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Switching default texture format to DDS (view source)
Revision as of 07:25, 4 September 2014
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== Feedback needed - should Flightgear switch the defaults to dds format for terrain texturing? == | |||
=== What is this about? === | |||
The FG development team is considering to switch the format for terrain textures from png to dds. This would offer a number of significant advantages: | |||
* dds is a compressed format, hence the download size of the FG base package may be decreased | |||
* compressed dds can be directly used by many graphics cards, reducing also GPU memory consumption | |||
* dds stores all texture resolution levels, i.e. no lower resolution levels have to be generated when the texture is used, hence it loads much faster into memory | |||
* the resolution levels ('mipmaps') can be customized, allowing for some interesting effects at no performance cost | |||
Practically all commercial simulations use dds for these reasons. | |||
However, the dds compression algorithm is patented, which means that it is not readily available for OpenSource graphics drivers used by Linux distributions. Dependent on the specific hardware, this may or may not be a problem (modern graphics cards typically do not need the driver to process dds, for older graphics cards there are non-patented workarounds available which decompress the dds on the software level). The development team is concerned about making the Flightgear experience pleasant for all users, hence we would like to gather feedback how many users would be affected by a change in practice. | |||
If there are no problems reported, FG will change defaults to txtures in dds format with the 3.4 release, and then phase out the use of png textures. | |||
== What would we need? == | |||
Flightgear already provides the simple option to test a dds texture set. If you are running on Linux and use an OpenSource graphics driver, please take 5 minutes to help during your next FG session: | |||
* Open the dialog under View -> Rendering | |||
* Under 'Terrain texture scheme', change the default 'Region-specific' to 'Global alternative (DDS format)' | |||
* Press 'Okay' - FG will reload the terrain | |||
* Do you see proper textures on the terrain (they may look different and may also not fit the location perfectly)? If yes, you're fine. If you see monochromatic colors or other rendering artifacts, your system may have problems with dds. | |||
* Change back to the texture scheme you like best | |||
* Enter your experiences in the list below | |||
Thanks for your help! | |||
== Tested hardware and graphis drivers == | |||
=== NVIDIA proprietary driver === | |||
Card: GeForce 670M Driver: 310.19 dds: OK Reported by: ThorstenR | |||
=== NVIDIA OpenSource driver === | |||
=== Intel proprietary driver === | |||
=== Intel OpenSource driver === | |||
=== ATI/AMD proprietary driver === | |||
=== ATI/AMD OpenSource driver === | |||
== Excerpts from the ongoing discussion == | |||
{{FGCquote | {{FGCquote | ||