Article: Content Creator Blog - Draw Calls and Materials

[WindWalkr]

This page maybe? If so, it doesn't actually instruct you to do that, just gives it as an example. I can see how that you might take that as the "right approach" by implication though.

chris

 

[paulhobbs]

This page maybe? If so, it doesn't actually instruct you to do that, just gives it as an example. I can see how that you might take that as the "right approach" by implication though.

chris

that page doesn’t imply anything, it specifically says only the highest LOD is normal mapped. It’s hardly surprising that people take that as ‘best practice’ which highlights a major problem regarding content creation, the lack of up to date examples of how it should be done.

A while ago I asked if using a lower res texture for the lowest LOD was a good idea and I was told (by James), no, use the same material for all LODs, the game engine will take care of that. The info in this thread seems to contradict that information. In the absence of good examples people will do what seems logical to them at the time.

Paul

 

[pcas1986]

that page doesn’t imply anything, it specifically says only the highest LOD is normal mapped. ...

I don't read it that way but I do agree that it could be confusing. It's unfortunate that, despite a wealth of information on the advantages of LOD, we don't have good tutorial examples of traincars, scenery (buildings), and spline style assets. I.E. something like the procedural track tute.

 

[WindWalkr]

that page doesn’t imply anything, it specifically says only the highest LOD is normal mapped.

It specifically gives an example where that is the case. Nowhere does it say that this is the only way to do things, but I agree that you could take that as implied. And it probably was deliberately implied, at the time.

It’s hardly surprising that people take that as ‘best practice’ which highlights a major problem regarding content creation, the lack of up to date examples of how it should be done.

Agreed.

A while ago I asked if using a lower res texture for the lowest LOD was a good idea and I was told (by James), no, use the same material for all LODs, the game engine will take care of that.

That is accurate. There is absolutely no advantage in supplying a lower resolution version of the same texture - in fact, this will reduce performance overall.

There are, however, a variety of times where it makes sense to use a different texture, which may or may not be lower resolution:

* When collapsing multiple materials from the high LOD into a single material in the low LOD.
* When using a low-LOD-only texture atlas shared between multiple assets/meshes.
* When you need to change the texture for some other reason, you can quite likely reduce texture resolution at the same time.

chris

 

[Mick_Berg]

This page maybe? If so, it doesn't actually instruct you to do that, just gives it as an example. I can see how that you might take that as the "right approach" by implication though.

chris

The actual text is "Note: Only Figure 4, the hi-res version, is normal-mapped." In a law suit one might argue on Windwalkr's side, but I would definitely take it as an instruction to only normal-map the hi-res version. Anyway the whole article appears to be out of date now and really should be either updated or taken down.

Mick

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

A paragraph or two above that text is this advice: "Do not use separate textures for each LOD mesh; the same texture can be used for all because textures have their own built-in LOD reduction." So whoever wrote that Wiki page appears to be having an each-way bet.