Model pimpage Thread

[joe_rogers_11155]

can we see the reference photo?

[stoopdapoop]

Take a look at the stove in ep2 props/forest/stove01. It doesn´t have a short jump as i mentionted but it has 7 submodels (ref+6 lods) although the polycount in the last one is ten times lower than in the ref. But according to your theory, that model is unoptimal.

No, absolutely not.(well, I'd argue it was suboptimal for the PC, but for a different reason than you're asking).

Maybe I've not been very clear, but the essence of all these posts boils down to this: If the GPU is the bottleneck your "optimizations" need to save work for for the gpu by doing extra work on the cpu. This can be done on a per object basis(lods) and/or on a per scene basis(occluders, areaportals, hint brushes).

Somewhat related: Some modern engines and libraries can actually save work on the CPU by doing extra work on the GPU (the opposite of what I was talking about the last paragraph). But implementing systems like this is complicated even when working with consistent hardware or hardware with strict feature compliance (like all DirectX 10 and 11 cards) and it's show-stoppingly hard to implement on older hardware. Examples of this kind of work offloading can be found in BF3, where the Dice uses the "Compute shaders" no the GPU to generate textures for terrain. Another example is Ageia Physx, or the "Bullet" physics library.

If your CPU is the bottleneck, as is the case with all SMALL AND CHEAP props, then you lose performance by trying to save work for the GPU, by doing extra work on the CPU.

Back to stove01, that is not a small and cheap prop, so the GPU spends more time actually rendering the prop than the CPU takes telling the GPU to render the prop(because that takes time too). So if you can save work for the GPU by doing extra work on the CPU, then you'll save performance.

The CPU and GPU Run in parallel, In a perfect world the cpu will update the world state and issue commands to the gpu in the exact same amount of time that it takes the GPU to render the objects passed to it (albiet a frame behind). Unfortunately that is rarely the case, but these optimization techniques that we talk about exist elusively to make it closer to being true. In the usual case where one finishes before the other, the faster one will literally do nothing until the slower one finishes.

It's not straightforward. Mappers and modelers should have at least a basic understanding of the graphics pipeline and actual overhead of the techniques they're using to properly optimize a scene. If they use the wrong techniques then they can slow down your rendering, if they use the the right ones then they can speed it up. But most of the time I see people doing a mix of the two, they'll save time using some techniques but then gobble up some or all of their savings by using the wrong one somewhere else.

[Gambini]

I feel small reading such post. Understood everything i think.

In the usual case where one finishes before the other, the faster one will literally do nothing until the slower one finishes.

Except Vsync is enabled.

[stoopdapoop]

Someone copy paste this conversation to a new thread and maybe make a visual representation of the summary.

There are already a bunch of PDF's and PowerPoint presentations on the topic, just Google CPU GPU interaction and the various optimization techniques available in source.

Except Vsync is enabled.

usually, yes. But if the gpu fills up it's buffers faster than it is able to display them, then the gpu will stall(2 buffers with double buffering, 3 with triple). Also if vsync is enabled but the cpu can't fill the render queue fast enough then the gpu will stall. So Vsync doesn't fully remedy the issue of the faster component waiting for the slower, it just stalls both of them when the they can both keep up with the refresh rate.

But yeah, I guess I'm done derailing the model pimpage thread.

MORE MODELS.

And stormy, I'm assuming it's some kind of Animatronic bunny like the ones you find at Chuck-E-Cheese? it looks really good, the only thing that sticks out to me are sharp edges on the leading edges of the foot.

somewhat related:

[MaK]

My first actual attempt at modeling, trying to get better at 3ds max.

[Black_Stormy]

Nice weapon man, what do you mean "first real attempt"? It took me years to make my first pistol.

Also with the rabbit model I was trying to get a realistic look, since the animatronics exist in real life, but are stylized in design. Here's two of the main reference photos:


But after a few failed attempts at recreating that design (it's a really boring design and doesn't translate well to 3d) I found this fan made kingdom hearts character:

I tried to strike an average between the two designs. After using that layout, without the alpha planes to define the tufts of hair on his cheeks and head, the fur came out looking very plain.

In the end it was a matter of finding the right material for the fur. I didn't want to use any alpha planes because they are more trouble than their worth when they need to be used as plentifully as they would here, plus it's for a L4D2 map which would be dark and requires the models to read and light well. Source is sub-par at transparency shading. So here's what I ended up doing:

[Dives]

Yup turned out great Stormy. Your friend pumped out a few models for me as well, just because he wants to see my project finished and and he's such a nice guy.

Work in progress, but pretty accurate already.
Haunted Mansion Doom Buggy


Winnie the Pooh ride car

[Gambini]

@Black Stormy: There are a couple of things that bug me of your model:

1- The forehead, where both eyebrows would met (if they existed) is too wide. Notice how (in the references) his eyes are parallel regarding their inner line. Also his mug should be more thin.

2- His ears are too tall and thin. Notice in the reference they almost touch each other at the bottom and they´re more conic.

3- The wrinkles in his t-shirt make it look like he´s a beefy man with prominent pectorals. Usually a rabbit would have a pronounced belly.

4- The jean yarn should be straight, right now it looks diagonal. Also I would desaturate it a little bit.

5- Finally his foot could use some more detail in the toes. Those foots look like from 1998.

Besides that, great work. For the fur I would have used something like this:


You know since that model is mostly going to be standing it is okay if you make the shading in the fur aiming down (like if it were lit from the top).

[MaK]

By first real attempt Stormy I mean I haven't modeled anything before that except for a box crate.

[Saxon]

Making low poly models for 3rd person / world models. We'll be able to animate slides and mags on player models.

[Gary]

I'm making a hovering drone. This is one of the fans that will be surrounding it's body.


I know, it sucks, but you got to start somewhere. And I am too damn lazy at the moment to learn Blender.

[Black_Stormy]

BLENDARRRRRRRRRRR!!

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[TicTac]

My final project for my Intro to Maya* course, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

*Fast-paced crash-course in modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, using Hypershade, lighting, rendering in Mental Ray.

[Gambini]

That´s a good reference picture, now show us the model.

[jangalomph]

Maya > 3ds max.

<3 maya!

Looks wonderful though tictac