When to use Smooth or Flat Shading for Video Games art

Styrwirld · Oct 2016

Hello guys, so I have this doubt, when to use smooth or flat, until now my pipeline is always use Smooth and give sharp edges with the normal map, the thing is that for tilable assets, for example a wall, I understand that this will make a seam between the two of them.

So, when to use flat? when to use smooth?

Thanks in advance.

Eric Chadwick · Oct 2016

Technical questions like this belong in Tech Talk, not General Discussion. Moving it for you...

Styrwirld · Oct 2016

Eric Chadwick · Oct 2016

It's better to not always use smooth when normal mapping. Reduce extreme gradients in the normal map to make better shading and less texture compression artifacts. To do this use smoothing groups (3ds Max) or soft/hard edges (Maya) to split the vertex normals.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Texture_Baking

When making modular walls, which must join together seamlessly in a game, you'll need to edit the vertex normals along the edges, so they match.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/VertexNormal

Styrwirld · Oct 2016

Will read these, thank you very much

When to use Smooth or Flat Shading for Video Games art

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