[Omniscaper]

Perhaps I never should have converted MadDog's the 50k Galactica. Knowing the possibilities will now be my BANE, for I am tempted to ride the limits.

Please take note of the counter. The selected objects are the ribs.. and I'm not even finished.

To create ribs out of extrusions would have only resulted in MUCH wasted polygons. I'm still aiming for a top polygon count of 18k. I now must optimize the rest of the mesh to force this aethstetic part to the model. Not to mention, I am now forced to make the various panels as well considering the ribs are an under layer to BSG's hull.

Besides its vast array of turrets, I still gotta model the interior of the landing bay, hangar bay, and launch tubes!!! Perhaps even the museum on the right (port or starboard?) landing pod.

Perhaps thats insane. Well, it would not be the first time I have been accused of it.

[aldo_14]

You're off your nut, sonny jim.

Frankly, I'm impressed. :yes:

[KARMA]

if you're running out of polys, you could reduce the segments of the single elements, some of them at least, without too much visual loss. I know that a single segment is just 6 tris, but 6 x some hundreds of greebling elements means that you could cut around 1k tris, which isn't that few.
BTW, counting the polys has sense only when the mesh is optimized.
If you want to make a very fast test: open the model in truespace, use a boolean operation with delete edges enables, and then triangulize again.
It'll get rid of the majority of the useless polys, you still will have to optimize it, but it is just a fast test to have an idea of the real pcount of your model

[aldo_14]

Put the model in Ts, and odds are it'll mangle it completely (especially with a boolean); I've had that happen before putting 3ds into TS.

My personal preference is to optimize whilst modelling, so I regularly check the polycount of models.  I'd suggest with Gal there, that you try removing the middle-split though; it doesn't seem to be geometrically necessary as-is, because it's splitting a flat face in 2.

[Omniscaper]

TS!? As in Truespace?  hisssssssssssssssss

Just kidding. To tell you the truth I havent touched the program since Styxx's 3dsmax pluggin was released. I still use PCS though, for pof editing and glowpoint adjustments.

I optimize as I model, but since the ribs was a last minute decision, I skipped over much of the mesh that I would now remove. Time to back track. There are still flat areas that don't deserve their polygons. Curvature, I still try to keep at least 4 polygons.

[Getter Robo G]

Omni, you are one sick person, (simply awesome) GOD BLESS YOU!
I halfway got the reference before clicking.. I was like RIBS? LOL!

[KARMA]

I never said to work in TS, if he doesn't want to, I just said to use it for a fast and inaccurate optimization in order to evaluate the real pcount, and know then how much space he really has for more greeblings.

I never got too problems when opening a 3ds in TS directly, and surely none if using 3dexploration.
As for booleans, you get problems only if do something wrong, surely not if you just substract a non intersecting cube......which lets you remove in a simple click most of the edges that are there but don't contribute in anyway to the geometry (i.e: all the edges that split faces which are already flat).
That's a 2 minute test to have an idea of what the true pcount is, but if you want to spend half an hour or probably more removing manually all the edges (which you probably will have to do anyway later) then go for it:p

[Omniscaper]

Extra edges can be easily removed, via 3dsmax's vertice welder. I've been using since i first started converting the trek ships. I used 3dsmax to ti fix Milkshape caused anomolies during the nif>3ds conversion. From there I took it to TS for conversion. Thank goodness that step is no longer necesarry for me.

[KARMA]

again-
I'm NOT suggesting a way to optimize but a way to evaluate the pcount while still modelling, w/o having to optimize (if you don't want to optimize during the modelling process).
Booleans in ts automatically remove most of the useless edges, if you select the delete verts option, this way you can have an idea of what the pcount is and how many details you can add.
Oh, well forget it

[Taristin]

Well, if the ribs remain a seperate subobject, they can have that incredibly high poly count as well, ne?

But omni, tell me, what is the little meter tool you're using with 'budget' and all that?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Raa
Well, if the ribs remain a seperate subobject, they can have that incredibly high poly count as well, ne?

I think he means unecessary edges on the hull model itself.  I'm not sure myself how you'd get those, but maybe that's because I only box mode.

Originally posted by Raa
But omni, tell me, what is the little meter tool you're using with 'budget' and all that?

That's the polygon counter tool that comes with Max.

[Omniscaper]

Its just a counter that can be set to a budget that red lites when you go over. But red is always green to me so thats useless. If I less than half of that 50k to good use. Now I don't know about you, but I personally think that the current 6000 polys of ribs is a good poly investment when making close range fly by's. I hate flying over FS2's large ships and not get a sense of speed because of washout or noticably tiled  textures over large flat planes. No sir, this baby beast will take no part of that.

[Taristin]

Hmm. Never knew there was a poly counter tool, I usually just select the object and all the faces for a rough estimate. But then my models aren't ever high poly, they just look like they could be.

As for edges, I have no idea, for I, too, only box model.

[Taristin]

Oh, and yes, I agree that little greeled detail should be on the sides, since nothing else gives you a sense of scale.

(Like if you're in a sekhmat and you fly next to the Hecate's comm towers)

[aldo_14]

You're never going to see more than one Galactica onscreen in a normal scenario, so you can push  up the polys a bit thanks to that, I guess.

[Omniscaper]

Never?.... hmmm.

Commander Cain would have your head for that one.

Keep in mind this will lod-0 set to an extreemly close distance. Ribs will go bye bye by the time lod-1 kicks in. I feel its well camaflouged with the textures to not see the transition.

[Taristin]

Commander Cain? Is he related to Commander Kewin?

<-- who has only ever seen the SciFi series of BSG, and knows nothing of any other Battlestars.

[Bobboau]

so, it's ribed for her pleasure eh?

[Omniscaper]

Same here, I've nearly caught up with the all of the original's season. Been downloa..... renting the dvd's to see why the hardcore fans are so sour about this new one.

Commander Cain was some insano battlestar leader who was attacking the Cylons while Galactica wastoo busy running away.

[Omniscaper]

Originally posted by Bobboau
so, it's ribed for her pleasure eh?

ROTFL