Looking at the files I've extracted from the GCF, the player models have multiple versions, based on distance...Do I have to model 5 different variations, of say, a custom helmet?

Only if you think its necessary - but its a good thing.

Put it this way. Whats the point of having the engine draw a helmet of 800 polys when on screen the player is so far away you can't see that much detail? Better to have various LOD levels for various distances as it improves performance.

Then I need some tips Jed.

Should I make the best quality version first then try to simplify it?

How many discrete models do I need? The stocks are the original plus 5 lod models if memory serves...

For a helmet, do I make it double sided, i.e. model the inside and the outside? should I just model the outside? Or In 3ds max I can choose double sided polys...is that what I should do?

I'm sorry for the multiplicity of questions, but I'm still very much learning these things.

Trust me, I'll have dozens when I start to compile.

Easiest thing to do is start with the high poly version and reduce. If your using something like Max you can use the Multires modifier to help ease the process.

Modelling the inside of the helmet is up to you but use common sense - if you figure the inside of the helmet wont be seen at that LOD level dont model it.

I don't know if a double sided poly is reduced to two single sided polys by Max on export but to be on the safe side, used use one sided.

If you want to get an idea of LOD, run HLMV and open a model. Go to the Model tab and check the "Auto LOD" box. If you then zoom in and out and watch the LOD metric number, that tells you what LOD level number your on. The LOD Switch shows you which LOD model is currently being used for that metric.

So, with the player model from metric 0-14 it shows the default reference model, from 15-25, you get the reference model for LOD 15 and so on.

You can see the polycount for each LOD next to the relevant label.

and my polycount for a helmet in source, the reference model that is, should be 800?

No, that was just a random number I pulled out of my ass.

Use the default models as a guide for polygon counts - body+kit = 4415, helmet = 500 so combined your entire model shouldn't exceed say 5000 polys total.

That said, lower is always better.

Im hard at work on my helmet, but is there a quicker way to create polygons?

I am working from the outside in, and am about half done now. I take a ring of vertices, shift plus scale them smaller, and then manually create all the polygons connecting them to the next most outer ring...I tried using the same procedure on edges, but it gave me square polygons, and all the default models are triangular polygons...

Start with a primitive such as a hemisphere and then use things like soft-selection and the move/scale tools to pinch and pull it as needed. You can use extrude to draw out polygons to make straps etc.

Its well worth sitting down and reading throught the help and tutorial files though. I did that over a weekend and learnt a load of stuff I didnt know how to do.

Oh ok, after reading the polygon modelling tutorial I thought I had to work from vertices and create every polygon individually for polycount reasons.

I've made the bottom half, and am shaping it now.