Do you create high-poly models?

[abs 2]

Hi all,

I was just curious about your work flow. After seeing some awesome models that were created by baking a high poly model onto a low poly one or whatever (I'm thinking of your AK, RHS ;)), I was curious about how many modders out there actually did this, and if it's worth taking the time to educate myself on this process.

Abs

[max power 21]

For the AH-1 (and the trabi), I sort of faked it. Some parts I made actual high poly floating geo if painting a height map wasn't doing the job, some parts I got some quick normals out of by cutting the mesh down and subdividing it, but almost all of the details are heightmap made. For the XM, it sort of shows but there's no high poly source whatsoever there. I didn't feel like it would be a valuable time expenditure. For things that are organic, I would definitely consider doing a sculpt if you have the software.

[slatts 1978]

all my models are low quality...ergo low poly :p

[da12thMonkey 1943]

I haven't done it up until this point, but it's something that I've been looking at doing for possible future projects.

I'm still in the process of learning to model/unwrap with software capable of doing it really.

[slatts 1978]

i've never used anything other then oxygen to make models :D

[PuFu 4600]

Hi all,

I was just curious about your work flow. After seeing some awesome models that were created by baking a high poly model onto a low poly one or whatever (I'm thinking of your AK, RHS ;)), I was curious about how many modders out there actually did this, and if it's worth taking the time to educate myself on this process.

Abs

depends on project, but mostly yes.

[rksl-rock 1301]

I tend to make the low poly model first then make the high poly/detail model.

But sometimes i do 'cheat' a bit. I take the UV layout, apply the texture to a flat 20x20 plane. Then i create the detail in 3d over the uv layout/texture and bake the normal map from that. its bit of a bodge way of doing it but its often faster than making everything on the high poly model.

[soul_assassin 1750]

Depends on the subject matter. If object is large scale then, most of the time the 2k max resolution will just not hold the kind of hard surface detail that you would put in the high poly. Also many things like bolt heads, rivets etc look identical wether created from models or photoshop, I've made a few comparisons and couldn't tell them apart. Smaller scale things that can be up close to the screen (eg weapons) are another matter, corner rounding can really pop nicely and cannot be reproduced with PS. Organic/cloth things is another matter entirely. Small or large, high poly->low poly retopo->uv->bake. You gotta be heck of an artist in PS to beat that.

[nodunit 397]

I like the vote number. I'd say it is worth learning simply because is it a very fun and challenging thing to do, getting the edgeloops lined up just right so that when modifiers are applied you don't get oddities can be a tricky business, and it's always fun to see your work in it's apex, like when it comes to texturing you go super size 4096x4096 but then remember it would murder everybodies computer. That said in terms of baking..I'd say it depends on what you're trying to accomplish, sometimes you'll go through a bake thinking it is doing some assistance in shading only to find out that there is hardly any difference.

It's all about what you want to do, for example painting rivets in say photoshop is MUCH more kind on the mind (and computer), either way I'd give it a shot simply because it's great fun and you learn a lot about modifers, not to mention get to play with them more and can find yourself toying around with things you never thought about prior. Unless of course you are making it in O2, in which case you are going to have one "hell" of a time.

Edited April 26, 2012 by NodUnit

[jagheterjan 10]

Knowing these modelling techniques is a smart move for all the reasons already stated. But since you want to get the learn on - even more important IMO than having a hi-res mesh to bake from are properly set up UVs on the lo-poly mesh to prevent those pesky shading errors in the baked output.