-= Gametoast.com =-

It has been quite a while since I've logged on to post, mainly because I've been busy with other stuff. I like the new site design, very nice.

Anyway, on topic, I've been working with gmax for a couple months now trying to rebuild one of my old swbf1 levels so I can export to XSI and then to swbf2. I just finished a couple days ago, with a high poly count of 65,000 polys. Getting it to XSI won't be a problem, but i'm concerned how I should divide up the level to get efficient portaling.

http://img525.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... delis4.jpg

Just and example of what kind of divisions I'll have to make(dynamic shapes and structures). I've heard a few estimates from other modelers, and I've heard roughly 6-30 divisions. I would like a few more opinions, so does anyone have any warnings or advice before I start chopping this thing up?

The only things I can suggest are:

If possible have an overlap piece on walls that way the seam isn't as noticeable. Floors and ceilings, unless they have super fancy wall joining bits, are good things to make separate meshes with that way you can also hide them in ZE it makes placing things within buildings easier. Other things you may already know but I shall say them anyway.
Always work from your fully textured base model deleting the bits you don't want and saving the result as a new scene and never move any of the resultant models keeping the original null that way you can just set the ZE location point the same for all smaller meshes and all the bits will line up as they we originally.


Anyway that's my suggestions and what I try to do.