Detached elements in a 3d Model for video games

Sofia27

Hello Guys,

I am trying to avoid creating ngons even though after a thorough search it appears that, even though it is frowned upon, ngons can be acceptable on flat surfaces. Currently, in my model in an effort to avoid creating ngons I have created a separated element. Is it acceptable to have models that consist of separate elements when they are meant to be used in game engines and for video games? I would really appreciate any feedback, tips and advice you might have. Thank you

The separate element is the exhaust.

rollin

If it's the highpoly then keep the topology clean but you can always try to break the mesh into smaller simpler pieces
If it's the lowpoly then forget about quads as everything will end up as triangles anyway. But keeping a clean topology is still key

Maybe post a picture showing more of the actual model.

Sofia27

Thank you for your response. This is the low poly model, I am mostly wondering if it is ok to have detached elements in the same model? I hope these pictures make it more clear, the idea is that the "exhaust" of my space craft is a separate element of my model.

Dihemi

Hey Sofia27,

You mean something like this?

Yes, it's okay to have separate, non continuous elements in one mesh object. I'd say in your case it's even the preferred method; now you're adding a lot of triangles and complexity for arguably little (aesthetic) benefit. Just keep in mind to place your clippings in such a way that, if you happen to animate/deform later on they wont clip easily through other parts of you model.