Editing Arcane University:DDS Data Format
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A texture without mipmaps will not crash the game, but may cause significant drops in framerate, and will look "grainy" at a distance. All Skyrim textures should have mipmaps, except for facegen textures and UI art. | A texture without mipmaps will not crash the game, but may cause significant drops in framerate, and will look "grainy" at a distance. All Skyrim textures should have mipmaps, except for facegen textures and UI art. | ||
− | ==There are tons of | + | ==There are tons of DXT codecs! Which should I use?== |
− | + | *DXT comes in a lot of flavors. Fortunately most are specialty applications. For common situations you’ll probably need to consider only two: DXT1 and DXT5 (if intended for Skyrim LE), or DXT1 and DXT10 (for SSE). Let's briefly overview each one to get an idea when they might be used. | |
− | + | ** '''DXT1 (BC1)''' | |
− | + | *** RGB, 4 bits per pixel, no alpha or 1 bit (black or white) alpha | |
− | * | + | *** DXT1 is a fixed 8:1 compression ratio |
− | * | + | **:If your image does not require an alpha channel, use the no-alpha DXT1. It uses the same compression algorithm as DXT3/5 for color data, and will get you half the file size. It can also be used if the alpha channel is 1-bit: in other words, if parts of the texture either transparent or not, with no partially transparent pixels. This can be useful for diffuse textures that use alpha testing but no blending. |
− | + | ** '''DXT3 (BC2)''' | |
− | + | *** ARGB, 8 bits per pixel, explicit alpha | |
− | * | + | *** DXT3 is a fixed 4:1 compression ratio |
− | * | + | **:DXT3's method for storing alpha is better for files that have clearly delineated defined alpha regions and values. It may result in banding artefacts if used on images with smooth blended alpha regions– use DXT5 or DXT10 for these cases. |
− | + | ** '''DXT5 (BC3)''' | |
− | + | *** ARGB, 8 bits per pixel, interpolated alpha | |
− | * | + | *** DXT5 is same 4:1 compression ratio as DXT3 |
− | * | + | **:DXT5 was the go-to codec for most images that include an alpha channel in Skyrim LE. The cost is double the file size of a DXT1 image. If you do not need an alpha channel, or only require 1 bit of alpha, use DXT1. If compressing textures for Skyrim SE, use DXT10/BC7 where you would otherwise use DXT5. |
− | + | ** '''ATI1 (BC4)''' | |
− | BC7 is a more recent compression algorithm that is supported by Skyrim SE, but not LE. BC7 is preferred over | + | *** One color channel (grayscale), 8 bits per pixel, no alpha |
− | + | *** ATI1 is a fixed 2:1 compression ratio | |
− | + | *** This compression is not supported by Skyrim LE. It is ideal for textures that contain only one color channel and no alpha. | |
+ | ** '''DXT10 (BC7)''' | ||
+ | *** RGB or RGBA, 8 bits per pixel, interpolated alpha | ||
+ | *** BC7 is same 4:1 compression ratio as BC3 and BC5 | ||
+ | **:BC7 is a more recent compression algorithm that is supported by Skyrim SE, but not LE. Its compression rate is equal to BC3 and BC5, but at higher quality. This does come at the cost of somewhat longer time to compress. Always use the slowest compression method when given the option, for highest quality. BC7 is preferred over BC5 in nearly all cases. DXT1/BC1 is still preferred for textures without alpha channels, or 1-bit alpha, since it is much smaller. When exporting as BC7, always use the slowest compression algorithm for the highest quality. | ||
{{note|Images that are already compressed in .dds format cannot be increased in quality by reformatting them, unless you use the original ''uncompressed'' texture as a base.}} | {{note|Images that are already compressed in .dds format cannot be increased in quality by reformatting them, unless you use the original ''uncompressed'' texture as a base.}} |