Why are curved surfaces in 3D games so problematic?

One of the things I still don't quite understand is why modern games still don't used true curved surfaces (NURBS). I mean, the Unreal Engine could already calculate them, but there are no games sporting them. Is it really so hard to make a curved surface in 3D graphics?

We have mind-blowing effects, but games still look a little blocky.

So instead of just using real curves (like I said, NURBS), they're now using hardware tesselation, which is, imo, the much more ineffective way (they're basically just inceasing polygon counts which is taxing on the hardware).

I was really almost convinced that the current-gen consoles will have real curved surfaces, but not even PCs have them.

Discuss.

One of the things I still don't quite understand is why modern games still don't used true curved surfaces (NURBS). I mean, the Unreal Engine could already calculate them, but there are no games sporting them. Is it really so hard to make a curved surface in 3D graphics?

We have mind-blowing effects, but games still look a little blocky.

So instead of just using real curves (like I said, NURBS), they're now using hardware tesselation, which is, imo, the much more ineffective way (they're basically just inceasing polygon counts which is taxing on the hardware).

I was really almost convinced that the current-gen consoles will have real curved surfaces, but not even PCs have them.

Discuss.

nameless12345

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

One of the things I still don't quite understand is why modern games still don't used true curved surfaces (NURBS). I mean, the Unreal Engine could already calculate them, but there are no games sporting them. Is it really so hard to make a curved surface in 3D graphics?

We have mind-blowing effects, but games still look a little blocky.

So instead of just using real curves (like I said, NURBS), they're now using hardware tesselation, which is, imo, the much more ineffective way (they're basically just inceasing polygon counts which is taxing on the hardware).

I was really almost convinced that the current-gen consoles will have real curved surfaces, but not even PCs have them.

Discuss.

Ilikemyname420

Can't NURBS cause problems with animating complex objects? Performance problems mainly? IDK i dont rly use NURBS. Poly's & Subdivision is what i do.

Enter tessellation. But you'll only see it used to any extent on the PC and only with DX 11.

By the way, what does SMG use? High poly counts? Because the curves in that game look pretty nice (if jaggy).

By the way, what does SMG use? High poly counts? Because the curves in that game look pretty nice (if jaggy).

nameless12345

bunch of nerds talking about nurbs

bunch of nerds talking about nurbs

chikenfriedrice

I fail to see what your statement adds to the thread.

[QUOTE="chikenfriedrice"]

bunch of nerds talking about nurbs

nameless12345

I fail to see what your statement adds to the thread.

don't mind him he's just mad because he doesn't understand what we're talking about

as for the post, because it takes too many poly's for curved surfaces, and as someone said earliar, enter tessilation. which i dont know why it never caught on during the ati 8500 truform and nvidia npatches days.

Well you could describe a curved tri using one additional point, right?
I have no idea about this stuff... everything is probably not build to use something like that... but if it were, wouldn't that be more efficient than having many polygons to make a curve?
There's probably a very good reason that this isn't done :P and i'm curious. If i have to guess it's because a formula that returns what you see of such a curve is more taxing than having a few dozen additional polygons.

I do remember a game.... called Evolva? Ages ago. I remember very vaguely that a gaming magazine noted that the engine they used was build around making curved stuff possible or way more efficient than before. Maybe they were on to something?

I was really almost convinced that the current-gen consoles will have real curved surfaces, but not even PCs have them.

nameless12345

Heh, I remember being convinced that the "N2000" (who remembers that term?) would be 256-bit and use NURBS instead of polygons.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

By the way, what does SMG use? High poly counts? Because the curves in that game look pretty nice (if jaggy).

bobbetybob