Which do you prefer? What advantages does smoothing groups offer compared to beveling when creating sharp edges? What about high poly? Are support loops preferred over bevel? Why?
a highpoly is a subdivided model; by nature its normals should not be "hardened" (in max terms, an HP should be entirely one SG)
a lowpoly should have SG divides (hard edges) along UV shell borders, otherwise it should be smooth. when this creates artifacts you must add supporting geometry to the LP or else create more UV shells and harden the LP accordingly. sometimes this means chamfers/bevels, sometimes it just means support loops.
with a blockout it doesn't matter. i usually leave them entirely faceted.
For high poly I almost never use Bevel unless it is to create a filleted corner. Beveling becomes messy very quickly (especially in Maya) and I generally do not like losing my corners whilst modeling with smooth preview. I almost always use support edges but there have been instances here and there where I will use the creasing tools.
As for low poly, if I'm not mistaken, splitting your smoothing groups (adding a hard edge in Maya) adds vertices to the model under the hood. For example, if two quads met at a right angle and were on two separate smoothing groups, the total vertex count is 8. However, if you took those same two quads and beveled the connecting edge and kept it all on one smoothing group, you would still only have 8 vertices but you get a whole extra surface to play around with (the resulting beveled surface).
Beveling is what I like to refer as "destructive" modelling. Its not easy to go back after beveling without doing it on a separate modifier stack, several undos or a separate save file. I usually avoid beveling until I get the right basic shapes down, or to achieve the shape I want during the low poly modelling.
I'm not entirely familiar with smoothing groups to give the full list of advantages. However both have their uses. In low poly, no matter how you look at it beveling will give you a geometric silhouette. I'm talking about a bevel segment of something like 1 or 2. Smoothing groups will only fake that effect if you had say a simple box.
As for high poly I prefer to use supporting edges, because you its not "destructive" like beveling. I almost never bevel for high poly.
High poly, depends... Whatever keeps the geo. the most flexible and clean.
Low poly, again depends... Personally I don't worry as much about poly/ vert limits, as I do as, 'does this make is easier to texture later?'. So if you need to hold an edge on something which would typically be broken into multiple smoothing groups or shells-- but for texturing you want one island-- throw in a supporting edge or bevel. This will prevent some of the normal shading and allow you to keep the geo. as one UV island.
In short-- high poly keep it clean. Low poly, fit within your poly/ vert count. But make sure you go with whatever gives you the best bake and makes it ez to texture.
Replies
a lowpoly should have SG divides (hard edges) along UV shell borders, otherwise it should be smooth. when this creates artifacts you must add supporting geometry to the LP or else create more UV shells and harden the LP accordingly. sometimes this means chamfers/bevels, sometimes it just means support loops.
with a blockout it doesn't matter. i usually leave them entirely faceted.
As for low poly, if I'm not mistaken, splitting your smoothing groups (adding a hard edge in Maya) adds vertices to the model under the hood. For example, if two quads met at a right angle and were on two separate smoothing groups, the total vertex count is 8. However, if you took those same two quads and beveled the connecting edge and kept it all on one smoothing group, you would still only have 8 vertices but you get a whole extra surface to play around with (the resulting beveled surface).
I'm not entirely familiar with smoothing groups to give the full list of advantages. However both have their uses. In low poly, no matter how you look at it beveling will give you a geometric silhouette. I'm talking about a bevel segment of something like 1 or 2. Smoothing groups will only fake that effect if you had say a simple box.
As for high poly I prefer to use supporting edges, because you its not "destructive" like beveling. I almost never bevel for high poly.
Low poly, again depends... Personally I don't worry as much about poly/ vert limits, as I do as, 'does this make is easier to texture later?'. So if you need to hold an edge on something which would typically be broken into multiple smoothing groups or shells-- but for texturing you want one island-- throw in a supporting edge or bevel. This will prevent some of the normal shading and allow you to keep the geo. as one UV island.
In short-- high poly keep it clean. Low poly, fit within your poly/ vert count. But make sure you go with whatever gives you the best bake and makes it ez to texture.