GDC Findings, Day 3 (Friday)

Friday was my final day at GDC. I took most of the day to explore the city.  There was only one panel I had both interest and  clearance for that day.

Panel LP style 3:30pm Friday

LowPoly is the minimum required geometry as possible to get a large idea across. It’s low fidelity art which goes against the high AAA titles. Some benefits of LP geo include: higher efficiency with smaller amount of team members on the project or even solo work, faster/smoother computing time, faster work times, saves $ for artist freelance contracts and working time, the ability to reach a larger audience including those who do not have the latest technology, and the enticing stylistic approach for mostly indie titles.

The recommended workflow for LP modeling is LP to high. Higher geometry with reduction is also acceptable. HP to decimated mesh is a nightmare to work with because of it’s inefficacy for character rigging and UV (stay away!!!)

The artist should be thinking in LP to unify the game’s overall voice. This way he or she can determine whether to use dispersement procedures to populate the world with much smaller LP assets, or to populate the world with less assets, ie pockets of higher fidelity assets.  Because there is a lack of geometry in the game, artists can use tricks to make the assets and textures read easier such as utilizing particles and panning UV textures for movement ( kind of like Sega Genesis look).

When working in LP, artist decides how low to make the geometry. Silhouette is the most important aspect in this which is widely known for 3D artists in general. The goal is to make each asset read as the idea of the object, rather than an absolute representation of the object itself. For instance, a sphere with 32 divisions at a distance isn’t too different from a sphere of 16 divisions from a small distance. But, a sphere with 8 will have noticeable edges but still be able to get the general idea across while saving polygons. It’s the understood object, rather than the HP render. At the same time the model shouldn’t be underselling itself where the model is ambiguous. When working with LP modeling it’s also crucial to have materials and lighting in mind. This will dictate how the asset will react and be perceived in the world. Generally LP cell shaded or unlit materials work best on LP styled games. Set color palettes are also a great way to save on textures and keep a consistent look in the game. LP saves computing time and makes it easier on the procedural asset generator. Detail in LP modeled assets aren’t the end goal in this approach.

Side note: When rigging LP assets, make sure to add edge loops on major joints so that the model moves correctly.