PolygonCount - Revision history

Caustic: Added Redirect

2014-10-02T23:05:30Z

Added Redirect

Caustic: Redirect to new article

2014-10-02T23:03:53Z

Redirect to new article

EricChadwick: cleanup

2014-09-07T04:02:44Z

cleanup

Cheeseplus: 11 revisions

2014-07-29T08:45:05Z

11 revisions

EricChadwick: "Triangle counts for assets from various videogames"

2014-05-08T12:29:20Z

"Triangle counts for assets from various videogames"

EricChadwick: url fix

2012-12-25T16:14:01Z

url fix

EricChadwick: boards.polycount.net => www.polycount.com/forum

2012-12-25T16:12:03Z

boards.polycount.net => www.polycount.com/forum

EricChadwick: Polygon summary from Ghostscape (http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1619708&postcount=3)

2012-07-03T11:06:36Z

Polygon summary from Ghostscape (http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1619708&postcount=3)

EricChadwick: UV breaks != material breaks

2011-11-29T15:46:29Z

UV breaks != material breaks

EricChadwick: warby's page added

2010-12-05T15:19:18Z

warby's page added

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:05, 2 October 2014
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−	~~__NOTOC__~~
	#REDIRECT [[Polygon Count]]		#REDIRECT [[Polygon Count]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-= Polygon Count =
+__NOTOC__
+#REDIRECT [[Polygon Count]]
-−
-The two common measurements of a game character's 'cost' are polygon count and vertex count. Polygon is interchangeable with triangle in these measurements, as GPUs only see vertices and triangles, not 4+ sided polygons. Depending on the use, a game character may stretch anywhere from 200-300 triangles, to 40,000+ triangles. A high-end third-person console or PC game may use many vertices or triangles per character, and an iOS tower defense game might use very few per character.
-−
-== Polygons Vs. Triangles ==
-When a game artist talks about the poly count of a model, they really mean the triangle count. Games almost always use triangles not polygons because most modern graphic hardware is built to accelerate the rendering of triangles.
-−
-The polygon count that's reported in a modeling app is always misleading, because a model's triangle count is higher. It's usually best therefore to switch the polygon counter to a triangle counter in your modeling app, so you're using the same counting method everyone else is using.
-−
-Polygons however do have a useful purpose in game development. A model made of mostly four-sided polygons (quads) will work well with edge-loop selection & transform methods that speed up modeling, make it easier to judge the "flow" of a model, and make it easier to weight a skinned model to its bones. Artists usually preserve these polygons in their models as long as possible.
-−
-[[image:ridge_valley.gif]]
-−
-When a model is exported to a game engine, the polygons are all converted into triangles automatically. However different tools will create different triangle layouts within those polygons. A quad can end up either as a "ridge" or as a "valley" depending on how it's triangulated. Artists need to carefully examine a new model in the game engine to see if the triangle edges are turned the way they wish. If not, specific polygons can then be triangulated manually.
-−
-When using a [[NormalMap]] some tools may require an artist to convert the model into all triangles before baking. If the triangles are flipped differently when the model is exported than they were when the normal map was baked, this can cause the final normal-mapped lighting to zig-zag across the model. Triangulating before baking will solve this.
-−
-== Triangle Count vs. Vertex Count ==
-Vertex count is ultimately more important for performance and memory than the triangle count, but for historical reasons artists more commonly use triangle count as a performance measurement.
-−
-On the most basic level, the triangle count and the vertex count can be similar if the all the triangles are connected to one another. 1 triangle uses 3 vertices, 2 triangles use 4 vertices, 3 triangles use 5 vertices, 4 triangles use 6 vertices and so on.
-−
-However, seams in UVs, changes to shading/smoothing groups, and material changes from triangle to triangle... are all treated as a physical break in the model's surface, when the model is rendered by the game. The vertices must be duplicated at these breaks, so the model can be sent in renderable chunks to the graphics card.
-−
-Overuse of smoothing groups, over-splittage of UVs, too many material assignments (and too much misalignment of these three properties), all of these lead to a much larger vertex count. This can stress the transform stages for the model, slowing performance. It can also increase the memory cost for the mesh because there are more vertices to send and store.
-−
-=== Tools for Counting Vertices ===
-Because vertices are duplicated for in-game rendering, most 3D modeling tools don't give you the correct vertex count. They only count mesh vertices.
-−
-However, artists shouldn't worry too much about calculating exact vertex counts, simply go for common sense and don't be wasteful.
-−
-* [http://www.jhaywood.com/ James "FatAssasin" Haywood] wrote a [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/files/HaywoodTools-UberVertCount.mcr MAXScript for 3ds Max] that calculates the eventual in-game vertex count.
-* [http://www.ldaustinart.com/paul/ Paul "MoP" Greveson] wrote a [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=934301#post934301 mel script for Maya] that calculates the eventual in-game vertex count. Perhaps he'll be able to share it at some point. :)
-−
-== Typical Triangle Counts ==
-The typical triangle count for a game mesh depends on many factors, see "[http://www.rsart.co.uk/2006/11/20/how-many-polygons-in-a-piece-of-string/ How many polygons in a piece of string?]" by [http://www.rsart.co.uk Rick Stirling]. Here are some examples, but the best bet is to ask your Lead Artist or Lead Programmer what should be used for each asset:
-−
-* [http://www.rsart.co.uk/2007/08/27/yes-but-how-many-polygons/ Yes, but how many polygons?] by [http://www.rsart.co.uk Rick Stirling]. Triangle counts & texture sizes used in some of the popular console and PC games.
-* [http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43975 Yes, but how many polygons? (Beyond3D Forum)]. Even more specifics for console and PC games.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40563 Low Poly Hardware Specs] from the Polycount forum. Maximum triangles, texture specs, and rendering features for popular handheld and mobile hardware.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126662 Triangle counts for assets from various videogames] Polycount Forum thread.. Triangle counts for models in more than 130 games, in alphabetical order.
-−
-== Articles About Performance ==
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50588 Too much optimization (do polygon counts really matter?)] from the Polycount forum. Discussion about the diminishing returns of optimizing meshes for most games.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69183 # of sides on a barrel] from the Polycount forum. Discussion about how many sides to add to rounded meshes in a game.
-* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf1.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 1: Stop Hitting the Bottleneck] article by Guillaume Provost. Typical performance issues in game engines, and how the artwork affects them.
-* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 2: Maximizing Efficiency] article by Guillaume Provost. The article continues with tips on how to create efficient meshes.
-* [[Framerate Optimization Tips]] from [http://www.warbeast.de/ Soenke Christian 'warby' Seidel]. A rundown of the best methods for improving the framerate for your game art.
-−
-----
-[[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:Rendering]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 = Polygon Count =
@@ Line 5: / Line 4: @@
 The two common measurements of a game character's 'cost' are polygon count and vertex count. Polygon is interchangeable with triangle in these measurements, as GPUs only see vertices and triangles, not 4+ sided polygons. Depending on the use, a game character may stretch anywhere from 200-300 triangles, to 40,000+ triangles. A high-end third-person console or PC game may use many vertices or triangles per character, and an iOS tower defense game might use very few per character.
 == Polygons Vs. Triangles ==
 When a game artist talks about the poly count of a model, they really mean the triangle count. Games almost always use triangles not polygons because most modern graphic hardware is built to accelerate the rendering of triangles.
@@ Line 13: / Line 11: @@
 Polygons however do have a useful purpose in game development. A model made of mostly four-sided polygons (quads) will work well with edge-loop selection & transform methods that speed up modeling, make it easier to judge the "flow" of a model, and make it easier to weight a skinned model to its bones. Artists usually preserve these polygons in their models as long as possible.
-{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
+[[image:ridge_valley.gif]]
-|-
-|}
 When a model is exported to a game engine, the polygons are all converted into triangles automatically. However different tools will create different triangle layouts within those polygons. A quad can end up either as a "ridge" or as a "valley" depending on how it's triangulated. Artists need to carefully examine a new model in the game engine to see if the triangle edges are turned the way they wish. If not, specific polygons can then be triangulated manually.
@@ Line 21: / Line 17: @@
 When using a [[NormalMap]] some tools may require an artist to convert the model into all triangles before baking. If the triangles are flipped differently when the model is exported than they were when the normal map was baked, this can cause the final normal-mapped lighting to zig-zag across the model. Triangulating before baking will solve this.
 == Triangle Count vs. Vertex Count ==
 Vertex count is ultimately more important for performance and memory than the triangle count, but for historical reasons artists more commonly use triangle count as a performance measurement.
@@ Line 31: / Line 26: @@
 Overuse of smoothing groups, over-splittage of UVs, too many material assignments (and too much misalignment of these three properties), all of these lead to a much larger vertex count. This can stress the transform stages for the model, slowing performance. It can also increase the memory cost for the mesh because there are more vertices to send and store.
 === Tools for Counting Vertices ===
 Because vertices are duplicated for in-game rendering, most 3D modeling tools don't give you the correct vertex count. They only count mesh vertices.
@@ Line 40: / Line 34: @@
 * [http://www.ldaustinart.com/paul/ Paul "MoP" Greveson] wrote a [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=934301#post934301 mel script for Maya] that calculates the eventual in-game vertex count. Perhaps he'll be able to share it at some point. :)
 == Typical Triangle Counts ==
 The typical triangle count for a game mesh depends on many factors, see "[http://www.rsart.co.uk/2006/11/20/how-many-polygons-in-a-piece-of-string/ How many polygons in a piece of string?]" by [http://www.rsart.co.uk Rick Stirling]. Here are some examples, but the best bet is to ask your Lead Artist or Lead Programmer what should be used for each asset:
-* [http://www.rsart.co.uk/2007/08/27/yes-but-how-many-polygons/ Yes, but how many polygons?] by [http://www.rsart.co.uk Rick Stirling]<<BR>>Triangle counts & texture sizes used in some of the popular console and PC games.
+* [http://www.rsart.co.uk/2007/08/27/yes-but-how-many-polygons/ Yes, but how many polygons?] by [http://www.rsart.co.uk Rick Stirling]. Triangle counts & texture sizes used in some of the popular console and PC games.
-* [http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43975 Yes, but how many polygons? (Beyond3D Forum)]<<BR>>Even more specifics for console and PC games.
+* [http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43975 Yes, but how many polygons? (Beyond3D Forum)]. Even more specifics for console and PC games.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40563 Low Poly Hardware Specs] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Maximum triangles, texture specs, and rendering features for popular handheld and mobile hardware.
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40563 Low Poly Hardware Specs] from the Polycount forum. Maximum triangles, texture specs, and rendering features for popular handheld and mobile hardware.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126662 Triangle counts for assets from various videogames] Polycount Forum thread.<<BR>>Triangle counts for models in more than 130 games, in alphabetical order.
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126662 Triangle counts for assets from various videogames] Polycount Forum thread.. Triangle counts for models in more than 130 games, in alphabetical order.
 == Articles About Performance ==
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50588 Too much optimization (do polygon counts really matter?)] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Discussion about the diminishing returns of optimizing meshes for most games.
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50588 Too much optimization (do polygon counts really matter?)] from the Polycount forum. Discussion about the diminishing returns of optimizing meshes for most games.
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69183 # of sides on a barrel] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Discussion about how many sides to add to rounded meshes in a game.
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69183 # of sides on a barrel] from the Polycount forum. Discussion about how many sides to add to rounded meshes in a game.
-* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf1.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 1: Stop Hitting the Bottleneck] article by Guillaume Provost<<BR>>Typical performance issues in game engines, and how the artwork affects them.
+* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf1.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 1: Stop Hitting the Bottleneck] article by Guillaume Provost. Typical performance issues in game engines, and how the artwork affects them.
-* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 2: Maximizing Efficiency] article by Guillaume Provost<<BR>>The article continues with tips on how to create efficient meshes.
+* [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 2: Maximizing Efficiency] article by Guillaume Provost. The article continues with tips on how to create efficient meshes.
-* [[Framerate Optimization Tips]] from [http://www.warbeast.de/ Soenke Christian 'warby' Seidel]<<BR>>A rundown of the best methods for improving the framerate for your game art.
+* [[Framerate Optimization Tips]] from [http://www.warbeast.de/ Soenke Christian 'warby' Seidel]. A rundown of the best methods for improving the framerate for your game art.
 ----
 [[Category:CharacterModeling]] [[Category:EnvironmentModeling]] [[Category:Rendering]]

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 * [http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43975 Yes, but how many polygons? (Beyond3D Forum)]<<BR>>Even more specifics for console and PC games.
 * [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40563 Low Poly Hardware Specs] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Maximum triangles, texture specs, and rendering features for popular handheld and mobile hardware.
 <span id="AAP"></span><<Anchor([[ArticlesAboutPerformance]])>>

@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 <span id="AAP"></span><<Anchor([[ArticlesAboutPerformance]])>>
 == Articles About Performance ==
-* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505888 Too much optimization (do polygon counts really matter?)] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Discussion about the diminishing returns of optimizing meshes for most games.
+* [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50588 Too much optimization (do polygon counts really matter?)] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Discussion about the diminishing returns of optimizing meshes for most games.
 * [http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69183 # of sides on a barrel] from the Polycount forum<<BR>>Discussion about how many sides to add to rounded meshes in a game.
 * [http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf1.html Beautiful, Yet Friendly Part 1: Stop Hitting the Bottleneck] article by Guillaume Provost<<BR>>Typical performance issues in game engines, and how the artwork affects them.

← Older revision	Revision as of 08:45, 29 July 2014
(No difference)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:06, 3 July 2012
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	= Polygon Count =		= Polygon Count =

		+
		+	The two common measurements of a game character's 'cost' are polygon count and vertex count. Polygon is interchangeable with triangle in these measurements, as GPUs only see vertices and triangles, not 4+ sided polygons. Depending on the use, a game character may stretch anywhere from 200-300 triangles, to 40,000+ triangles. A high-end third-person console or PC game may use many vertices or triangles per character, and an iOS tower defense game might use very few per character.

	<span id="PVT"></span><<Anchor([[PolygonsVsTriangles]])>>		<span id="PVT"></span><<Anchor([[PolygonsVsTriangles]])>>