HA7 - Task 6 Constraints

Task 6 – Constraints

Polygon Count & File Size

There are often some constraints which you can come across when working within a 3D environment. These include polygon count, file size and rendering time. There are two different ways in which you can measure an objects file size. These are the vertex count and the polygon count. Game characters can vary in size and are made up of a number of polygons. There can often be quite large numbers of polygons.

Most modern game engines and graphic hardware are built to render triangles. This is why most game artists use triangles when building games as oppose to polygons. Polygons within a modelling application usually differ in count than the triangle count. The triangle count is usually higher. Polygons with 4 sides usually work well during game making.

Rendering Time
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a 2d or 3d model. This process is done through computer programs. the scene file will contain certain objects which make up the scene. These include: lighting, texture, shading and viewpoint. These objects are information which forms a description of a virtual scene.

Real-time rendering
This is an interactive area of computer graphics. It enables the user to interact with a virtual environment by quickly creating synthetic images. Real time rendering is most commonly used in video games. The rate in which images are displayed is measured in frames per second.

Non real time rendering
Non real time rendering is much slower than real time. Rendering times can vary from a few days to a few seconds depending on the frame. Animations for non-interactive media which include fature films and video have a much slower rendering time.