Texture Resolution Questions

[Edude]

Hello everybody!
 

Recently I create some textures for an old map, it was the first time I had contact with creating and editing textures. They were snow textures that blended with csgo textures, so I did them with 1024x1024 resolution, like most of the textures present in CSGO.

Lately I've been working on a new project and decided to make some new textures to it, but a friend suggested me something that for some reason I never asked myself before. He suggested that I should edit an 4k texture and scale it down to 2k (2048x2048), and use only 2048x2048 textures on the map. I liked the idea, but then came the doubts: if this is even good, why other Source games do not do the same? I can understand csgo don't have textures with more than 1024x1024 because it is a 2012 game, but even the mods don't pass that line, and Insurgency that is a game who brings beautiful graphs for Source Engine, also uses no more than 1024x1024.

This is very strange, since Source Engine supports textures in 4k. Are there any kind of limitations or problems using above 1024x1024 textures? Put enough 2k textures on a map can make it more beautiful? Textures in 2k weigh so much?

 

 

Thank you very much in advance

Sorry for my bad english. 

Edited September 20, 2016 by Edude

[grapen]

Valve uses 2048 textures with a texture scale of 0.125 in hammer in the remake of nuke. The regular texture scale of 0.25 means 4 pixels of texture per hammer unit, while 0.125 doubles that. Unlike goldsrc there's hardly any performance impact in doing this. 2048 textures obviously weigh a lot more so there's that, but downscaling looks a lot better. I would go ahead and make 2048 textures, that's what I'm doing for large surfaces.

Edited September 20, 2016 by grapen

[Edude]

5 minutes ago, grapen said:

Valve uses 2048 textures with a texture scale of 0.125 in hammer in the remake of nuke. The regular texture scale of 0.25 means 4 pixels of texture per hammer unit, while 0.125 doubles that. Unlike goldsrc there's hardly any performance impact in doing this. 2048 textures obviously weigh a lot more so there's that, but downscaling looks a lot better. I would go ahead and make 2048 textures, that's what I'm doing for large surfaces.

Wow thank you so much friend. I didn't know that the new nuke was using 2048x2048 textures. And coincidentally I was thinking of using these textures on large surfaces only, liked the suggestion.

[Steppenwolf]

2k textures is totally fine nowadays. For Insurgency as far as i remember we stuck with specs from Valve games so people can play it on same hardware and setting they are used to from other source games. That's perhaps the one thing you should consider if you're ok with people on old hardware having to adjust their texture settings only for your map. But if it's just for beauty and portfolio then go with it.

[Edude]

20 minutes ago, Steppenwolf said:

2k textures is totally fine nowadays. For Insurgency as far as i remember we stuck with specs from Valve games so people can play it on same hardware and setting they are used to from other source games. That's perhaps the one thing you should consider if you're ok with people on old hardware having to adjust their texture settings only for your map. But if it's just for beauty and portfolio then go with it.

Um, you're right. But now came another doubt. If someone lower the quality of the textures, what changes? The game starts using a less detailed mipmap as the default texture?

Edited September 20, 2016 by Edude

[grapen]

4 hours ago, Edude said:

Um, you're right. But now came another doubt. If someone lower the quality of the textures, what changes? The game starts using a less detailed mipmap as the default texture?

I wouldn't worry about what settings other players use. Let's be honest, a lot of CS:GO players run everything on low for less noise/visual clutter. Your visuals will still benefit from making higher res textures and going down on the texture scale in hammer. The only real issue is map weight.

Edited September 20, 2016 by grapen