Another Polycount issue
by Greg Smith · in Artist Corner · 10/18/2002 (10:07 am) · 6 replies
In a previous thread I asked if the engine included the poly counts of the bones and control objects because I noticed that the show tool was including the polycounts for the player mesh and the rig. I was told that it didn't matter because the engine is concerned about the individual object polycount.
But now I am running into a new problem, the exporter is now including the geometry for the multires object! It didn't do this before. I can't figure out how to stop it either. The only changes I did when I had the lower polycount before was I had to scale the player charactr down because of a misinterpretation of the units conversion from max to torque. So now in the detail control it is showing a polycount in the ball park of 6000 poly's and, I still have a feeling that the engine won't disregard that extra geometry.
If anyone has dealt with this issue and either knows its not an issue or knows how to solve the problem I would greatly appriciate your input.
Thanks,
Greg
But now I am running into a new problem, the exporter is now including the geometry for the multires object! It didn't do this before. I can't figure out how to stop it either. The only changes I did when I had the lower polycount before was I had to scale the player charactr down because of a misinterpretation of the units conversion from max to torque. So now in the detail control it is showing a polycount in the ball park of 6000 poly's and, I still have a feeling that the engine won't disregard that extra geometry.
If anyone has dealt with this issue and either knows its not an issue or knows how to solve the problem I would greatly appriciate your input.
Thanks,
Greg
#2
But that is all past us now, what I am really concerned about is why the DTS exporter is now including the geometry of the multires object in the show tool.
Before when my character was 60 meters tall in the game, the dts exporter worked fine, it was only showing the geometry for the character mesh and the geometry for the rig. But now after I had to Re-scale, reset scale, re-rigg, and re-skin just about everything. I set it up to be just like before, but now when I export, I get too much.
So I am wondering, what actually tells the exporter to not include the mesh of the multires object? If I figure that out, maybe I can find out why my geometry is doubled in the show tool.
Greg
10/18/2002 (11:29 am)
Well you have to clarify that your setting the units in preferences. I don't use Max as my prefered package and neither do most of the people on our team. We had confusion that by changing the units display would reset the units, but it doesn't it's only a display conversion not a units conversion.But that is all past us now, what I am really concerned about is why the DTS exporter is now including the geometry of the multires object in the show tool.
Before when my character was 60 meters tall in the game, the dts exporter worked fine, it was only showing the geometry for the character mesh and the geometry for the rig. But now after I had to Re-scale, reset scale, re-rigg, and re-skin just about everything. I set it up to be just like before, but now when I export, I get too much.
So I am wondering, what actually tells the exporter to not include the mesh of the multires object? If I figure that out, maybe I can find out why my geometry is doubled in the show tool.
Greg
#3
One quick question though is that when you reset your scale and transforms for your mesh and reapplied the skin modifier did you take another snapshot of your mesh at the new scale and apply MultiRes to that, or did you simply leave your old MultiRes shape in the scene assuming that it would work?
Logan
10/18/2002 (12:00 pm)
Greg I (or someone else) would have to look at your files to tell for certain what you have done with your scene setup that is causing this problem to occur for you. I suggest that you upload your max file and textures somewhere.One quick question though is that when you reset your scale and transforms for your mesh and reapplied the skin modifier did you take another snapshot of your mesh at the new scale and apply MultiRes to that, or did you simply leave your old MultiRes shape in the scene assuming that it would work?
Logan
#4
An epiphany occured while I was looking at both the before and after files. Nothing was different from each other I made multires objects for both files and still the old one was exporting normally where the new one was not. I was using the same config file so theoretically they should of exported the same. So it wasn't the multires so it was something else. Then I remembered way back when I first used max that 2-sided polygons calculate themselves as if they were 2 polygons back to back. I unchecked the 2-sided option in the shader properties and voila! after exporting the polycount was back to normal!
Greg
However I would like to know does the engine look at a 2-sided poly as being 2 polys or does it disreguard that.
10/18/2002 (12:42 pm)
Okay I figured it out! 2-side material!! was doubling the geometry count for my character!An epiphany occured while I was looking at both the before and after files. Nothing was different from each other I made multires objects for both files and still the old one was exporting normally where the new one was not. I was using the same config file so theoretically they should of exported the same. So it wasn't the multires so it was something else. Then I remembered way back when I first used max that 2-sided polygons calculate themselves as if they were 2 polygons back to back. I unchecked the 2-sided option in the shader properties and voila! after exporting the polycount was back to normal!
Greg
However I would like to know does the engine look at a 2-sided poly as being 2 polys or does it disreguard that.
#5
10/18/2002 (1:39 pm)
Well, having a model with both front and back polies just means that the backfaces won't be culled (because there AREN'T any backfaces, really). So yes, it will have to draw 2x the polies it would normally because it's drawing all the backfaces, as well.
#6
10/18/2002 (1:59 pm)
In the exporter parameters rollout, you can turn it on and off. If it is enabled (usually in by default), the exporter will create backfaces for all models with 2-sided materials. 
Torque Owner Nicolas Quijano
For the rest, someone that can really call himself a modeller should step in :)