Should you ALWAYS make the High Poly

Scizz

Is it just best to ALWAYS make a high poly model, even on simple objects? (Assuming you're importing into UDK)
This for example:
Very simple yet, would it make that much of a difference if I had a normal map on it or not?

cptSwing

Your edges will look nicer, plus you could add some subtle grain and damage. And it's not a lot of work for such a simple object. Depends on wether you think you have the texture budget though!

haba_haba

For such a simple model it probably would be better to go without hipoly. Just chamfer edges in lowpoly and put a tileable wood texture.

cryrid

My answer is nah.

James Ordner

Depends on how detailed you want to get. If all you want is a simple table, it's probably not worth the extra work. If you want to add wear and tear, dents, scratches, rough corners and the like, it will be much easier baking those details off of a sculpted high poly mesh than texturing them in Photoshop, especially around the corners.

Ark

Something like that it would be easier to use the mia_round_corners shader.

EarthQuake

Ark wrote: »

Something like that it would be easier to use the mia_round_corners shader.

The problem with that is that with a very simple object, adding in support loops should take you like 30 seconds. Which is honestly probably about the same amount of time it takes to set up a special shader and bake(which is only available in certain apps).

IMO any time you have unique uvs for the entire object you should probably have a quick highpoly, for something like the example here, the HP is so super fast to create its not really an issue.

But it really depends, if its a very unimportant asset, making a high or setting up a little shader or even using unique uvs in the first place may be excessive.

Zepic

Ark wrote: »

Something like that it would be easier to use the mia_round_corners shader.

Huh, what's the mia shader thing?

Brygelsmack

I'd bevel the edges slightly, slap a seamless texture on it and nDo it, instead of baking from a HP...

cryrid

Zepic wrote: »

Huh, what's the mia shader thing?

http://wiki.polycount.com/NormalMap/#mental_ray_Round_Corners_Bump

JonathanLambert

Brygelsmack wrote: »

I'd bevel the edges slightly, slap a seamless texture on it and nDo it, instead of baking from a HP...

This.
You have to balance time vs quality. If it's a filler prop, off in the corner that will hardly be noticed, save the time and texture memory on something more important.

Ace-Angel

EarthQuake wrote: »

The problem with that is that with a very simple object, adding in support loops should take you like 30 seconds. Which is honestly probably about the same amount of time it takes to set up a special shader and bake(which is only available in certain apps).

IMO any time you have unique uvs for the entire object you should probably have a quick highpoly, for something like the example here, the HP is so super fast to create its not really an issue.

But it really depends, if its a very unimportant asset, making a high or setting up a little shader or even using unique uvs in the first place may be excessive.

This! Listen to this!

Also, in some latest version of softwares, MIA_Soft is broken, I know Max is atleast, and it won't even try and 'bake' the Normal if your model is overlapping or mirrored.

I would personally export my LP, Dynamesh it real quick at a medium value, and use that to bake the soft edges in XN.

tristamus

The suggestions here are good.

My own 2 cents - this is a ridiculously simple prop. Using texture memory for such an object to do so little is absurd. Chamfer / bevel, put a tiling texture on it and call it done.