High Poly Model??

Scizz

I'm working on a new environment in UDK and for the first time am using mostly custom assets. I've looked at high poly to low poly tutorials and have yet to find one that tells me the point of making the high poly. They'll make the high poly model, then just skip to making it low poly without even informing me what to do with the high poly I just made. This may be a noob question but I'm just curious as to whats the point of a high poly model.

cholden

Usually to bake textures on to the low, such as a normal map and AO to fake the appearance of being high poly, but actually being a low poly model.

Sean VanGorder

High poly models are made for the singular purpose of baking maps on to the low poly model. All the details from the high poly can be projected onto the low poly asset via normal maps, ambient occlusion maps, height maps and even diffuse maps.

If you're just starting to learn about this process, I suggest looking through the Polycount wiki, especially the section on normal mapping.

Edit: Damn it. I knew I was too slow.

Scizz

SeanEG wrote: »

Edit: Damn it. I knew I was too slow.

No i appreciate the answer = ) thanks guys. I'll look into it, but I mean I bought Eat 3ds Fountain Part 1 and Part 2 and it skipped it. How does the work flow go. Is it:
1) Make High Poly
2) Save High Poly
3) Then make Low poly
4) Then bake textures from high poly??

I'm so confused but I'll look into it.

(Oh and btw, this forum is poppin'! Much more active than the UDK forums.:poly121:)

Sean VanGorder

Yeah, that's basically the work flow, in it's simplest form.

If you are able to, I would highly recommend either the Old Damaged Pillar dvd from Eat3D, or racer445's AK tutorial. They both go through the whole process.

Artifice

I'm so confused but I'll look into it.

At this junction I have to pimp the wiki (third button up top, next to news and forums).

http://wiki.polycount.com/NormalMap?action=show&redirect=Normal+Map
http://wiki.polycount.com/AmbientOcclusionMap?action=show&redirect=Ambient+Occlusion+Map
http://wiki.polycount.com/3DTutorials/Modeling%20High-Low%20Poly%20Models%20for%20Next%20Gen%20Games

Those three are a great start to the how and why of the high-to-low workflow.

polygonfreak

I started learning to do make next gen assets about 6 months ago, and I think I lost half of my hair while doing it. Go in with the understanding that its a lot of information and many methods to doing next gen art, read, watch tutorials, and take notes, and above all keep on practicing.