Yes, I see what you mean, thank you! So that extra loop is recommended also for example for a long non straight wall? Adding that extra loop will result in significantly more vertices / tris, but still that is preferred above those gradients in the normalmap when no extra loop is used?
Those extra loops are not adding anything to general form /silhouette or something. Their single purpose is to get rid of a shading gradient. And 3 extra loops on the top is not necessary actually. Would be ok to just add a single one with vertex normals edited to be perfectly perpendicular to surface . They are not by…
Using support loops /single smoothing group on hard surface stuff is a terrible idea if you plan to LOD your object on the same texture maps - you just end up with expensive LODs that look shit. Generally speaking, if you're going to be close enough to notice the artefacts caused by hardening a 90 degree edge you're close…
Thank you very much for the quick response. Being a noob with this I am not entirely sure if I understand everything. Your example of non-split surfaces at 90 degree like cube, resulting in a gradient that is exactly what I mean. I get best results when unwrapping to, I guess this is called, one island. Meaning there is…
They are right regarding smoothing groups and UV islands. Less is better. But in a model already unwrapped to multiple separate UV islands there is no reason to make smooth shading in between different UV islands unless it's something rounded like a human head . An engine would split edges along the seam anyway. So smooth…