Tools

Process Selected Objects (Toggle)

• What it does:

• If enabled: Generates LODs for all selected objects in the scene

• If disabled: Processes only the active (last selected) object

• When to use:

• ✔ When batch processing multiple assets

• ✔ When focusing on a single important model

• Default: Enabled

LOD Count (Integer Input)

• What it does:

• Sets the number of LOD variations to generate (excluding original LOD0)

• Example: Value of 3 creates LOD0 (original), LOD1, LOD2, and LOD3

• Valid range: 1-10

• Recommended values:

• 3-4 for game assets

• 1-2 for architectural visualization

• Default: 3

Simplification Power (Slider)

• What it does:

• Controls overall intensity of mesh decimation

• Lower values preserve more detail

• Higher values maximize performance

• Technical note:

• Directly affects the Decimate modifier’s ratio parameter

• Range: 0.1-1.0

• Default: 0.5

LOD Ratio (Slider)

• What it does:

• Determines reduction ratio between consecutive LOD levels

• Each LOD will be this fraction of the previous LOD’s density

• Example:

• 0.7 means: LOD1 = 70% of LOD0, LOD2 = 70% of LOD1, etc.

• Range: 0.1-1.0

• Default: 0.7

Generate LODs (Button)

• Action:

• Executes LOD generation with current parameters

• Creates:

• New collection named [OriginalObjectName]_LODs

• Copies of original mesh with progressive decimation

• Note:

• Original mesh remains completely unchanged

Export Directory (Path Selector)

• What it does:

• Sets output location for all exported FBX files

• Requirements:

• Must be set before exporting

• Supports absolute or relative paths

• Best practice:

• Use project-relative paths when possible

Unity Export (Button)

• Output:

• Single FBX containing all LOD levels

• Unity workflow:

• Automatically recognized by LOD Group component

• Preserves parent-child hierarchy

• Recommended for:

• Projects using Unity’s built-in LOD system

Unreal Export (Button)

• Output:

• Separate FBX files for each LOD level

• Naming convention:

• [AssetName]_LOD0.fbx, [AssetName]_LOD1.fbx, etc.

• Unreal integration:

• Automatically detects LOD sequence on import

• Recommended for:

• UE4/UE5 projects

• CAUTION!:

• Unreal Engine requires manual LOD setup after import:

1. Import Base Mesh: Import only ObjectName.fbx normally

2. Add Additional LODs:

   • Open the mesh → Go to LOD Settings

   • For each LOD level:

     • Click “+” next to LOD Group

     • Select “Import LOD”

     • Choose corresponding FBX (e.g., _LOD1.fbx)

3. Configure Transitions

   • Set screen size thresholds:

     • LOD0: 1.0 // Full quality

     • LOD1: 0.3 // Medium quality

     • LOD2: 0.1 // Low quality

Export Raw LODs (Button)

• Output:

• Individual FBX files with exact Blender names

• Use cases:

• Custom game engines

• Proprietary pipelines

• Manual LOD setup

• Naming:

• Preserves complete original object names

Delete LOD Collection(s) (Button)

• Function:

• Removes all generated LOD objects and their collection

• Safety features:

• Never affects original mesh

• Undoable operation

• Visibility:

• Only appears when LOD collections exist in scene

Show Presets (Toggle)

• What it does:

• Expands/collapses the preset management panel

• Default state: Collapsed

Save Preset (Button)

• Action:

• Stores current settings as named preset

• Saves:

• LOD Count

• Simplification Power

• LOD Ratio

• Export path

• Process Selected toggle state

• Storage:

• Saved to swiftlod_presets.json

• Persistent between Blender sessions

Preset List (Interactive UI)

• Components:

• Preset name: User-defined label

• Load button (↩️): Applies stored settings

• Delete button (❌): Removes preset permanently

• Organization:

• Listed in creation order

• Scrollable if many presets exist

• Sharing:

• Preset file can be copied to other workstations