Advice on combining textures with different sizes in one single model?

[jda]

I have a 1024x1024 texture and another one 512x512.

The problem is: a cape.
Part of it is on the main 1024² texture. The rest of it is in another object and linked to the 512² texture.
In this particular case, it's not practical to have everything on on the 1024² tex and neither is the other way around.

I guess I could resize the 512² texture to 1024² but ... it's really not 512² yet... it's still 256² (yeah, bad choice to start with, I was thinking of other stuff that go on that file too).

What I'm concerned about is:
- Loss of qualitly due to the pixelating effect of scaling a 2D picture up.
- Assuming I can minorize that to be "unnoticeable", I'm afraid the junction of the 512² part of the cape with the 1024² one will make it look like two different materials instead of the same piece of continuous cloth... 

So my questions:

1. Am I worrying too much about this? Will this really affect the final results?

2. If I'm not overworrying... what can I do to work around this?

Thanks in advance.

[jda]

Well... I did try something that seems to work alright:

Scaled the 256² texture to 512² using the Cubic interpolation in the GIMP.
Scaled the 1024² one to 512² as well using the Sinc (Lanczos3) interpolation instead.

Looks alright but if anyone has a better suggestion, I'd apreciate it.

[titi]

One model can contain several objects in the meaning of blender.
Each model has its own material and by this it can have its own texture image which can have different sizes .
When you export from blender mark all the objects for this model in blender and export them as one g3d.
Maybe this helps you?

[jda]

Thanks, titi, but I did know that. And that is how I'm doing it.

I probably confused you by my use of the word "materials"...  Sorry 'bout that.

I didn't mean "Blender's materials" but "materials in common usage".
I'd post a pic but my textures aren't really ready and thus they don't illustrate my point.

But it's like:
1. Part of the cape was in a high quality texture.
2. Another part of the cape will be on another texture, lower quality.
3. The texture will include cloth "bends" and shades. They will traverse the two parts of the cape and I fear the different quality levels will be noticeable ingame.

Was that any clearer? 

[ElimiNator]

Again if you want jut PM me the model and Ill see what is wrong and tell you. 

[jda]

There's no problem with the model.

The textures might turn out to not look so good ingame once I finish them. And I just wanted to save myself the trouble of having to them all over again if they do.

But thanks anyway.  

[titi]

I think there is no working solution for your problem yet.

One hint, always try your models in glest!
I don't know why, but especially the textures always look a bit different when you see them ingame and sometimes things that look good in blender doesn't really look good in glest itself. This happens especially to high poly models with highres textures, because all the details get lost ingame.

[jda]

I think there is no working solution for your problem yet.

One hint, always try your models in glest!
I don't know why, but especially the textures always look a bit different when you see them ingame and sometimes things that look good in blender doesn't really look good in glest itself.

I think it's because of the light? The g3d_viewer actually gives you a better idea but it will still change a lot ingame (and throughout it with the day-night cycle).

This happens especially to high poly models with highres textures, because all the details get lost ingame.

Interesting. That's just what I have on the Dwarves: high poly models with highres textures. And it's true much of wciow's nice texturing does dim down to almost solid colors in Glest.
I might actually reduce all textures from 1024² to 512² then.
Thanks for the tip! 

[Fluffy203]

Yea Glest is not a big fan of detail at any point , the engine only supports diffuse maps and yea the engine will also dumb down your texture depending on the size of the object in the game. You could have a 1024 x 1024 on a size .5 model and it look like serious crap , but i would suggest you use either 512 x 512 or 256 x256 cause it will give you an idea of what quality to use in glest , still limiting you to making almost non realistic graphics , but it works 

[jda]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, the mixing of a 512² and another 1024² textures on the same model is noticeable.

Also, using all textures for my Dragon slayer model 512² does seem to improve its detail visibility ingame. Then again, I'm working on it so I've been looking at it more than at the other units... But honestly, yes, I do think it is noticeable.

Thanks.