Graphical glitch with "Fix your textures!" mod. Any help? Any art, or graphical expert around?

[WiseCog]

EDIT:
https://i.ibb.co/X8QS3K0/1.png
https://i.ibb.co/f0tB4zf/2.png
Swtich from the images back and fourth and look at the orange colored tiles. This happens with a constant flickering when I move the camera in the game.
------------------

So the problem I have is that when I set mip-mapping very high (as redefined option does), some textures starts to shimmer or change (back and fourth from two versions of the textures) as I move the camera around. I have come to the conclusion that it does this with very "white/bright pixels" only. This happens zoomed in and zoomed out basically. For some reason not all textures does this, but at least very many. Mostly high res textures, but not all. But the more detail, of course the more it happens (due to more bright pixels).

This same effect can be observed if you scroll between two images with windows tool "photos", its brief but it happens for a milisecond before the image "adapts" (its as if the image cant get focus for a milisecond) or whatever its called. So going back and fourth between an image can cause this, IF the image is like that. And those images that does this in "photos" also create this bothersome glitch in the game with high settings in the mod.

I sometimes change these textures pixels into something darker and it can work to a degree, but not completely and it can also look weird.

Can I edit these textures properly somehow to remove this "glitch"?

PS: Please do not ask me to lower the settings as I already know of this fix. I want to know if I can use photshop or something to fix these textures somehow. Like filters, or something else. I tried deinterlacing, but this does not seem to fix it either.

[WiseCog]

Some glossy textures can be really bad as well. I added two images here. If you download both and switch them back and fourth in windows 10 "photos" you can see EXACTLY what I mean. Or you can open them in two tabs and click the tabs back and fourth. This happens with a constant flickering when I move the camera in the game (orange tiles).

https://i.ibb.co/X8QS3K0/1.png
https://i.ibb.co/f0tB4zf/2.png

[WiseCog]

I finally tried "Gaussian blur" (I set it with 1 in photshop) and it works similar to "changing" bright pixels into darker ones instead. But blurring makes the image loose some of its quality. However it does flicker less. I don't understand why some textures completely avoids this but others does not. All I can think of is that the game/mod does not like bright pixels.

As a perfect example. If the texture is made with a singular pixel it doesn't happen, no matter color of it. Or if its extremely dark it can get away with many pixel colors in the same texture. Mip maping is not really intended probably, but still, some textures work fine.

[LIMP BISQUICK]

Out of curiosity, May I ask what program you're using for making textures?

The game has this problem with aliasing/color bleeds. Idk why it's so bad and I sure hope to see graphical improvements someday. If I come across some old links I stored somewhere then I'll share since there were some good tips on creating textures/shader for rimworld.

[WiseCog]

Originally posted by Jibbles:

Out of curiosity, May I ask what program you're using for making textures?

The game has this problem with aliasing/color bleeds. Idk why it's so bad and I sure hope to see graphical improvements someday. If I come across some old links I stored somewhere then I'll share since there were some good tips on creating textures/shader for rimworld.

I am not creating textures. I edit mostly things from other modders (these edits I keep for myself), but I also scout the internet for free textures (textures that are fine to use and edit as long as you don't sell them). There are some cool textures to be found for own use as well such as below (these I dont use but I can imagine that the textures could work for rimworld). They have tons of texture packs.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/dungeon-decor-6-47863594
https://www.forgotten-adventures.net/product-category/map-making/assets/

Thank you for the answer. A shame this game has this problem, I mean iv'e added a bunch of 2048x2048 images (even 4096x4096 tests) without any problems in terms of "stuttering" (slower loading up the game however). So it has potential for higher resolution textures, but the engine seems to make these graphical flickers sadly.

[LIMP BISQUICK]

Whether that particular issue is from the mod or some kind of setting I can't say for sure. I was never good at working with the textures and it's been some time but less details were easier to work with.. If it helps to change colors then I'd suggest an easy workaround/test would be to install dubs paint mod and apply the paint. Find a color that works well for those kind of textures, then add that color value in xml. It's nice cause you can change it on the fly in game. You may want to examine those colors throughout time of day if you go that route.

[WiseCog]

Originally posted by Jibbles:

Whether that particular issue is from the mod or some kind of setting I can't say for sure. I was never good at working with the textures and it's been some time but less details were easier to work with.. If it helps to change colors then I'd suggest an easy workaround/test would be to install dubs paint mod and apply the paint. Find a color that works well for those kind of textures, then add that color value in xml. It's nice cause you can change it on the fly in game. You may want to examine those colors throughout time of day if you go that route.

I think perhaps its not really "colors" but more about brightness pixels. Very hard to explain, best explanation is the images I posted. Adding Gaussian blur on the flickering textures basically fixes it but it looks way worse. In any way, id say its more with the mod than with the game, BUT I see no reason why it should do this even with the mod.

[liosalpha]

idk how to fix it but it happens when the image is to big to be rendered properly. then it wil make local everage colors. (its displaying 4 pixles in one pixel) then when you start shifting around and zooming these calculation wil happen again. But with pure white and black these are getting messed up. cause these are the limits of what a color can be, mixing with them wil always be more or less then pure white or pure black, untill you aline everything perfectly with the original pixels and al of the sudden it does display pure white or black.
this is why blurring the original or lowering the settings works.

[WiseCog]

Originally posted by liosalpha:

idk how to fix it but it happens when the image is to big to be rendered properly. then it wil make local everage colors. (its displaying 4 pixles in one pixel) then when you start shifting around and zooming these calculation wil happen again. But with pure white and black these are getting messed up. cause these are the limits of what a color can be, mixing with them wil always be more or less then pure white or pure black, untill you aline everything perfectly with the original pixels and al of the sudden it does display pure white or black.
this is why blurring the original or lowering the settings works.

This made a lot of sense. I guess this is why some textures work better than others.
What a shame it does not work better with the engine. Maybe Tynan might update this in the future.
Thank you for your knowledge.

I "fixed" some of it by adding "Gaussian blur" in photoshop. Which does make the image lower quality though, which sort of renders the improved resolution not as good as its meant to be.
However it still breaks some outlines (for example, high resolution wall-edges flickers black and white). In other words, edges are still flickering, where textures meet up.

[liosalpha]

hmm, idk. you could try and tile that graphic in to a 3x3 grid in your graphics program (has to be pixel perfect thou). then use that gaussian blur and cut back out that center tile and use that. it might fix the edges.
It could be that your blurr tool is blurring empty cells near the edge of the image.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Greenpakto:

...
So the problem I have is that when I set mip-mapping very high (as redefined option does), some textures starts to shimmer or change (back and fourth from two versions of the textures) as I move the camera around. I have come to the conclusion that it does this with very "white/bright pixels" only. This happens zoomed in and zoomed out basically. For some reason not all textures does this, but at least very many. Mostly high res textures, but not all. But the more detail, of course the more it happens (due to more bright pixels).
...
Can I edit these textures properly somehow to remove this "glitch"?

You can try adjusting anti-aliasing options, first, in your options/driver settings. It's likely a mip-mapping effect. (There could be other issues,though.)

The texture itself is very detailed. It has those fine lines in a regular pattern. The mip-map generated as you move the camera or zoom may render different resolution maps that just don't look good. Flickering could be the result of maps that aren't filtered properly, not at the correct size and resolution, etc. (Note: Just an opinion from general "graphics stuffs/3D knowledge" not specific and practical Rimworld or Unity knowledge.)

Take a look at the original texture. Is the new texture the same standard resolution the game uses for that texture type? Same format/settings? Good optimization/filtering and efficient memory/size footprint?

Once the above is good, then do some manual resolution changes, cutting everything in half to reduce it. Does the texture look good at all of these lower resolutions?

Probably not... (*Without filtering/AA/blur/guassian/etc.)

That's because it's a pretty finely detailed texture. (Needlessly so, as far as I can tell.) When the mip-maps are generated the display resolution and the mip-mapped texture resolution isn't going to always match up very well to render that texture across the display pixels it has to use for that. Pixels in some of those generated textures will simply not make it to your screen. Without them, things start looking bad at certain camera distances/resolutions/LoD.

Look at the surrounding textures. Instead of lines, they use fairly subtle shading and probably look decent at different camera distances/movements. Do that for your textures. That's going to translate a LOT better to your eyes as your camera moves/zooms if those "lines" are a bit more "blurry." (And, why you may wish to look at AA adjustments as sort of a "catch all" solution to test.)

Also, those are too highly detailed to survive... You need to reduce the number of "lines" in those so you get the same impression of whatever they're supposed to be, but without needing that much detail to communicate it.

If, for instance, they're something like "roes created in soil with a hoe" then just have a couple of rows per tile, with good seamless transitions. If they're supposed to be "crosshatched somethings" then reduce the number of actual depressions/lines/hatched pattern lines/etc.

Sometimes, less is more, like in "Less detail survives mip-mapping more betterer."

On Animations: I don't know Unity or Riwmrorld technicals. Sorry. I don't know if Rimworld uses some billboard system, a "Unity Thing" or... whatever. BUT, I do know that if it's using some kind of billboard/plane system and textures are too close during some canned/generated animation, they can "intersect" as far as the renderer is concerned and the resulting confusion in a renderer can yield "flickering," depending on how the renderer works and what other materials are being applied/used.

PS: Please do not ask me to lower the settings as I already know of this fix. I want to know if I can use photshop or something to fix these textures somehow. Like filters, or something else. I tried deinterlacing, but this does not seem to fix it either.

"Solutions" are solutions. If they work, it really doesn't matter if you like them or not if you're trying to solve for one thing, right? :)