Colour quality 16 bit or 32 bit?

Northrop · 06-01-2002, 07:08 AM

Hi all

My question is this. When I first saw the Plus! version of Aquarium running under Windows XP, it seem to run at 32 bit colour, but now that I have purchased the full version it seems to only run in 16 bit colour.

Q1. How if possible do I change to 32 bit colour?

Q2. If this is not possible, will it be incorparated in future versions?

Thanks in advance

Clive Northrop

Mountainmaster · 06-01-2002, 08:24 AM

This is covered in the FAQ:

https://www.feldoncentral.com/Sachs/...are_&_Drivers7

feldon34 · 06-01-2002, 11:03 AM

I should add that all the textures including the coral are 16-bit color.

Digital Lungfish · 06-02-2002, 01:50 AM

I should add that all the textures including the coral are 16-bit color.

Which is why it would make no difference at all if the program ran in 16 or 32 bit color, 32 bit color mode isn't going to make 16 bit textures change to 32. HOWEVER, if the textures were 32 bit, then that would be a different story.

Northrop · 06-04-2002, 11:09 AM

Thanks guys for your answers.

I still think this screensaver is the best!

Ad_Enuff · 06-13-2002, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by Digital Lungfish

Which is why it would make no difference at all if the program ran in 16 or 32 bit color, 32 bit color mode isn't going to make 16 bit textures change to 32. HOWEVER, if the textures were 32 bit, then that would be a different story.

According to all the conversations I remember having with Feldon/Jim and so on, this statement isnt true with regards to 32 Bit textures of the fish currently in the screen saver.

This is because that although all the fish have been created as 16 bit textures, each fish contains thousands of colours per fish........so much so that according to Jim there are several colours still left over.

Therefore using 32 Bit textures wouldnt increase the detail of each fish, only the size of the files and therefore the screensaver itself.....something of which Jim wants to keep to a managable size and under or about 1.44Mb to fit onto a floppy disk.

Or at least thats how I understand things......

flipper · 06-13-2002, 12:08 PM

just looking at texture color bit depth is a simplification of the issue with regards to DISPLAY color bit depth. texture color bit depth is only one factor in determining what the maxium required colors are/should be once all of the pixels have been processed through the rendering pipeline. you also have to consider source lighting, reflection, refraction, emission (eels!), alpha blending, etc.

the SSA uses a very controlled lighting model so a 16 bit color depth for DISPLAY purposes works fine. if a more dynamic model is required in later SS's I imagine a deeper DISPLAY bit depth would/could add much more realism to the scene, regardless of the texture color bit depth.

Digital Lungfish · 06-17-2002, 04:11 AM

Therefore using 32 Bit textures wouldnt increase the detail of each fish

I never said that increasing the bit depth of the textures would increase the "detail" of the fish or the background. If Jim wants to add more detail to the fish, he can do so by modifying the 3D model of each fish or he can give the illusion of more detail by using bump mapping. As for the background, well.....3D is all I have to say.

An increase in bit depth means an increase in the number of colors available, this usually results in a more color rich presentation. There are other items that factor into the end result as well, which flipper was kind enough to point out.

06-01-2002, 07:08 AM	#1
Northrop Registered Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2	Colour quality 16 bit or 32 bit? Hi all My question is this. When I first saw the Plus! version of Aquarium running under Windows XP, it seem to run at 32 bit colour, but now that I have purchased the full version it seems to only run in 16 bit colour. Q1. How if possible do I change to 32 bit colour? Q2. If this is not possible, will it be incorparated in future versions? Thanks in advance Clive Northrop

06-01-2002, 11:03 AM	#3
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	I should add that all the textures including the coral are 16-bit color. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

06-02-2002, 01:50 AM	#4
Digital Lungfish Obey the toad! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 2,557	I should add that all the textures including the coral are 16-bit color. Which is why it would make no difference at all if the program ran in 16 or 32 bit color, 32 bit color mode isn't going to make 16 bit textures change to 32. HOWEVER, if the textures were 32 bit, then that would be a different story. Steve www.tron-sector.com - www.badcartridge.com - www.classicgaming.com - www.dinofish.com Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday...

06-17-2002, 04:11 AM	#8
Digital Lungfish Obey the toad! Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 2,557	Therefore using 32 Bit textures wouldnt increase the detail of each fish I never said that increasing the bit depth of the textures would increase the "detail" of the fish or the background. If Jim wants to add more detail to the fish, he can do so by modifying the 3D model of each fish or he can give the illusion of more detail by using bump mapping. As for the background, well.....3D is all I have to say. An increase in bit depth means an increase in the number of colors available, this usually results in a more color rich presentation. There are other items that factor into the end result as well, which flipper was kind enough to point out. Steve www.tron-sector.com - www.badcartridge.com - www.classicgaming.com - www.dinofish.com Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday...

06-01-2002, 08:24 AM	#2
Mountainmaster Liopleurodon Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: 3rd planet Posts: 314	This is covered in the FAQ: https://www.feldoncentral.com/Sachs/...are_&_Drivers7

06-04-2002, 11:09 AM	#5
Northrop Registered Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 2	Thanks guys for your answers. I still think this screensaver is the best!

06-13-2002, 10:26 AM	#6
Ad_Enuff Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: London, UK Posts: 99	Originally posted by Digital Lungfish Which is why it would make no difference at all if the program ran in 16 or 32 bit color, 32 bit color mode isn't going to make 16 bit textures change to 32. HOWEVER, if the textures were 32 bit, then that would be a different story. According to all the conversations I remember having with Feldon/Jim and so on, this statement isnt true with regards to 32 Bit textures of the fish currently in the screen saver. This is because that although all the fish have been created as 16 bit textures, each fish contains thousands of colours per fish........so much so that according to Jim there are several colours still left over. Therefore using 32 Bit textures wouldnt increase the detail of each fish, only the size of the files and therefore the screensaver itself.....something of which Jim wants to keep to a managable size and under or about 1.44Mb to fit onto a floppy disk. Or at least thats how I understand things......

06-13-2002, 12:08 PM	#7
flipper Registered Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 60	just looking at texture color bit depth is a simplification of the issue with regards to DISPLAY color bit depth. texture color bit depth is only one factor in determining what the maxium required colors are/should be once all of the pixels have been processed through the rendering pipeline. you also have to consider source lighting, reflection, refraction, emission (eels!), alpha blending, etc. the SSA uses a very controlled lighting model so a 16 bit color depth for DISPLAY purposes works fine. if a more dynamic model is required in later SS's I imagine a deeper DISPLAY bit depth would/could add much more realism to the scene, regardless of the texture color bit depth.