Low Poly 3D Models Question submitted by (27 July 1999) | Return to The Archives

| i usually created hi-poly obj's in lightwave... now i tried some lo-poly ones by drawing point for point and the makin a poly out of them...but as soon as i got more then 5 polys i have absolutly no idea wich point belongs to wich poly all you see are lines and points and a very strange model in the prev.screen. So how are those quake-like models made ? is there a trick or somthing ? |

|  | Different artists have their own methods for generating low-poly models. And those artists may, themselves, use different methods based on the editor that they are using. One popular method (and the one that I use) is to start with a primitive 3d object (like a cube) and extrude the heck out of it.
By grabbing two opposite faces and extruding several times, you will add rough upper and lower arm segments and palms. Split the lower face of the torso (the original cube) and extrude several times to create thighs, shins, and feet.
This rough shape will need to be tweaked by scaling and moving selected vertices. When you're done, you'll have your low-poly warrior. (Skins make all the difference. 8-)
When you're ready to render your box art or cut scene, you can just smooth this model and bring him into your character animation software (Hash, Poser, Character Studio, ...) to place him into menacing poses.
This isn't the only way to create models. You really need to become familiar with your modeler and try to find other users who share your interest. I'm a big fan of dejanews and webring. They should prove to be very useful in your search for answers and contacts.

Response provided by Joseph Hall

This article was originally an entry in flipCode's Fountain of Knowledge, an open Question and Answer column that no longer exists.

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