In this video you've aptly demonstrated how to use both blender internal and the cycles render engine. My question is – as…

[jpax]

In this video you’ve aptly demonstrated how to use both blender internal and the cycles render engine. My question is – aside from our experience and user friendliness of both, what are the advanatages/disadvantages to both, and in what situations would one be more applicable to use over the other?

[Kent Trammell]

In very general terms, Blender Internal is an older, legacy renderer than can still be useful in many situations for cleaner renders faster. But it struggles with realistic rendering.

Cycles is based on new technology that’s capable of extremely realistic renders, usually at the cost of longer render times.

I think that’s the best general comparison I can make.

[jpax]

I’ve been watching some of the other flows for implementing models into unity (my main interest) and you used blender internal primarily there (the purple boulder). I assume that’s because it reduces the strain on the GPU for world assets like that? Would you use Cycles for anything in the game itself? The playable character for instance?

[Kent Trammell]

I prefer Blender Render’s viewport texture painting setup instead of Cycles, which is the main reason I use it. If I were bake realistic lighting for a game then I would use Cycles to bake that lighting.

[Bradley Schwartz]

Hi Kent,

I too, am primarily interested in Unity asset creation, and I’m most likely going for fairly clean textures, but with nice realistic lighting.  Kind of a Pixar feel, cartoony, but realistic at the same time.  I’m gathering Cycles would be the way to go?  Does the higher render time affect how a game runs in Unity, or just the initial render in Blender?

[Kent Trammell]

Hi @bschwartz525 – the higher render time only applies to the initial render/bake in Blender. Once you get into Unity, Cycles is of no consequence.

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