tips for keeping poly counts low but getting smooth corners and edges?
Ademnus
Posts: 744
I can make nicely detailed items but the poly count is off the scale. I know one must find a balance between the count and the finished look but surely you folks have some tips for achieving good looks on a poly budget. Share your tips and tricks here!
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Really depends on what you're trying to do. The best way to keep poly counts low is to not use smoothing options. Remove any extra lines that are not needed to makeup the models shape. Use chamfer'd edges to keep edged from being too sharp.
As ueser.operator says. You could also do a "merge co-planar faces" on flat surfaces where you don't need a lot of detail and use "breaks" to sharpen edges instead of adding supporting geometry.
Export the .obj file out of Hexagon. Import it into D/S. Export it out of D/S. It will be "smaller".
What do you mean by smaller? I think the OP was referring to the number of faces in the object.
@sgreco: We are offering suggestions, but that is difficult to do, imo, when you haven't shown an example of what you've done and the polycounts you are talking about.
Certainly, there are ways to keep poly counts down, but it may begin as far back as you started with 32 vert circl to begin your mesh which automatically ensures many more polys than if you'd started with 8, 12 or 16.
Provide some examples for us to really evaluate and counsel with some good low poly techniques. :)
As mentioned, stay away from smoothing. Chamfer the edges to create rounded corners.
What do you mean by smaller? I think the OP was referring to the number of faces in the object.
.... edit ...
No kidding. Smaller .... meaning something 580kb instead of 2mb. 'k.
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@op, actually I like apply smoothing to see what it will do, and then delete the lines not needed. Sometimes chamfer doesn't really work as desired.
[@ Chris - meaning it makes go invisible with a set of white lines all over the place]
I don't have any screenshots to show, but what I'm trying to learn to do is model starships. I;ve learned how to make all the shapes but after smoothing, they're a billion polygons, not to mention any detail gets distorted and broken. But obviously, Ive seen models with smooth perfection and high detail. How is this being done? Every time I try to resort to chamfering I get weird polygons and broken edges ><</p>
you've got to chamfer smart. you also have to build smart from the start. that means avoid boolean to cut shapes into objects. sometimes you also have to make a shape by closing a hole, taking that closed hole face and cutting it out, giving it thickness, then chamfering those edges.
Image from bottom to top:
original shape; atempted to shamfer outer edges, bad geometry
second shape; flat n-gon face cut out instead
third shape; flat face given thickness, edges chamfer as intended
it's kind of a quirk in how hexagon works.
Those hints we all gave are pretty much generalized, in response to a question on how to keep polygon count down.
There is no simple, easy, silver bullet answer to "How do I make a 3D model?"
Every model has its own challenges and approaches and there are many techniques involved - which particular one, or combination, you use depends on what result you want, what tools you have, personal preference and skill.
It comes down to knowing the rules of topology construction, knowing your tools, lots and lots of hard work and imagination. Heck, people go to college to learn this stuff!
My best advice is to start small, learn the rules, learn the tools, watch lots and lots of tuts and ask lots and lots of questions:)