Can blender reduce poly count?

[Kenmurikumo]

I was funking around in blender and i was wondering if i could use blender to reduce or defractal (i think thats the right word) a render. my pc barely chugs along in the wilderness and almost dies in the towns. i was thinking that maybe i could chop the poly count and then it would maybe possibly run better...

 

If not, what program could slash the overall poly count?

[Kenmurikumo]

Ha, found the decimate function... is the there anything more... graceful?

[LHammonds]

Decimate is the only tool I know about for that purpose but as you have witnessed, it does not do well for what you are looking to accomplish.

 

I do not think there is a quick-fix for this.

 

For best performance and still have a passable model, you would probably need to re-create the object, creating a matching UV Map, downsize the texture and re-create the normal map. All of it being a fairly painful process.

 

There are some existing projects that optimize the current NIF files though. The Unofficial Oblivion Patch has some optimized NIFs and there are some others that create a batch process using the PyFFI utility to optimize almost all existing NIF files, regardless if they are from Bethesda or custom mods.

 

LHammonds

[Vagrant0]

It might also be worth noting that often, the problem is not poly count, but size and number of textures which are being used in these places, as well as the presence of other things, like shaders. Sometimes the answer can be as simple as just turning down graphics quality, turning off grasses, or changing npc view distances. But finding smaller textures, or using oldblivion can also help improve things further.

 

Choppyness can also be from a having insufficient RAM, or a processor which is not good enough. Without knowing your system specs, it cannot be known if any of these things will improve performance. I'm sure you'd like to avoid altering too many things if possible.

[thePhilanthropy]

There are already mods that can improve performance without significantly impacting the visual experience (it's hardly noticable, really).

 

Some mods that I found were great for this purpose are these:

 

Streamline

here

 

Wisemans reduced textures:

part 1

part 2

part 3

 

PolyGone

here

 

Operation Optimization

here

 

Only important if you have an onboard "Creative" sound-card (you know you have a problem when you mount a horse and the game gets choppy as hell):

Quiet Feet Max

here

 

Also, do a tag search for 'Performance Improver'.