i know living things and dead bodies are a no no but what about fossils? i've got an idea for a large chamber thats walls are decorated with fossils of extinct species sort of positioned to look like engraving/flat sculptures you'd see in roman architecture.
In CryEditor2 will the skydome and water count towards poly usage limit?
If so is there anyway to lower the water quality/triangles?
A. This question has been answered above. The Skydomes are allowed an extra 2048x2048.
The water and it's polygon count does count towards the final scene. Just like terrain would.
I got this problem too, i dunno how i managed to land at 50k for the water last time i checked but now the water alone is over 100k tris. So if anyone knows how to fix that it would be great.
I got this problem too, i dunno how i managed to land at 50k for the water last time i checked but now the water alone is over 100k tris. So if anyone knows how to fix that it would be great.
Ditto, I understand it counts toward the poly count, but say if my final scene is 249k triangles in the screen I take, but if I turn around and view more water it pushes it over 260k. Would that be considered fine as long as the screens I enter are < 250k triangles. Because I have no idea how you find the exact poly count of the ocean or sky.
I guess I wont get to picky and worry about it later, but its something that I keep thinking about.
the water in crysis tessellates dynamically. If you look at it up close its super hipoly, if you look from a distance it's a lot less. I think it's the same with terrain. thats probably why you are getting different counts.
I'm not sure how I feel about using the crysis water, it does A LOT of the work for you, creates foam around objects, nice refraction effects and lighting beneath the surface etc. Makes your scene look a lot better without you really having to do anything, i'm not sure if it would be fair
the water in crysis tessellates dynamically. If you look at it up close its super hipoly, if you look from a distance it's a lot less. I think it's the same with terrain. thats probably why you are getting different counts.
I'm not sure how I feel about using the crysis water, it does A LOT of the work for you, creates foam around objects, nice refraction effects and lighting beneath the surface etc. Makes your scene look a lot better without you really having to do anything, i'm not sure if it would be fair
I think its fair, the textures count towards our limit, so I made my own ocean normal map and stuff. You can technically say the same thing about any game engine. They all have their +'s... I'm thinking of not using the water since its such a poly hog. But ill leave it in for now and if i go over the budget ill remove it and make my own water plane.
Cool, I didn't know you could switch around those textures, but it makes sense you can do that really. Yeah I guess if you tweak it around and make it into your own think, not looking exactly as the crysis water, it should be fair . You are right about every engine having their own plusses though. Like if I had used cryengine last year I probably wouldn't have to spend so much time painting ambient occlusion by hand everywhere, making decals and vertexcolor tricks and all that.
Try making your water mesh in a 3D app, controlled, and slapping the water shader on it. Don't use the in-tool solution for this and save yourself some tri's.
If we're using Lerps, (masks with tiled textures) would those masks fall under their own texture catagory, giving us a 4096 x 4096 RGB mask texture limit, or would it be a single color channel?
A. Consider masks to be there own. You can either do grey packs so you have 3 per texture or put them in the specs alpha if you needed to or just have their own. It is just like the diffuse or spec...
Does Ambient Occlusion textures count towards the diffuse texture? UT3 and Crysis is using ambient occlusion differently, and I could imagine 'cheating' with the texture count if AO textures is a different category then diffuse (as specular, normals)
McGreed: Crysis uses SSAO, its a shader, not baked textures, so that doesn not count towards to the texture-size. Lightmap-question have already been answered, methinks.
Does Ambient Occlusion textures count towards the diffuse texture? UT3 and Crysis is using ambient occlusion differently, and I could imagine 'cheating' with the texture count if AO textures is a different category then diffuse (as specular, normals)
Asked this myself, AO doesn't cout towards anything. I'm sure the judges are competent enough to see trickery in the AO's , or to tell if your scene looks good simply because you kicked up your AO maps.
2 questions.... can i use a shadow of a person? and i cant have birds in my scene even if they're far off in the distance and there is not detail of them except for silhouettes?
Q: The rules say no characters, but can we still have organic structures?
My current Idea for the environment is probably pushing to close to being a character as it is a demonic, fleshy hellgate with many eyes.
If this is too much though, would having stone pillars with large fleshy roots breaking out of them and growths with eyes also be too much? Or should I just completely shelve the use of organics?
Q: Is the addition of a FPS weapon such as a gun or sword allowed to help sell it as the end of a game from the eyes of the character?
A: Interesting idea! However, this is an environment art contest. Imagine how it'd look if someone did a full HUD and icon set to sell it as the view from an RTS.
Q. Is there a reason the links to the join page are broken.. or is just an error???
A. No idea, we don't run the website. I would talk to FredH over @ GameArtisans about that.
Hey guys! A weird question but just need to check...
Q: The rules say we have 7 weeks to complete this challenge, but 7 weeks from the 2nd October means the deadline would be November 20th? But u've stated the 16th? i no its only 4days and a deadline is a deadline so im all gud, but just wanted to check? lol
Thanks!
A. As of writing this, the deadline is November 16th.
hey - juuuuust confirming - (its better to know yes or no now rather than later...)
with the FINAL submission shots - could i possibly do ONE with the combined specs i.e.
one single looooong panorama of say "2200w x 1100h"
or a vertical tall panorama of 2200h x 1100w"
just checking, pleeese don't get mad at me
A. Why would we get mad? Your final submission shots must be to a maximum of 1100x1100. Keep this in mind: These are the shots you're submitting, officially, to the contest to be judged. You're more than welcome to create your beauty shots at whatever resolution you want, and display those in your forum thread however you'd like. When you go to submit your entry (BTW - If you haven't done so yet, go sign up!) you will be uploading the 1100x1100 only.
Do I count polys in the whole map or count polys in the shot I'm taking?
A. You get 250,000 triangles to make your environment. What's in the frame/shot is only relevant to what you'd like to show of those 250,000 triangles. Triangles was underlined to clarify you are counting triangles, and not 'polys'.
We get a 2048 x 2048 texture for the skybox, can we use some of this texture for clouds that would go on alphas within the sky? Some of these clouds would partially mask flying ships in our scene.
If not, is it illegal to use some of the skybox texture on other assets (cloud alphas, possibly cube map) within the scene?
A. The skybox limit is for the skybox image only. Everything else in your scene counts towards the 4096x4096 texture limit, and the 250,000 triangle limit. It is up to you if you'd like to use the clouds from the skybox, so long as you're counting them towards those limits.
Do I count polys in the whole map or count polys in the shot I'm taking?
I was wondering this as well.
And if its total, how exactly do I check my total triangles in the CryEngine? Or do I just have to keep a manual list of my objects.
A. I would ask this in our Sandbox Masterthread, found within the Technical Talk forum.
I got me a newbie question. How do i edit my titles! I can't change it even if I change all my titles. Plus I'm labeled under Game Artisans view entries even though my url points me back to Polycount.:( Any way to fix this?
how can I regisrter to the UC, when i went to register i clicked on polycount, but when I ended up in where they ask you teams name and all it said you must add members that are in gameartisan only, how can i register using polycount?
Hello i will post my work here but can you help me with some questions i have so i can begin woking in my project? thanks theses arethe questions...
1.I will make my work in torque 3d..so i have a probelm because i will work in 3 max , but torque will automaticly convert mu mesh in tris right? so it will double i konow that the way to see this is convert all in editable mesh but torque dont read polys at all?
2. I cant use onix garden for my vegetation ? or i will just have to make it all bymyself with alpha plane sand stuff for my trees?
3. How the judge will see and prove that we make certainly number of polygons in the scene and we havent exeed the 250.000 quote?
4. Wi will have to give the file of the scene that comes with the archives so the judges willopen it?
5.about that thing about 4096 textures ? that mean that i can only make textures maximun of 4096 or thats like a board with meausres of 4096 by 4096 and there we will b diplayed all textures in low size just like a catalog?
6. Whats the maximun size per object for texture 2048? etc? how much?
7. i see many people sing and engine called unreal engine taht cost almost a million dollars for making their projects is that permited?
8. we have to put the scetch image too? in the final image?
9. the size of all my textures together with bumps etc dont have to xeed how much 1mb? or 100mb? how much?
10. if i ake a water plane it iwll count as a poly? i mena if i use torque defauklt river editor or something?
A one more thing the particle effects and plugins of 3d max like afterburn fuem fx particle ilussion and othe rparticvles that i make in 3d max how i can use that in torque 3d?
thanks.
so is that 4096 the total of textures size so i fi make a chair and it has 2048 texture and a speher that has 2048 texture thats all i cant put more textures?
and one more im just asking is permited to use cryengine an engine that cost alomst amillion dolars as the unreal engine too? i think that will be ilegal? why people dont do it with the torque demo?
its starnge i saw people using taht engine and im worried about that
im using torque demo
Smiljan, Almost correct but it's a huge texture for such an object. I would say 1024 tops for a chair but it also depends on the chair. If it's some kind of warhammer emperor chair with millions of tubes and gadgets then it would be cool with 2048.
About your engine question. The engines do cost alot yes BUT that's the developer-license (release your own game-version). We use the cryengine editor and unreal editor. For example.
The mods in unreal were made with unreal editor and you get unreal editor when you buy unreal tournament 3. You can't change the sourcecode or release your own game and sell it but you can make maps and put new assets in.
So if you buy UT3 you get the editor and the game costs a few bucks if you look around. Right now it's 20 Euro on steam (In europe). http://store.steampowered.com/app/13210/
thanks but i dont think i explain well my texture question , is this...
can i use any size of textures in my scene but i cant pass maximun 4096 texture because if taht is yes will be amazing!!!
and thnaks for the reply!
Smiljan, seriously dude, all that stuff was covered here: http://www.unearthlychallenge.com/2009/challenge/en_rules.php
Sky boxes gets their own 2048 x 2048 texture that doesn't count towards your 4096 x 4096 limit.
Got a A Question regarding retooling such things as fog and possibly lighting for each beauty shot. Is this allowed? No adjusting of polygons, simply height fogs, maybe lights. Or can we bind the height fogs to the player in kismet? Do the separate shots for the beauties have to physically connect to a single scene, or if we have the polys to spare can we create 2 scenes?
the txtures will be as this
4096*4096 of diffuse
4096*4096 for specular
4096*4096 for normals
and waht about bump map the same? 4096*4096
this can be the limitations because they dont mentioned bump map?
Important question.... One important question: if i use decal editor to put some dead leaves it will be counted ? and in wich catergory will be counted or not iwll be counted at all? (this is using the decal editor in torque remeber)
Hey it says in the rules that any appearances of entries within a week of the deadline wont be judged. At the moment its 10 days till the deadline and my team only found out about this yesterday? We can still enter yes?
hello how are you doing i want to know if you can help me because im afraid of textures the topic is this
i have a list of all may textures but are like this
128*80
180*230
180*80
256*256
so if i wnat to know if i pass the limit how i doit ?
i have to add first all the numbers that are in the left?
and then the ones of the right?
what if my number is for example adding all the numbers...like..
2550*1670 how it will be rested with our size limit of 4096?
Replies
Or either?...
Here they are again.
http://boards.polycount.net/showpost.php?p=1007606&postcount=1
I got this problem too, i dunno how i managed to land at 50k for the water last time i checked but now the water alone is over 100k tris. So if anyone knows how to fix that it would be great.
Ditto, I understand it counts toward the poly count, but say if my final scene is 249k triangles in the screen I take, but if I turn around and view more water it pushes it over 260k. Would that be considered fine as long as the screens I enter are < 250k triangles. Because I have no idea how you find the exact poly count of the ocean or sky.
I guess I wont get to picky and worry about it later, but its something that I keep thinking about.
I'm not sure how I feel about using the crysis water, it does A LOT of the work for you, creates foam around objects, nice refraction effects and lighting beneath the surface etc. Makes your scene look a lot better without you really having to do anything, i'm not sure if it would be fair
I think its fair, the textures count towards our limit, so I made my own ocean normal map and stuff. You can technically say the same thing about any game engine. They all have their +'s... I'm thinking of not using the water since its such a poly hog. But ill leave it in for now and if i go over the budget ill remove it and make my own water plane.
If we're using Lerps, (masks with tiled textures) would those masks fall under their own texture catagory, giving us a 4096 x 4096 RGB mask texture limit, or would it be a single color channel?
A. Consider masks to be there own. You can either do grey packs so you have 3 per texture or put them in the specs alpha if you needed to or just have their own. It is just like the diffuse or spec...
A. Register and get yourself setup ASAP.
Asked this myself, AO doesn't cout towards anything. I'm sure the judges are competent enough to see trickery in the AO's
A. This has already been answered in this thread.
My current Idea for the environment is probably pushing to close to being a character as it is a demonic, fleshy hellgate with many eyes.
If this is too much though, would having stone pillars with large fleshy roots breaking out of them and growths with eyes also be too much? Or should I just completely shelve the use of organics?
A. Team name can be your name. Not picky on this. Logo is pretty much the Polycount logo. So try to bring him into your final.
A: Interesting idea! However, this is an environment art contest. Imagine how it'd look if someone did a full HUD and icon set to sell it as the view from an RTS.
A. No idea, we don't run the website. I would talk to FredH over @ GameArtisans about that.
A. Huh?
Q: The rules say we have 7 weeks to complete this challenge, but 7 weeks from the 2nd October means the deadline would be November 20th? But u've stated the 16th? i no its only 4days and a deadline is a deadline so im all gud, but just wanted to check? lol
Thanks!
A. As of writing this, the deadline is November 16th.
with the FINAL submission shots - could i possibly do ONE with the combined specs i.e.
one single looooong panorama of say "2200w x 1100h"
or a vertical tall panorama of 2200h x 1100w"
just checking, pleeese don't get mad at me
A. Why would we get mad? Your final submission shots must be to a maximum of 1100x1100. Keep this in mind: These are the shots you're submitting, officially, to the contest to be judged. You're more than welcome to create your beauty shots at whatever resolution you want, and display those in your forum thread however you'd like. When you go to submit your entry (BTW - If you haven't done so yet, go sign up!) you will be uploading the 1100x1100 only.
A. You get 250,000 triangles to make your environment. What's in the frame/shot is only relevant to what you'd like to show of those 250,000 triangles. Triangles was underlined to clarify you are counting triangles, and not 'polys'.
If not, is it illegal to use some of the skybox texture on other assets (cloud alphas, possibly cube map) within the scene?
A. The skybox limit is for the skybox image only. Everything else in your scene counts towards the 4096x4096 texture limit, and the 250,000 triangle limit. It is up to you if you'd like to use the clouds from the skybox, so long as you're counting them towards those limits.
I was wondering this as well.
And if its total, how exactly do I check my total triangles in the CryEngine? Or do I just have to keep a manual list of my objects.
A. I would ask this in our Sandbox Masterthread, found within the Technical Talk forum.
1.I will make my work in torque 3d..so i have a probelm because i will work in 3 max , but torque will automaticly convert mu mesh in tris right? so it will double i konow that the way to see this is convert all in editable mesh but torque dont read polys at all?
2. I cant use onix garden for my vegetation ? or i will just have to make it all bymyself with alpha plane sand stuff for my trees?
3. How the judge will see and prove that we make certainly number of polygons in the scene and we havent exeed the 250.000 quote?
4. Wi will have to give the file of the scene that comes with the archives so the judges willopen it?
5.about that thing about 4096 textures ? that mean that i can only make textures maximun of 4096 or thats like a board with meausres of 4096 by 4096 and there we will b diplayed all textures in low size just like a catalog?
6. Whats the maximun size per object for texture 2048? etc? how much?
7. i see many people sing and engine called unreal engine taht cost almost a million dollars for making their projects is that permited?
8. we have to put the scetch image too? in the final image?
9. the size of all my textures together with bumps etc dont have to xeed how much 1mb? or 100mb? how much?
10. if i ake a water plane it iwll count as a poly? i mena if i use torque defauklt river editor or something?
thanks.
its starnge i saw people using taht engine and im worried about that
im using torque demo
Texture-sizes
4096 = 4x 2048.
2048 = 4x 1024.
1024 = 4x 512
About your engine question. The engines do cost alot yes BUT that's the developer-license (release your own game-version). We use the cryengine editor and unreal editor. For example.
The mods in unreal were made with unreal editor and you get unreal editor when you buy unreal tournament 3. You can't change the sourcecode or release your own game and sell it but you can make maps and put new assets in.
So if you buy UT3 you get the editor and the game costs a few bucks if you look around. Right now it's 20 Euro on steam (In europe). http://store.steampowered.com/app/13210/
It's cheaper than torque In other words.
can i use any size of textures in my scene but i cant pass maximun 4096 texture because if taht is yes will be amazing!!!
and thnaks for the reply!
thanks
Sky boxes gets their own 2048 x 2048 texture that doesn't count towards your 4096 x 4096 limit.
Got a A Question regarding retooling such things as fog and possibly lighting for each beauty shot. Is this allowed? No adjusting of polygons, simply height fogs, maybe lights. Or can we bind the height fogs to the player in kismet? Do the separate shots for the beauties have to physically connect to a single scene, or if we have the polys to spare can we create 2 scenes?
Thanks for your guys' time.
4096*4096 of diffuse
4096*4096 for specular
4096*4096 for normals
and waht about bump map the same? 4096*4096
this can be the limitations because they dont mentioned bump map?
One important question: if i use decal editor to put some dead leaves it will be counted ? and in wich catergory will be counted or not iwll be counted at all? (this is using the decal editor in torque remeber)
i have a list of all may textures but are like this
128*80
180*230
180*80
256*256
so if i wnat to know if i pass the limit how i doit ?
i have to add first all the numbers that are in the left?
and then the ones of the right?
what if my number is for example adding all the numbers...like..
2550*1670 how it will be rested with our size limit of 4096?