How much detail would you put on a fridge game asset?

Azaraen

Each game has their reasons for showing more detail on certain things. (hero asset, background objects, game memory...)

But to narrow it down, I am modeling a house in UDK. I am using some BSP and maya modeled things.

I am currently modeling a refrigerator, but I am curious if I should model out the screws and hinges to the thing? Or should I just fake it in the texture?

I am going to do high to low poly process. You'll get to interact with the fridge. (ie. open and close the door)

Peris

Why don't you check out some other games and see how they do it?

Azaraen

I do look at alot of game asset examples, but those are already the finished products. I can't tell if they modeled out everything, or just faked most of the tiny detail.

woody

Depends entirely on the game engine and circumstance. In most cases you probably wouldn't model the inside, but if part of your game involves opening the fridge then you have to find ways of fitting this into your polycount. How your characters interact with objects determines how you model a game asset.

La noire is a good example of this, many objects have the inside modeled in as you have to examine and investigate them.

Small details such as screws and rivets can be 'faked' in a normal map/bump/diffuse. Again dependent on the game engine.

r_fletch_r

No point in faking the screws and such. if your baking from high it takes a few seconds to drop in a screw and place it.

Once you've done it you get a convincing normal map. better AO details, and can bake a coloured mask which makes texturing them very easy.

You may think your saving time but if you need to re bake or modify your UV's your back to square one.

Just drop in a floater and be done with it. Faked maps look fake.

sprunghunt

I keep a library of hipoly model elements like screws and hinges around for exactly this reason. It's just not worth faking things if you're doing any kind of mechanical model.

Ideally your highpoly would be as detailed as a real fridge.

Azaraen

Alright, thanks for the comments.

And thats a great idea sprunghunt! I will make one for myself!

Ace-Angel

-Create base models
-Install this: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/primitive-maker
-???
-Profit!

r_fletch_r

Looks awesome, have you had any luck with that plugin after a fresh install? can you restore your prims?

Computron

Also, use auto grid with ace-angel's script to easily place the screws in the correct orrientation.

Mark Dygert

sprunghunt wrote: »

I keep a library of hipoly model elements like screws and hinges around for exactly this reason. It's just not worth faking things if you're doing any kind of mechanical model.

Ideally your highpoly would be as detailed as a real fridge.

Ace-Angel wrote: »

-Create base models
-Install this: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/primitive-maker
-???
-Profit!

I completely agree, every high poly modeler should check out some of the libary management scripts that are out there and make good use of them. Grabbing pieces like bolts rivets and other floaters, should be a quick and painless drag and drop, without ever having to navigate to files and bother with merging.

For max users there are 2-3 up on script spot that do a decent job, most of them are free. Of course the best library tool is the one you write yourself to suit your needs specifically...

Mark Dygert

r_fletch_r wrote: »

Looks awesome, have you had any luck with that plugin after a fresh install? can you restore your prims?

It saves a .ms script to a specific place that you specify, it can be anywhere you want. I personally put them in my scripts folder so I'm sure they get backed up and moved around with the rest of the custom junk I carry over.

All you need to do is run those maxscripts again and they install the primitives. If you have a lot of them, I'm sure there are easy ways to batch execute maxscripts en-mass.

Azaraen

ha! wow, that looks like a great script to have. Unfortunately I don't use Max.

I was thinking of making a library just by having a folder of multiple .ma files of an object.

Mark Dygert

I remember a few years back someone had written some "Level Tools" for Maya back when they where just bought out by Autodesk (I think he worked for High Moon, they where working on some Born Identity game and used the tools to layout levels in Maya).

The tools had a library script included and even some advanced placement options.




I have no idea if they work with newer versions of Maya, The last time I used them was in 2008.

Here is the installer: http://www.vigville.com/forum_images/Maya/LevelTools3.5_Install.zip

haiddasalami

Theres a 2011 version of it Mark

http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/stevenr/new_layouttools2011_for_maya2011

Azaraen

Great! An actually library I can use! Thanks alot!

Mark Dygert

ahh sweet... I'm really glad they've been kept up to date.

r_fletch_r

That script looks awesome is it referencing those files into the scene? that would be sweet.