Increased Terrain Resolution
Maxwell Graf
This is a request for an optional setting within the region/estate tab in the viewer to increase the terrain resolution per meter. From what I can find, the max polygon resolution of SL terrain is 2 triangles per square meter (A vertex every meter, 257 vertices in each direction) and has remained so since 2004. The option to increase this even slightly (X2=4 tris per meter) would make a tremendous difference in the terraforming capabilities. I suggest this as a regional
option
for official and 3rd party viewers, rather than standardizing it across the whole grid or trying to implement it for sub-region/parcel level, browser or mobile, as it seems like that would be the least impactful method on performance across all delivery methods.Additionally, this could coincide with PBR terrain implementation; Adding this to features such as tri-planar mapping, possibly height and/or occlusion mapping would modernize the seriously out of date terrain quality within SL.
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Maxwell Graf
At the 2/6 Content meeting I got some great feedback from the Lab devs re. this feature. I asked about limits to implementation and possible downsides, such as to performance. Several key aspects of their response:
- It would be extremely easy to implement, whether as a region-based option for full clients or mobile and browser based access across the entire grid.
- Integration with the existing environment would not be an issue and could be added as part of the existing terrain LOD/complexity setting.
- There would be little to no noticeable impact on performance, the current terrain has very little impact on it.
- Increasing land resolution is something that "was just never really brought up and should have been done a long time ago."
Ember Ember
Already upvoted but just chiming in here in the comments to agree with you, Maxwell, that increasing the terrain mesh subdivisions for terraforming is a long overdue feature that would greatly help region designers refine the lay of their land.
DragonLady Merlin
I don't understand the technical stuff, but I would love to see better terrain texturing - higher resolution and less monotonous.
Maxwell Graf
DragonLady Merlin: in 2024 the resolution for terrain textures was increased to 2048x2048 (2k). Terrain can be textured using 4 image textures based on the land height and slope. Now, PBR materials can be used for each of those 4 texture slots as well.
This feature request is not about the
image textures
on the terrain, like grass or rocks, but the resolution of the land geometry or shape those textures are on. SL uses a 256x256 map of grayscale shaded values, with black representing the lowest elevations and white representing the highest, to generate the geometry of the terrain, which is separate from the textures placed
on top of that terrain. The land is stored as a 2D grid of height values, with each grid point representing 1m in each direction. (*see example image below)Since SL began, the number of triangles in each 1m square of terrain has been 2 (a diagonal line from corner to corner). This request is about doubling that to 4, to modernize it along with the upgrades to PBR materials on terrain.
Rathgrith027 Resident
DragonLady Merlin Long story short, in 3D rendering, the resolution of a surface's geometry means how many points in space it has that can be manipulated and shifted around to form terrain or the sort.
Higher resolution in this regard means that the ground will be much smoother and less jagged in terms of shape.
Maxwell Graf
Rathgrith027 Resident Nu uuh.
Spooky Shadow
Get rid of the rock terrain that no one wants.
Imagin Illyar
I wish I could upvote this more than once.
Jenna Felton
The idea is very good, but I can see that a complex terrain could increase the viewer and/or server lag and some regions model terrains with mesh (necessary when you want horizontal caves) so that inventing it everywhere is not a good idea. But it was mentioned so.
I would suggest instead to add multiple (maybe four) levels of resolution which the estate or region manager would tick and they will then update in sync. You would just select the resolution level you want edit and the others will follow.
This way when the region only uses mesh terrain, they can activate a resolution of one vertex per 4 meters or even rougher, if desirable and reduce so the load on the viewer and region. And who want can use the terrain levels of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 pixels per meter.
The viewer could also use the (available) rougher terrain resolution for distant areas and finer one for the near areas the same way it displays mesh LOD levels.
Stroker Serpentine
This is a great idea! Terrain has always been an afterthought. Let's do this!
Maxwell Graf
Someone brought up an excellent point: The content in SL has advanced over time to such a degree of complexity, build method and quality that it is often a stark contrast to the terrain it is sitting on, the creation of which has remained relatively unchanged since 2004. It's to the point where you can see areas where mesh terrain sections have been imported in order for that difference to be less noticeable. That has a negative impact on creating, resources and performance when plenty of proven tools/methods are available that could make it an inherent part of the system.
Tiridates Mikadze
This is a sensible and very desirable addition to the other improvements to graphical quality, and I know I would be delighted to make use of a better, or at least higher terrain resolution.
Maxwell Graf
PS - this is not a request to increase the size of a region above 256mx256m, which has been tossed around for many years in various forms, but a finer resolution with each meter simply for the sake of improvements in terraforming and visual quality.
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