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Use of Base Mesh in the Industry

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#1

Hey guys,
I currently work for medium sized game company and I have been researching some pipeline issues. This is a question for the molders that work on games.

Do you guys use like a stock male/female base mesh or do you always make a model from scratch? Is there version control? Do you have multiple ones with varying polycount or would that be a waste of time?

If so, does each of the modelers start with the same base-mesh or can they use one of their preference? If rigged by another person, how much are they involved in the creation?

Thanks guys!

#2

Hi, I’m not in the industry myself but I have seen a few vids and read a few articles about the subject (not directly about the subject, though, but it is mentioned). Basically, most houses often re-use previous meshes and other resources as it is necessary to work within a time frame. Kit bashing, a term where parts of one thing are used to create a new thing, is a practice commonly used in the industry. Why bother create fresh each time when you have perfectly good resources from previously?

Occasionally, new resources need to be created to fit changes in technology but old resources are used as much as possible when it can still be used.

I have the habit of always starting fresh but if I could just get into the habit of re-using old resources, I could probably work much quicker and more efficiently. Practical thinking is, I believe, a key factor of doing well in the industry.

I hope this helps a bit.

Cheers,
Paul