Should I split normals on my mesh in blender, before upload or let the viewer handle it?

[arisaie]

I think I read something about the uploader will increase vertex count /split normals on hard surfaces sharp edges?

 

Like a cube, it has 8 vertices, but when you go upload it. The vertice count will get bigger, presumably by the engine splitting the vertices .

 

1. Keep it like it comes from blender and let the uploader handle it.

 

2. Use split vertex normal modifier.

 

3. Set object to smooth, rip vertices on the same position to get rid of shading artifacts.

 

is any of these 3 the best way to go?

Asking because I exported some game models from and other game (to learn) and most of the models are set the shade smooth and it seems like each vertex point is actually 3 more in the same space. 

When I merge them I get a message that 700 vertices has been removed and it creates shading artifacts.

 

 

It's a game ready asset so I assume it's the correct way to do it?

I get a feeling that this is not very important but I'm curious.

Thanks!

 

 

 

[Wulfie Reanimator]

14 minutes ago, arisaie said:

It's a game ready asset so I assume it's the correct way to do it?

What you get when you rip a model from a game isn't necessarily how it was originally put in, since any game engine could do similar optimizations to the model (as SL) for display.

What you probably have is something that has already been optimized, which means it's probably not going to look right in SL due to different assumptions about the model.

 

When making your own models for SL, you generally don't need to pre-split edges. The uploader will make the necessary changes to keep your model looking like it should.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Wulfie Reanimator

[arisaie]

Thanks Wulfie.