Do you have advanced lighting enabled?

[Rya Nitely]

 

Do you have it enabled? ?

Advanced Lighting needs to be enabled to see bumpiness and shininess. These are maps added by the creator, and it gives a more realistic look. Bumpiness (Normal Map) makes the texture look less flat. TShininess (Specular Map) gives a natural lighting effect at different times of the day - very pretty if done well.

As I creator/merchant I am starting to wonder if all my effort to create good bump and shine maps are really worth it. I asked several people and all said they don't have it enabled in preferences, and didn't know what it was.  If it isn't a default setting they don't use it. And most people have settings too low to enable it. So, is it worth it for me to spend ages getting bump map just right and umming and ahing over the lighting effect at different times of the day? Is it worth it when every customer/friend that I asked can't see it? It does make things look prettier though, and nobody (well, nobody I know) uses it or even knows what it is ?.

 

[Garnet Psaltery]

Yes. I have it enabled, but I don't see many surfaces that are designed to make use of it, unless you count clothing with an unnatural shine.  I'm sure your creations aren't like that

[Sandy Schnook]

Whether or not I enable it, depends on how my older PC is running, because for me it does give my FPS a drastic drop.  I have actually been asking myself the same question, so will be watching this thread.  Even without ALM enabled though, I think flat textures themselves have come along so much since I began, that even just those look pretty good now. 

[TatianaNikolay]

Normally only have it on at either a really gorgeous sim or when I'm taking photos because my FPS drop and I lag badly.

[ThorinII]

I have it enabled at all times,  even on my cheap laptop. Otherwise, my shiny Latex outfits (and those of my girls, and of others I meet), wouldn't appear shiny at all. ?

[Bree Giffen]

I always have it on. Once in a while it surprises me with a nice material effect.

[MoiraKathleen]

I generally have it on all the time.  

[Malin Sabra]

I only put it on when taking pictures. My PC is capable of having it on all the time I just don't.

[Penny Patton]

I always have it enabled.

One reason I'm always pushing for content optimization is that in optimized sims I still get 30-60fps despite my computer being nearly 8 years old now. I also occasionally get messages from visitors to sims I've optimized myself, from people who get so much better performance in those sims that they're able to enjoy materials and shadows despite not being able to use those features in other sims.

[Hintswen Guardian]

Yes, and I usually have 2 clients open at the same time both with it turned on. 

[Kurshie Muromachi]

Yep. People have put effort into making those extra materials and it would suck not being able to see it.

[Jeny Howlett]

Always have it on

 

[Cindy Evanier]

Always on

[Nova Convair]

I switched it on when it became available and it's always active of course. SL without ALM looks so incredible bad I would never revert.

 

[Solar Legion]

On the shared machine I've mentioned elsewhere? It is on, always. 

[Rya Nitely]

Thanks all, I will continue making these maps, as I am so much into the habit now anyway. And it does make everything look better when done correctly. Not just clothes but like with wood for instance, it really just brings out the individual planks on a boat etc. Such a great tool and it would be a shame not to use it.

[Marianne Little]

Always on when I'm home and in pretty sims, graphics high or ultra. In special occasions like shopping events, off.

DOF (Depths of Field) only sometimes. Anisotropic filtering is also not on all the time.

[Claireschen Hesten]

I rarely put it on only when something says it utilizes materials just to see if I'm missing out on anything most of the time I don't notice any difference on that front. If I wanted to have it on for the sake of it I don't notice a dramatic difference in FPS or performance but I do find some things can look a bit poorer in detail not as smooth compared to it off 

Edited September 2, 2018 by Claireschen Hesten

[ellestones]

yes. GTX660 graphics card

shadows on only sometimes. Is shadows and stacked alphas that can hurt my FPS. ALM vs non-ALM difference is negligible

[Callum Meriman]

Always on, shadows too.

[Phorumities]

I usually have atmospheric shaders and advanced lighting turned off. I went to my platform and turned them both on. My throttled frame rate of 25 didn't drop as I expected, and I saw clouds in the sky. Tres cool.

Will I leave them on? doubtful.

Edit: a few minutes later my bf tped in, I turned shaders and advanced lighting back on, and my frame rate dropped to 15 when on and back to 25 when I turned them off, so I'll defo be leaving them turned off.

It's a shame too, because the clouds were pretty.

Edit: tried it again and only dropped 2 FPS with my bf here, but I suspect my computer will struggle, so now i don't know.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Phorumities
added stuff, added more stuff

[Phorumities]

Since this thread is active, can anyone tell me where I can change my max frame rate?

Obviously I found it one time when I throttled it, but now I can't find it anywhere.

 

[Solar Legion]

Default LL client - can't help ya. Firestorm - Preferences, Graphics, Rendering, Limit Frame Rate.

[Phorumities]

2 minutes ago, Solar Legion said:

Default LL client - can't help ya. Firestorm - Preferences, Graphics, Rendering, Limit Frame Rate.

Wow thank you, I swear I checked that tab 10 times and didn't see it, I got it now.

[Solar Legion]

Not a problem.