When to make separate objects?
This has been bugging me for a while now. I'm a real rookie when it comes to modelling but I always like to try and get everything connected as one solid element.
But then I see images where people have obviously used several different objects just placed together. I was wondering what the industry standard was when it comes to this and when I should think about splitting objects up?
I hope that made sense and look forward to an answer.
But then I see images where people have obviously used several different objects just placed together. I was wondering what the industry standard was when it comes to this and when I should think about splitting objects up?
I hope that made sense and look forward to an answer.
Replies
Often those things are dictated by the engine and hardware being used and tech budget for objects.
So it's not really a matter of which one is king, who is right or who is wrong, but "these are tools in your toolbox, know when to use a hammer and when to use a screw driver".
Without a specific senatorial then its almost a pointless conversation because its so open ended. Someone with RTS experience might pipe up and say, its totally fine to clip geometry, it doesn't effect much. While someone with FPS experience might argue that it causes light map errors and shading issues neither are really wrong they just were implemented in ways that the problems the other person would of experienced weren't an issue or where worked around by another method.
You'll see this a lot as people respond to work that gets posted. Work that has a frame of reference"
"hey guys this is my character I was going to put in this UDK FPS mod, what do you think"
is more likely to get a more thoughtful comments on its construction than:
"what do you think of this..."
It's because people know typically what a UDK FPS character will run in texture size and tri count. But if the person doesn't bother to say "this is a low poly DS character with 20k tris" people won't say "that's a bit heavy for a DS game shoot for something a lot lower"
It really depends on what is important to the game designers. Do they want more tris in the environment? Or in the characters? Are there a lot of enemies on the screen at one time or only a few?
If you're going to build a sand castle, you need to know how much sand you have available before you start dream up crazy elaborate turrets and sprawling life sized courtyards.
Here is some reading to look over:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77428
http://www.rsart.co.uk/2006/11/20/how-many-polygons-in-a-piece-of-string/
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50588
But thanks for the reply and the recommended reading. I've already got a better understanding of the "ifs" and "whens."
Anyway that's an example. You tend to just feel when it is right to seperate objects into pieces.