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Detail map scaling/resizing

by Torbjorn Leksell · in Torque Game Engine · 02/09/2006 (4:35 pm) · 3 replies

I made a detail map in the same size (128x128) as a texture I'm using (Floor tiles) and then load them up in TGE. The problem is that the detail map is scaled down/resized which creates loads of small tiles inside the normal sized tiles and this looks really bad. I've tried increasing the size of the detail map (256x256) but it still is still ends up the same size in TGE. Is it possible to match the size of the detail map to the texture?. If so, how?
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Associate Jaimi McEntire
King of Flapjacks
#1
02/09/2006 (5:56 pm)
Maybe I'm missing something, but if the detail map is the same size as the texture, then why bother to have it - you could get the same effect just by combining the textures in a paint program.

Torque Owner John Kabus (BobTheCBuilder)
#2
02/09/2006 (8:09 pm)
Hi Torbjorn,

Detail maps are designed to show some added surface detail when the viewer is very close to an object, so that the texture doesn't look blurry. For this to happen detail textures are generally the same size as the diffuse texture (main texture) but tiled more frequently.

So the tiling isn't too noticeable, the detail texture shouldn't be too drastic in detail, should ideally be a grayscale image, and needs to have an average intensity of 127 in Photoshop (see the histogram).

-John


Also: Because the detail textures are very generic they can also be reused on many different diffuse textures.

Torque 3D Owner Torbjorn Leksell
Narcissistic Studios
#3
02/10/2006 (2:12 am)
@John: Thanks that really cleared things up for me. I feel like I will be able to make more good use of detail maps now that I know how they are placed/tiled.