Modular Character Draw Call?

Greg DAlessandro

I plan on using a modular character workflow, but wouldn't separating a character into several pieces be intensive since it has to make multiple draw calls per character?

head, eyes, torso, arms, legs, feet


character models will be around 10-15k tris, and there will be no more than 12 models on screen in-game at most.

thatanimator

unity?

if all the pieces share one material they should just use one draw call

Greg DAlessandro

yes for Unity

monster

thatanimator wrote: »

unity?

if all the pieces share one material they should just use one draw call

No, each separate Skinned Mesh Renderer is a new draw call even if they share a material. A programmer can create a single dynamic mesh in memory from the parts being used.

But unless you're going to have lots of modular characters on the screen at once it shouldn't be a big deal.

CheeseOnToast

^What monster said. It should be combined into a single mesh, engine-side. That's what we do anyway.

JacqueChoi

I could be wrong but I believe draw calls were more of a DX9 problem.


And yeah, with DX11, the previously mentioned solutions happened.

Dylan Brady

yeah iirc in UE3 there is a modular pawn that you can use to dynamically create a single mesh that makes it only one drawcall.
in UE4 there is other ways since you have blueprints.