Quality Control & Assurance Flashcards

A character texture passes QA on PC but appears washed out on mobile. What is the most likely root cause?

Answer: The texture was authored in sRGB but the mobile engine reads it as linear

A mismatch between the texture's color space and how the engine reads it causes washed-out or over-darkened results, a common cross-platform QA failure.

During a texture review, an AO map shows halo artifacts around floating geometry. What baking parameter should be adjusted?

Answer: Reduce the maximum ray distance so rays don't reach the cage mesh

Reducing the AO ray distance prevents rays from reaching unintended geometry like cage meshes, eliminating false shadow halos.

What does 'overdraw' mean in the context of texture and material QA for real-time assets?

Answer: Rendering the same pixel multiple times due to overlapping transparent surfaces, increasing GPU cost

Overdraw occurs when semi-transparent or alpha-cutout surfaces cause the GPU to shade the same screen pixel multiple times, significantly increasing rendering cost.

A texture artist delivers a specular map with values above 240 (out of 255) for a non-metallic surface. Why would QA flag this?

Answer: Non-metallic (dielectric) surfaces have physically measured reflectance values between roughly 40-80 out of 255; values above 240 are non-physical

Physically based rendering defines dielectric reflectance within a narrow measured range; values above ~80 are physically impossible for non-metals and break PBR realism.

Which technique helps QA reviewers quickly compare a new texture revision against the previously approved version?

Answer: Use a side-by-side or flip comparison in a texture viewer or compositing tool

Side-by-side or flip comparisons in a texture viewer let reviewers instantly spot differences between revisions without relying on memory.

An asset passes geometry QA but fails texture QA due to 'texture stretching.' What UV issue causes this?

Answer: UV shells are distorted so one dimension is disproportionately scaled relative to the mesh surface

Stretching occurs when UV shells are distorted, causing the texture's pixels to map unevenly across the mesh surface and produce an elongated look.

Why should texture QA include a check under multiple lighting conditions (e.g., bright daylight, overcast, and dark interior)?

Answer: Lighting conditions reveal PBR response issues invisible under a single neutral light

PBR materials behave differently under varying light intensities and colors; testing under multiple conditions exposes metalness, roughness, or emissive issues that one lighting setup hides.