Polygon cruncher or others?

NAIMA

Hello what softwares do you use to make or help you make lods for objects in game environments?
I tried this one and found pretty good , but now the trial expired and wanted to try something else befoure eventually considering getting it .

I found the optimize modifier in 3dsmax useless as doesn't preserve texture mapping and edges ... Other ideas?

I mean mostly to make lods not retopologize a hp model.

Obscura

Maybe there are some good softwares for this, but I dont know a good one.So I would prefer a hand-made optimization for lods.It doesnt take too much time, and the result will look how you want. Anyway, In UDK, you can make lods easily.There is an option for it, and it can make lods automatically (after setting up a few parameters).

NAIMA

U mean use a udk as lod making tool?

Obscura

I meant if you want to render your assets/scene in UDK, then you already have a relatively good tool for this. If not, then I would say, make the lods with hand. But... As I see, making lods isnt really "important" nowadays.Of course, we need it, but a lot less than earlier, because of the new very strong devices. For the props that doesnt visible from far, because of the distance or because some other objects are hiding it, I wouldnt make lods, just fading distance. Lod is important only if the mesh that we are talking about can be seen from close and further too, and maybe if it has many polygons at the lod0. So if the lod0 has not too much triangles, then a lod is unimportant because the devices are enough strong now.

edit* This is depending on the target device. I think less lods are ok in the next gen pc/console games.

Noors

3ds max proOptimizer modifier ?

NAIMA

prooptimizer?
I have only optimize modifier in max 2011 .

Obscura , I need it for some mountains ... so I guess are quite visible from distance ...

NAIMA

I have not yet tried, but perhaps can simply use Zbrush to reduce polycount preserve uvmapping and appearence of the models?

monster

ProOptimizer is available in 3ds Max 2010 and Up. However there is another modifier called MultiRes that gives good results. It's newer than Optimize, but older than ProOptimzer.

NAIMA

I will search in meanwhile what about the new zbrush remesher features? Updating from zbr5 now.

Obscura

Zremesher is quite good, but I dont know how it works with the uvs. Another idea: Why dont you use an actual terrain (created in the engine's editor) with a heightmap from your model? You could set the geometry reduction after a distance, like on this:
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/rsrc/Three/Landscape/Landscape_HighRes_Normals.jpg

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/rsrc/Three/Landscape/Landscape_LOD_Morph.jpg

cptSwing

You should have the Pro optimizer in '11

NAIMA

I actually created the mountain making a displacement noise in 3dsmax then exported in zbrush couse I wanted to do a rather fantasy mountain rather than a realistic one and anyway horizintal inlets , intrusions and extrusions aren,t really possible in terrain generators as far as I know .

Bal

I don't think Zbrush's Zremesher or Decimation Master will be so great for LODs (mostly because of UV issues and such), but they are worth testing out.

Simplygon is a powerful professional solution. Not sure how expensive it is but it gives some fairly good results and has lots of options to preserve various aspects of your model.

Madosho

Meshlab is also pretty good for this imo :P. You can set a polycount range, and Meshlab will try to reduce it to the polycount you set it to.


http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/

leleuxart

The new "Reduce" in Maya 2014 works pretty well. Other than cleaning up my models in ZBrush or by hand in Maya, I haven't really used anything else.

To add on the UDK LOD tool, CRYENGINE also has one. I'm sure there's a plugin for Unity too.

passerby

For organic work I find Maya reduce works fine, otherwise I just go in my self and collapse rings and delete loops by hand, and change the topology of some areas by hand.