How would you organize / texture this model? (noob)

LZ18

Hi. Need your help, good sirs.

How would you properly texture this as a game ready model? Texel density is that of an FPS (you can walk around it). Specifically:
Would you create one huge 8k texture file and cram everything in it? Or create several 4k or 2k? Should I overlap UV files for repeating objects (wheels) as I'm importing into UE4? Should I use an atlas? Should I mirror / weld symmetrical objects, or will this give me trouble down the line? What is the best way to go from here?
Textures would look something in the line of:
http://www.photorail.it/public/102200715317_476-073.jpg

Kanni3d

 Assets of this size suffer greatly with unique textures, because you'd need a ridiculous size to mantain such texel density, so definitely you don't want use 8ks, probably not even 4k's on this.

So, yes, definitely do take advantage of symmetrical/repeating elements (stack/mirror them as much as you can). However you've pretty much answered your own predicament with a better method - figure a way to use an atlas/trim sheet to build the repeating parts/panels/details. Possible to even create multiple atlases as you have some repetitve parts. But still, alongside with an trim/atlas, you can just carefully and cleverly uniquely texture the smaller parts near the bottom.

Eric Chadwick

Trim sheets and multitexturing.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/MultiTexture

But before doing that, I would look carefully at your topology. You have a lot of edge loops that do nothing for silhouette. Edge loops are needed for subdivision surface modeling, but not for real-time modeling. Two different types of topology.

LZ18

Eric Chadwick said:

Trim sheets and multitexturing.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/MultiTexture

But before doing that, I would look carefully at your topology. You have a lot of edge loops that do nothing for silhouette. Edge loops are needed for subdivision surface modeling, but not for real-time modeling. Two different types of topology.

Thanks. That's something that interests me. So it's more efficient to triangulate the mesh before importing in the game engine, even if we're talking flat surfaces? I assumed it didn't make any difference performance wise, have no clue honestly.

LZ18

Kanni3d said:

 Assets of this size suffer greatly with unique textures, because you'd need a ridiculous size to mantain such texel density, so definitely you don't want use 8ks, probably not even 4k's on this.

So, yes, definitely do take advantage of symmetrical/repeating elements (stack/mirror them as much as you can). However you've pretty much answered your own predicament with a better method - figure a way to use an atlas/trim sheet to build the repeating parts/panels/details. Possible to even create multiple atlases as you have some repetitve parts. But still, alongside with an trim/atlas, you can just carefully and cleverly uniquely texture the smaller parts near the bottom.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. One detail. Normal maps and ambient occlusion maps still require non overlapping UV maps when importing in game engines right? So, baked and imported with separate channels?

Obscura

They can be overlapping.

Eric Chadwick

Ambient Occlusion is often different across the surface of the model, so it usually needs unique UV space for every surface. However some parts of a model could have the same occlusion, wheels on a car for example, so you could overlap those UV parts to save UV space.

Normal maps typically have a lot more reuse possibilities. Trim sheets for example can be used all over the place, so there can be lots of overlapping in UV space. Mirroring too.

Triangulation is only needed right at the end before baking a normal map, and exporting. I was referring to the edge loops in your model, you have lots of geometry in your model that has absolutely no benefit for the in-game model.

Eric Chadwick

http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Topology#Principles_of_Topology Theory and examples for in-game models, vs. other kinds of models.

http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Texture_Baking#Baking_Workflow Workflow for in-game models. Explains lots of the issues you'll run into for your model.