Page 1 of 2

Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:25 am
by JakesF14
Hi there,

What is the average polygon count for good quality models in FS9? and what is the max FS9 can handle?

Cheers,

Jakes

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:33 am
by Travis
Hi there,

What is the average polygon count for good quality models in FS9? and what is the max FS9 can handle?

Cheers,

Jakes


As I know it:

Theoretically, there isn't a limit to what FS9 can handle.  The usual is around 25k to 30k for decent aircraft, and 50k to 60k for detail.  However, there are aircraft that use upwards of 70k or 80k.

I tend to keep my models below 40k, since that seems to be a sort of upper limit for older systems with FS.

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:32 am
by JakesF14
Thank you, Coz the Cheetah D I am busy with is now about 25K without Landing gear and inside and VC  :-)

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:37 am
by BrandonF
[quote]Thank you, Coz the Cheetah D I am busy with is now about 25K without Landing gear and inside and VC

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:20 am
by garryrussell
Polygon count (or is it vertice) is limited to 64K then the model will not compile.

This is per model so a VC will have it's own poly count seperate to the exterior.

I had to remake the Superfreighter twice to get it under the compile limit and I still have to be careful now and there are things I would have liked to have in it but can't. :'(

Garry

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:45 am
by Travis
Polygon count (or is it vertice) is limited to 64K then the model will not compile.

This is per model so a VC will have it's own poly count seperate to the exterior.

I had to remake the Superfreighter twice to get it under the compile limit and I still have to be careful now and there are things I would have liked to have in it but can't. :'(

Garry


64k!  THAT'S what it is!  *snaps fingers and pops self in the head* ::)

But for FS9, the whole model must be under that limit, since it's one combined mesh.  Only FSX can utilize the two model system.

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:46 pm
by garryrussell
The VC is a seperate model for FS9 until it's compiled and the two become one during compiling.

Before that both can be just under 64K

My Superfreighter is just under the limit and won't compile if even slightly larger.

Th partial VC which is the wing views etc, is a load more polys but it compiles OK because it is a seperate model at that stage.

Garry

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:19 pm
by Travis
The VC is a seperate model for FS9 until it's compiled and the two become one during compiling.

Before that both can be just under 64K

My Superfreighter is just under the limit and won't compile if even slightly larger.

Th partial VC which is the wing views etc, is a load more polys but it compiles OK because it is a seperate model at that stage.

Garry


At what point do you merge them?  Before or after running MakeMDL out of Gmax?

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:00 am
by garryrussell
I use FSDS via  .X files

On MakeMDL the two models .x files are called in and then compiled which turns them into one.

I don't know how Gmax compiler works.

But the 64K limit applies to each model...not both (as a total)

In FSDS the exterior and the VC are seperate models each as it's own .fsc (Project). :)

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:16 pm
by Travis
Oh, I'm pretty sure you can do the same thing with Gmax, but I tend to leave them as a single file for the export process.

Understand: I don't work with them as one model, I merge them just before export.

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:10 pm
by garryrussell
In fsds you can call in another model on the current FSC and use the FSDS exporter but I use the .x file method.

I made a harbour crane in FSDS that busted the poly count too with only 27,000 vertices :o :-[ :'(.......and of course more than 67K on the poly count. ;D

Got a bit carried away with detail

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:42 am
by JakesF14
Thank you very much gentlemen! :-) It answered my questions in many ways! :-D SimV Rocks!

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:39 am
by Wing Nut
Actually, from what I understand, once you get past 65,000 poly's, the XtoMdl does kind of magic and another layer or something is created.

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 10:51 am
by garryrussell
Is that FS.X??

TBH I can't see how there are than many polygons in that model...that is polygons before compiling

Afterwards there will be many more

Re: Polygon count

PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 11:25 am
by Wing Nut
It is FSX.  It's been a lot more poly's in the past, plus you're not seeing the tops and bottoms of the wings.