4 replies to this topic

[jamie_gates]

I guess this one is directed primarily at Kablammo, but also anybody else who is using CF beta. What size textures do you use on the main areas and what size on the less prominent areas. I've been using mostly 1024 x 1024 but I would go higher if I knew it wouldn't cause a major hit on FPS in the game. What's the optimum for clarity/FPS
Cheers
Jamie

[Mike Jones]

We generally use 2048x2048 for CourseForge textures and then 2048 or 1024 for the outer terrain areas.

[Kablammo11]

Jamie, I mustn't contradict Big Mike. And I can't. There's a bit more 1024 than 2048 in my designs. Either works, imo.

Size doesn't always matter: A poor texture that looks bad in 1024 won't all of sudden look good in 2048. And one that does look just fine in 2048 will not all of a sudden look like crap in 1024.

Feels good to compose another chiastic sentence...

 

Anyway, there's a bit more to texture alchemy than numbers. But if you're in it for the long haul, yeah, make everything 2048 and you will to be covered until somebody starts talking about 4096.

[jamie_gates]

Thanks for the info guys. Just going to start mucking with textures and then into planting shrubbery gulp!!!!. Also forgot about normal maps. I'm assuming that's bump maps? Can they be used? Or does it create havoc with PG?. Does the MB size of the texture slow down PG? I save my textures as JPEGS. what's the most streamlined format to use? JPEGS, TGA or another? That's enough to keep me going for a while 👍 again many thanks for your help.

Jamie

[Kablammo11]

Yes, Unity normal maps are bump maps. Same thing. When you import them, you need to nominate them as a normals in the inspector when clicking on the icon in assets. And set their bumpiness - err on the side of too little, because too much, you will see yourself, is way too much.

You may use them in Unity as well as in CF. There is not always call for using them, btw, so don't feel obliged to.

The MB size of the textures should not matter much. I use high res jpgs, and for CF shaders TGA (because the default textures of CF were saved in this format). Unity recognises a lot of formats, but jpg for everything should work okay. Both CF shaders and bump/normals can be reduced to grayscale, since their color information is not needed - so you might remove a few Kbs from the overall workload.

 

Tip: Try and see what happens when you combine textures with totally different bump maps, not necessarily those matching the texture. The results can range from mostly crappy to weird to nonsensical to... magic.  Very rarely, but who knows? 

Another Tip: Try to let your combined textures and normals share the burden. Let either one work better in the distance, from, say 10yds to eternity away from your position, and the other one take care of close distance.

 

Now keep going, jamie...