The BRAWL² Tournament Challenge has been announced!

It starts May 12, and ends Oct 17. Let's see what you got!

https://polycount.com/discussion/237047/the-brawl²-tournament

Best Of

Re: Sketchbook: Frank Polygon

Subdivision sketch: No. Really, it's all the same.

In some ways angular shape intersections are just curved intersections without curves and curved shape intersections are just angular intersections without corners.

Both curved and square shapes can be joined to curved surfaces using the same basic loop routing strategies. Though there's some differences in how the edge loops coming off the corners of angular intersecting shapes need to be routed across the existing geometry of the curved surface or reduced (stopped) between the support loops where the shapes are joined together.

These are just a few fun examples that use the same segment matching and loop routing strategies from the previous posts but also use diamond or triangular quads to reduce extraneous edge support loops in the space between the inner and outer support loops at the base of the shape intersection.

Diagonal rectangle to curve: some of the corner support loops can be connected directly to the existing edges of the larger cylinder. If there aren't enough adjacent edges in the curved surface to connect to then use a triangular quad to reduce the loops coming off the corner of the rectangle.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/vz/tb3ml4w2g5ae.jpg

Diagonal cube to curve: each side is the same length so this cube connects to the cylinder in the same way another cylinder would. Just run the support loops off the vertical corners into the existing edges of the cylinder and redirect the loops coming off the horizontal corners to complete the loop flow path between the existing segments of the curve.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/nw/9vot94vgddmi.jpg

Pyramid to curve: Line up the vertical point with an existing edge in the curve and leave some space between the other two horizontal points and the existing segments of the cylinder. Redirect the loop flow from those horizontal corners to complete the loop path and reduce the edge loops from the vertical point with a diamond quad.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/oz/ejluuw8rf2c3.jpg

Mismatched segment densities on curves: adjust the density of the unconstrained surface so every other segment aligns with the existing (denser) geometry then route the loop path around the shape intersection and use diamond quads to reduce the left over segments. As long as the difference between the two shapes is constrained to area between the inner and outer support loops it should smooth cleanly enough to be passable.

(This kind of topology problem isn't super common but sometimes the density of one shape is already locked in by the geometry of adjacent surface features and it's not feasible to re-model the entire thing or there's some other constraint that means only one of the shapes can be changed.)

Interrupted rectangle to curve: The complexity of this shape intersection depends on whether or not the intersecting geometry needs to connect directly to the edges that make up the curve. If the rectangle can be placed between the segments of the curve then it's fairly straightforward. If the rectangle needs to line up with the edges in the curve then routing the support loops into the curve is a bit more challenging.

In this example one side of the rectangle connects directly to the edges that make up the cylinder walls and the other side of the rectangle lands between the existing segments of the cylinder. The basic loop routing around the shapes is fairly straightforward but the extra loops coming off the rectangle need to be reduced using triangular quads.

Some additional examples of angular shapes interrupted by curves:

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2774628/#Comment_2774628

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2775380/#Comment_2775380

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/hs/qv2iwuecfm8c.jpg

Cylinder to truncated cone: segment matching is a bit more difficult because the taper of the cone biases the mesh density towards the top of the shape. The key to segment matching here is balancing the density between the top and bottom of the cylinder because resolving the sides just requires adding an extra crossing loop that runs perpendicular to the edges that make up the sides of the truncated cone.

Some additional examples of merging shapes with truncated cones:

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2770078/#Comment_2770078

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2772692/#Comment_2772692

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/e2/dc70tq1g87vv.jpg

Something to keep in mind is that most complex models are essentially just a collection of simple forms joined together. So, when searching for solutions to topology problems with complex shape intersections, it's unlikely that there's going to be an exact copy of the same thing, at the same angle, using the same number of segments, having the same basic loop routing strategy, etc.

Rather than trying to find a single example that covers all of the complex shape intersections at once, break the model down into smaller, simpler parts and look for examples similar to the individual shapes. Work through understanding how to solve each individual issue on it's own then use that knowledge to work through combining all of the shapes and try to resolve most of the major topology flow problems during the block out.

Using a more iterative and systematic approach to solving topology issues usually makes it easier to manage loop flow paths while merging shapes and add support loops without generating smoothing artifacts.

FrankPolygon

3 ·

Re: Building modular buildings and houses questions

In this context I'd absolutely encourage investigating ways to reduce tiling with small textures as Eric suggests. learning these techniques pays off in all sorts of ways (i recommend mocking it up in photoshop/designer, then figuring out the maths later btw).

but

That particular example.. not sure I'd recommend it today...
Using a rotator like that is computationally expensive (for a 90 degree rotation you can just swap axes instead and that's basically free but arbitrary rotation is not).
- It should be a good trade-off if you're memory bound

At the time UDK was current machines had relatively little vram (<1gb), games were running at relatively low resolutions (<=720p) and we were using much less complex shading models (static lighting, blinnphong etc.) - generally speaking, you ran out of memory long before you ran out of processing power and it made sense to trade off in that direction.

In a more modern scenario we have a lot more base memory combined with sophisticated streaming tech and much more complex shading models at much, much higher resolution. With this in mind, it makes sense to lean more towards solving your problem with vram than it does to solve it by adding per-pixel complexity.

Obviously you don't know unless you profile and in this context it probably makes absolutely no measurable difference (rendering the last 3 paragraphs redundant) but this is the internet and tradition dictates that hairs must be split.

poopipe

3 ·

Re: [WIP] Cyberpunk 2077 inspired Game Environment, Third-Year Uni Project

The past week has been pretty slow, mostly watching tutorials and planning / discussing ideas. I was really inspired by this concept by Chris Doretz of what looks like a plastic quarantine tunnel running through a damaged hospital area. It looked like it would introduce some really cool opportunities for lighting and also breaking up the harsh brutalist shapes that our lab environment seems to be going down. The idea at the moment is that the tube can run through a biohazardous room where a cloning accident has taken place, so client demand is so high that they can't deal with the fallout at the moment so the area gets vacuum-sealed and production continues like normal. This will give the player the opportunity to walk through and be able to see (maybe partially see because of semi-transparency? will help decrease my workload) and get some environmental storytelling.

Image: https://www.3dhit.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2025_10/image.png.310b8bd0c25dde1d5376ede00be9e5fd.png

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/dyoELK

So I started researching examples of this kind of quarantine tunnel. I couldn't find many real world examples but i did find a couple in films like ET (1982) and 12 Monkeys (1995). There were a couple references of air purifying tubes and machines connected to the tunnels which would be cool to make too afterwards. All of the film screenshots I got from the website shotdeck.com, it's one of my favourites other than pinterest for collecting references!

So I started by blocking out a segment in UE and importing it into Maya. Then I used a lattice on a cylinder and torus to deform it into this shape. Originally the "plastic" wasn't a plane and had some thickness, but this caused me problems down the line when doing the transparent material. The polycount is quite high because i knew that i wanted to turn this into a spline tool and didn't want any visible polygons.

The metal material was nothing special, but for the clear plastic, I followed a transparent glass material on yt. For some reason in the tutorial, his material seems to cast its own shadow while mine doesn't, so that's on my list of things to investigate. Tutorial:

https://youtu.be/PkLR8OqPzCA

Image: https://www.3dhit.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2025_10/image.png.320377328bf19f3812c2639be38c7bc6.png

I wanted to experiment with displacement but for now using normal maps was easier. The segments aren't UVed so i wanted to try using tri-planar projection for the first time. I took the normal and roughness map from a tarp fabric material from Quixel Megascans (https://www.fab.com/listings/ca2bcb13-13c3-4fcc-8bfc-4ba863fd2de6) projected those onto the plastic material following this tutorial. Tutorial:

https://youtu.be/r5CxcpxGe-Y

I was really happy with the results! I think I might try to do a lot more triplanar projections in our game environments especially for the spacious and clean client areas. This is what the tube segments looked like now, pus the material setup.

So next job was to make it into a spline tool which wasn't as easy as i thought it would be. I went through 3 tutorials before i found one which worked for me, but it still isn't perfect. Sometimes some weird artifacts or collapsing in on itself happens if the spline is an odd length. The tutorial that worked for me was this one. Tutorial:

https://youtu.be/l5W8KdQYI7k

Image: https://www.3dhit.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2025_10/image.png.80530cc79d99925466b248064dfbf020.png

and the final result was pretty good! i still have some issues i need to iron out like why the plastic doesnt cast a shadow and how come when playing as a third-person character the camera has no collision with the tube when the character walking through does. There's also other things like how to put an end piece at the back of the spline regardless of its length, and also I was advised by my lecturer that it should have some kind of connecting mechanism at both or one end where in the real world it would connect to a doorway or wall so it could create an airtight vacuum-seal. For now, here are some more screenshots and lighting experiments.

Image: https://www.3dhit.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2025_10/image.png.339bbf65b5ce7e50f7abdb2ae7f0fbbc.png

Image: https://www.3dhit.co.uk/uploads/monthly_2025_10/image.png.b68b0d56804b750ec33c4f574325a269.png

MaraRA

3 ·

Re: Do you think polycount a dying platform?

I wouldn't say dying, but it certainly became niche. Most forums are as quiet now.

I suspect the kids are at Discord, but the entire model - from not being easily browseable because it's a friggin messenger service to being walled off from the internet - is just not conductive to knowledge exchange and in my opinion, off-putting. I don't like the idea of such dramatic concentration of knowledge under a single corporation. You see the same happening to other areas like arts, game dev, writing: Forums being killed off, then replaced by Discord channels.

Celosia

4 ·

Re: Do you think polycount a dying platform?

Dying is pretty relative isnt it? Social media reddit discord killed a lot of places over the past decade, its all without value tho. Information got lost a lot or hidden behind stupid pay walls. Polycount is still around.
Is it the same place it used to be 10, 15, 20 years ago? Obviously not, for better or worse.

If you feel like there isnt enough interaction, that issue starts with you or anyone like you not using it

Use it, so people see its alive and also are more likely to join in/back

Neox

4 ·

Re: Sketchbook: Tits

I did very many other small daily paintings but this page is long enough to load already so I will avoid posting them here haha.
Here's 2 more " serious" painting I did this month.
I painted Mariko Sama from Shogun
And Dale Cooper from Twin peaks (The youngster wont know it)

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/8b/n0lzk3i7xz2c.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/i4/rlubaf8hy0am.jpg

Tits

4 ·

Re: Sketchbook: Frank Polygon

Subdivision sketch: softer, hard softgoods.

This is an animated overview of a subdivision modeling process for softgoods.

Complex hard surface modeling projects often have smaller softgood components that are typically made from stiffer sewn textiles or formed technical textiles. While there are specialized applications for simulating sewn textiles, sometimes it's just easier or quicker to model something that's good enough for a visual block out or sculpting base. Especially when the final high poly doesn't need to be all that detailed or when the softgood components are particularly stiff, overstuffed, or molded into a permanent shape.

In this example the seat cushion goes from overstuffed to compressed to simulate use and wear. The workflow in this example was kept purely subdivision as a demonstration. Most of the time, once the basic forms are more or less complete, it makes more sense to switch over to cloth sim brushes or manually sculpting the folds in the fabric.

Here's a few more examples of subdivision modeling for softgoods:
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2771257/#Comment_2771257
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2783158/#Comment_2783158
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2800275#Comment_2800275

FrankPolygon

4 ·

[Closed] [FILLED] Stylized Marmot 3D Model for Mobile (Unity URP, Modeling+Texturi

Thanks to everyone who applied—really appreciated the portfolios.

The role is now filled.

Project
Indie mobile game (solo developer), fixed-price contract; modeling + texturing only (no rig).
I’m developing a mobile puzzle game in Unity 2022.3 LTS (URP). I need a stylized-but-believable marmot character (red with blue spots). The character must read clearly at ~437×306 px on a 2160×3840 screen and be efficient for mobile.

Scope (what you’ll deliver)

Game-ready mesh with clean deformation topology
Blink-ready eyelids (loops + thickness), must fully close over separate eye spheres
Provide one closed-blink reference (duplicate closed-lid head or a single blendshape blink_closed) — no rigging required
Texture-only fur (albedo / normal / roughness / AO) — no hair cards
Mouth/Teeth: simple mouth bag + low-poly teeth; clean jaw-pivot topology
LODs: LOD0 8–12k, LOD1 4–6k, LOD2 1.5–3k tris
UVs: single set; mirroring allowed, but face center & spot layout must be unique
Materials: max 2 (body, eyes), URP-friendly
Scale/Axis: meters, Y-up, –Z forward, root at ground

Deliverables

FBX (neutral pose) + LODs, separate eye spheres
Unity package with URP Lit materials (prefab ready)
Textures: layered 4k PSD (red base + blue spots on separate layers, AO/cavity, ID map), 2k PNG/TGA exports
Turntable stills (front/side/¾) + optional GLB/GLTF for quick viewing

References

Posting includes a low-res watermarked orthographic composite (Front/Side/Back/Top).
Full-res orthos + detailed Model Spec (PDF) provided to successful applicant.

Budget & Milestones

Budget: Fixed price $650–$850 USD.
Milestones:

Blockout + silhouette (wireframes) – 20%
Final topology + UVs (eyelids checked) – 30%
Textured LOD0 + eyes + closed-blink reference – 30%
LOD1/2 + Unity prefab + exports (PSD/PNG/GLB) – 20%

How to apply (please include)

Links to stylized animals/creatures (mobile/Unity examples ideal)
Wireframe close-ups of eyelids from prior work (1–2 images)
Brief note on your UV mirroring plan (keeping face & spot layout unique)
Fixed-price quote and timeline

Ownership & Originality
Deliverables are works made for hire; where not possible, you assign all rights (exclusive, worldwide, perpetual) and waive moral rights to the extent allowed by law. Work must be fully original—no third-party, kitbash, marketplace, or AI assets unless I pre-approve in writing with compatible licenses. All source files included (FBX/LODs, Unity package, layered PSD, exported textures, and any Painter/ZBrush files if used). Ownership transfers on final payment; portfolio images allowed after my public release.

Contact
Please DM me with the items above.

mindmosis2

3 ·

Re: Losing Your Artistic Voice to Convenient Asset Packs

It's how you use it. If you just lump components together I guess that is what it will look like. I.ve been doing my own kitbash project for a few months and it aint as easy as it looks. Check out the vid below: It's from iziart and the kits are from Vitaly Bulgerov.