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Mipmapping

TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER values NEAREST_MIPMAP_NEAREST, NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR, LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST, and LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR each require the use of a mipmap. A mipmap is an ordered set of arrays representing the same image; each array has a resolution lower than the previous one. If the texture has dimensions , then there are mipmap arrays. The first array is the original texture with dimensions . Each subsequent array has dimensions where are the dimensions of the previous array. This is the case as long as both k>0 and l>0. Once either k=0 or l=0, each subsequent array has dimension or , respectively, until the last array is reached with dimension .

Each array in a mipmap is transmitted to the GL using TexImage2D  or TexImage1D ; the array being set is indicated with the level-of-detail argument. Level-of-detail numbers proceed from 0 for the original texture array through with each unit increase indicating an array of half the dimensions of the previous one as already described. If texturing is enabled (and TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER is one that requires a mipmap) at the time a primitive is rasterized and if the set of arrays 0 through p is incomplete, based on the dimensions of array 0, then it is as if texture mapping were disabled. The set of arrays 0 through p is incomplete if the internal formats of all the mipmap arrays were not specified with the same symbolic constant, or if the border widths of the mipmap arrays are not the same, or if the dimensions of the mipmap arrays do not follow the sequence described above. Arrays indexed greater than p are insignificant.

The mipmap is used in conjunction with the level of detail to approximate the application of an appropriately filtered texture to a fragment. Let and let c be the value of at which the transition from minification to magnification occurs (since this discussion pertains to minification, we are concerned only with values of where ). For NEAREST_MIPMAP_NEAREST, if then the mipmap array with level-of-detail of 0 is selected. Otherwise, the dth mipmap array is selected when as long as . If , then the pth mipmap array is selected. The rules for NEAREST are then applied to the selected array.

The same mipmap array selection rules apply for LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST as for NEAREST_MIPMAP_NEAREST, but the rules for LINEAR are applied to the selected array.

For NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR, the level d-1 and the level d mipmap arrays are selected, where , unless , in which case the pth mipmap array is used for both arrays. The rules for NEAREST are then applied to each of these arrays, yielding two corresponding texture values and . The final texture value is then found as

LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR has the same effect as NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR except that the rules for LINEAR are applied for each of the two mipmap arrays to generate and .



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Next: 3.8.2 Texture Magnification Up: 3.8.1 Texture Minification Previous: 3.8.1 Texture Minification



David Blythe
Sat Mar 29 02:23:21 PST 1997