[Opensim-dev] The case for greater than 1024x1024 pixel textures.

[Amy Smith]

This is part of an effort to increase the awareness in 
the developer community of a longstanding need among 
OpenSim content creators and designers of simulator 
environments, for higher resolution pixel textures 
(images greater than current 1024x1024 pixels) 
to be used in stand-alone and/or grid operation of 
sim regions using OpenSimulator. 

We are cartoons...
The present limit of 1024x1024 pixels contributes 
to a "cartoon-like" or sub-optimum look and feel to 
OpenSimulator. If we are to make progress in 21st century 
3D graphics, higher resolution imagery is needed. 

Is it in only in the Viewer?
Some devs point to the viewer clients being coded to limit 
the image size at upload. Since OpenSimulator project has 
recently changed license and participation method, to provide 
increased interaction between viewer developers and simulator 
developers, perhaps there is a renewed possibility to solve 
this problem in the near future. Some TPV viewers have provided 
compatibility switches in the Grid Manager section for 
use with OpenSimulator. 

Is there a SIMULATOR or server-side solution?
If the only limits are in the viewer UPLOAD, then perhaps 
a method of image insertion at the database level or 
in the simulator console could be provided for higher 
resolution textures.

What should the limit be?It is estimated that increasing the limit to 
at least 4096 x 4096 pixels would suffice for 
most applications. But, for future expansion, 
it should be up to the designer, the sim operator, or 
the grid operator to set such limits (if any).

The areas of design that suffer the most from 
current texture size limits (1024x1024 pixels) are:

1. AVATARS: Avatar skin and system clothing. (Currently: very blurry! )
2. HUGE PRIMS: Large prim objects, such as buildings, environment/ space/ sky/ backdrops/ backgrounds, etc.
3. SCULPTY: Visible texture applied to surface of sculpted objects.
4. MESH: Visible texture applied to surface of mesh objects.
5. LAND: Teraform, land/ground RAWs, textures, and data maps.

Reproduction of the current situation:
1. Upload a 4096x4096 image for use with avatar upper body UV wrapped texture for system avatar.
2. Observe after upload, that the image has been converted by down-sampling and poorly compressing to a resulting 1024x1024 texture.
3. Apply the texture to the upper body of the system avatar in the opensimulator region.
4. Look at the avatar in the opensimulator region, and observe that the texture is fuzzy.
5. Compare the difference in sharpness of the original design image to the fuzziness of the inworld texture.

Respectfully,
Amy Smith
aka. Lani Global