Texture rendering, by proximity or actually need to be in the client's view?

Just a question about how the SL client loads images to the cache. Here's my dilemma, I have an area hidden from view, and when people enter it they should have a multi textured experience, immersive, all that. But for some the textures don't load well.

So I fiddled with an image loader for part of the day, and decided just to display them on a small prim at a high transparency, on a cycle, just outside the area I want to force them to load in.

But what I really want to do is just shrink the prim to 0,0,0 and hide it. But will it function? Does the client actually have to visually display the textures to load, or does it just have to be near them to load? I really can't fin'd that info and have not a clue about how video cards function.

-Thanks

it should be something thats in a un obstructed view to regular users

if you hide it behind a wall (in theory) the client should not render it, or really request it

so yea i would try it on a super tiny prim, hidden in plain site (maybe a jewl on that cool flower pot) where ever your landing point is, see if it helps out any

and that doesnt mean you have to give away your secrete, you can stretch it out so its just a blurry fraction of the texture

I have a picture frame with a slide show script that prefetches the next image. It's done by loading the new image on the bottom face, waiting on a timer, then replacing the top face with the loaded image then starting on the next image for the bottom face. (^_^)

I'm saying bottom and top because it's a tapered cube 1-prim frame. So... Top = front, bottom = back. (^_^)

The frame itself has the back colored black and is pressed against a wall. So the new image should be considered fully obstructed. But, it loads anyway. And the end result is a slide show with no blur or gray between frames unless it's manually rushed along. (^_^)

Add to that... All of the images in my OnRez vendor are duplicated in the black borders of my free-standing for sale boxes of my other items. So.. By all appearances.. That vendor is lag free too. (^_^)

All this is being done with the faces of the prims that are either obscured by facing another, or blanked out with black coloration on the face. It's been an effective way for me to prefetch everything I need to make the place look nicer. (^_^)

Take advantage of the obscured faces of the visible prims in your build. If the whole prim is obscured, there's a chance that it will be culled and the texture won't load. But.. As long as a minimum of one face is visible, all the textures should load as well. (^_^)y

actually that is an amazing idea, it so wouldn't work in this instance, but I can think of quite a few where it would. To just constantly cycle the upcoming textures on the .001 sides of the prims. Sort of those, so simple you feel really dumb moments, lol

Immy