LOD1/LOD0 and workflow

BobMorane

Hey guyz !

I am still trying hard to progress on making good models and i have a hard time figuring the all LoD1/LoD0 "thing", so here is a few questions :

1) Do you often make LoD0 ? Is it a very luxury feature or a mandatory one?

2) If you do both, i guess you do LoD0 and then LoD1 by removing details ? Or do you make first LoD1 to be sure about the "ingame" model and then add details to make LoD0 ?

3) Is there any specific method to keep UVs consistent between the two ? (In Zbrush or Blender specifically would help a lot )
I'm struggling hard to make the textures and both UV match at the exact same points, there is always a little bit of a gap that makes textures look ugly on one of them. (Usually the one which UVs i'm not painting on)

Anyway, thank you a lot for the useful links and advices you all gave me since i started. This has been proven super useful and a great experience for me so far.

I will do my best to keep improving so that i may someday be useful to you too and give a little back.

See you around !

Farfarer

Generally I make LOD0 first, then reduce to make LOD1. It can be a really tight fit sometimes, but I'd rather that than try and add detail to a LOD1 mesh (it's generally easier to remove geometry than add it in).

LOD0 is shown in the hero select/loadout screen and when you zoom right up to the hero in-game, and on the hero portrait.

You don't have to have a LOD0 - LOD1 will get used in it's place - but it's generally a good idea 'cause you can get a bit more geometry in there to make it look better. LOD1 is what's generally seen on the hero during regular gameplay.

As for retaining UVs, just try and ensure that you're pulling out loops and verts that won't greatly affect the UV island shape. It's a good idea to lay out your UVs with this in mind from the start. LOD1 is a bit more forgiving as it's generally seen from a distance in-game so you can get away with a few seams creeping in here and there. It's not a time when people will be focusing on the exacting details of the character, they're likely focusing on the game itself.

But try and square off UVs where possible (rather than keep them as organically relaxed shapes). You might end up with a little texture stretching here and there, but it will make it much easier to remove loops without adding in texture seams and it's a lot easier to match up textures over the UV seams because you know it's going to meet up exactly with the other edge. Try and keep the UV seams to areas towards the bottom of characters or areas that are mostly hidden too, as it's very hard to see those areas in-game and so you can get away with seams there without it being noticeable.

Soldeus

1. Well, it's not mandatory, but you definetely NEED to have a LoD0, LoD0 is the quality one, it's the one that's gonna be seen upclose, and it's the one that's gonna sell your item/set to the people, so yeah, work on it!

2. My workflow usually is -using a LoD0 700tri, LoD1 600tri example-. Retopo to about 750-800 tris (making sure it's doable to go down to 600 from there), quick unwrap it and throw in a normal and AO bake test. And then, with the maps baked, I retopo to 700 tris, using the maps I baked as a checker to see if the silhouette is breaking up too much.

When I'm at 700 tris and maps are working fine, I then unwrap it properly, bake everything - in a final state, not any more test bakes - fix any problems I may have, and when everything is done, I repeat the process from b4, with the maps on the item, reduce again to achieve the 600tris.

3. I don't know in blender, but when doing the Unwrapped_Lod0 -> LoD1 workflow, the UV's are the same, so you shouldn't have any gaps at your uv's, as they remain the same - at least at the silhouette,which should be changing at all when collapsing vertices -.

Hope I helped!

BobMorane

Thank you a lot guyz ! I understand a lot more now.

Beginning with LoD1 was not a good idea :P
I'll work on that and i'll keep you in touch.