Polygon count for props and level assets

From what I understand, 3d character modeling should have a nice low count anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000. But what about the other things that fill your game. Walls, tables, books, buildings, ect. Do you want to keep that count the same as a character or is there another standard?

Well, you don’t want to waste polys, but static level geometry has a lot less impact than animated geometry since it’s just sent to the video card as is, whereas animated characters take a double hit. First all the verts have to be re-positioned based on the bone movement, then the new geometry is sent to the card.

You usually have a lot more static geometry than you do animated characters though, so the polys can add up. That’s where a good occlusion culling system (like 3.5 is supposed to have) comes in really handy and lets you do a lot more.

Excellent, exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks!