Questions about optimizing 3D models for GTA V export

[georgeslawrence]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on some car modding projects for GTA V using ZModeler3, and I'm facing a few issues related to 3D model optimization. Specifically:

After exporting the .yft file, I noticed the file size is quite large, even though the model isn’t very complex.

There’s a slight drop in FPS in-game when looking at the car I’ve modded.

Some parts of the model still seem to cause minor lag in-game, even after merging them.

I have a few questions and would really appreciate any help:

What are the most important steps to optimize a model before exporting?

Should I use LODs for every car mod, or only for highly detailed models?

Are there any plugins or tools you usually use alongside ZModeler3 for model optimization?

Looking forward to learning from your experiences. Thanks in advance!

[Oleg]

ZModeler is not a good choice for model optimization. If possible, model should be optimized in other packages and perfectly as a part of model creation workflow. If you have downloaded a model from some stock, you should pay attention to model's poly- and vertices count at the beginning. The game should not be pushed to the limit with high-detailed models, especially the Enhanced version can suffer a bad performance on way too high-detailed models.

In general, the only relyable poly/vertices reducing operation you can carry on in ZModeler is deleting unnecessary details and parts that are barely seen in game. In particular, interior details and under-the-hood stuff.