Detail vs Lag? (Formerly Beauty vs. Lag)

Hi, I posted a thread but made a mistake on the poll, and I would like to repost. I apologize if you are reading this similar thread as a repeat. I accidentally made that poll private and I didn't get into enough detail.

I am making some large builds, and would like to see people's preference in the performance vs. detail trade-off.



For the record, I like to muscle-up my computer and will still push it as far as i can. Apparently I am more comfortable with a low frame-rate than I am for compromising detail.

However, I know a lot of people prefer the focus to be more on the avatar, on movement, on communication, etc. Long load times for textures and loads of objects become a problem and can ruin an experience for some due to many factors.

When i mean high-detail, i mean the most beautiful and lifelike scenery in SL, where the subtleties make the difference of imagery between simulated and surreal.

Thank you.

This may not be what you want to hear, but I'm firmly in the "happy medium" camp. It's not about "detail vs. performance"; it's about finding the best balance of both, always. It's certainly possible to make very detailed, very beautiful, environments without awakening the lag monster. I think most people who create abusive lagtastic builds do so not because that's the only way to get the look they want, but simply because they just don't know any better.

Nine times out of ten, for example, you can replace a 1024x1024 with a 256x256, and it will look just as good. In many cases, it will actually look better, in fact, since downsizing images can often eliminate pre-existing artifacts.

Smart building techniques can go a long way as well. Every time you use a cylinder instead of a tube, for example, you cut your poly count by as much as 67%. Every time you use a cut & hollowed cube to make an L shape instead of two cubes, you cut your poly count by more than half. Over the course of an entire build, little things like this add up in huge ways.


Balance is key. I look at the old glass-half-empty/half-full question the same way. There's no need to make that choice. The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's simply that the glass is too big. They system in question is out of balance. Balance the system by shrinking the glass, and it all works. I think you'll find that most of the either-or decisions we tend to box ourselves into are really not so two-sided as we prefer to think. There's always a balance to be found that's better than any one alternative ever could be.

Yep Happy medium for me too, with sliders each way for combat or photography

It really depends on the purpose of your build.

If I'm out looking for interesting places, I'll wait around for things to rez in.

If I'm out shopping for avatar stuff, I'm not in the least bit interested in architecture or anything related to it.

If creating cool detail is your primary purpose, do it. If it's not, then focus on achieving your primary purpose.