[sldev] Texture optimization (was: Reformatting Textures for the cache)

[John Hurliman]

Judith Combs wrote:
> So are you saying that unique new textures wouldn't rez well?  That 
> sounds like hell for artists (content creators) like me.  I'm reading 
> this thread with fascination, and it's already changed the way I 
> handle textures now, for the better.  (And I think that more education 
> that's easier to find, for the non-programmer-content-creators would 
> be a good idea, so we don't do so many dumb things.)  But I think this 
> idea would drive content creation to a more mediocre level, instead of 
> encouraging new and original visual ideas. 

The best thing you can do as a texture artist to optimize your work for 
SL is reusing textures. Lets say you are making a car; instead of 
uploading a separate texture for each piece of the interior, the grill, 
the windshield, the mirrors, license plate, etc., make a single 512x512 
image and put each texture in a different part of the 512x512 image. Use 
the Compress Texture menu item under the Client menu in Second Life to 
test out the JPEG2000 compression locally without having to spend L$10 
uploading and realize the text on your license plate was destroyed.

John Hurliman