Grid vs Non Grid (Modular Building)
polycounter lvl 13
So I have read over many articles everyone here was kind enough to share, but I have to ask another question.
Why in an engine like Unity would a grid based system be needed? What is the disadvantage of free form map building with modular pieces?
That is all :: )
Why in an engine like Unity would a grid based system be needed? What is the disadvantage of free form map building with modular pieces?
That is all :: )
Replies
You really want to keep to the grid on for the larger parts that define the structure and then you can disable the grid for the smaller items like windows etc.
Keeping to the grid will enable easy snapping of the modular parts and save time messing about with pivots.
Its the type of thing you get with experience you just have set aside time for trying out a few modular set ups or just account for experimentation time when you go into a project.
Even in an FPS, why would a map be disadvantaged if it was free form "winging it" vs a snap too grid? The snap too might make things easier to place, but why does that affect anything else?
Apologies for my lack of understanding, tis why I am asking the questions.
Also I don't know if Unity has a grid that can be turned on or off.
We are building a world similar to that of Skate (for those familiar)
You do A LOT of edits to 3d geometry and it gets really hard (at least in most work flows) to make sure things stay lined up unless you integrate the grid in there as a safety net.
Here is a great article on Modular level design that explains a lot of why it's important to use the grid and modularity:
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/rsrc/Three/ModularLevelDesign/ModularLevelDesign.pdf
Will be interesting to see how things come out. I need to find out if Unity has a built in grid or if we will need to code something....
I have ever seen where people use the grid too religously and most everything is placed/designed based off the grid. Also have seen the oposite and opened a scene with amost nothing on the grid.
But Self contained details are usually ok
Building in regular increments (eg. 32, 64, 128, 256) allows you to easily make sure pieces line up when building larger areas - for example you know that two 128-long pieces of corridor will always be the same length as a 256-long piece of corridor.
Not building on a grid for large-scale shapes and edge pieces that need to line up is just asking for trouble, and I can guarantee you will regret it as you get further into a project.
Once you've got the main elements snapped to your grid, you can then dress them with secondary props however you please.
Working to a grid is also very good for texel ratios and and takes a bunch of headaches out of aligning/tiling textures. It also helps with map "scale", as in how big the map looks to the player - If you're winging it, you can easily have problems with corridor widths, room heights, etc.
And the same at least from my experience can be said about 3d and environment design. Having a grid makes sure numbers always match up and you are 2 steps ahead when it comes to coming up with dimensions or sizes as the grid helps you finding those easier.
I suggest using a grid that can be divided by 8,16,32 or 64 and so on. The bigger the value the better for consistency but the less variety. With this in mind try at first to go with a rough number like 64 or 128 and once you notice you need some elements at a smaller scale go down by 1/2 of that former grid size.
Here is something I use at work that I scripted recently:
Its the counter part of some of my maxscripts that have verts snap in world space (not relative to their pivots) which makes creating prefabs very snappy. It doesn't matter that much how accurate you place your prefabs later because with the grid design in mind you can easily snap them, sort them and alike.