Model Peer Review (aka "How to tell if a model submission is good")

[Peardian]

I've come to realize that things around here tend to slow down when I'm not around, because many people seem to be in the mindset that I'm the only one who can tell whether or not a model submission is good enough to accept. This may have been true at one point, but it certainly isn't anymore.

This thread is a list of the guidelines I use in determining whether or not a submission is good. What I hope to accomplish with this is encouraging you, the submitters, to not only check your own submissions, but also to check the submissions of your fellow members. This should speed up the evaluation process, and keep things from stagnating.

So, without further ado, here are the guidelines! If your submission passes all of them, there's a very good chance that I'll accept the model.

1. Basic Submission Guidelines
-Does the submission include at least a DAE or OBJ model? Having extra models (PSK, MD5, SMD) is fine, as long as they are available in at least one of the basic formats.
-Are the textures all in .PNG format? I'm not allowed to accept .TGA files at all.
-Are the textures and models in the same ZIP/RAR archive? Submissions can only consist of one file. Plus, having the model and the textures in separate archives makes getting the model a pain.

2. Model Essentials
-Does the model actually work? And does it look right? Make sure to actually check your exports! I've seen some submission attempts where somebody clearly didn't look at the model they exported before putting it up.
-Does every OBJ have a MTL to go with it? They define the materials that belong to the model, so having them is a must.
-Do the MTL files have proper texture paths? Some programs will use absolute paths or similarly mess with file paths when creating the MTL file. Pop it open in Notepad, and see if it lists just the texture file names. If it doesn't, remove the extra path junk. See the other thread for details if you need help.
-Do DAE models have proper texture paths? Like with MTL files, DAEs often have the texture paths messed up when exporting. Make sure the texture paths are all defined as something like "texture.png" or "./texture.png", or wherever the textures are in your submission. Again, see the other thread for details.

3. File Structure and Organization
-Are the textures in the same folder as, or in a subfolder of, the location of the model? Having the model an textures in a separate folder just makes using the model a pain or impossible. Note that when using OBJs, textures should be in the same location of the model. Not every program can handle textures being in subdirectories, and as such the import will fail. An exception to this is that certain programs look for folders named "Textures" or "Tex", but keep in mind that not all of them do. For DAEs, this isn't as important, but it makes using the model easier if everything is in the same place.
-Are completely unrelated models and textures in separate folders? It's fine to have alternate versions of an enemy character in the same folder, but don't stick a bunch of different characters together. Try to keep things organized. Using separate folders helps.
-Is the submission free from clutter? It's fine if you want to include a render of the model in the submission, but there's no point in including the submission thumbnail/preview or the leftover TGA versions of the textures. These just waste space.

4. Textures
-Are all of the textures intact? Certain programs will get rid of alpha transparency when converting TGA files to PNG. When this happens, the data is lost from the created PNG and cannot be restored. If you find this is happening, it means you need to find a better image converter.
-Are all textures present? Make sure all of the textures used by the model are included in the archive, including things like specular maps and normal maps. It is particularly easy to forget the latter when putting together the submission.
-Are there weird textures? Many modern game engines will stick together multiple bitmaps into single texture files to save space. These are usually the specular maps and normal maps, and can be easily identified by their unusual and vibrant colors. If these are present, you might want to consider doing something about them. However, it's not necessary, and I'll still accept submissions that have these. I plan on making a thread for more details on these textures.

5. Model Details
-Is the model optimized? Certain ripping processes will leave the polygons on the model unconnected. Not only does this increase the file size, but it prevents the model from being smoothly shaded. Make sure you take care of this before exporting.
-Are the normals smoothed? This isn't entirely necessary, but the models look nicer when the normals are properly smoothed and don't look all polygonal. Unlike the previous issue, this doesn't actually affect the quality of the model.
-Did the rigging export properly? If you move the bones, does the model move with them? Do the parts of the model bend in a way that looks normal? Do the bones actually line up with the character?
-Is the model centered? Try to make sure the object is centered on the horizontal plane. For characters, the horizontal plane is used as the floor. This can apply to objects, but doesn't have to.
-Is the axis properly centered and oriented? When exporting to DAE, the model will retain the axis it has in your original file. If you use 3D Ripper DX and don't fix the axis, it will make the model awkward to use.
-Is the model free of junk? Make sure you get rid of extra polygons and materials from the scene. This only really applies to exporting DAEs from a model ripped in 3D Ripper DX.
-Do the UVs look good? Look at the textures and see if they are on properly. Some programs will export them upside-down.
-Does the model look like it uses multiple UVs? For some models this may be unavoidable, but for BRRES models, there's a way around it. For an example, some characters will have a normal map that requires a different UV layout than the color map.
-Is the model squashed or skewed? These can be a little difficult to notice, but they are also rather damaging to the quality of the model. This will only really occur if you are using a scene ripper like 3D Ripper DX. Below are some quick tutorials to help you if you are unfamiliar with these issues.

Squash/Stretch

Skew

If I think of any more, I will add them to the list. I will sticky this after a day or so.