anyone know a good free polygon reducer?

Hi all, I've been playing alot with normal mapping....
I'm hoping to use them in an engine I'm working on... I WAS using milkshape for polygon reduction... but it seems to have problems with really high polygon models...
SO does anyone know any good polygon reduction tools that are free?
I tried to download "progmesh", but none of the links work anymore... the site does... just not the progmesh links...
:(

There are lots of expensive tools. I remember I tried to find something good for free once upon a time and gave up after some time. they may reduce to some degree, but you still end with 4 to 10 times more Tris than what would be possible if the mesh was modeled manually by a lowpoly specialist - with the same visual quality!

Anyway, did you try the Polygon Reduction Code in the COde Archives?

Hi all,

How about "VIZup"?

Sammy

Most of them only seem to work well on very high poly models and reduce well down to medium high poly counts. Something like this: 200,000 polys to 20,000 polys. Still not much use for games.

One of the best (not free but cheap) tools for manual reduction is Silos topology brush.

Sammy - VIZup ist still 399$

It has free version! (VRML)

Beaker's advice with the topology brush is very good.

Silo is also an excellent modeller and incredibly cheap. You could do worse than learn to model in your free time. It isn't really talent, it's about 90% skill. The talent comes when you design.

>>It has free version! (VRML)
Oh, didn't know that, thanks!

the vizup free version allways worked great for me.(was free, became comercial only, got free again)

there are a bunch of ways to freely convert an vrml file.

Hi Bob3d,

Do you mean that we can convert vrml to other formats with some freeware? What are they? I really want to know!

Thanks in advance.
Sammy

many 3d packages can directly import an vrml file...I think max can (if not native, by free plugin(maxplugins.de ) ir script (www.scriptspot.com ))

besides, you have crossroads 3d, and also that beta versionof certain converter floating somewhere in the net, an old beta which gmax modders yet use, of 3d exploration 1.5.

crossroads page nto available, grab it here:
http://synapses.mcg.edu/tools/xroads/xroads.stm


I like a lot this non free 20$ one...Not limited in any way, is just not correct to use it after a 30 days period. Is not free, but one of the few allowing batch mode conversion.

really powerful and interesting, yet very cheap.
http://micromouse.ca/

And a real power in conversions and other means, is Deep Exploration, at righthemisphere.com .Just a bit pricy, like Okino's converters are too, anyway.

There are more ways to convert and vrml file, I just don't remember right now...


lol, was forgetting...Blender. Even natively, and very nice vrml 2.0 support by external plugins...Totally free, of course.

You can export from blender to 3ds, x or OBJ,(many more) via certain plugins found at elysiun forums, python & plugins section.


this guy has a tool to convert vrml to opengl c, curious:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Program/3830/