Inside: SereneScreen Fan Forum - View Single Post - Wishlist for Marine Aquarium 3 and Future

johnblommers · 08-10-2006, 03:07 PM

Originally posted by Tiny Turtle:

....a Pismo is still a bit old. Developing something now with the aim of it looking good enough to sell to people buying computers today won't be helped by having to factor in the performance of a portable computer released in early 2000...

Sorry if I come across as grumpy.

/Tiny Reflective Scales

Not at all Tiny Turtle, we're really on the same page. I really don't expect the 3D MA to run on the Pismo. It amazes me how well MA works on that ancient Pismo given its modest 8 meg of VRAM. And that old video card propably has no means to generate procedural textures anyway. Given that textures are easy to capture with a camera, it's the clear choice for 3D artists. I see that now.

So to support small-VRAM systems, would not a technique called Mipmapping help out? This method draws low-res textures on large distant objects and swaps in a higher-res texture when the camera moves closer. Given a low VRAM system you can use the lower res textures and for modern 512-Meg VRAM cards you an use all the high res textures.

As I have never coded in OpenGL I have no idea how easy or hard or stupid MipMapping is

08-10-2006, 03:07 PM	#1433
johnblommers The Architect Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 756	Actually you are being kind Originally posted by Tiny Turtle: ....a Pismo is still a bit old. Developing something now with the aim of it looking good enough to sell to people buying computers today won't be helped by having to factor in the performance of a portable computer released in early 2000... Sorry if I come across as grumpy. /Tiny Reflective Scales Not at all Tiny Turtle, we're really on the same page. I really don't expect the 3D MA to run on the Pismo. It amazes me how well MA works on that ancient Pismo given its modest 8 meg of VRAM. And that old video card propably has no means to generate procedural textures anyway. Given that textures are easy to capture with a camera, it's the clear choice for 3D artists. I see that now. So to support small-VRAM systems, would not a technique called Mipmapping help out? This method draws low-res textures on large distant objects and swaps in a higher-res texture when the camera moves closer. Given a low VRAM system you can use the lower res textures and for modern 512-Meg VRAM cards you an use all the high res textures. As I have never coded in OpenGL I have no idea how easy or hard or stupid MipMapping is Reasons people don't watch Star Trek: 60% - It’s for nerds. 39% - The show’s stupid. 01% - My parents were killed by Klingons and it's still too painful.