at all and if you zoom in enough you can see that the bumps are a lie XD). I don't know if there are different ways to use them, think just the painting is slightly different? I've just been plugging a map into the "displacement" connector on the output node and that seems to do the job :S
My youngest son loves Bioshock :) I haven't had time to game for a while x_x
Whenever I do, I do feel like I shouldn't be embarassed that much about it, but somehow I just… can't handle my minor mistakes. It did happen quite a few times actually. In public. On some art related Discord servers. God, now I remember it again ╥﹏╥
I watched someone modelling with displacement on YouTube before and it was neat. They simply paint the surface with the colour between black and white and bam! The high and low on the surface was made based on how dark/light the colour was.
I also tried to see my normal mapped model in different angles and, well, it's like street magic trick. It's cool, yes, but it's actually a lie XD Whatever 3d modelling trick out there I'm willing to try it. Maybe after I learn texture mapping like, roughness, AO, metallic, etc.
"Texture mapping"… I hope that's the correct term. Otherwise, ugh! (－‸ლ)
It is a bit magical XD though I use 3d Coat rather than Blender to do sculpting, retopo and all the mapping.
I still haven't figured out AO. Technically it's not that hard, just haven't grokked why I would need a map for it o_O