Category Texture Format Runtime

These are texture file formats that are used at runtime (in-game).

To save memory, runtime textures often use compression. However typically a few very specific compression formats are supported in hardware. This means if you use they must be uncompressed when they're loaded off the hard drive or disc and into video memory to be used in-game, which in turn increases their memory cost. Hardware-supported compression saves memory, allowing the artist to use larger or more textures.

Runtime formats also commonly have pre-created mip levels stored in them, so the game engine doesn't have to create the mips on load, which helps to reduce the time it takes to load the game level.

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