Level of Detail attributes

You can edit the following attributes using the Channel Box or Attribute Editor when you select an LOD_group node.

The attributes available in the Channel Box change depending on whether you set up the LOD group with its threshold settings based on Distance, or Screen Height Percentage. (See Create LOD groups.)

Threshold Type

Displays whether the LOD is set up to use Distance or Screen Height Percentage to trigger level switching.

By default, Threshold Type is set to Percentage (Screen Height Percentage), which picks a level of the group to display based on the percentage of screen height taken up by the overall LOD group in the current camera frame.

When set to Distance, levels switch based on how far they are from the camera.

Tip: If you create your LOD group based on an orthographic camera and the Threshold Type set to Distance, this option displays as read-only, and you cannot change the Threshold Type.

However, if you create your LOD group based on an orthographic camera with the Threshold Type set to Percentage, you can enable Threshold Type switching by temporarily switching to a perspective camera, setting the Threshold Type set to Distance, then switch back to Percentage and your original orthographic camera. This establishes the Distance thresholds needed to make the threshold type switching work for the orthographic camera. See LOD and orthographic cameras for more details.

LOD_ n Display
(Where n is the name of each LOD in the group.)

Controls whether the level geometry displays based on the LOD group threshold rules (uselod), always displays (show), or never displays (hide). This is useful for testing purposes, letting you force the different levels to display independent of the threshold settings of the group so that you can compare geometry. See also Test or preview LODs.

LOD_n Start Percentage or LOD_n Start Distance
(Where n is the name of each LOD in the group.)

This attribute label changes depending on whether the group Threshold Type is set to Distance or Screen Height Percentage. Change these values to modify when the level switches on, then zoom in and out to test the results. See also Edit LOD threshold values.

Camera

(Only available when Threshold Type is set to Percentage.) Select the camera you want to use to determine when LOD levels switch.

World Space

Applies only when Threshold Type is set to Distance. When on, the switch between LOD occurs based on the world origin. Otherwise, the switch occurs according to the LOD group’s origin.

Min Max Distance

Applies only when Threshold Type is set to Distance. When off (default), there is no change in behavior. When on, the Min Distance and Max Distance attributes define the visibility range for the object.

Related topics