Example of Spherical Environment Mapping (SEM) on different meshes and materials.
Click and drag to rotate, mousewheel to zoom in and out. Try the options
on the right to change mesh, material and shading interpolation.
Check out this more complex example using SEM and bump mapping:
Spherical Environment Mapping (MatCap/LitSphere) and Normal Mapping
Read the whole article here. By Jaume Sanchez @thespite