Normal maps vs. High poly

Questions & Answers
1

Hi,

Just curious. At what point is a normal map a better option than a high poly model?

I am working on a mobile game and I currently have a rectangular object that I am using repeatedly and I applied a normal map to it and it looks great, but I was wondering in comparison, how much more costly would a high poly model be?? I am currently making another object that requires a bit more detail and I want to know, at what point the high poly count outweighs the cost of a normal map…?? Or is a normal map/bump map almost always more efficient?

2

Using normal maps are much better as far as you get it done with the lowest geometry possible. Remember, more geometry you save, more stuff you can make in the overall world itself. Very good example is a mobile zombie shooting game called “dead trigger” (if i remember corectly), this is just a great example at how high detailed the models can look at such low geometry.