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AudiTT · Low Polygon Photomodel

Low polygon content is not only useful for interactive mediums such as games, it can also be used to produce photo-realistic renderings more efficiently. For example, when creating an animation of an architectural design, it's typically desirable to add vehicle models. These make the rendering more believable and attractive, convey a sense of relative scale, and help indicate function.

Unfortunately, standard 3D car models tend to be highly detailed, and are very demanding of computer resources. In a finished building scene, entourage elements such as cars, people, and vegetation can make up 85% or more of the geometric detail. This dramatically increases the time and computing power necessary to create 3D renderings, and requires much more of the user's time to manage. Worse still, because the focus is (or should be) on the building, all the extra detail in the entourage elements is wasted.

One solution is to use low polygon versions, which combine a low detail wireframe mesh with one or more image "skins" to simulate material color, reflectivity, transparency, and lighting. The result is a fast, efficient model that still looks believable up close, less project overhead, and faster rendering times.