Dragon scales: the evolution of scale tool for Reign of Fire

In recent years there have been several movies starring creatures with scaled surfaces. Among these are Jurassic Park, Dragonheart , and Lake Placid . The surfaces of these creatures have generally been constructed by layering painted textures atop displacement maps. This gives the model texture, but the scales stretch and shrink under the movement of the creature, giving a rubbery look that is not realistic.