Poly Count on Apparatus

[helljumper51]

So I have always gone by the rule of thumb to not to go past 5000 polys on a model. Has anyone has issues with larger counts and does anyone know why To keep the count low? Or was a misinformed

[Hoppah]

It's not really a rule, more a way to advise people that high polygon models aren't necessary or that useful in EM4. You weren't misinformed though. Opinions on what a 'high polygon count' exactly is might differ, and therefore a max of 5.000 is just recommended to give people an idea.

Larger counts aren't really an issue for newer computers anymore. My computer is 4 to 5 years old and I've always noticed a slight lag when a high-polygon vehicle shows up (around 10k polygons). For newer computers that shouldn't be an issue. The principle stays the same imo: Keep the count as low as possible unless you have no option. It becomes harder when you either have to add a lot of details to your model (equipment, lights that stick out) or when the model has a curved shape (like helicopters). A nice example is the fire engine in the Los Angeles Mod. The cabin itself is fairly low polygon, it's just a box with some doors and lights, but the back of the fire engine consists of much more polygons because of all the details that stick out (bed, lights, equipment). There is sometimes no way to avoid that.

A good texture is just as important as the model itself! You can leave out many details in the 3D-model if you're good at creating textures. Take a look at MikeyPI's models. His models do not have large counts of polygons, but his textures are so rich of details and look so realistic that high poly models serves no useful purpose. Why model door handles if a texture looks just as good, especially in a game like Emergency 4? And thats actually the main reason why we try to advise people to create lower polygon models. EM4 is played from above (bird perspective).You don't look at the tiny details that much and therefore it's unnecessary to create high polygon models. Besides that, adding details to textures is a perfect alternative and a few extra pixels don't really affect game performance as much (unless you're using very high resolution textures obviously).

I personally don't have an issue with vehicles with 10k+ polygons in EM4. But I've seen vehicles with 25K polygons and a bad texture and a 3K polygon version of the same vehicle (made by someone else) still looked better in EM4 because he spend more time in a realistic texture. I've always found it a challenge to keep the poly count as low as possible and still make a good looking model by spending extra time in a detailed and realistic texture. Conclusion of my story: high polygon models do not always have an advantage over low polygon models in EM4. This is my opinion on this and hopefully you get my point.

[helljumper51]

I am doing a test model now to see if my models make a difference with a high poly count. The only thing that keeps adding up is the hosebed. I have always found issues with hoses not "looking" the part and even though I have done some tricks in the past to hide it, it never looks very good. Ha ha an d I am not as blessed as Mike with good textures. I will say he did a good job teaching me what he could when I worked with him, but Alot of my textures always turn out flat.

[Freelancer]

So I have always gone by the rule of thumb to not to go past 5000 polys on a model. Has anyone has issues with larger counts and does anyone know why To keep the count low? Or was a misinformed

My average for a car model is about 7000-8000 but for my bigger models such as fire engines it's about 10,00.I experience no lag what so ever

[cops]

haha, the only reason I make door handles is because I can't skin door handles XD

my models are around the 7000-11500

[goog]

For a test, I put 8 2010 GTA SA Ford Taurus models around 30,000 poly each with editor lights(polys and radiation) added in the game and they didn't lag or affect my pc's performance at all.I played it for quite some time with no crashes or issues.

I agree with the others if you have a good pc,high poly models it seems (in my case and trials) doesn't affect game performance.

[helljumper51]

Sweet...becuase I have been working on a new hosebed, that by itself is 9k polys lol.