Jeff writes: > Well, I am finally ready to start to make some 3D models for FlightGear. Went > all out and purchased AC3D, I like it and it's a good fit for me! > > So my question is: What is more important to FlightGear buildings or planes? > I never made a 3D model of a plane before but AC3D looks so nice I think I > could come up with something. > > Don't have much time so I'll be vary slow to crank something out...
You'll find that your first 3d models will take a lot of time just learning about 3d modeling, but as you get better, things will go a lot faster. From my limited 3d modeling experience, here's a couple tips. 1. Avoid "T" intersections ... they lead to cracks in the model. They are so tempting to put in, either for convenience or mistake, but if you ever let one slip though, you'll wish you hadn't, because the resulting cracking at the seam when the model is drawn in the sim will make it look bad. 2. Don't forget this is a 'real time' sim. We are on a polygon budget, and hey, it would be great to see your 15,000 polygon beautifully detailed model in all it's full glory, but something like that will ***kill*** frame rates ... especially if you want to duplicate buildings or aircraft or trees or whatever the object is. This is one of the real 'tricks' to 3d modeling and is what separates the masters from the wannabes ... building nice looking models out of minimal polygons. It is hard to do, but it's what we need for FlightGear. Low polygon count, but nice looking. I know that's like saying I want it fast, cheap, and reliable, but high polygon count models will kill us. And it really sucks having to reject something that someone's put a ton of work into becuase it is *too* detailed, especially when it's beautiful. 3. We also have a texture budget, so the fewer textures the better as well. If it's an object that will typically be viewed from a distance, you might be able to get away with a 32x32 texture rather than a 256x256 texture ... that sort of things saves a ton of texture ram. Again, that's where the 'art' part comes in and is another thing that sets the really good modelers and artists apart. (Note that I'm a really sucky 3d modeler myself and I don't even use my name and any derivation of the word 'art' in the same sentence.) Regards, Curt. -- Curtis Olson Intelligent Vehicles Lab FlightGear Project Twin Cities [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota http://www.menet.umn.edu/~curt http://www.flightgear.org _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel
