In need of some guidance...

Celcius

I have been told so many different things through out the last two years on what the target poly count should be for a given asset but I am at a stand still right now on a project that will be tackled with two main 3D artist, myself (someone that tends to model higher poly and the other being someone that tends to model a lot lower poly assets.) I think it i explain what it is we are trying to do maybe I can get a more specific answer so here goes...

A small game built in Unreal Engine 4, first person game with the main focus being visuals and story, ( not many mechanics or systems such as fighting and shooting) we want this project to show the very best quality visuals we can produce all well being able to create a playable game. the player would be encouraged to stop and look around in every nook and cranny , picking up objects at times. I believe we are wanting the textures to be 4k capable with the assets displaying the highest detail possible to be pushed. With all of this in mind what is a acceptable threshold of poly counts for These assets:

Small objects such as a vase or dinner plate.
medium objects such as  couches and beds
large structures such as cars, buildings( being built modular as possible) and other props.
we may or may not use a few characters or creatures and from what I understand this is where you would want to spend the most.

 it is also worth noting that we really want to push our abilities with lighting. We are shooting for realistic PBR based visuals.

I know this question has been asked a thousand times before and is kind of hard to answer but we would very much appreciate any feed back we can on this.
if it would help to know what our work flow consists of we use Maya and Z brush for our modeling needs, Photoshop and substance for texturing as well as building materials.

Much appreciated... thanks!

Snweos

My advice is to just model it to the level of detail you're happy with without worrying about polycount (within reason). Then optimise the topology the best you can and push it out the door. If your performance analytic tools are showing issues with the object in the scene then go back and optimise it more.

I would be more concerned with your desired texture resolution then polycount however. As 4k textures are pretty performance heavy. I hope you are using some aggressive LODs on the models or have a reasonable texel density for your models.

Celcius

Ok thank you.

Eric Chadwick

FYI for future posts, "In need of some guidance..." is not very helpful as a topic title. A better one might be "(Unreal) Poly counts for realstic 1st person game?"

It's not a big deal or anything, I just hope this helps you for future posts!

http://polycount.com/discussion/63361/information-about-polycount-new-member-introductions/p1#use

Use Meaningful, Specific Subject Headers

When creating a new topic, consider the title carefully. The title is your opportunity to attract people to your thread, so it's in your own best interests to use it properly.

Stupid: HELP ME!!

Smart: Help me get a model imported into Unreal?

Smarter: [Unreal] model import, wrong size?

1. If you're using specific software, put that first. Experienced users want to share their knowledge, so make it easy for them find your thread.
2. Try to be as specific as you can in the topic title. Summarize the exact problem you're having. Others who know the exact solution are more likely to click on your thread to help you out.
3. Add a question mark to distinguish your thread as a call for help. Without a question mark it might be a thread that's sharing something you've learned. A question mark is a call to action, pulling people in who want to help.
4. Some excellent info here on how to ask questions online. How To Ask Questions The Smart Way Not exactly the same community as we have here, but they do share a lot of the same etiquette. Just replace "hackers" with "polycounters". An excellent read.

Celcius

Yea I completely understand haha thanks Eric.