Render to texture benefits?

[CombatComm 10]

Can someone a little smarter than me explain the benefits and or what render to texture is at all in lamens terms? I love the progression of graphics/physics/tech in games but I am not well versed in the technicalities.

[nomofica 1]

layman's terms*

It basically means picture-in-picture. It's a bit more technical than that, but that's as layman as I can make it.

[noubernou 77]

Imagine what you see as you looking through a camera, everything is rendered from the perspective of that camera and that is what you see.

RTT allows you to have an additional, or multiple cameras also rendering their perspectives, and then allowing you to display what those cameras see somewhere else on your screen, like for example, a security camera, a rearview camera, an IR seeker on a missile, at the same time you are still looking through your camera (so you are looking around a room full of security cameras, or looking at the dash mounted rearview camera, etc). Additionally if you think of things like mirrors, these also require render to texture, since basically the surface of the mirror is a camera looking back at you and displaying what it sees on itself.

Now the real cool things that could happen if BIS decides to implement it, is taking totally separate sources from cameras, such as dialogs or 2D information and allow that to be rendered to textures on objects. That way you can do things like cellphone interfaces, or more advanced, easier to implement MFDs on aircraft, and a number of other things that are currently much harder to implement in Arma 2.

[max power 21]

It allows you to have a camera and a screen in game.

[spamurai 3]

Can someone a little smarter than me explain the benefits and or what render to texture is at all in lamens terms? I love the progression of graphics/physics/tech in games but I am not well versed in the technicalities.

In practical terms, it's the technical bit that allows ArmA to have functional elements like the side and rear review mirrors on vehicles. When you look out the drivers window and into the mirror of your HUMVEE, it'll work like a mirror should and show you a picture of what's actually going on behind you.

[CombatComm 10]

OOOOOOh thanks for the clear up. While cool, I didn't think it was so obvious, the results. Will be cool to see what kind of things the mod makers come up with.

[Flash Thunder 10]

Google son do you know what it is?

[JojoTheSlayer 35]

A practical example from Take On Helicopters which also has the same tech.

I am flying the helicopter and a outside camera is following me so I can see the helicopter I am flying on the live screen in my helicopter.

If you look carefully you can also see that the image is also being sent to a huge screen on land.

IMAGE LINK

[CombatComm 10]

Google son do you know what it is?

Cool story bro! You're late. Maybe first response. Thanks to everyone else with constructive info.

[mordeaniischaos 3]

OOOOOOh thanks for the clear up. While cool, I didn't think it was so obvious, the results. Will be cool to see what kind of things the mod makers come up with.

The best way to see how kick ass it is is to jump into the gunner position of a vehicle that actually renders the weapon's view in the interior of the vehicle on a screen. You have control of the gun without having the entire screen filled with what should be a screen in side the HUMVEE (or whatever dumb future shit).

I think it's over-used for all the silly goofy stuff like a backup camera, but I think it is also being used for less silly things like mirrors.

It could also (and I'd very much like this please!) be used for real scope views, IE having a view around the scope and only what's seen through the scope is zoomed.

[Syonco 10]

Was so sad to see that it doesn't apply to weapon scopes.... please make it happen :-/

[Brainbug 10]

well, there it is not needed actually. However, maybe someone will model the Israeli CornerShot system, which also has a little videocamera that looks around the corner and a small display, so you would need a viewing angle on that display that's different than the players view.