Should I bevel environment props/ buildings?

asah53

I am currently working on a little scene, where I have to model some buildings for. I have nearly finished my first big model (and a few small) and now I have a little question. Should I bevel some outter edges of the object, to add detail, or isn't it neccesary? The model currently has a little over 6k tris and i don't know, if more would be too much. At some points I could reduce them, but overall, I don't think i have wasted too much. If you need some more detailed pictures, I will upload them. 

Many thanks in advance,

Andreas

kymo_thys

consider using a trim sheet if multiple objects in your scene have similar materials, you can get the bevel done in the normal map there and use it on every asset. you can then also make another texture for your unique details. There are people who can make entire levels with just a couple of textures and everything has smooth edges.

Cay

This thing is huge.. beveling the edges certainly won't be a waste. Unless the player can't get close to it.
You can still use a modular approach.. it's not like using more geo prevents that.

Brian "Panda" Choi

You should totally do it.

Medium poly meshes can be a thing!

We have the technology!

This guy just bevels what would traditionally be low poly models in another time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnD3DypIaF4

BucketOfNuggets

If it's for a portfolio don't restrict your self. Make it look rockin!

asah53

So basically I should keep my mesh as a low poly mesh and duplicate it. Then bevel the other mesh and bake the normals with it. At the end, i will combine all single meshes because i will only need a single material. Correct me if I am wrong, because I don't want to do many mistakes. I want to use it as a portfolio work.

kymo_thys

take a look at this ppt http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022324/The-Ultimate-Trim-Texturing-Techniques

Bruno Afonseca

Are you going to have that on an unique texture or will you use tiling textures on it?
If you're going with tiling, you can add bevels + custom normals and skip baking anything. Check out RAD's environment talk: http://www.readyatdawn.com/presentations/

asah53

Thanks for the help guys. I'll try the trim texturing for this one. I have found a little "how to" for these kind of textures. http://www.creativebloq.com/3d/create-texture-set-games-10-steps-51620492 or do you have any other recommendations for creating trim texturing?