Aircraft textures FSX

[ggi]

Does anyone know if it's possible to increase the texture size for an aircraft that came with 512 x 512 textures originally? Is it possible to change them to 1024x1024 or 2048x2048? The idea is to increase the sharpness, but I'm not sure if it would work. I'm using DXTBmp and a paint program. If no - is there another way?
Thanks for your help!
Gary

[TSR2]

Hi Gary,

You could increase the size, but it would be more blurry.

[ggi]

Hi - actually that was what I wanted to avoid

[TSR2]

If you think about it, its like taking a picture on a camera set to 1 megapixel and then blowing it up by 5. It becomes pixelated. The original needs to be at the higher resolution.

[ggi]

Thanks Ben - the way youve explained it makes sense (even to me)...
..and thinking about it logically I guess it would already of been done before now - thanks for the info
Gary

[Garry Russell]

Exactly

You are not adding anything, just making what is there bigger.

Doubling pixel dimensions is in fact squaring as it's twice as many vertical and twice as many horizontal.

So four pixels are uses to produce what one pixel did before but those four pixels only contain the info that was on one pixel.

Because the memory use is four times as much you are likely to get added issues with memory drain for absolutely no advantage.

[Airspeed]

I came,
I saw,
I concur,
with the above.
Suggest that you try your hand at repainting, Mr/Mrs/Ms ggi.
If you can open the file, you can enlarge it, then zoom in and add detail where you want it.
It will take time, but it may make you happier with the model.

[Garry Russell]

You can...but for full effect you'd need to re do the lot .

What particular textures are you talking about

If they've been DXT3 compressed then you might as well forget it.

512x512 to 1024x1024 is four times memory, 1024x1024 to 2048x2048 is 4 times the memory.

The whole exercise would be pointless unless you totally redo.

512 textures are likely to be areas that will not show, the reason they are 512 in the first place.

[ggi]

Thanks to all for your input - I had hoped there was a way of cramming more pixels into the given space, but I guess life can be full of disapointments.....
p.s. it's Mr ggi
p.p.s Yes they're DXT3s and I was wondering about making them into Extended 32bit format in a larger size and hoping thay still fit the original model - in effect, same area higher resolution - if that makes sense?
My idea was to redo the textures using the original as the guide, not just enlarging the originals!
Gary

[DaveB]

Hi Gary

I see where you're coming from but as Gary and t'others have said, this is pretty much a one way operation unless you start from scratch. What lacks detail at say 1024 will give you no more detail at 2048 as in effect, you'll have made the area bigger with the bigger map (given it double the pixels) but it crunches down to the same size when it sits on the model so you'll have double the pixels showing the same 'original' imperfections. If you start with a 2048 map on a model that only used 1024's.. whatever detail you add will remain sharper hence the trend for 2048 or 4096 these days.. so called HD

Think of an original picture of.. an apple for want of something to describe. Lets say the apple will occupy 4 pixels. If you double the size of the map, the apple will occupy double the pixels but it's still the same apple. If you start with a 2048 map, the same apple will occupy double the amount of pixels as if you'd started with a 1024map but when it sits on the model, it will give you better sharpness. Oh dear.. this is making my head hurt

TIme for a coffee
ATB
DaveB