look at those Polys 0.0

[HagNasty]

I would like to start a small discussion about what some of your favorite in game 3d graphics are. Everyone can love cut-scenes but you don't see them too much. (with the exception of some games like the xenosaga series )

So without any further a-due. What games host your favorite graphics and why. The goal of this thread is to have people thinking what makes a good model by looking at good models and seeing why they are good.

[iddqd]

I would say Shadow of the Colossus on this one. Every model that was in that game goes under the category of epic imho. It had gave a real sense of art through its models and rendering effects.

Let's not forget about the 2D art, though, fellas! Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth had outstanding character art and animations. I also enjoy how Odin Sphere utilizes jointed animations to show some really crisp effects.

[HagNasty]

Actually that is true. 2D games can look very good because they are based off os flat images and solid textures. As a result all you have to do is draw pictures and we know there are many people capable of photo-real images.

3D on the other hand is warping that photo-real image around polygons. This can be very dificult at times depending on the geometry.

Of the games I have seen comming up I think Assisins creeed By UBISOFT is one of the most impressive and look forward to playing it. The characters and animations look almost real thanks to realistics physics and automated animations. Also it is being presented in trailers as though it where a movie and it can be hard to tell that it is not at times.

[ronnoc10]

This topic was started with an error in thinking.


Wind Waker. I'm gonna say it's not so much the 'Polys 0.0'

Also, I have to agree with you on AC. Most of Ubisoft M's work has really good graphics, but they tend to use low-ploy models. How do they pull it off? Animation. PoP had a unprecedented number of animations (720) and still looks awsome. AC's main character has over 3,000 animations and is draw dropingly awsome.

[HagNasty]

Don't take this as a attack on 2D games. I love them, but I just wanted to encourege discussion. Animation is key as well but with Ubisoft they use many different techniques to generate those animations. the new torque engine allows it to make a character put it's arm and lean against nearby objects. This automates the animations creation yet is counted to the animation count. Also when you rig a character you rig each part so that you can transfer animations to each part of the character independently.

And example of this would be a character in a run cycle. 1 animation
then keep that run cycle but change the left arm to a swing animation, 2 animations. Now keep that run and swing animation and make the right arm swing as well 3 animations. Now turn off the left arms swing and you have a 4th animation.

All these animations are combined to give a huge number but in reality there are only a few. There is still alot of animations but 3,000+ is getting your hopes up. It is 3,000 total not 3,000 independent animations. The process is simple but by merging a full body run cycle and a full body attack cycle you can generate 5 or 6 animations when you really only have 2.

[ronnoc10]

Way to just roll over what I said.

All these animations are combined to give a huge number but in reality there are only a few. There is still alot of animations but 3,000+ is getting your hopes up. It is 3,000 total not 3,000 independent animations. The process is simple but by merging a full body run cycle and a full body attack cycle you can generate 5 or 6 animations when you really only have 2.

And that looks good! However the number is reached, it looks good. The big numbers that Ubi racks up is not as you said anyways. Ubisoft has an incredible amount of transistonal animations. The prince transistions from a wall run to a attack and from a attack to walking, that's why the games look good, not the poly count.