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Are Some Textures Just Quirky?

DoteDote Edison
Thinks Too Much
Join date: 6 Jun 2004
Posts: 790
12-17-2004 17:32
I've noticed a certain recurring problem with textures that I'm curious about. First though, I use and ATI card. It seems that some freebie textures I received long ago don't behave the same as most other textures. It's difficult to describe, but imagine two solid boxes butted together with no gap. With most textures, the default texture, or a simple color, the scene appears correctly. However, if I texture the entire object with one of these 'bad' textures, the box nearst my camera will appear to lose it's top or side, showing through to the side of the other box - which shouldn't be visible due to it butting against box #1.

I've noticed this with some marble textures and just recently some wallred___ (wallpaper) texture that I found in my inventory.

My theory is that maybe these 'bad' textures were saved as 32bit textures instead of 24bits. Would this cause the problem I've tried to describe? I'd experiment, but I keep finding better things to do when I get in-world.
Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
12-17-2004 21:11
From: DoteDote Edison
My theory is that maybe these 'bad' textures were saved as 32bit textures instead of 24bits. Would this cause the problem I've tried to describe?

You hit the nail on the head right there. It's a common issue in many 3D graphics applications that alphas do not stack very well. Put two 32-bit textures up against eachother and they will have a tendency to fight with eachother. From what I understand, this is a glitch in OpenGL, and has nothing to do with SL specifically (I could be wrong about that, as I'm hardly an expert in OpenGL, but that's what I have been told). In some cases, this "bug" can be exploited for useful purposes (fire, trees, bushes, etc.), but often it ends up causing the kinds of problems you described.

By the way, I'm fairly certain I have the same marble textures as you. They were given to me when I was a newb. They are indeed 32 bit but should be only 24. I exported a few of them, resaved them as 24 bit, re-uploaded them, and they work fine now. I would suggest you do the same for any texture that is giving you trouble.

Just so I can say I said it, be sure to always save textures that do not need transparency as 24 bit. 32 only causes rendering problems otherwise. You may know that already, but others reading this may not.
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Korg Stygian
Curmudgeon Extraordinaire
Join date: 3 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,105
12-17-2004 21:25
From: Chosen Few
I exported a few of them, resaved them as 24 bit, re-uploaded them, and they work fine now.

At the risk of overlooking something obvious, how do you export a texture from SL?
Isis Becquerel
Ferine Strumpet
Join date: 1 Sep 2004
Posts: 971
12-17-2004 21:39
From: Korg Stygian
At the risk of overlooking something obvious, how do you export a texture from SL?


Wondering the same...
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Roberta Dalek
Probably trouble
Join date: 21 Oct 2004
Posts: 1,174
12-17-2004 21:46
Open the texture. In the file menu there should be a save texture option - if the permissions on the texture are agreeable.
Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
12-17-2004 21:47
From: Korg Stygian
At the risk of overlooking something obvious, how do you export a texture from SL?

Don't worry about having overlooked it. I didn't find it that obvious either, although in retrospect it's hard to see why I didn't. It was a few months before I discovered it.

Open up your textures folder in your inventory and double click on a texture to view it. Now click File->Save Texture As...

The texture will output as a TGA.
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