i''d like to preload 1024 tga textures of about 200k each (so the total amount is more than 200Mb) , and bind them successively on a frustum culled terrain, with no more of 64 textures displayed simultaneosly. is that possible ? just because i have a 64mb vga card (Geforce3), i heard that i can only store 32mb of textures (which is 1/7 of what i need). But i don''t understand if those 32mb are referred to the textures that i can bind (therefore no problem because i''d use about 13mb at time) or that i can preload. Thanks ! glHorizon_Project

www.web-discovery.net

I think openGL will just use normal RAM if it runs out of Video RAM.

it should be possible depending on how much ram u have but it will run like a dog. i think you need to rethink how youre doing your terrain texturing. cvheck out www.vterrain.org for some info

http://members.xoom.com/myBollux

200MB of textures is way too much. You''ll constantly be swapping textures in and out of memory, and it will be slowwwww.....
Use smaller/less textures, did you know that quake3 had similar problems, they had way to many textures so they had to cut it down and not use some etc... You might have to do the same thing.

Ciao

FatalXC

Try useing Palitized textures that are less detailed like 4 textures per single texture (the bitmap font tut shows you how to seperate them once ther loaded) this would reduce the number needed.

ARID, can you give me some hint about palitized textures, never heard about it !

glHorizon_Project



www.web-discovery.net

Okay easy one

so let''s say you have a 32bit color texture

you size it down to 8 bit
going to look like shit

now, you find the most useful colors of the image
at the beginning of the file you put the palette
it is such a thing :
0x00 = FF 00 00 FF
0x01 = 00 FF 00 FF
0x.......
Well, it is not given as clearly, it is given binary, like a pallete (it''s a palette)
so, in your image you sized down to 8 bit paletized
every pixel value which is 8 bit corresponds to a predefined color, the color of the palete
you you have 256 colors, but the one you need
It is perfect for sand, lots of shades of yellow
along for everything that has a few colors
skies, floor, metal textures

will only look shit if you use the almost the full spectrum

Get it ?

Okay easy one

so let''s say you have a 32bit color texture

you size it down to 8 bit
going to look like shit

now, you find the most useful colors of the image
at the beginning of the file you put the palette
it is such a thing :
0x00 = FF 00 00 FF
0x01 = 00 FF 00 FF
0x.......
Well, it is not given as clearly, it is given binary, like a pallete (it''s a palette)
so, in your image you sized down to 8 bit paletized
every pixel value which is 8 bit corresponds to a predefined color, the color of the palete
you you have 256 colors, but the one you need
It is perfect for sand, lots of shades of yellow
along for everything that has a few colors
skies, floor, metal textures

will only look shit if you use the almost the full spectrum

Get it ?

Okay easy one

so let''s say you have a 32bit color texture

you size it down to 8 bit
going to look like shit

now, you find the most useful colors of the image
at the beginning of the file you put the palette
it is such a thing :
0x00 = FF 00 00 FF
0x01 = 00 FF 00 FF
0x.......
Well, it is not given as clearly, it is given binary, like a pallete (it''s a palette)
so, in your image you sized down to 8 bit paletized
every pixel value which is 8 bit corresponds to a predefined color, the color of the palete
you you have 256 colors, but the one you need
It is perfect for sand, lots of shades of yellow
along for everything that has a few colors
skies, floor, metal textures

will only look shit if you use the almost the full spectrum

Get it ?

Another way of doing what you''re doing is called a "Texture Cache." Its an old way of doing things, and its pathetically documented... Plus it wouldn''t exactly help you if you needed 200mb of textures at once, which sounds like graphics suicide. But, SK''s idea sounded like it would work. And you can lower the resolution for even greater effect (speed wise... you may lose a bit graphics wise, but it wouldn''t be *THAT* bad).

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Trent (ShiningKnight)
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OpenGL Game Programming Tutorials