I''ve been wondering about this for quite some time now and I''m finally going to ask it. In RTS games, how do the models (units, buildings) get rendered so small? Are they modeled normal size then scaled down during the programming phase or what? WikedGamer

Well, many older games like Age of Kings and Starcraft used highly detailed models (20k - 50k polygons). These model were animated to make up the different sequences in the game and then the individual frames were rendered to small pictures. These pictures were arranged into a large picture and used as a surface to display the animations in the game.

Today, most commercial RTS games are switching to true 3D models (Warcraft III and Age of Mythology), which means they model a low polygon model (somewhere around 200 - 500 polygons) with a highly detailed texture on it. This is then animated. Most of the time the models are scaled within the modeller (Maya or 3DS Max) so that there are no CPU cycles wasted scaling the models during the game. When done this way you can just drop the model into the game and you instantly get the benefit of being able to rotate the model 360 degrees, rather than just limited number of directions you''d be allowed using the old method.