Models In Progress

[Springheel]

Let's keep our work in progress shots here for the smaller objects.

[DeepOmega]

Coin stack, so far. It's a single cylinder, normal mapped. Only 36 tris, which is damn good for something like this. I made it a bit more round than is probably strictly necessary (12 sides), so we can use this for the loot icon if necessary.

 

[Springheel]

Hmm, isn't this stack a little tall? It looks like twenty coins high or so...that's a lot to stack on top of each other, not to mention stacking perfectly even. I would suggest stacks of no more than 10, max (probably wouldn't hurt to have two different sizes)

 

 

What are the dimensions of the normal map you would need for the top? Does it have to be surrounded by black? I can make normal maps, but so far only for walls. I know zero about skinning models.

Edited October 29, 2004 by Springheel

[DeepOmega]

Normal map should be 50% gray (128 128 128) wherever you don't actually have normals. This map is 512x512, but this is extravagant and will be scaled down to 256x256 for the final. It's a stack of 32 coins, and I'm going to make two smaller stacks as well - one of about 10 or 15, one of about 5.

 

If anyone can give me a sketch of what the head of the coin will look like, I will be happy.

[sparhawk]

If anyone can give me a sketch of what the head of the coin will look like, I will be happy.

Spring is right with the perfectly even coinstack. You could shift one or two slightly off, to make look a bit more used.

[DeepOmega]

The issue with a non-even stack is that it's an exponential increase in polygons. This model is deliciously low-poly. Adding shifted coins will have to be model based, and each additional shift will basically double the number of polygons used. I can do it very easily, but be aware of the consequences.

[Springheel]

I think a stack that tall would have to be uneven, or it will be quite unbelievable.

[sparhawk]

The issue with a non-even stack is that it's an exponential increase in polygons. This model is deliciously low-poly. Adding shifted coins will have to be model based, and each additional shift will basically double the number of polygons used. I can do it very easily, but be aware of the consequences.

But would that mean that every coinstack would look the same?

 

If the model is so low-poly, then how much poly will be added because of a slight shift?

[DeepOmega]

But would that mean that every coinstack would look the same?

 

If the model is so low-poly, then how much poly will be added because of a slight shift?

 

Yes, if I shift the stack, every stack will be identically shifted.

 

The stack is 36 tris right now. Each additional shift will (depending on how I do it) add another 24 or so triangles. If I make realistic shifts (so that it looks like stairs instead of slants) it'll skyrocket. Personally, I think clean stacks, with different sized stacks, will look significantly better.

[god_is_my_goldfish]

Yeah, i never had a problem with it in t1+2. And I would imagine anyone who was stacking coins (for counting i guess) would be so anal that they would try and make them as straight as possible.

[New Horizon]

Yeah, I think the main issue is that the stack is so high. Perhaps half that size would be easier to buy into being that straight? I really like it all the same.

[Darkness_Falls]

I wonder if there were stacks that tall in T1 or T2? It seems like there might've been. If so, it didn't bother me at all. There were usually varying stack heights, as God (or goldfish ) notes.

[Domarius]

I'm in favour of KEEPING DeepOmega's original low poly design.

 

I can see how some im-perfectly stacked coins would look nice though - perhaps DeepOmega could make a version of a stack of coins (maybe a pile) that is for use in decorative situations where a high poly count is okay; places where a lot of action might not happen.

Edited November 3, 2004 by Domarius

[sparhawk]

So we have characters with several thousands of polygons and we worry about 10 or 20 poly more for a coinstack?

[Springheel]

Deep Omega, I found a perfect reference pic for the coins. I think we should use this for the face:

 

http://www.btinternet.com/~petercoins/images/pc41.jpg

 

And on the topic of perfect stacks, we could probably create the illusion of things being slightly uneven with a normal map. Check out Ren's crypt wall as an example.

 

Are you able/willing to skin the coins yourself? If not I need to assign it to someone else, as Sparhawk is chomping at the bit to get an object into the game.

Edited November 5, 2004 by Springheel

[Domarius]

So we have characters with several thousands of polygons and we worry about 10 or 20 poly more for a coinstack?

It all adds up, Sparhawk. You save where you can. This goes for all the other furniture, etc. and other objects that will make up a final room. When you shave a small percentage of polys off of all those objects, you're talking about saving a lot of polys, and frames.

[sparhawk]

It all adds up, Sparhawk. You save where you can. This goes for all the other furniture, etc. and other objects that will make up a final room. When you shave a small percentage of polys off of all those objects, you're talking about saving a lot of polys, and frames.

I doubt that there will be so many polygons in sight that a few hundred more or less will really matter.

[Springheel]

I agree, but if we use the normalmap to create the illusion that they are slighly askew, and we keep the size of the stack low, it shouldn't matter.