What speaks against a more default approach of learning 3D and developing skills? Just find a concept or a real life model/Scene you like and try to rebuild it and learn modeling, mapping and texturing this way? I think you´d be way better off that way.
I've been trying to figure this out for quit some time without success. The trick for me being that rebuilding the surface in the same shape doesn't keep the same point order which causes blend shape issues. I appreciate you sharing and saving me time!
You could try to rebuild lower SubD levels in ZBrush. This should give you a headstart for reducing it by hand. I gues you could devide the Polycount by 16 that way (if it works). Or you can ask your Source, if you can get the model without the SubDs...
Steve I actually think that that is the wrong attitude to have, do you really want to go back to making shitty ports? I think the Aus industry has slowly been rebuilding itself, this time without having to rely on overseas coin, and we're going to be the better for it.
Ahhh the joys of skinning in 3dsmax... 1) Have you tried removing the bone from the skin modifier and adding it again? That will rebuild the envelope. 2) You can grab the end points of the envelopes and move them. That will be incredibly annoying but hopefully you will only need to do it once.
A crate and the first glimpse of my project in UE4! Everything in engine is still super WIP. As you can see, I still need to rebuild lighting and implement tons of textures. None of the materials have AO/Cavity channels yet. No post effects yet either. SOON
haiddasalami: The low poly Ood has an orb and body which I may put up - if I get permission (though that one was a completely different rebuild as originally I was told the engine we were using could use normal maps and larger polys counts)...
Much better after a quick rebuild. Once I figure out how to add in the square bits, and the bolts Ill be ready to bring it into mudbox to age it, and then I can get started on the low poly. heres an obj: http://nicholaikropat.com/NIXPIX/WS3/KROPAT_WIP_01.zip -N!
i used sketchup for pre-production of levels. It's great for quickly creating concepts and showing how the level will progress, then you can quickly change something as opposed to rebuilding the level again. 8FtSpider: that building is kick ass! Did you turn alot of the model into construction groups?
Then you should get an SSD, mate. I just timed it here: 15 seconds for the editor to get to fully loaded, and that includes losing one or two seconds on the "do you want to rebuild database" dialog. That is on a fresh boot, without having started it before during this session.