Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Modeling a Simple Low-Poly Character
Before you can do anything interesting with the game engine itself, you need something for the game engine
logictoacton.Inthissection,you'llcreateacharacter fromscratchthatwilleventually becometheprotagonist
in a simple game example.
There are several ways in which this character, as simple as it is, will represent the goals of modeling for the
game engine. For one thing, the character will be created with a minimum of polygons and vertices. The char-
acter'sfaceanddistinguishingcharacteristicswillbeaccomplishedwithUVtexturesratherthanhighlydetailed
mesh models. This is a fundamental requirement for 3D assets that are intended for use in real time. No matter
how much power and speed you have available, there are always better ways to use resources than to add unne-
cessarydetailtothemeshgeometry.Ontheotherhand,theSubsurfmodifierisnotavailableinthegameengine,
which means that the mesh's smoothness in the game environment depends on the real geometry of the mesh.
A balance must be struck in which your model has enough polygons to look nice from the necessary angles but
does not have an excess of vertices to weigh it down in real time. To build the simple character mesh, follow
these steps:
1.
Begin withthedefault cube.Pressthe1keyonthenumberpadtogetintoFrontview.EnterEditmode
bypressingtheTabkey,andmakesurethattheentiremeshisselected (ifit'snotalready)bypressingthe
A key. Press the W key to bring up the Specials menu and select Subdivide Smooth, as shown in
Figure
