In Response To: Sorry for the delay. (Shishka)
: I would say the big "wince" that I get from this model is from the
: gunner's area. Remember, real-time rendering requires a low polycount to
: work successfully. By polygons, I mean triangles, specifically. So, you
: need to triangulate your model and see what it gets in return. Just from
: looking at it, I'm going to guess you get way over 10,000 polys. I'd say
: 5,000-7,000 is an acceptable polycount for a vehicle in Halo (though,
: notably, the Pelican has more).
: I've digressed a bit. Your biggest trouble spot is in the gunner's area. When
: building this particular part of the ship, you need to ask yourself a
: couple questions. First and foremost, "Do I want the turret to be
: stationary, or shall it turn on its axis?"
: If your answer is the latter, you should consider making the gun and its
: stand a seperate piece of mesh that intersects with the back of the boat
: where it would be attached in real life.
: Now that we've discussed that aspect of the design, we should take a look at
: cylinders in Halo. If you look carefully, it's rare you'll find a cilinder
: with more than 8 sides. Just 8 sides! When you think about it, this makes
: sense for the gun's stand. More often than not, people won't be getting
: within examination range of the gun long enough to actually take a close
: look at the design. Further, with edge smoothing, people passing by won't
: notice the difference.
: After that, the next thing to keep in mind is the fact that since it's a
: straight pole, no edge loops are required across the cylinder. That will
: save you some more polys.
: The bed of the boat is too complex. Think about how often you take a close,
: careful look at the bed of the Warthog. Never, right? When you're moving
: past the Warthog, you usually don't have time to take a close look at the
: inside and back area, and when you actually use the warthog, the camera
: pulls way back and your character is in the way. Thus, this area doesn't
: need to be very complex at all.
: Overall, you've done pretty well. I'd suggest trying to bring the polycount
: way down, starting in the bed of the boat and working outwards. Look into
: edge smoothing, as it'll help a LOT when it comes to making up for missing
: geometry.
You just have to watch 5 sided polygons and triangles in succesion... because those are they pain to texture. Just keep close watch of what is seen and what isn't. The bottom of the craft probably will not be seen much and other areas as where the feet go and other areas which light can't reach.
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