Loading textures larger than 1024 x1024 ?

I have a texture that is 1024 x 5000 and i can load it into SL but the issue is actually getting it to look right on a prim when I scroll. Everything gets squished down like it were a 1024 x 1024. Any tips or suggestions on getting this to work ?

Nope. When you upload a texture with a dimension larger than 1024, SL automatically downsizes it to 1024. Your texture might have been 1024 x 5000 on your machine, but not in SL. Read the sticky on texture sizes and file formats at the top of this forum.

It appears the standard practice is to avoid showing images like that... In practice, who knows, but it's probably fair to assume it's not supported

And as far as the size, I think the max is 2048

Oops: After further research, it appears the 2048 limit in the official viewer only applies to sculpties.

I thought the maximum size within SL is 1024, anything higher will be scaled down to 1024? I tried uploading a 2048 as a test once, and I recall it having scaled down, though maybe my memory of the result is off.

As for displaying in SL, if you stretch a prim to the proper size ratio, it can be made to appear like the right size. 5000 pixels is huge, anyway, and 1024 is enough detail for most prim sizes smaller than 100 metres.

First of all the maximum is 1024x1024 that can be uploaded. Regardless (as Rolig quite clearly mentioned) of the size created in external software anything larger will be downsized to 1024.

Now, my question for the OP is why did you design such a large texture?

My guess is (and I am guessing) is that you deisgned the texture to span either a lot of prims vetically or horizontally. Horizontally as in a long wall or vertical as in a type of Skyscraper build.

Either way its all very well designing a texture of that size but you have to give consideration as to how you will use it in SL given the constraints on your final upload.

I can assure you firstly that the texture will not look that good once reduced to 1024x1024 and even after textured correctly.

To use that texture as one you need to work out the texture repeats across your prims.
For a texture of that size using planar as that is the easiest way to find repeats regardless of prim sizes will be;

5000 pixels = repeats 0.056 / 0.057
1024 pixels = repeats 0.276 / 0.278

All you have to do is work out the offsets across the prims.

My advice if you are designing such a large texture for the purpose I guessed then break it up into sections. You will have to take into account the size of the prims used to make sure the texture repeats seamlessly across all prims. If for example you have 18x10 metre prims linked in a line then break your texture up into 4 sections with each image size 1276x1024 then upload at 512x512.

If my guessing was wrong then perhaps you might be able to clarify why your texture was so big to start.

Naw, the server doesn't touch the data you upload. The snag is whether clients will be able to see them correctly.

The server isn't what does the downsizing (except in special cases). Anything larger than 1024 gets downsized to 1024 by the client at the time of upload. For a brief time, LL did up the limit to 2048, but that didn't last long. The larger sizes were causing certain video cards to crash. So they lowered the limit back to 1024, where it's remained ever since, and likely will remain for the foreseeable future. All existing 2048's were downsized to 1024 (by the server) when the limit was lowered.

(Interestingly, those old 2048's are still labeled 2048 in the texture previewer, but their actual size is in fact 1024. They got resized, but not relabeled.)


Christif, just so you know, no realtime graphics engine in the world is going to perform well with a texture that large on display. Most won't even allow it to be used at all. First of all, it's not sized in powers of two on both dimensions. Most engines, including the one SL uses, require powers of two. Second, it's absolutely HUGE! Images that large should only be used for print or for film-quality renderings, never for anything live.

1024x5000 pixels is almost 15 megabytes worth of video memory if there's no transparency in the image, and almost 20 megabytes if there is transparency. By realtime standards, that's like trying to carry Mount Everest on your back. It's just not going to happen. The presence of a dozen or so textures that size would completely overwhelm the average video card.

Can I ask what you feel you need a texture that large for? Are you trying to put the text of your latest novel all on one page or something?

Please read the sticky on texture sizes at the top of this forum, for a complete listing of what sizes you can use.

Ach mein gott.

1024x5000!!!!

Yes i remember the crashing of the 2048's, and I also realize that 1024x1024's still cause people using older and lower memory graphic cards problems.

When my laptop had only 1 gig of memory, i could tell when i was in a high 1024x1024 texture area - the lag is pretty noticeable and checking the texture panel would show nothing but 1024's around. My desktop does not have that problem, but my moms older machine does.

I suspect they are trying to texture a "mural" on a very large megaprim wall.

Based on my own experiments, a 1024 x 1024 texture can adequately texture a 50 x 50 megaprim face, without looking too terribly grainy, close up. Any megaprim larger than 50 x 50, you're better off texturing it with a tilable texture that repeats several times.

If you *must* texture a large megaprim wall as a single mural, use a 1024 x 1024 or a 512 x 1024 texture, but expect that up close it will always look blurred and grainy.

Personally, if I had to do a wall textured as a continuous landscape or mural, and it had to be longer than 50 M long, I would divide it into more than one megaprim, using a different texture on each, by externally slicing up my huge panorama into 1024 x 1024 or smaller pieces.