Alpha Usage

Fang

I have a pretty straightforward question for anyone with the knowledge..

What is the best solution performance-wise when using alpha? Is it okay to have a small bit alpha'd on a large texture map? Or should the bits that need alpha be split into it's own small map?

I don't know if it matters at all.. that's why I'm asking.

Thank you for your time

Eric Chadwick

Better to split into its own map, because alpha increases the filesize of a texture, which increases its memory use. Memory is at a premium.

Fang

Okay thanks Eric, good to know :thumbup:

Jonathan

However, if you do not need much precision in your alpha, you can using the 1-bit explicit alpha of DXT1 at no additional cost, and reduce a texture fetch operation.