Hello, Hope you all are well, I wish to attain a position as a character modeler and am currently building my portfolio from scratch. I had a few questions and could really use some good advice, Thanks for your ideas. 1. I wanted to include characters that meet the look of DOA4 etc. I was wondering what polycount you áll recommend to make characters like the In-Game models? 2. I was also wondering if anyone could recommend any sites or books that show good character parameterization? 3. In regards to the character’s deformations, that will occur once my characters are animated – I was wondering if anyone knew any good tutorials/discussions that address the placement of CVs/polygons for good deformations - particularly in the shoulders of characters? 4. I know that when rigging characters for games, the weights are always 100% on each the cvs/points. I was wondering if the xbox 360 and PS3 will support 50/50 weighting on cvs ? (Even if it is possible, should I create with the 50/50 in mind?) 5. When I view many ‘fighting’ style games much of their clothing has many tassels that react well to motion, (thing like capes, long skirts – even long hair) is this something I should attempt to re-create for show, or is that something left to programmers? 6. How much of my work do you believe should I embellish with techniques such as bump mapping, normal mapping, etc (any others please mention) Lastly, I am aware of the post entitled “Is this too many polys?”(http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=79902&whichpage=1񡨢) But since it was addressed back in 2000 I needed information for these next console hopes. Thanks again

Since I'm currently working on a next-gen demo, and I've spoken with several professional game artists about next-gen graphics, I'll try to answer you as best as possible.

>>1. I wanted to include characters that meet the look of DOA4 etc.
I was wondering what polycount you áll recommend to make characters like the In-Game models?
>>For fighting games, with only a handful of characters onscreen at a time, I would say you could go up to 5000 polygons. Its generally not neccessary to go much higher, because anything over 3500 becomes better to save power than the better looks you gain. The most important thing though, and I can't stress this enough, is that your models are well-done, completely efficient, and every single vertex and face is properly placed.

>>2. I was also wondering if anyone could recommend any sites or books that show good character parameterization?
>>The best way to learn this is by looking at game character models yourself (this answer applies to #1 as well). You will just get a feel of how many edge loops you need on deformable areas. What I usually use are 3 for each knee and elbow, 2 for the wrist/ankle, and the shoulder/hip area depends on what else the character is wearing.

>>3. In regards to the character’s deformations, that will occur once my characters are animated – I was wondering if anyone knew any good tutorials/discussions that address the placement of CVs/polygons for good deformations - particularly in the shoulders of characters?
>>Again, its just something you learn, especially when you have to start rigging/animating your characters.

>>4. I know that when rigging characters for games, the weights are always 100% on each the cvs/points. I was wondering if the xbox 360 and PS3 will support 50/50 weighting on cvs ? (Even if it is possible, should I create with the 50/50 in mind?)
>>Errr, well before next-gen supports multiple-bone vertex weighting. Both Unreal2 and Unreal3 engines support 4 bones-influence per vertex. Only some games that require very simple 3d characters (such as RTS) normally have this 100% vertex weight requirement. Once you get upwards of 1000 polygons, it looks very strange to have such severe deformation.

>>5. When I view many ‘fighting’ style games much of their clothing has many tassels that react well to motion, (thing like capes, long skirts – even long hair) is this something I should attempt to re-create for show, or is that something left to programmers?
>>It depends on the game. Things like hair and capes are usually done with bones, like the normal part of the model. Loose clothing/cloaks, that have to respond and deform unpredictably, dynamically, or in a tremendous range of motion, are best left to physics/cloth simulation.

>>6. How much of my work do you believe should I embellish with techniques such as bump mapping, normal mapping, etc (any others please mention)
>>ALL OF IT! Normal mapping is not an 'embellishment.' It is part of the modeller's job for the game industry. You also will almost always be required to know how to paint texture maps. If you want to do next-gen work, you must have next-gen skills. That is no easy task.

>>Lastly, I am aware of the post entitled “Is this too many polys?”(http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=79902&whichpage=1񡨢)
But since it was addressed back in 2000 I needed information for these next console hopes.
>>Very often people don't actually know what they are talking about (including myself, sometimes, though I will always admit when I'm wrong). Some of the information in that thread is correct, some is wrong. Generally, the lower the estimate, the closer to correct it is. The best way to find out, though, is to check similar games yourself.

Just a final word about next-gen character modelling. It is not for the light hearted. This is the creme-de-la-creme of modellers. You have to be able to show you are able to do it all- hi-res model, lo-res model, normal map, diffuse map, specular map, perfect rigging, and some animating (or at least showing your rigging in action). Until you can do all these things, its unlikely you'll work for a next-gen company. My suggestion is make a character, get it critiqued by the most talented person you know, keep reworking it for a month, then throw it away, do a new character, and repeat until the person doesn't have anything bad to say about the model. A talented artist recruiter will find that single misplaced vertex on the inside of a helmet without fail, take that as an indication of the rest of the model, and then pour over the rest of the model and scrutinize every little detail... trust me, I know. Its very unforgiving. The most important thing is to keep practicing, even when you think your work is good enough.
Also note that it normally takes 3-4 weeks to totally complete a character. That could be alot, or a little, time, depending on the character and who you are. I've done simpler characters/nudes in 3 days.

If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask. And show me any work if you'd like a crit until you feel ready to show it at cgtalk.com.

From the Source WIKI:

HL2 Polycounts:

Soldiers: 4682

Police: 3852

Resistance: 4976

Zombie: 4290

Helicopter: 6415

Strider: 6444

Alyx: 8323

Thanks very much Professor420

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