STEP 28 OF 67 · YOU ARE THE TECHNICAL ARTIST
Make it game-ready
Check topology (how the polygons flow) around elbows, knees, shoulders and the face, and rebuild messy areas. Export lower-detail versions (LODs) for distance.
How to do it
- Inspect topology at joints and the face.
- Retopologize dense or messy areas.
- Create LODs.
How AI speeds this up
Unreal and Character Creator can generate LODs automatically; Duke tells you which ones to check by hand.
Example from a sample game
Ashfall: cloak reduced from 90k to 18k polygons, 4 LODs.
Before you move on
In Duke Forger, this step's gate checks:
- You confirm itJoints and face have clean topology
- You confirm itLODs exist for distance
Words to know
- Topology
- How a model's polygons are arranged. Good topology bends cleanly at joints.
- Retopology
- Rebuilding a model's polygon layout so it is lighter and bends cleanly.
- LOD
- Level of detail: simpler versions of a model used when it is far away, so the game runs faster.
Do step 28 on your own game
Start freeIncluded in Creator, Academy and Studio. Duke drafts it with you and checks it before step 29 opens.