How do you know what to set the crease angle at?

Is there drawback to making it too small or too big?

 

Vilters wrote:

For my Low Poly figures-models I set it at 180 in General preferences.

For any other object or group, I adapt its settings in their Properties Palette if needed.
The Poser Manuals have a good explanation of what Smooth Polygons does. 

HARD edges like the sides of a cube or a beam or a box have to be hard, so no smoothing.
Long tubes Low Res = no smoothing.
Table - chair = no smoothing.
A pillow = smoothing (depending on the obj fle.)

It takes some try, and area renders, to find the right settings for your objects.

 

In general, anything with soft edges ON
Anything that HAS to stay sharp OFF

Ha-ha-, a knife or a sword would have to stay sharp, so no smoothing.

 

If you dig deeper, it becomes a combination.
Texture is around Poly's, can be smoothed..
Texture + bump map  = experiment. What does the bump map do??
Texture + bump map + displacement map, and it takes some testing to get the final result right. All depends on the maps you want to add.

 

Example:

 

Take the cat from your avatar.
Render smooth polygons.
Now add a bump map. Render with smoothed
Now add a spot node in displacement map to get some furr on her skin.
Will take some testing to get right.

A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for.
Sail out to sea and do new things.
-"Amazing Grace" Hopper

Avatar image of me done by Chidori.