DDS file settings? (Nvidia Delivers!)

**ignore this, premature celebration on my part**

Nevermind, I figured it out. Turns out the culprit was the basic image settings in Photoshop (of all things), specifically the pixel/inch resolution, which was too low. You couldn't tell the difference in Photoshop, but it definitely shows when .dds compression takes place. Increasing this from default 75 to 150 fixed the quality loss.

That, and I downloaded some nifty .dds exporter profiles made by a modder from TesNexus, you can check them out here.

Update - I was a bit too quick to post triumphant news, seems Photoshop pulled a fast one on me and let me gaze, for some strange reason, on an uncompressed version of the image when I opened the .dds file. Pixelation is still a problem for large textures, and upon educating myself a bit further about the dds image format I suspect there is no easy way around it as the artifacts and errors happen because of the inevitable compression. Some sites suggest manual editing of the texture using various techniques to try and combat the appearance of artifacts, but that is simply out of the question for large and detailed images such as this:

 Apparently the problem are smooth gradients in the texture. I examined the vanilla backdrops and either IC used some unknown method to preserve the crispness of their images or those images were carefully made so that they do not contain any problematic areas where artifacts may occur. Anyway, I tried to get the kind of backdrops you can see in X3, but it now looks to me like that game uses a different file format for that purpose. What is vital is the preservation of minute details - the above texture is a half-hour work, what I truly had in mind is more akin to this. As you can see from that example, any pixelation or artifacting would quite ruin the effect.

If you examine the vanilla backdrop images, notice how well the details and edges are preserved. This above all else makes me suspect that there is a way to circumvent the effect .dds compression has on high-detail imagery - I am just unable to find it, and its frustrating.

So the invitation to anyone with some experience in this matter to come and help stands.

And another update - I've spent the entire day searching and researching the issue od dxt compression and finally I have stumbled upon a quality solution - Nvidia's Texture Tools 2 using CUDA can compress dxt formats with a much higher degree of quality than the Nvidia's Photoshop plugin. I was able to get rid of most of the pixelation using these tools on my gradient-heavy image, and was also able to retain high range of detailing on the high-quality nebula. Plus, these tools are reportedly faster (about 22% and it feels like it). CUDA architecture is tied to Nvidia GPU's, so I'm not sure if you can use the tools if you've got some other brand of graphic card, or if it's just slower.

There is actually a new version of that plugin available from NVidia's site, I'm going to check it out and see if they have integrated these new algorithms in. In any case, if you're doing lots of texturing, check the Tools out, the time saved on compression alone is worth it.

This much from me... hopefully this will be of use to others with the same problem. Or else I'm talking to myself.

I listening to ur mad ramblings   I dont have anything valuable to add though.

Except perhaps X3:Terran Conflict is out next Friday and is likely to have new and improved backdrops.

Well, can't use those because of copyright. But.. mad ramblings!? MAD!? You will see who is mad when the universe explodes around you in all of its GLORY! And I will be there! I will be there to usher in a new age of stellar awesomeness! Nebulas glittering in the dark! Neutron stars bathing the abyssal plains of interstellar space in their eery light! *foams at the mouth and gibbers incoherently*

Damn it TFL.  You just HAD to get him worked up over The Last Stand.

Manshooter,

This is terrific news.  I just had a brief chance to read this thread.  This is something I ahve always struggled with, especially for ships and planets.  Hopefully the new tools will be of some assistance as they were for you.  I am also curious to see what DXT compression and Alpha channel settings you are using.  Some use DTX5 compression, while others use DTX3 compression.

I am looking forward to the wrath of the Xin, and the new universe they are bringing with them!!!!!

DANMAN

I usually use DTX5, and have had very few problems with that. Actually my main problem is getting the damn polar caps aligned so that the seam does not show... I am still at aloss how IC did it so precisely. I can use tricks like adjusting the alpha long the seams or using uniform colors in the same places, but that's not how they did it...

Thank you Mansh00ter.  I have also struggled with the seam issue.  I found the best way is to make the areas near the edges all uniform.  This usuallt helps.  The other thing is to make a map like a gas giant or star, and utilize all the space, just stay away from the edges with detail.  Again, minor fixes, but it cuts down on the "apparent" seams.

I can't wait to see some planets you are making!

DANMAN

Is the texture not baking to your sphere correctly then?

Well, I'm not baking the texture onto the model. What I was trying to do is paint the texture in Photoshop, then align it using alignment controls (as to get perfect positioning) and polar coordinates for the caps. This, however, has not produced favorable results. Do you have an alternative method which works?

It's even worse for the skyboxes - the planet textures at least have top and bottom poles positioned above and below the main body texture so it's not that difficult to align.