^-- I vote that be the standard answer to any further such questions.
Cody, if you don't know the answer to that question (or rather "how long is a piece of string") the answer is something like
as long as it needs to be
long enough
etc.
The polycount of any given item varies with what engine its going into, what end hardware its targeted for, how important is it to the gameplay, how close will the player get to it, etc etc.
so you could have a 2 polygon 30 ft fence, or a 5000 polygon 30ft fence depending on where, how, and what that fence is going to be used for.
Yeah, what I would say is instead of concentrating on a certain number just try to be as efficient as possible when you model. Polycounts change so much between projects and advancements in hardware. This won't be a problem for you if you are an efficient modeler able to adapt.
Most engines can easily take on a retarded amount of Polygons (no execuse to be inefficient though). So use your best judgement. Materials/Textures is usually the risky area.
My answer would be, "as much as you need to reach the desired level of detail". I totally agree with Flewda. My experience is, that LODs are the key. The object can be insanely detailed from the close distance if needed. But over distance the polycount and especially the amount of material-IDs need to be reasonable.
If you go poking around in a next-gen computer game and take a look at the art assets carefully, either in-game (no-clipping to get really close is a good idea, or using sniper rifle zooms, etc :-), or in the editor, is a good idea to get a good idea of polycounts.
Replies
as long as it needs to be
long enough
etc.
The polycount of any given item varies with what engine its going into, what end hardware its targeted for, how important is it to the gameplay, how close will the player get to it, etc etc.
so you could have a 2 polygon 30 ft fence, or a 5000 polygon 30ft fence depending on where, how, and what that fence is going to be used for.
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as few as possible without sacrificing the minimum quality bar thats expected for the game
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