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LOD in Carrara: how to use and create?

AntaraAntara Posts: 444
edited December 1969 in Carrara Discussion

I've seen that button for years, and wondered what it does.

How do we make use of LOD, what are those levels of detail and how do we create/find things that can use it?

The idea, as far as I understand, is to have less poly-heavy meshes the farther the object is from the camera? Does it also affect things like texture sampling?

And how would one go about setting this up for a new object (created in Carrara, for example)?

Also, which existing figures you know of already have LOD? And where are those extra obj's usually located for things like DAZ content?

In a scene with a lot of figures this could be a very useful feature, so I'd like to learn it. Problem is, I don't know where to find out about it.
Also, for those who've tried it, what are the speed/resource benefits/pitfalls of using LOD's?

Comments

  • FenricFenric Posts: 351
    edited December 1969

    M4 and V4 are the only figures that come with LOD as far as I know.

    To create them, you need a package that can do decimation while maintaining original vertex positions. I have made quite a few with the 3DS Max "MultiRes" operation with "Maintain Base Vertices" and it works well (though the result is highly asymmetrical), but anything that can do a similar operation should work.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,624
    edited December 1969

    I have had these same questions brewing in my mind before. Actually my main reason for buying Decimator for Daz Studio, which is capable of creating LOD's of fully clothed figures too. I have heard that V4 has LOD capabilities... but I haven't really looked very far into it. I believe that when you have an LOD capable figure, you simply use that button to tell the render engine which version to use depending upon camera distance.
    I have a strange feeling that Carrara does some of this on its own - which is why it doesn't struggle over high-poly models when they are in the distance.

    Page 70 of the Carrara 7 User Guide, which is actually page 82 (bottom of the page), has info on how it's set up.

    Carrara's Vertex Modeler has Decimation, but "Decimator" list above, is different - in that it can convert fully setup characters - like as if you were going to export that for use in a game. In Carrara, you would have to do it on a per-mesh basis, one at a time - and they wouldn't work together any more.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,624
    edited December 1969

    Huh!
    Hi Fenric! How's it going?!!

  • AntaraAntara Posts: 444
    edited December 1969

    Fenric said:
    M4 and V4 are the only figures that come with LOD as far as I know.

    To create them, you need a package that can do decimation while maintaining original vertex positions. I have made quite a few with the 3DS Max "MultiRes" operation with "Maintain Base Vertices" and it works well (though the result is highly asymmetrical), but anything that can do a similar operation should work.

    I have both figures, but where do I ding the LOD obj's for them?

    Does DAZ Studio Decimator do this? Or does it not preserve vertices?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,624
    edited December 1969

    That I'm not sure of - but it does claim to work for creating LOD. I'd check, but I'm a bit swamped right now. If you haven't found out when I get back, I'll check for you.

  • FenricFenric Posts: 351
    edited December 1969

    The LOD files are located at

    Runtime\Geometries\DAZ People\blMilMan_m4b_LOD

    and

    Runtime\Geometries\DAZ People\BlMilWom_m4b_LOD

    I think you have to install the DAZ Studio ("DS") version of M4 and V4 to get them.

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