FMP: Assets 1

Here's a quick asset list for my project

I want nice looking assets, but I also want to be quite efficient.  I have been looking at the UDK sample assets to use as a quality comparison.  I have been using a checking script called ubervert to help also.

One simple way to to increase frame rates is to use less texture space.  Instead of having a diffuse, specular, normal, blending map and the like for each asset I am stream lining these.

Standard maps for me will only be the diffuse and normal maps.  I can maybe get away with halfing the normal map size also (which I think UDK does automatically with it's normal compression).  So if I have a 1024px diffuse I will have a 512px normal map (imported at 1024?).  With Targas you can imbed another channel in the alpha.  I will be doing this, so the diffuse will contain a blending mask within its alpha... This mask will be unique for each material and will normally consist of a height map and cavity map to blend stuff into the crack and deeper parts.

Creating a master material and then instances seems to save loads of space within the package - Which I will assume translates into frame rate also.  Either way it is best to keep the package below 300MB, which I will aim to do.  Combining materials with vertex paint and overlaying also save on space - this also creates more depth and detail to a material without this.

As for the tri counts - it doesn't really matter! As long as it works and isn't redicoulous.  It is worth using much more than I have become accustomed to with previous projects.  The new and last gen game systems can all handle a lot of polys on screen and the scope of my level is limited.

I will be using LoDs also.  I have never done this before properly and will most likely use the auto function in UDK, apart from with foliage.  I will also do this for most of the collisions as it works pretty well.  There may be instances where collision detail is required and will manually create as needed.

I'm going to try and make assets as I go along.

My first boulder - I plan on having several re-usable rocks and such

I enjoyed making this statue, managed it in a day which is encouraging.  I'll worry about the material seperately.

I have learned a pretty efficient way of creating stone n rocks n bricks n blocks

The aquaduct is next on my list - I wanna make big blocks that I can make an aqueduct, and other items with more definition too.  With being a ruined temple it makes sense to make loose blocks first.  These can be used to build multiple things in 3DS Max and & UDK and I can easily replicate destruction.