Forklift prop

astromonkey · 07-02-2008, 03:21 PM

starting a small project here to help me get some stuff into UT3 and to work on my texturing. but as for now please toss me any comments you have about the modeling and such. Im a bit concerned about the poly count but i dont know about props in next gen engines. thanks

glynnsmith · 07-02-2008, 04:53 PM

If it's for UT3 spec, whack some more polies on those wheels, duder! You could easily double them. Other than that, it generally looks nicely laid out - just watch the density of your curves and make them smoother

With an engine like UT3, you can definitely afford it.

As an afterthought, the seat looks quite small in proportion, but I haven't seen your ref

Keep on!

pantsburgh · 07-02-2008, 05:54 PM

Glynn is right, it doesn't look like 3400 tris simply because your curves don't have enough divisions in them.

In addition, it looks to me like you've got a bunch of edges that aren't holding anything (dashboard area & body, the metal guard behind the forks). Maybe they do hold some shape from a different angle, or maybe you're planning ahead for some more details, but I bet you could skim a couple hundred tris off of it as it stands now without losing any silhouette at all.

All that said, it looks like a great start. This should make for some really excellent texturing practice.

Edit: If you wanted to make a ghetto forklift, you could throw some cardboard and plastic wrap on top of the cab. I used to work in a lumber yard, and the yard guys did that to all the forks for shade and protection from rain. That's the kind of stuff you won't find in any refs, but can be a nice touch. Just a thought.

astromonkey · 08-02-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pantsburgh

Edit: If you wanted to make a ghetto forklift, you could throw some cardboard and plastic wrap on top of the cab. I used to work in a lumber yard, and the yard guys did that to all the forks for shade and protection from rain. That's the kind of stuff you won't find in any refs, but can be a nice touch. Just a thought.

yeah im a forklift jockey myself at a lumberyard im afraid ... i figured if im gonna work from reference id use something interesting that i see often and can reference at my leisure.

yeah now that ive taken another look at this image i see at least a hundred or so polys i could pull back and use elsewhere.

two questions: how does the whole silhouette thing work?

and

what would a target poly count be for a prop such as this ?

Reverenddevil · 08-02-2008, 02:59 AM

Hey Astro, the forklift is looking good so far...

As far as poly count goes, you need to answer some questions.

What engine is this going into if any at all? If UT3 and it is purely for background, or cover etc. Then I would say a decent limit would be between 1500 to 2000 maybe slightly less..

Is this a vehicle the player will be seeing a lot in the game, like riding in it etc?
If so then this could be 3000 to 3500...

Are you going for pure looks and want to make something super bad ass with no regard to poly limit? infinity billion....

Some people might disagree but this has been my experience with props etc..
You also need to know what you're modeling for, the above questions are only a few, but usually some of the most important.

As far as silhouette, make sure that no matter what someone can see the object and tell what it is. It needs to hold its purpose. Look at the things you need to model to get the general shape and then look and see what could be added in the texture and normal map. These would be smaller details and other parts that DO NOT change the silhouette of the object. So put those in the texture or normal.

astromonkey · 08-02-2008, 05:17 PM

Reverenddevil - thanks i kinda figured that about the silhouette, wasnt sure though. My intent was to make a prop type thing just some sort of background decoration for the map and yes i was thinking UT3 for the engine.

Reverenddevil · 08-02-2008, 06:39 PM

I would say take the high poly version and bake all the details that are not necessary to the silhouette for the normal. You can probably model this in anywhere from 600 to 1000 polys.

Just worry about the general shape and add all the details in the texture and normals..

hope this helps a little..

07-02-2008, 03:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
astromonkey New Member 34 - 2	Forklift prop starting a small project here to help me get some stuff into UT3 and to work on my texturing. but as for now please toss me any comments you have about the modeling and such. Im a bit concerned about the poly count but i dont know about props in next gen engines. thanks

07-02-2008, 05:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
pantsburgh Frequenter 115 - 29	Glynn is right, it doesn't look like 3400 tris simply because your curves don't have enough divisions in them. In addition, it looks to me like you've got a bunch of edges that aren't holding anything (dashboard area & body, the metal guard behind the forks). Maybe they do hold some shape from a different angle, or maybe you're planning ahead for some more details, but I bet you could skim a couple hundred tris off of it as it stands now without losing any silhouette at all. All that said, it looks like a great start. This should make for some really excellent texturing practice. Edit: If you wanted to make a ghetto forklift, you could throw some cardboard and plastic wrap on top of the cab. I used to work in a lumber yard, and the yard guys did that to all the forks for shade and protection from rain. That's the kind of stuff you won't find in any refs, but can be a nice touch. Just a thought. Last edited by pantsburgh; 07-02-2008 at 05:58 PM.

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07-02-2008, 04:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
glynnsmith Senior Member 2,547 - 925	If it's for UT3 spec, whack some more polies on those wheels, duder! You could easily double them. Other than that, it generally looks nicely laid out - just watch the density of your curves and make them smoother With an engine like UT3, you can definitely afford it. As an afterthought, the seat looks quite small in proportion, but I haven't seen your ref Keep on!

08-02-2008, 02:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
Reverenddevil Industry Artist 282 - 27	Hey Astro, the forklift is looking good so far... As far as poly count goes, you need to answer some questions. What engine is this going into if any at all? If UT3 and it is purely for background, or cover etc. Then I would say a decent limit would be between 1500 to 2000 maybe slightly less.. Is this a vehicle the player will be seeing a lot in the game, like riding in it etc? If so then this could be 3000 to 3500... Are you going for pure looks and want to make something super bad ass with no regard to poly limit? infinity billion.... Some people might disagree but this has been my experience with props etc.. You also need to know what you're modeling for, the above questions are only a few, but usually some of the most important. As far as silhouette, make sure that no matter what someone can see the object and tell what it is. It needs to hold its purpose. Look at the things you need to model to get the general shape and then look and see what could be added in the texture and normal map. These would be smaller details and other parts that DO NOT change the silhouette of the object. So put those in the texture or normal.

08-02-2008, 05:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
astromonkey New Member 34 - 2	Reverenddevil - thanks i kinda figured that about the silhouette, wasnt sure though. My intent was to make a prop type thing just some sort of background decoration for the map and yes i was thinking UT3 for the engine.

08-02-2008, 06:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Reverenddevil Industry Artist 282 - 27	I would say take the high poly version and bake all the details that are not necessary to the silhouette for the normal. You can probably model this in anywhere from 600 to 1000 polys. Just worry about the general shape and add all the details in the texture and normals.. hope this helps a little..