Texture: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:15, 18 May 2024

Not to be confused with Material (The actual files the game reads).

A texture is a two-dimensional raster image in the context of a game engine. Textures in Source are stored in the Valve Texture Format, and with a very few exceptions are only accessed through an intermediate material.

While the most common type of texture is the albedo, there are many different uses for raster images in modern game engines. For instance bump maps, which encode three-dimensional height and facing in the color value of each pixel, or specular masks, which determine the intensity of a specular reflection.

Textures differ from materials; textures are the actual images that the game renders and adjusts lighting with. The Material is what the game can actually read and tells the game what to draw.

Tutorials

Adapting PBR Textures to Source
Creating a Material (including texture creation)
Creating PBR materials (select third-party engine support)
Applying Textures (in Hammer)
UV mapping

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{mergeto|VTF}}
+{{lang|Texture}}[[Category:Glossary]][[Category:Material System]]
-A '''texture''' is an image applied to a 2D or 3D surface to give it color or additional visual detail. Textures applied to 3D models are frequently called ''skins''. While textures are typically thought of in terms of their application to 3D geometry or models, the images used to create buttons and icons for a [[GUI]] are also often referred to as textures.
+{{distinguish|Material|desc1=The actual files the game reads}}
+A '''texture''' is a two-dimensional [[Wikipedia:Raster graphics|raster]] image in the context of a game engine. Textures in Source are stored in the [[Valve Texture Format]], and with a very few exceptions are only accessed through an intermediate [[material]].
-In the [[Source]] engine, a texture comprises the visible aspect of a [[material]]. These textures are generally created as [[TGA]] files, and then converted to the proprietary [[VTF|Valve Texture Format]] (VTF) for use in-game.
+While the most common type of texture is the [[albedo]], there are many different uses for raster images in modern game engines. For instance [[bump map]]s, which encode three-dimensional height and facing in the color value of each pixel, or [[$envmapmask|specular mask]]s, which determine the intensity of a [[$envmap|specular]] reflection.
-For a complete material, an additional file, the [[VMT|Valve Material Type]] (VMT) file, is required. A VMT is a text file which complements the texture (VTF) file and which informs the engine how the material should behave during gameplay. [[Shader]]s can also be applied to the texture using materials. For additional information about implementing textures in the Source engine, please refer to the [[material]] page.
+Textures differ from materials; textures are the actual images that the game renders and adjusts lighting with. The Material is what the game can actually read and tells the game what to draw.
+== Tutorials ==
-=== Texture Maps ===
+* [[Adapting PBR Textures to Source]]
-The term ''texture map'' is a more precise term for a texture. Textures must eventually be applied to a surface consisting of pixel coordinates. The process of applying a texture to a surface in this fashion is known as ''mapping''. There are a number of different types of mapping techniques used to produce different kinds of results. One or more of these techniques are typically applied to the same surface to produce the most realistic visual representation of a material possible.
+* [[Creating a Material]] (including texture creation)
+* [[Creating PBR materials]] (select third-party engine support)
-Some of the more common types of texture maps are listed below:
+* [[Applying Textures]] (in [[Hammer]])
-* diffuse (color)
+* [[UV mapping]]
-* [[Normal Maps|normal]] (bump)
-* specular, and
-* [[Parallax mapping|parallax]]
-For additional information about texture maps, see the article about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_%28computer_graphics%29 Texture mapping] at the Wikipedia.
-=== Valid dimensions (in pixels) ===
-Textures, to be valid for the Source engine, must have dimensions in the power of two:
-== Tools and Plugins ==
-* [http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/gen2tour/index.htm Genetica] - A commercial seamless texture editor. Creates tiling textures of all material types.
-* [http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?c=154#p154 VTF Plug-in for Photoshop] - adds VTF format support to Photoshop (6.0+).
 == See also ==
-* [[Applying Textures]]
+* [[Material]]
+* [[Valve Texture Format]]
-== External links ==
+* [[VTFEdit]], [[VTF Shell Extensions]] and [[no_vtf]]
-* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_%28computer_graphics%29 Texture mapping] article at Wikipedia.
+* [[Material Download Sites]]
-[[Category:Glossary]]
-[[Category:Material System]]

Texture: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 13:15, 18 May 2024

Tutorials

See also

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