If you skipped directly to this page be sure to
also check out
ChrisRay's excellent 7800 GTX antialiasing investigation. There simply is
nothing to debate in that transparent antialiasing provides substantial
improvements to image quality in games. Read through the investigation linked
above to get up to speed if transparent antialiasing is something new to you.
Below are three of the most glaring examples of how supersampling transparent antialiasing
benefits the image quality of your games. I didn't include transparent
multisampling antialiasing because supersampling yields better image quality.
This usually comes at a fairly light performance hit depending on your other
settings of course. The first two are from F.E.A.R and the
third is from Dungeon Siege II.
In addition to these three examples I've built what I hope some of you will
find as a helpful tool for comparing two screenshots. The tool is completely
web-based and just makes use of JavaScript and DHTML so any current browser
should handle it. I've tested it most with Firefox 1.06 and just briefly with
Internet Explorer 6. It still needs some polish in code but it will serve the
purpose. I'll provide links to it in just a bit.
All of the images below are zoomed in 200% and compare the following:
no antialiasing
4xAA
4xAA TSS (transparent supersampling)
The first two slices below (no AA and 4xAA) show no change in the aliasing of
the floor grating which is obviously a texture. The last slice (4xAA with
transparent supersampling) show big improvements in the reduction of the jaggies
on this particular texture.
F.E.A.R. - Transparent AA Comparison -
Floor
200% Zoom
Again we see that the first two slices below of the fence have a lot of
jaggies. The 4xAA actually looks a bit worse in this case than the no AA shot.
The last slice with transparency supersampling applied has a nice effect.
F.E.A.R. - Transparent AA Comparison -
Fence
200% Zoom
Fences and vegetation are typically where you will see textures used by
developers that benefit from transparent antialiasing. I found something quite
interesting in Dungeon Siege II though in the way of a sign. On this particular
level of the game there are many pathways and all of them have a sign. Each
sign, though, has a different insignia or mark. Apparently, the developers
re-used the same sign 3D model but in order to make each sign unique they
applied a different insignia as a texture. This is an excellent example of how
transparency antialiasing makes textures that are actually intended to appear
flat (unlike grass, fences, etc) look so much better.
Dungeon Siege II - Transparent AA
Comparison - Sign
200% Zoom
