3D Model Questions.

[tambovskya 1]

Hello.

I've been working on getting a GTA:SA model ported to ArmA 2. I've gotten permission to edit the model, and porting it to ArmA 2.

I've got it in 3DSMAX and It has a poly count of 76,000. I was thinking of using proxy to get it in ArmA 2, and I did. It doesn't seems to be working properly. I wanted to double-check, what is the max poly count per .p3d file in ArmA 2? In my knowledge it's 37,000. Is that correct?

If it's lower then that explains the problem. I will lower the count and then check it. I've already completed the config, and model files. I just have to figure the problem out. I will also post photos as soon as it's done.

- Thank you.

P.S. I know it's possible because I ported a Crown Victoria which had 80,000 into the game and it is great. It's still in W.I.P because I haven't finished texturing it.

Edited January 2, 2013 by tambovskya

[Delta Hawk 1829]

76000 is too much for a simple SUV in arma2. 15,000 should be your limit for a really detailed vehicle. You can scratch this project off your to do list.

[tambovskya 1]

76000 is too much for a simple SUV in arma2. 15,000 should be your limit for a really detailed vehicle. You can scratch this project off your to do list.

Why would I want to scratch it off? It's possible, and it doesn't have any problems running in game. I was just asking about the max poly count in each p3d.

I also have some models that are around 35,000 polys.

Edited January 2, 2013 by tambovskya

[max power 21]

The poly limit in directx 9 is usually governed by the vertex normal limit of 65535, which translates into around 20k triangles depending on how many hard edges you have.

[nodunit 397]

Don't forget UV splits, the more of those you have the more split edges you have on the actual model as well.

While lowering the count would be best, that means you may need to correct some UV errors that pop up in the process, "Preserve UV's" doesn't always work quite as intended..

That said, yes proxy IS possible but it's recommended for static obbjects, for example you could proxy the chasis but not the wheels. The proxy itself has to confide by the 20K max rule however, but when placed as a proxy it won't count to the overall limit. You can use multiple proxies if absolutely necessary, it may not be the most game friendly but it is possible.

When it comes to count I strongly suggest you consider purpose and visibility to the environment, by that I mean what you see, how much you see and all that. For example the idea of a proxies interior is A okay, it's only seen from occupants within and the shell of the car blocks out 30% or more of the outside view, when you use an exterior model however all bets are off since you are seeing much more and it is visible to everyone.

Purpose comes into play based on the idea that the larger the number of units, the more you should watch the count..not always true, how you handle the LOD count is more important, you could have a high count really close up for 3rd person and close up shots, then drop the count by half or more for the next LOD which could be anywhere from a few feet to a few steps away.

There are people here that would be happy to assist you with instructions on how to lower the count, where you can remove edgeloops and what have you, but we'll need photo's and wireframes if you want to go that route.

[tambovskya 1]

Don't forget UV splits, the more of those you have the more split edges you have on the actual model as well.

While lowering the count would be best, that means you may need to correct some UV errors that pop up in the process, "Preserve UV's" doesn't always work quite as intended..

That said, yes proxy IS possible but it's recommended for static obbjects, for example you could proxy the chasis but not the wheels. The proxy itself has to confide by the 20K max rule however, but when placed as a proxy it won't count to the overall limit. You can use multiple proxies if absolutely necessary, it may not be the most game friendly but it is possible.

When it comes to count I strongly suggest you consider purpose and visibility to the environment, by that I mean what you see, how much you see and all that. For example the idea of a proxies interior is A okay, it's only seen from occupants within and the shell of the car blocks out 30% or more of the outside view, when you use an exterior model however all bets are off since you are seeing much more and it is visible to everyone.

Purpose comes into play based on the idea that the larger the number of units, the more you should watch the count..not always true, how you handle the LOD count is more important, you could have a high count really close up for 3rd person and close up shots, then drop the count by half or more for the next LOD which could be anywhere from a few feet to a few steps away.

There are people here that would be happy to assist you with instructions on how to lower the count, where you can remove edgeloops and what have you, but we'll need photo's and wireframes if you want to go that route.

Thanks for the reply, and the useful tips. I've lowered the whole model to 40,000 polys. I have 3 files in total,

sedan_6_main.p3d

sedan_6_chasis.p3d

sedan_6_wheels.p3d

I'm unsure of how to configure in the model, and config file that the wheels are in another p3d. Where would I put axis info?

[max power 21]

I guess you should read some tuts on how to make addons.