I’m 3D modelling for a game in-development and everything I make appears to be really huge in terms of polygon count. Is there software or a method to scale all of this, and how much will this impact performance on lower-end devices? One of the main components of the game’s art is a low-detail map with high-detail models, so how would it run on an average laptop with a simple map?
There is a method (i think its called retopology) where you bake a heightmap with your current topology and make a lower polygon model, slapping the heightmap of to it. This creates an illusion of height and depth and look as if more polygons were implemented. I don’t know how it can be done in your software but the steps should be simple.
Bake a heightmap for your higher poly model
Create a lower poly version
Apply heightmap with any extra textures
4 Bake all models together.
Common issue I see: for game assets, repetition is key. Rather than extruding or cutting a face to create new faces, add a new cube and delete the face that is never shown. Being smart about what faces will be visible and when to create a new object rather than extruding is key to keeping poly count low. For example, if you had separated that logo from the phone and kept the back as a rounded ngon, the triangle count would drop dramatically.
