Accuracy vs time/practicality

Joost

How accurate do you make your models? Lately I've been challenging myself to reproduce things very accurately by gathering loads of reference and without using floating geometry etc. (only for personal projects obviously)
It does take a lot longer to finish projects but I enjoy the challenge.

For example counting the number of ridges on a knob.

Another example is having a properly smoothed high poly VS something that looks good from a distance but is flawed when viewed from up close.

Am I just wasting time by being too anal or is it worth doing?

Kwramm

When I hire I like to see quality, just because it tells me you a) can do it and b) you're willing to go the extra mile, if asked for it.
In practice the model is ready when the art director says it's ready. This is then based on things like their own quality standard, the production's time and budget. Your challenge will then be to create the quality level required, whatever it may be, in the time you've been given. Obviously a good boss will try to match your skill and the desired object quality and size/scope with each other to ensure you can do good work and aren't forced to do overtime or cut corners.

Regarding the "it's flawed from close up question", this seems to be easier to answer when you know the game. i.e. how close will/can the average player come to an object? What's the target platform's resolution? What's the ingame budget you have available (polycount/tex siz)? Is it reasonable to expect that the object holds up at close distance? What's the production budget (time/money) you have available - i.e. is there even time for such polish? If it's personal/folio work, then make it fuxxing perfect, as long as you plan to show off the perfection (if you don't include close up shots, why care?)

ExcessiveZero

Depends on the goal, Learning for sure, there is not such a thing as going to deep and doing it the proper way, also true for your port.

But something I have learned as I do more personal projects production wise (making games) that there is such a thing as over detailing, its a calculation really when it comes to that, cost vs time vs result.

my current game is to have a over the top distanced camera view and I spent so much time making the main character through z brush and the like it would suit a 3rd person game, I got the effect I wanted and its useful to have the higher poly files im sure, but it now in retrospect could of been done in a more time efficient manner with less actual detail getting the same general scale of effect with no real loss to end quality.

Joost

Yeah when I'm not working on personal stuff I compromise a lot, depending on the situation. I'm trying to get into creating more weapons for my portfolio/ as a hobby. So for those I can afford to make them as detailed and accurate as possible. I do find that I'll often have to create a shape 3 times or more to get it right, but practice makes perfect I suppose! I guess when it comes to a portfolio quality is more important than quantity anyway.

I'll have to remind myself to include some close up shots as well!

Thanks for the comments guys

Rumkugel

it depends.

Portfolio? Well.. do you best.

No need to get super bonkers with details tho, or model out everything, when eg floats will do.
If a personal project takes too long, i´ll loose interest and eventually come back later..
Take a look at the gab in my sig sauer thread... its got like a year´s gap..

Contractwork under Timebudget? Do you best.. in Time. Fast.
No time for being 100% accurate, if you got a week or so fpr some complicated model..


Sometimes i model a screw (or similar) just for practive.
In a Production, i have to re-use as much as possible, IF we have strict deadlines.

Simple maths.