Modeling for Curio

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This page contains some general considerations for how to build objects or scenes for Curio.


General Considerations

Scale

Curio's object scale works in meters, with our avatars being 1.8m tall. For the most part default settings in 3D programs will export 1:1 into Unity's units. If you want to doublecheck that the scale is correct, export a basic cube with no alterations from your 3D program and import it into Unity and compare it to a basic 3D Unity cube. If they are the same size, then your scale is correct.

Object Facing

If you are exporting an Object for your scene a good habit is to always build your objects so they face Z-Positive. This is especially important for things like chairs where an avatar will always sit in a chair facing Z-Positive.

Exporting Format

If you are exporting objects to be uploaded to the Object Mall you must export them as an OBJ, and make sure that the MTL file is present next to the OBJ, and that they are named the same. This is important for detecting how many materials an object will have.

Benefits of Modular Building

If you are building a Scene a good habit is to build your scene modularly. This means to build pillars, trims, panels, and windows so they can be easily snapped together in different configurations. This is a good habit because it reduces the amount of unique meshes and textures in the scene, which in turn saves memory. In addition to these benefits, it also helps with rendering because the modular pieces don't have to be rendered when off-camera or when occluded behind other objects.

Lightmap UVs

When building scenes an option good habit is to create secondary UV maps just for light baking. While this isn't necessary it can give you greater control over how the Global Illumination will bounce light around the scene, and prevent small, fragmented UV charts from bevels and small faces taking up space in your lightmap.