Here is what i use. Read the post and follow the instructions. Don this is what the guy was trying to tell you but you dont knwo where it begins so its tough to understand. It works for me so enjoy... http://www.flexbeta.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8028
Here's a simple one to get you by. No side view right now, sorry. Just the one I'm using for my quicky concept art. Slots are: Head 700/550 Shoulder 2000/1250 Weapon 500/300 Belt 1100/800 Misc 500/300 And yes, Spectre is a female.
I'm gonna try and bring it down to 60k and then see if I can decimate it from there without losing to much detail. I'm at 80k so far but I'm almost done. That after I have already removed 20k from there. High Poly but I should be able to break it down further.
Uncharted 2/3 had Nathan Drake at 35k triangles with no LOD. Ryse's main character was, I believe, ~80k triangles. Those should give you a good base for what to aim for in terms of fidelity. I won't be surprised to hear of main cinematic characters with 100k triangles for this gen games.
Not just yet, maybe one day, more resources and staff is coming our way all the time due to the great students coming through the door, 800 applicants for 78 places on the course. If you are ever in the UK and fancy a bus mans holiday then give me a buzz :)
Dios mio! Super inspirador! We still need to meet up while I'm in the region duder, I'm outta here near the end of may. Know any good life drawing sessions near downtown? (I'm at 800s/250e ish, without a car) cheers
901 is great. Granted I just had the trial of 801 before that. Yes every now and again 901 crashes. It really doesn't happen as often as everyone makes it out to be. Maya and 3DS Max crash at times too. It's not enough of a deterrent for me not to recommend MODO to somebody.
Look into using XSI Mod Tool. Free as well, and comes with exporters for Source, and has about the same functionality as the $800 version, minus Mental Ray. It has a small but rabid user base, so any questions you might have are pretty much guaranteed an answer.
Housing costs fluctuate so much in the US based upon where you live that your point there is not relevant.... even in the same city. I can get a two bedroom apartment for $1000/month in the next city over, and that is around 800 sq. feet too.... and deals like this aren't hard to find.