Desired Texture Properties

[Bodger]

I've been finding the learning curve on 3D modeling programs to be too steep for me to climb for the moment. Since I feel like I should do something to help with the effort I thought that perhaps I could make a stab at doing textures and such. But it turns out that I really don't know what would be useful, not having been able to do any modeling myself. So if someone would be so kind as to steer me in the right direction:

1. Is JPG an OK file format?
2. What size of texture map is considered most desirable? I take it for granted that most, if not all, textures should tile gracefully. How do I determine the proper scale? (I've seen too many TPOTS add-on ages that seem to get the scale of their textures all wrong, ruining the effect).
3. Is there any need of texture maps for single items? A block of stone for example, or a dozen different stones that could be tiled or applied separately? Escutcheons and other decorations?
4. Is aging a proper function of the texture or is it applied in the modeling process?
5. Is there any assumption about lighting direction or should the textures (the "bumpy" ones in any case) be rendered with multiple lighting directions to fit the modeler's needs?
6. What about skies and the like? A long image that tiles when it bites its own tail when the modeler wraps it around the inside of a cylinder? How large is large enough? Does the sky contain the sun(s) or is that a function of the lighting in the model?
7. Same question as 6 but involving distant mountain ranges and other stage dressing? Are the atmospherics (haze, etc) added in modeling or are they a function of the map?

As I wrote, I'd like to try something. Even if my efforts prove to be unsuitable it would at least make me feel better...

[Paradox]

I tend to use .tga images for my textures, Blender and GIMP both handle them well.

If you're making your own textures, try to keep them sized at a power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024) so that they will not be resized by PyPRP. This will help to prevent distortion. Scaling is all handled in Blender through UV Maps. The scale is however the builder maps the texture to the object.

[electroglyph]

1 JPG is a texture with built in compression and also no transparency support. I would use a format that assigns colors per pixel. That leaves bmp, tga, png, maybe others I don't know for sure. BMP does not support transparencies. Nvidia DDS is a compressed PNG texture so I use PNG.

2. like paradox said since computers are binary 2 to the power of something gives the best bang for the buck. It allows the processor to jump on and off the job with a whole number of steps or something like that.

3. Don't know what you mean by textures for individual items. If you have a dozen columns in the same temple with the same crack running up the same side you are going to notice they are clones. A little variation is nice and preserves realisim. One way this was done in the game however is the answer to question 4

4. Lot's of aging textures was done using an alpha blend of two textures or stenciling. Look at the wiki for a better explination. http://guildofwriters.com/wiki/Using_stencils

5. As with everything else you asked there are a dozen ways to build ages and each answer is right or wrong depending on what you do. I tend to not use shadows if I am supplying generic textures since I don't know the application. There is also a way now to bake lightmaps onto textures afterwords now so they fit what you model. http://guildofwriters.com/wiki/Lightmapping

6. Most skies are spheres or at least domes. If you make a cyllinder it tends to warp and pucker toward the top. I know of only one way to build a sky dome using all free or trial software. Domes are taken using special fisheye cameras or generated using high end 3D programs. Do a search of HDRI or lightprobe and you can find lits of free skies. They tend to be at least 1MB or bigger. Putting a sun where the sun image appears on a sky definately enhances the realism of the scene, but the actual light is added in blender.

7. Since the surface of your dome is all the same distance away it makes no sense to add mip levels to the image. The image should look how it needs to in the finished game and mip maps turned off. once again some ver good info in the wiki. http://guildofwriters.com/wiki/Adding_Atmosphere

[Grogyan]

I tend to use .tga images for my textures, Blender and GIMP both handle them well.

If you're making your own textures, try to keep them sized at a power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024) so that they will not be resized by PyPRP. This will help to prevent distortion. Scaling is all handled in Blender through UV Maps. The scale is however the builder maps the texture to the object.

I too use TGA almost religiously, and do try and keep to base 2, mainly from my experience with Unreal Editor and the Unreal Engine, having everything snapped to grid or in base 2 will make a difference