High Poly -> Low Poly Modelling

[sparhawk]

I created a model, which is a piano stool. I haven't skinned it yet because I try to figure out how to do this. I know how to skin with a single texture, but I must see how this works when I use multiple textures for different parts of the model.

Currently my stool has about 2500 polys, which is probably a bit to much for ingame. So I wondered how I go about reducing the polys. Does it mean that I have to recreate the model from scratch but with less polys now? Or is there some trick to it?

 

BTW: If somebody has some usefull info on how to skin using more then one texture, it would be welcome. I'm using Blender for this. AFAIK the skinning process determines how the textures is applied over the model surface. Now when I use more then one textures, does it mean I have to bake it somehow?

[BlackThief]

2500 polys is waay to much for stool, that's almost the polycount for a charactermodel - depends on the detail, but furniture should be max. around 600-700 triangles (--> 300-350 polys)

 

there's no proper way to reduce polycount automatically, so yes you have to recreate the model from scratch.

 

 

If want to have more than one texture sheet for your model you simply have to load another texture, when uv-mapping your model. (at least in blender, when working with lightwave you have to create another material)

[sparhawk]

Ah! Sorry! It was about 2500 vertices, not polys. . I have to check it, but I think 2500 vertices should be around 800 triangles, so it seem ok.

 

 

Strange: Blender says it has 2467 vertices, and when I triangulated it, it says it has 4820 faces. But one face is a triangle, yes?

 

I didn't take into account that one vertex can be part of more than one faces. Now I have 1800 faces instead of 4800, so it's a lot better already. But I don't see how I should be able to reduce it to 700.

 

Edit: I reduced it now to 1464 faces.