How to set parameters to a new texture file?

IF I make a prim 1*1*1 and want to make a texture for example in Photoshop.

I want to put a texture to ONE of the sides of the prim (EXAKT placed from side to side) how large shall I set the SIZE of the file in Photoshop?

512 pix I am told before - BUT the measurements..

I include the ”new file” part from Photoshop,,,,

NEXT and I suppose if i want to put the texture file at a 10*10*10 prim at a side I only ad an extra zero? BUT how will the quality if so then change?

And then at last save it as Highest jpg file or what?

/Tina - again seeking the EXAKT way to make it..

A few things...

(1) Textures that you upload should have sizes in powers of 2. This means you can use 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, etc... 5120 would not be a good size to choose, even ignoring how very huge that file would be. Most textures that you make and upload - for any size prim - will be 512x512.

(2) When you place a square texture (say, 512x512 in size) on a square surface (whether it's part of a 1x1x1 or 10x10x10 prim), the texture will perfectly cover the surface from side to side, with no distortion of the image.

(3) When you say you want the texture to cover one side of the prim exactly, I assume you mean that you do not want any stretching when it's placed. In other words, you don't want it to look zoomed in when you put the texture on a 10x10x10 cube. This really comes down to a quality issue, but I don't think the problem will be as big as you worry. Someone with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong.

If you're really concerned about stretching, you can move up to a 1024x1024 texture. Be aware that this will significantly increase the loading time in the game. Meaning that your texture and any prims you place that texture on will take longer to rez than if you'd used a 512x512. I would suggest trying a 512x512 image first, to make sure you really need that extra space. I would not use anything larger than 1024x1024, unless you really-really-really know that it's necessary. And as far as I'm concerned, it won't be.

(4) Texture files should be saved with a .tga extension. JPGs are best for webpages, TGAs are best for Second Life.


By the way, I gather from the screenshot that English isn't your first language. If anything here isn't clear, feel free to IM me - here or in game - and I'll try to clarify. Good luck!

Its Swedish)

I u-stand 98-99 some up to 100%.. BUT I have a software called ”ordboken” that translate a lot of languages.. (copy paste to) but are worse in writing English - OK I am bad at writing Swedish to as I am one of AL those dyslectics in the world.. (NO fun)...

*****

Tks for the tips.. I will try it out ... as fast as possible..

So IF you do a prim that are 1*0.5 flat - you do it - IF you want a 1-1 textture You make it 512*256 pixels.. or a 1*0.25 one - 512*128 -??

/Tina - Not that EXAKT as 512*512... nature you know..

Yes, you can upload a 512x256 texture. Be aware that it will look distorted in the normal texture previews, but when you drop it on your 1x0.5 prim it should look fine.

Another option (and a good one if you have two 512x256 textures and want to save on upload costs... ) is to make the 512x256 texture half of a 512x512 texture, and then use the texturing tools in the Edit window to adjust which half is shown.

I'm not in-game right now to get screenshots or even exact names, but the basic concept... The last tab in the Edit window, where you set the color and texture, there are some options below those two selection boxes:

* Repeats per face: Here, you would set the vertical option to 0.5. 1/2 of the image shown per one side of the prim.

* Offset (or some word like that): Here, you would adjust the vertical option to 0.25 (or -0.25, I forget which way is which...). This will "move" the texture into place, so you'll see the entire top or bottom half instead of parts of each.

There are other options in there to play with... The one that comes to mind is at the very bottom, called something like Repeats Per Meter. It's a box with an Apply button to the right of it. This setting will override your 'repeats per face' settings, once you press Apply.

Good stuff to play around with...

Another trick. If you want to create a texture that you are certain will go on a prim face of specific dimensions, is to design it at a larger multiple of those dimensions, and then reduce the file before saving it to the 'powers of two' multiple that is the same size or the next size larger...

For example, if I want to save a 1024 x 768 screen shot. That is a 1.333 to 1 aspect ratio. Not a power of two, though 1024 is a direct multiple of one of the powers of 2 (2 x 512 =- 1024).

- I save the file to my hard drive as 1024 x 768.
- In Photoshop, I select 'Image Size', and uncheck the option to constrain proportions.
- Then I enter 512 wide and 512 high as my new image size. The image becomes square, and looks 'streached' top to bottom. This is not a problem...
- Save that as a .tga file, and import it.
Create a prim with an aspect ratio of 1.333 to 1. For example, 1.333 Meters wide and 1 meter high.
- Apply the texture to it. The texture will streach to fit the shape, and will restore the original aspect ratio perfectly.

If I wanted something like 512 x 200 as the aspect ratio, I would save it as 512 x 256. Most of the door textures that I make are 256 x 512, because doors in RL tend to be about twice as high as they are wide.

The 'safe multiples' that I use are 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512. Anything larger than that takes too long to load, and wastes resources. Odd sizes, like 1024 x 768, get re-sized by SL to one of those dimensions... and SL does a worse job of adjusting the aspect ration than you can do with Photoshop.

Oh god (of whatever denomination), haeelp.
1024 IS a power of 2. Its not a 'multiple of one of the powers of 2'.