In short it's a set of simple criteria ensuring 2D image assets conform to regulated sizes and dimensions, which typically manifest as 1) width/height being divisible by " 8", and/or 2) width/height that can be doubled-up or divided-down by " 2". And not as a singular event either, as this may happen every time images are loaded, used and dumped in/out of memory when a particularly 'bad' image is needed.Īn approximate visual representation, in Blender (2.49 lower, 2.73 upper), of what a games rendering engine would do to a incorrectly sized/proportioned texture when applied to an object if it were not fixed A) texture loads 'as is' - red indicate 'null' areas of the mesh B) image is force-resized to fit causing mismatch between surfaces C) correctly sized texture applied without issue What is the power of two rule ^ Whilst the resources spent correcting a single texture might be minimal, across an entire level during play, the hundreds of assets loaded and streamed in for use add up quite significantly. In essence "Power of Two" is a form of data ' optimisation', a necessity so images are as efficient and 'lite' as possible, whilst simultaneously providing an appropriate visual experience.ĭesign note: so what's the problem?. These chunks are important in regards to the " Power of Two" rule because they establish a set of hard coded, physical restrictions on media that must be conformed to, else a given games rendering engine will waste resources 'fixing' the assets so they do. There's actually a long history associated with game and content development that has to do with the way computers manage and process data in limited 'chunks', rather than all at once, for purposes of efficiency. The "Power of Two" rule is a fundamental necessity due to the way game engines work.
#MAKE TEXTURES FOR UNREAL ENGINE 4 PC#
What type of games use this rule ^Īll of them, because it's an underlying feature of the technology, so " Power of Two" is equally applicable to PC and console games as it is to tablets and mobile platforms the same fundamentals apply across the board irrespective. The following discusses one of these rules that of texture size, their dimensions and how these relates to a form of texture optimisation, commonly referred to as the " Power of Two" rule.