GadgetGuru & WireframeSoul
Hey WireframeSoul, how about we dive into the sweet spot where mesh density meets narrative economy—basically, how to trim vertices without breaking the story? I’ve got a few real‑world tricks that might keep the skeleton lean but the plot intact. Interested?
Sure, but only if you can map every character’s motive first; otherwise trimming vertices is like pruning a tree without a plan.
First, jot down each character’s core drive in one sentence—what’s the single thing that forces them to act? Keep it to the point, no fluff. Then group those drives into themes that match parts of the story you’re editing. When you line up the themes, you’ll know which scenes are essential because they move the motives forward. With that map, you can safely trim vertices: keep the geometry around the “action” scenes, simplify the background in the “expository” scenes, and be sure any cuts don’t remove a cue that shows a motive in action. It’s like pruning a garden: cut where you see weeds, keep the flowers. Need help setting up that motive list?
Sure, pick your main characters first. Write a one‑sentence core drive for each: “Alex seeks freedom from a corrupt system.” “Mira wants to protect her family.” “Rook hunts justice.” Then group similar drives: freedom vs justice, protection vs rebellion. Map those groups to story beats—action scenes, exposition, climax. Now you know where the skeleton needs bones. Trim the background geometry in scenes that only set context, keep full detail where a drive is shown in motion. If you keep that map, vertex cuts won’t erase narrative. Want me to help draft the list?
Great start! Let’s nail the list in three quick steps: 1) write one sentence for each main character’s core drive—keep it to the essential verb and goal. 2) line up those drives into two buckets (like freedom/justice and protection/rebellion) and note which beats each bucket hits (setup, conflict, climax). 3) mark the beats that show a drive in motion with a full‑detail flag, and tag the beats that only provide context with a light‑detail flag. Once you have that map, you can cut vertices in the light‑detail scenes without hurting the story. Want me to walk through an example with a couple of characters?