A medical implant has a microscopically rough outer coating that serves to bond the implant to animal tissue. The coating is applied to the implant by physical vapor deposition. The coating preferable is applied via a generally oblique coating flux or a low energy coating flux. In some embodiments, the coating has pores. The pores can contain a drug, which can diffuse over a period of time. The coating may be partially nonporous to protect the implant from corrosion. The coating can have an outer porous layer that can bond with animal tissue easily.