help needed on game model- Alfa 147 GTA

[first_synn]

hey all..

I'm in serious need of some help. This may sound weird, but ever since i started modeling, i have worked only with spline-surface/ patch modeling, with an occasional work in NURBS. never attempted a major poly model. but now, i hav decided to concentrate on the gaming industry. for this reason, i hav started work on a poly model of the Alfa 147 GTA. now, i do not know the usual conventions adopted in poly modeling, so this is mostly a trial and error model.


i need some help from members with experience in game modeling

- what is the accepted poly count for a model these days? and are there any restrictions when it comes to mapping?

-i have tried my best to make sure all polys are 4 sided, but can game engines nowadays handle 3 sided polys?

-also, any suggestions on improving the model will be greatly appreciated. :)

hoping for some feedback soon..

thanx.

[loebedoe]

when i was making a car to inport in the CryEngine for farcry, my model had to be between 2000 and 3000 polygons, but this is a long time ago,
i believe that the monsters in gears of war the monsters where made between 2 000 000 and 8 000 000 polygons and than redused to a lower mesh between 7500 and 10000 polygons that you see in game, so i think you can make a your car also between the 7500 and 10000 polygons
( plz don't kill me if i'm wrong :( )
when i see screenshots of crysis i almost see nothing els than 3 sided polygons

[first_synn]

hi..

thanx for the help.. i am still in the process of modeling, and the cont now is 15k+ polys, but i guess that is to be expected as this is my 1st attempt at poly modeling. god! i miss my splines! ;)

anyways, will try to optimize the model once i am done. pls leave a comment on the model thus far. thanx. :)

[jidoman]

post a wire to see what is good and what can be change to best

[first_synn]

okies...

here u go mate, agreed, the mesh is not as clean as i would have hoped, but, as i said, this is my 1st major poly model. please have a look and tell me what can be done.

thanx..

[jidoman]

hi firth synn, look the picture
delete ( or move) what is red and put it like i paint it with green
it sould work...this way u could mantain the shape and reduse polygons
im not a big expert in 3dmax but thoose are the thinks that firsth time told me somebody

[first_synn]

muchos gracias, amigo..

will surely try out ur suggestions once 'm done with my class work...

thanx once again.. :)

[jidoman]

Originally Posted by first_synn

muchos gracias, amigo..

he he :cool: nice man, but im not spanish
i only live here

[bharat yatna]

Hi first synn seen your first poly attempt.I think u can improve a lot becoz as they say"if it begins well, it ends well too".My suggestion 2 u -try making the base structure of the model with splines(as u r comfortable at em) and further edit it in poly mode.U ll learn things the "precise way" if u work on ur techniques other than opting things from others.Like u i also started spline modelling but now i work with spline and poly combined and that 2 with various "my own techniques" of modelling.
All right mate happy modelling and good luck for ur alfa romeo project
Bharat Yatna...........Cheers;-)

[first_synn]

hey mate,

thanx for the suggestion. like i said, i am very comfortable with spline and surface modeling(and even NURBS) and have my own work flow for that(see my avatar). but i want to try my hand at game modeling, so i am experimenting with polys. this model is, thus, an experiment and 'm ok if i make a few mistakes here and there, as long as i learn something from the whole exercise. :)

thanx anyways. really appreciate the feedback.

[bharat yatna]

Hey thanks for the appretiation.Heres how i would do if in poly mode:-
1.all u need 2 du is firstly remain in quads so that smoothing does not creep things.
2.Secondly as ur case suggest try avoiding the modelling using seperated polygons for seperate parts,continue extracting the boundary edges of existing structure done and then tweak for details for other joints,because u can always seperate parts (as desired).
3.Ur creases r not o.k. hence chamferring the sharp parts such as creases will smooth things correctly.
4.seperated parts such as gate seams etc should have a "shell depth",meaning u should create sum thickness by duplicating the edges(also chamferring them) on open seams,by doin this connections will look more sensible.
5.polygons underneath the front door of ur model does not contain the same no. of edges,try using the "connect command" for such cases.
6.Lastly i would comment that using lot of triks such as "remove edge" or "remove verts"or may be simplifying polygons by delete and "capping missing things" will guide u optimizing ur model in a low polygon way--"ur way"
Cheers and Good Luck for ur project...............Bharat Yatna

P.S. the model in ur avatar is very good,ur spline modelling "rocks".Did u post this bike in the site's gallery?