So, it's been a while, feel like I should write something, even if no one reads it.

First of all, LODs are done. Long time ago. The interior LOD model has long been completed, as well as lowpoly LOD.

The numbers:

LOD0 ~201900 triangles / ~159500 vertices

LOD1 ~27800 triangles / ~28300 vertices

LOD2 ~2670 triangles / ~2700 vertices

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LOD0 is heavy because of extras (some clutter bags in the trunk and some other stuff) and also because of new front grille. Old was not suit me at all, especially after I saw some Tahoes IRL at arm's length. So I tried to model a new one, but it was kinda tricky because all the curves and I asked Trall to help me with it and he modeled a new one (polycount was about the same as mine). It is heavy. I know that, I don't care. It looks awesome and serves the purpose.

LOD1 is much lighter, obviously, and transition is not really visible in game, so I'm pretty happy about it.

LOD2 is LOD2, there is not much to talk about, it exists, it's baked, it works.

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So civil version is done. More than a year ago, I guess. But it wont be released until police versions is done. And this is a looot of work.

There is too much stuff to do. Plus I want to do several different versions. They all require different equipment. Some models are ready to use almost immediately and require amost no edits, while others (most of it) require a complete redone, essentially starting from scratch. And some models truly do need to be built from scratch.

This all takes hella lot of time and even more nerves. Most of the time I was slacking off and doing nothing, constantly procrastinating. But sometimes I would return to the project and slowly continue working. Bit by bit I've managed to finish I'd say a half of needed equipment, but this was the hardest part of it, the rest must be easier.

But the longer I work on the police versions, the more I realize that the model won't be adapted for GTA 4. And it's not even that the model has a lot of polygons, it's that there are a lot, a lot of textures here. Most likely, the model will kill the game quite quickly, causing problems with texture streaming, etc.

So, I've crossed a moral threshold and just want to make a killer model. It'll be some kind of magnum opus of mine.

This model would look more realistic in GTA 5, because GTA 5 is much more optimized game, but I don't really want to see it there. For my own reasons. Plus, I've never modded GTA 5 and don't plan to. I don't like the game and I'm not interested in learning understanding how everything works there.

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Returning to the police versions, the Federal Signal equipment is done. The models are finished, the mapping is done, the textures and baking are done, the LODs are done.

Other versions will share almost every main equipment such as console, partitions, gun rack, equipment storage, dome light, pushbar, wheel, antennas. As I said -- the hard part is done, now I need to gather togerher the "bright things" :) I want to make not only Federal Signal version (basically NYPD), but also Whelen (so I can replace vanilla police Patriot), and also Code3 version just for lulz and because I can. Plus FBI version, but I quess it will share the same equpment.

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Right now equipment has freaking 54k triangles (with the wheel and the lightbar. LOD1 is about 16,5k), it is a LOT, but the whole model with this equipment is ~207700 triangles, so not so much heavier than the civil version. What really matters is textures.

The number probably not final, since I again need a new grille, but not for the Tahoe LTZ this time. That grille isn't that fancy, so it will need a fewer triangles.

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But for now, all of this is pointless, because ZModeler (the program used to export models in GTA 4 format) severely distorts meshes, distorting the geometry badly while export. This looks disgusting and demotivating.

I'm not ready to throw away in the trash (aka ZModeler) thousands of hours of work, watch it ruined. Na-ah. Gladly enthusiasts are working on a Blender plugin. I know absolutely nothing about Blender, I have no idea how to use it. But after all the police versions are completed, I'll probably have to figure out how to use Blender.

Or not? A dude recently messaged me on Discord and showed me he's working on fixing openFormats export error for 3ds Max. The error is that the script recalculates normals when exporting a model, which has a 120% chance of making the model look completely different from what it should. For this reason, I didn't even try using this script.

But I didn't really know how to use 3ds Max either. I mean, I can do mapping and baking, but I didn't go any further than that.

I'll have to learn to use Blender or 3ds Max anyway, because using ZModeler for export is equivalent to massacring my work.

While I'm working on Tahoe, I hope both the plugin and the script will be finished (I'm not sure about the Blender plugin. It might already be ready. I haven't exactly been keeping track of the project's progress, as I'm constantly procrastinating and burning out).