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what is "bump" in the graphics options

By hooahguy on August 9, 2009 5:23:42 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

hooahguy

Join Date 08/2009
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ive looked around the forums but i cant figure out whats the graphical difference between turning on bump and turning it off.

any pics to show me the difference? thanks.

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Reply #1
ToJKa
Join Date 02/2008
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August 9, 2009 6:08:19 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Bump mapping. It's a rendering technique that makes the textures on ships, structures and planets appear to have bumps and depressions. The link has a picture that explains more than two thousands of my words

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Reply #2
TheRezonator
Join Date 12/2008
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August 9, 2009 10:44:43 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I thought it meant the quality of the way ships and structures 'bump' into each other =P as in, whether they pass through each other as though neither were there, or whether they glance off realistically...

idn, dont quote me =P

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Reply #3
ToJKa
Join Date 02/2008
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August 9, 2009 11:44:51 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I think i linked this picture when someone asked this before: comparasion

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Reply #4
TheRezonator
Join Date 12/2008
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August 9, 2009 12:40:02 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

^^Linky Broken^^

sends you to some 'unauthorised hotlinking' page...

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Reply #5
ToJKa
Join Date 02/2008
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August 9, 2009 1:49:09 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Well the picture on the wiki shows the basically the same thing, the second picture was from Quake 4, where the differerence is much more noticable.

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Reply #6
hooahguy
Join Date 08/2009
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August 9, 2009 2:46:09 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

where can i find the wiki?

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Reply #7
ToJKa
Join Date 02/2008
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August 9, 2009 3:22:52 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

The link on my first post, it explains the technology behind it, but the picture on the right side should be enough to understand what it does.

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Reply #8
Aractain
Join Date 05/2008
+38
August 9, 2009 7:29:02 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Thats all lies, the 'bump' setting actually makes all the ships look pregnant. I have my bump set to the highest so my ships move slower but they look sexy.

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Reply #9
Volt_Cruelerz
Join Date 06/2008
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August 9, 2009 10:02:52 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Uhh no...  I was messing around with graphics options while zoomed in to the max (and then some) on a Kol.  Bump creates little dark/light lines that make it look like the ship has lots of little trenches and platforms.

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Reply #10
InfiniteVoid
Join Date 09/2008
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August 9, 2009 11:36:52 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Those are probably what were intended to be scratches and dents in the hull of the ship you're looking at...

Seeing that on a ship that just rolled out of the factory makes me wonder if they were torture testing the hull during construction...

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Reply #11
Volt_Cruelerz
Join Date 06/2008
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August 9, 2009 11:47:04 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

No, they are geometric lines.  Very much intentional.  They are supposed to be the shadows caused by individual extrusions in the ship's hull.

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Reply #12
Aractain
Join Date 05/2008
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August 10, 2009 4:49:45 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

You still don't understand? Bump is used to add height detail to a flat surface. It changes how lighting falls on it to alter the surface slightly giving the illusion of depth. Now its called normal map and its far more advanced but its the same idea. The diffrent settings will most likely be loading in the normal map texture at diffrent resolutions for more or less detail/texture memory usage.

 

As others have demostrated, it lightens the edge that is facing the light and darkens the edge facing away. That crates highlight and shadow. Thats all that is nessasary for your eyes to belive its a raised surface.

 

I still prefer the prego idea though...

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Reply #13
VarekRaith
Join Date 04/2003
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August 10, 2009 6:03:06 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting ToJKa,
reply 3
I think i linked this picture when someone asked this before: comparasion

Here's what ToJKa linked to;

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Reply #14
TheRezonator
Join Date 12/2008
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August 10, 2009 11:06:58 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Aractain,
reply 8
Thats all lies, the 'bump' setting actually makes all the ships look pregnant. I have my bump set to the highest so my ships move slower but they look sexy.

oh, absolutely

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Reply #15
DirtySanchezz
Join Date 03/2008
+90
August 10, 2009 11:55:21 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

 

How much of a performance gain do you get by turning off Bump Mapping?

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Reply #16
ice27828
Join Date 12/2008
+33
August 10, 2009 1:33:31 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

It probably depends on the detail on it, it probably could mean the difference between dying and not dying due to lag...

But on the other hand, if you have a quite decent graphics card and lots of ram it probably doesn't really matter

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Reply #17
ToJKa
Join Date 02/2008
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August 11, 2009 6:38:29 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

From my experience playing Doom3 on an absolutely pititful computer, turning off Bump Mapping didn't increase performance significantly. Sins is of course different, but i'm sure lowering resolution or turning off AA has a better performance gain.

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