[jfrancis]

I feel like a function based on random 3D cutting planes that partition space could be used to develop scratches in metal that surround a specular highlight that are not dependent on UV mapping the object.

[jfrancis]

slow down francis I cant keep up.. this is a reply to your first post;

I was hoping for an example where a more difficult problem gets solved. I think if i wanted to make that pattern it wouldnt take long in PS or maybe a texturemaking app. Could even set it up with layers and offsets in mxed (assuming I had enough coffee!)

Yes, but that pattern is basically non-repeating within the limits of pseudorandom number behavior.

[jfrancis]

I noticed voronoi cells inverted into packed circular grads and used as displacement do a pretty nice job of suggesting styrofoam. Could make certain kinds of crumbly cheese as well. Maybe with fewer cracks between packed areas could make wear and tear on old museum armor metal.

[joaomourao]

What do you guys think would be a great example application of procedurals? I mean something that cant be done easily with texture-maps?

I would say organic textures that need to be seamless and for bigger scale scenes like rocks and terrain...
Skins are also very nice and they are the opposite from the above... since they are micro textures they make smaller objects seem huge... A repeating skin is easy to identify and make images a bit fake.

Man-made materials also benefit from procedural and we will be having more procedurals for this...
For me, the real advantage with procedurals is that you get more control without going so many times to an image editor like photoshop. I will try to use them as much as I can...

[jfrancis]

Even just a simple flat painted wall inside a house often has a lot of texture. A glossy or semigloss paint brings it out.

[eric nixon]

Just thinking about corals again.... 3D vector procedural displacement! that would be nice.

Re. skin I think UV mapping + offset noise textures for fine detail is the way its done.

And yes terrain would be a killer app, but as with all things nature based cad software always struggles.. its a can of worms - 3D nature,.. but anyway I'd be quite happy with a barren rocky terrain or some nice shiny lava rock

Hope some more suggestions pop up, lets wait and see.