gazzthompson wrote:Question Rhino (or any other DEV).
Am i right in thinking, you can model something to an uber level then import/"downgrade"/convert/whatever to any engine you want?
So you model an SA80 say an a very high level, then import/adjust to the various types of quality for the various engines out there ?
Another example, you model something to the highest quality for the "PR model database" then can import to any engine you wish? dunno how much of that makes sense as im very drunk but yeah.
Yes and No, but mostly yes but it really depends on the model itself and how it's been made and what you want to do with it.
There is a modelling technique that most of us devs use now called Subdivision modelling, (aka Next Generation Modelling) where you basically make a very highlight detailed model by using subdivision techniques and you get an incredibly smooth model with lots and lots of polys/tris and you then use this very highly detailed model to make a much lower quality model but the lower quality model still looks like it has many of the details the higher quality model has as the normals maps, AO maps etc are all "baked" off the high quality model.
Here is a quick example of my first subdivision model:
My First High Poly Model & Normal Map Bake - Project Reality Forums
But in relation to models going ingame, if you look at the Jackal WIP pics for example, and if you look at the wheels you will see they have all the groves modelled in them where ingame, they will just be round wheels but the normal maps will be baked off that high poly model onto the low poly model, making the low poly model look like it has thous grooves when really, it dosen't
Something we are also looking into which I'm trying to spearhead for a future release is making separate 1st and 3rd person weapon models and textures where the 3rd person model is a much lower poly model and much smaller texture which both have been made off the much higher poly and larger texture, 1st person model.
I used the EOTECH for my example to the rest of the team where here is the high poly 1st person model (and also currently the 3rd person model) which is 2,300 tris.
I then took this model and made a much lower poly model consisting of 382 tris which is a reduction of 83% and then baked the textures from the 1st person model but you probably can't see much of a difference:
but here's the edged faces:
and then any differences you can see up close, you can't see from 5m away which for a 3st person model your hardly going to be within more than 5m of anouther guy's weapon.
and the much smaller texture sheet made off it if you want to see it
This is something we are going to try and do more and more in the future with all new handheld weapons and some of the old ones to try and improve performance although it will most likley take a lot of time and work to implement it so dont expect this to happen for some time but this is a good example for your question
