here's a tutorial from waaaaaAAAAYYYYY back in the day...




done by a very talented 3DRAD forum member (Hai_ok was his name) i think it's a good one
for every 3dRAD modeler/developer to take a look at (click on image)... 

while it covers the process of uv mapping a photographic texture to get a good looking head, this
technique can be used for other objects as well...


--Mike