Quote: "I didn't mean to offend you, so if I have, I apologise. It's just that your previous post was all about how you would have liked to reduce the poly count further. From what I could see, the obvious place is in the little details...like those side panels with handles.
Quote: "Side panel with handles is 230 polygons"
All I was saying was you could, if you wanted, economise a bit on the parts of the model that will only ever occupy a few pixels of screen space. You wouldn't put a 4K texture on something the size of a cigarette packet in-game, so why devote 230 polygons x 8 to something that will be practically indistinguishable from something lower poly.
Or, to put it another way, yes it is nitpicking to agonise over the polycount on such a small bit of the model, you might only save 50 polygons, but every poly you save could then be spent making those cylinders look less like Smartie tubes
Didn't realise you work in DBO directly, I now understand why LOD is not an option for you. I think the jury is still out on the merits of LOD. I like using it, I've only just learned how to, but what you gain in performance due to drawing fewer polygons you lose in memory having to load the LODs in the first place. I'm still experimenting.
Anyway, like I said, no offence intended, it's just one artist's subjective view of another (highly-respected) artist's work.
AE"
The jury isn't out on LOD.Rolfy will pretty much tell you exactly the same, if you don't need LOD don't use it.LOD is useful for large objects, it's rather pointless for small objects or lower polygon models.There is no need for it.
As a artist I also have to consider how objects will be used, the bombs crates ect, some thing that will be scattered within a level often grouped together, because the objects are small they will be out of the camera view quite quickly any ways. Which makes LOD irrelevant, which makes it better to have a lower polygon model.
Unfortunately 4K textures are the norm and majority of the cold war DLC is 4K texutres even on smaller objects.Cigarette packs will likely be at least 2k these days(There is a very good reason why video games these days are 40 odd gigs, secondly some engines employ a neat little trick which gameguru doesn't do dynamically is changing texture resolutions based on camera distance.).Video memory all things considered 4gig is pretty much the standard for mid and lower range cards, high end all have 8gb or more memory.The bigger problem is wasting atlas space unnecessarily.In the case of the ULC loader you could probably do it with 1024 texture however as a result of using PBR shader, texture pixelation is the end result, so 4K texture is needed so you can walk right up to the object, without any major pixelation.
Lee wants all models to have AO map that actually means you can't stack UV maps which means faces needs to be individual and spread over the atlas to calculate AO map correctly or else you end up with shadow errors.
I don't simply start making a model, actual research is done references collected, pending the model, will it be reused in the level or only useful for a singular use, then the polygon count is decided on and what will be reasonable.So what if it looks like a smartie tube.
The MK39 is 8900 odd polygons my budget for that model was actually 7.5k, so decided much rather to spend the extra detail else where on the model like the retention brackets, the wheels, the special pins, the bendy bit that holds the MK39 in place, it's pretty darn close to the actual MK39.Because I spend more of the polygon budget then intended, I did forgo certain little things, that wasn't going to make a difference visually.Ask any professional 3D artist working with a realistic polygon budget is the best thing you can EVER do, you are FAR FAR more inventive and use polygons with far more caution.
Just because some thing should have a bolt doesn't necessarily mean you must have have a bolt you should put one there just for the sake of the visuals.3D modeling is interpretative and imaginative work, there is no rule set that says if a span bridge has 1 million bolts it should have the same amount in the actual model.In real life that bridge needs those 1 million bolts to stay in place and stop it from collapsing.
A 3D model doesn't require real life engineering to keep it afloat or in place, so you don't need it nor is is practical, however this is where normal painting and extra smaller cheap details and texture come in and allow to make a more passable and and closer to the real life things you are trying to model.
However normal painting has it's limitation.In the case of the handles it was done because it was cheap, and because of the tube angle meaning that it wouldn't be the straight 90 degree angle and would actually be a visual detractor even with a normal painted plate.The plate is there for a practical reason.
I have done 10000's of models, also worked on various DLC's, I did the original Death Valley DLC, while that is dated now, the new cold war DLC, also did various work on some of the other DLC's, large amount of default content in gameguru AGK models, as well as various models for RPG world.So have a massive repertoire of commercial models release, so without blowing smoke, I pretty much the only artist that have pretty much majority level construction kits on the store and in DLC's, experience gained and improvement over years and constant improvement speaks for it self. Model wise, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck then it's likely a duck.Which is why I said nit picking for the sake of nit picking.
Why do I have a thread then, well some take interests in modeling process, without ever posting any thing, and enjoy the viewing the whole creative process.I also create threads for my self it's a good way to track of my own progress.However every now and then it attracts attention in the way of critique, while I have no problem with it specifically, not a single of my modeling thread posted expressly asked for critique and ignore it any ways.In this case however warranted a reply, as I don't need to educated in 3d modeling, I have a good handle on it, know exactly what I want, how to model it and have the completed projects that backs up the rather arrogant claim.
A post like the one above usually starts a whole argument never ends well, for neither the OP the poster. So let me nib it in the butt, do it your way, quite happy to do it my way, exactly the way I want it.Don't like it keep it to your self.While extremely rude, my apologies, you get my point of view and how I feel about it.Yes it's unnecessary to throw in all that bits about completed projects but seems to be the only way to get the message across, I am not posting to get assistance or criticism.I think it's also the reason why some of the other artists actually just post threads on the completion of projects, they don't need or want the criticism.Should you wish to continue I quite happy to do the same or not all, makes no difference to me.
Thanks. !
Win7 64bit----iCore5 4590 @ 3.7GHZ----AMD RX460 2gb----16gig ram
