Pixel Filter Comparrison

Same exact scene in Daz Studio with just a change to the Pixel Filter and the Pixel Filter Width.

The Sinc Filter works to make edges more distinct.  The '6' makes the sharpest edge, but if you zoom way in so you can see the pixels you will notice some halo artifacts along the edge.  Sinc with 4 width also has a halo (not pictured).  Only a 2 width doesn't have the halo effect.

The Gausian Filter makes the smoothest edge and eliminates the 'jaggies' better.  At a Filter width of '2' it looks pretty good with no jaggies and a nice edge.  At '4' everything is getting blurry, with '6' even more blurry.

For this image I prefer either the Sinc with '2' or the Gaussian with '2'.  I think the Gaussian image will translate better when zooming in and out, with the Sinc being best at it's full resolution.

So, up until now I have been using Sinc with width 6, but I think from now on I am going to use Gaussian with width 2.

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OK, after experimenting with renders using a more realistic scene, the Sinc Pixel Filter makes things look more detailed and in focus than the Gausian, with higher pixel filter width numbers giving sharper results for the Sinc filter (Gaussian is opposite with higher widths becoming more blurry).  Now this is on a small render 600x800 and then viewed at 200% size.  If this render was higher resolution then being smooth might be more desireable--and so Gaussian width 2.

So if you want sharper edges and more detail in textures, use the Sinc pixel filter with a width of 6 (using a width higher than 6 doesn't provide a noticeable effect).

For a scene where there is high contrast, and the light/dark edges are making 'jaggies', then the Gaussian pixel filter with width of 2 gives nice smooth edges eliminating the 'jaggies'.  Textures lose some 'crispness' so either make the image larger or reduce the shading rate.

The render times for different pixel filters and pixel filter widths are all within about 2% of each other, so that shouldn't be much of a factor.