Texture Resolution Issue :

I just created a texture of 1000X1000 pixels.

I chose this relolution because the texture was created using a grid set at 100 pixels, giving me (10X100pixels=1000pixels). I wanted to ensure a perfect pixel to resolution ratio for use on a 10X10 prim.

The reason for doing this is to get perfectly sharp pixel edges, and it would work, if only the resolution didn't get resized to 1024X1024 pixels when I uploaded it.

How do I stop the texture from being resized when it's uploaded? I know smaller sizes are allowed, so how is this done, please?

The folks over at Texturing Tips (/109/1.html) may be able to help more, but texture dimensions are always in even powers of two (1024, 512, 256, 128, 64). It is probably to your advantage to do the scaling in your graphics program, rather than letting it happen in the upload. And 1024x1024 is a *big* texture, so it will take a while for folks to see it the first time they try to rez it, so there's a big trade-off there.

You can't.

All textures are converted to a base2 size when uploaded.

Your best bet unfortunately is to work with one of the common sizes yourself, as the built-in mechanism for converting the scale is not very good / has poor results. Work in 256x256, 512x512, or 1024x1024.

I know it's not ideal for what you are trying to do, but there isn't any way around this.

For more texturing info there is a texturing tips forum a little further down, in the content creation section.

-Atashi

Thank's both

I suspected it might be bounded by this system, but was hoping there'd be a way around it. Shame there isn't.

So, what's the smallest and largest allowed (out of curiosity). Well, I assume the smallest is 2X2, but what's the largest - anyone know?

Or more to the point, did anyone even dare to use anything larger than 1024?

As for uploading anything over 1024, I've never done it. In fact I've only uploaded one texture at 1024 and that was by accident because I forgot to resize it before hand in my imaging program.

For your other "problem" I don't see it so hard to work at 1024 vs 1000. Yeah the math is easier but not much. However, doing it your way is not a problem either. Work at any resolution you prefer or feel you must........even 20k if you like. But as the last step before saving for your file for upload to SL resize to one of the powers of two. 1024 seems to be your preferred size (though I really don't think you will gain much) so simplly resize before saving the file for upload. Resizing up vs down will cause a slight loss in detail but for 24 pixels I really don't think even the most critical of observers could see a difference in whatever it is you are texturing. Besides the average users systems are not near good enough to appreciate any details requiring such a high resolution.......in other words you are wasting a lot of effort for something no one will ever see anyway.

Just my two cents (or Lindens)........I mostly use 512 as my highest resolution except for some pictures I've made lately that will be uploaded at 1024.

Thank's, Peggy.

I know what you mean about detail that doesn't get seen, but I had to use a high resolution in this case because there are a lot of 'fine' lines in it. Unfortunately, the resize destroys some of the lines - so it's a total waste of resources, I agree.

Well, you live and learn I suppose.

It would be good if Linden could implement a freely selectable texture size (up to a reasonable maximum, of course). So, if Linden is reading this; consider this a feature request for freely selectable texture size.

As I recall, 8 x 8 is the smallest SL will let you upload. 1024 x 1024 is the largest, these days. It used to be possible to upload as large as 2048 in one direction or the other, but such mega-huge textures take a long time to initially rez, and too many people were mis-using them, like using a 2048 texture on something that would *never* be seen at that level of detail. So the Lindens capped it at 1024 to speed up load times for everyone.

I do an awful lot of my texture design work at far higher resolutions. I did a football field texture just recently with a master image that was 6826 by 3414 pixels, and which became several smaller 1024 textures that get pieced together to make the final field. Then I use Photoshop to scale it down to an SL size, as needed. The anti-aliasing that PS does is a GOOD thing, it blends the edges of my colors more smoothly, and makes the smaller texture look more photorealistic and less jagged.

There is nothing at all wrong with doing your work at 1000 x 1000 or 2000 x 2000 and then scaling it to an SL-size 'power of two' in each direction before importing it. I do it all the time, though it is best to work larger than the final size.

Also, for most textures, 512 x 512 is plenty in the final import. For skins and clothing textures, 512 x 512 is the only size you should ever use, because when SL displays a skin or a shirt or a skirt, all textures used get re-sized to 512 x 512 before it bakes the avatar texture for display.

I have wondered about this myself because very detailed 512 textures sometimes lose their detail and become fuzzy especially when repeated a whole lot..
I had wanted to save prims but now I think I may just make images larger and break the texture down in 512 by 512 parts

@Ceera Murakami

Thank's for the advice and background information. Maybe I can return the favour; I was uploading textures and seeing what would and wouldn't work, and I noticed two things from a single texture upload :

First thing is I think they've lowered the minimum since you did your 8X8. I created a texture of just 2X128. Now, after the upload I got a texture resized to 4X128 which suggests 4 pixels is the new minimum. The upload also confirmed something else I wanted to know; and that is you can have different X and Y resolutions on a single texture (as long as it's to the power of two).

Example : 4X128, 1024X256, 256X512, 64X8, etc... would all be valid.


@FD Spark

One thing to consider is that if you're using a repeating texture like grass, you could probably get away with doing only a 256 or 512 texture with larger blades of grass on them and then just increase the amount of repeats under the texture tab. This would give sharper detail and use even less resources.