texture maps

[DrBob]

I would like to hear what you guys use for texture maps.

If you use them.

Do you guys use .jpg , .bmp, .tga or other.

I am trying to improve my skills and I think we all would benifit from hearing what others use.

[Kai]

I mostly use TGA files, I either use an unwrapper TSX or just make the texture to put on the model with a flat projection and go from there.. the manin software I use is Photoshop...

[Hyperspace]

DrBob,

PNG is the only texture format I use. Here is the short version of why it is better than other formats (like GIF, JPG, TGA):

- Great compression, compresses better than GIF/TGA, and supports 24bit (unlike GIF)
- Lossless compression, like TGA, but unlike JPG. Those JPG artifacts can get nasty in 3D textures.
- Support for few-color palettes, greyscale, 24bit, plus alpha maps.

The features of TGA and PNG are pretty similar, but PNG compresses better. On the other hand support for TGA is more universal amongst other 3d apps.

(TS4 and TS5 both support PNG fully)

One thing to note - The compression of the textures only matters for the texture file size on your harddrive. TS internally uncompresses all textures (BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TGA), so the TS memory requirements won't change, only the resolution matters for that.

[skyhawk223]

tgas mostly. Sometimes a gif or two.

[mattam]

I usually use .jpg's because it's just alot easier to find texture maps online with that extension, and I'm too lazy to convert them to other formats :P

-mattam

[Admiral Pip]

.JPGs :D

.Tga's if something needs to be transparant.