About Level of Detail

The Level of Detail (LOD) settings control how much detail you can see from various distances. Higher level of detail settings let you see greater detail from a greater distance. The level of detail decreases as you get further away, with the farthest features having the lowest level of detail.

Note: Click in Model Explorer to enforce maximum LOD for the selected feature class. There are two methods for setting the Level of Detail.

• Set level of detail for a feature class — Use the Model Explorer to set the level of detail for any feature type within the current model.

• Set level of detail for the entire model — Use the Display Detail setting in the 3D Graphics tab of the Application Options dialog to control the level of detail for all features in your model.

  Note: When publishing a scenario, the Display Detail slider will be reset and some geometry may be removed from the scenario in order to reduce complexity if the scenario is too large. High Display Detail is only recommended for smaller scenarios.

LOD affects different types of features in different ways:

Feature Type	Visual
Terrain, coverages, rail lines, roads, and bodies of water	A high LOD setting (right) displays the texture or style with the greatest possible accuracy when you are near the feature or set the quality higher. The detail is gradually reduced (left) as you get further away or as you reduce the quality.
Trees, City Furniture, Barriers, Pipes, and Pipe Connectors	A high LOD setting (right) displays the features at a single level of detail, no matter how far you are from them. As you reduce the LOD (center), more features in the distance disappear. At the lowest setting (left), features disappear altogether.
Buildings	A high LOD setting (r) displays all style elements: cornices, individual bricks, and so on. A medium level (c) displays less detail and fewer style elements. At the lowest level, or the furthest distance (l), buildings are simple gray boxes.