Layering Clothing in Unity?

So this question came up in an early dev meeting, and we are new to using Unity (loving it btw) so I thought I'd pose it here.

We are building an online game that will have characters around the 3.5k poly range max. We want to be able to let them layer clothing, for example.



See how the guy on the right has 3 shirts layered. A black shirt, then a white shirt, then the top layer of the red shirt.

Typically in online games all gear/clothing is it's own model (or this is what I understand), would this be the best way to do it in Unity? Keep in mind as well that we want to let players choose any color combo they want, so just doing texture changes would probably not be the best option...

Does Unity render Triangles that are out of the field of view?

Would this bog down the game if all the characters on screen opted to wear the 3 items layered like this?

Again keep in mind the poly count, even with all the layers, WILL NEVER GO ABOVE 3.5k

Thanks a ton in advance everyone.

Awesome engine, and awesome community, look forward to making our contributions.

Cheers,

Ben

 

Ugh, what horrible fashion sense. Please don't let anyone dress that way, even in a game.

But to answer your question, you might be better off doing some mesh combining. I can't really help you with the details of it, but you can basically piece together different models to create on animatable character.

http://unity3d.com/support/resources/example-projects/charactercustomization.html

This example does something similar, but not as radical. you'd probably need to expland further. But i'd suggest looking here since it may be a good way to get it done.

 

Thanks for the response, will share the link with the coders and art team. As for the fashion sense, each to his/her own :: )

Can't hate on people for doing what the feel good doing hah

 

I have no problem hating on that. If you wear pants like that, you can't run. And if you can't run, you very well could end up dying when you need to run. You could also trip on stairs, and again, die. Same issue with high heeled shoes. If you wear high-heeled shoes, I won't be friends with you. I can't respect somebody who doesn't respect their own health.

 

Lol,

So on a serious note guys, if you have to hate, you should at least provide one insightful piece on info.

Granted I am finding these posts amusing as I have had a few brews, but I could def use advice on this.

Cheers and a beer to all who contribute.

 

Welcome to Unity Forum, where we speak our minds, dudes! Can't hate on that!

Really, I can see that look on game characters more than on real people. But hey, life is short. Shorter if you fall down stairs.

But let help you (you may know all this, bear with me). You will have to model your characters in another application. I use Cheetah3D for the Mac, because it is easy and cheap as these programs go. There is a series of tutorials about modeling cloth that you should watch even if you are using a different 3D modeling program. It starts here:

http://www.sharecg.com/v/4058/video-tutorial/Polygon-Modeling-Cloth:-Part-1

By the end, the one that shows modeling a dress with convincing "droop" to it may help.

As far as layering it and making it move with the character - when you have figured that out, come back and let us know how you did it.

EDIT: Here's the Cheetah forum post with all the links:

http://www.cheetah3d.de/forum/showthread.php?t=1765&highlight=cloth

 

When a bozo the clown outfit is more appealing fashion wise, something is seriously wrong. However, you can monetize it through micro-transactions enabling the purchase of a belt to hold up their pants.

As for your question. There is no point in having three meshes being drawn every frame if you are only going to see the outer layer and an inch of another.

Solve the problem with art. Have your artist create separate sets of outfits, that give the appearance of a layered outfit. Such as in the photo of the two morons, a red shirt with a white stripe at the bottom.

Then as Ramen suggested, use the character customization project to switch between outfits.

 

Hehe!
I wasn´t going to say anything but i think that when comes the time that you post something on a computer related forum and everyone says "hey, that´s weird" and you end up being called a nerd, well i think that´s time to stop.

Jokes aside, i agree with Quietus, this could be easily solved by getting your artist to create different sets of pants, shoes, shirts and funny hats. You could also use the materials to change the colors from shirts and stuff like that but personally i think texture sets gives much more character, details and color variation for your models.

 

OMG I just died laughing!