How do you simplify models and scenes for better performance?

1 Polygon reduction

One of the most common ways to simplify models is to reduce the number of polygons or faces that make up their geometry. Polygons are the basic building blocks of 3D models, and the more polygons you have, the more detailed your model looks. However, too many polygons can also cause performance issues, especially if your model has many small or hidden faces that are not visible or important for the final result. To reduce the number of polygons, you can use various tools and algorithms that automatically or manually remove, merge, or simplify faces based on criteria such as curvature, area, or distance. For example, you can use the Reduce tool in Blender or the Optimize modifier in 3ds Max to reduce the polygon count of your models.

2 Level of detail

Another way to simplify models is to use different levels of detail (LOD) for different viewing distances. LOD is a technique that adjusts the complexity of a model based on how far or close it is to the camera or the viewer. The idea is to use higher-resolution models for close-up views and lower-resolution models for far-away views, so that you can save resources and avoid rendering unnecessary details. For example, you can use the Decimate modifier in Blender or the ProOptimizer modifier in 3ds Max to create multiple LOD versions of your models. Then, you can use scripts or engines to switch between them depending on the viewing distance.

3 Texture optimization

Textures are images that are mapped onto the surfaces of models to give them color, detail, and realism. Textures can enhance the appearance of your models, but they can also affect the performance of your graphics. High-resolution textures can take up a lot of memory and bandwidth, and they can also increase the rendering time and complexity. To optimize your textures, you can use various techniques such as compression, mipmapping, atlasing, or baking. Compression reduces the file size and quality of your textures, but it can also save space and speed up loading. Mipmapping creates smaller versions of your textures for different viewing distances, so that you can avoid aliasing and blurring. Atlasing combines multiple textures into one large image, so that you can reduce the number of texture files and draw calls. Baking transfers the lighting, shadows, or other effects from your scene onto your textures, so that you can reduce the computation and complexity of your shaders.

4 Scene management

Besides simplifying your models and textures, you can also simplify your scenes by managing the objects and elements that are in your view. Scene management is a technique that organizes and controls the visibility and rendering of your scene components, such as models, lights, cameras, or particles. By using scene management, you can avoid rendering objects that are not visible, relevant, or significant for your graphics. For example, you can use culling, occlusion, or LOD techniques to hide or simplify objects that are outside the view frustum, behind other objects, or too far from the camera. You can also use instancing, batching, or merging techniques to group or combine objects that share the same material, texture, or geometry, so that you can reduce the number of draw calls and state changes.

5 Profiling and testing

The final step to simplify your models and scenes for better performance is to profile and test your graphics. Profiling and testing are methods that measure and analyze the performance and quality of your graphics, such as the frame rate, memory usage, rendering time, or visual fidelity. By using profiling and testing tools, you can identify and fix the bottlenecks, errors, or issues that are affecting your graphics. For example, you can use the RenderDoc tool to capture and inspect your graphics pipeline, or the BlenderBench tool to compare and benchmark your graphics settings. You can also use the built-in tools or plugins of your software or engine to monitor and optimize your graphics performance.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?