The LOD tool decimates your mesh to reduce the complexity of your model. Meshmatic gives you the flexibility to choose the number of LOD’s and the percentage that your LOD’s are decimated by.
Why you should use LOD’s
Removing unnoticeable details from the mesh helps your system run faster, this is especially important for real time rendering (AR, VR) or mobile devices. Meshmatic can remove unnoticeable details, cleanup your file, save the changes and repeat the same process again to generate multiple versions of LODs. The LOD copies are saved in separate files or in the same file (ideal for Unity users) based on what the user selects.
In Meshmatic, LOD 0 has the identical level of detail and resolution as the original CAD or mesh model. LOD 1 is 50% lighter than LOD 0, but has the same details and topology.
How to edit LOD’s in Meshmatic
Unlike other optimization tools, LOD’s are not included in the optimization profiles. You can adjust the LOD settings in the Profile Options on the Import Settings tab.
- Go to the third step in the Import Assistant
- Select your profile
- Click on the pencil icon to edit the profile
- Under Profile Options, select “LOD”
- On the “Number of LOD’s” dropdown, select how many LOD’s you want generated (1-5)
- Based on your selection, use the slider to adjust the percentage that your LOD is decimated by.
Tips for Unity users
Meshmatic lets you save LOD meshes in the same file, ensuring all LOD meshes are correctly grouped and named. When you import the 3D file into Unity, it automatically configures the LOD group for the GameObject.
Simply select “Save LOD’s in a single file” under Profile Options.
Tips for Unreal Engine users
Although Epic recommends Unreal Engine users to use UE’s LOD generator, the model still needs to be optimized begore going into Unreal Engine. Meshmatic optimizes the file, instantiates duplicates and generates UVs for the model. After exporting your file from Meshmatic, import your file into Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine’s LOD generator automatically creates LODs while importing your file.
