Suggestion for the Future To Keep Up With Other Scatter Tools

[Dustin]

If there's already a custom script for this, please let me know. Im curious why LOD's havent been more easily implemented. I was reviewing the process that was needed to setup LOD's and realized the extra steps needed for it. Im surprised that some sort of "Auto-LOD" system isnt already available (with the included libraries) since this would be a great selling point, one, and two its needed mostly all of the time. It would greatly reduce problems and tech requests due to artists (new at least) running out of VRAM and not understanding the different controls to display x number of instances and displaying x number of instances in renders. Distance from camera = progressive lower quality in instances? This should be a no brainer option automatically.

[iToo]

Well, we created ForestLOD because several users requested it, but really it's not necessary for the usual work in 3DS Max.

LODs are useful to improve render performance in engines based on rasterization (as Unity or Unreal), but engines in 3DS Max (as Arnold, Corona or V-Ray) use raytracing methods.
With raytracing and instances, the number of polygons is not as critical.

LODs don't save VRAM either. In fact, more VRAM is required to store the different LOD geometries. As said, it only improves render performance in rasterization.
Also note that CPU render engines don't use VRAM, just standard RAM.

[Dustin]

Im sorry, I must have mis-understood the information in your manual here: https://docs.itoosoft.com/forestpack/forest-plugin/forest-lod#:~:text=Forest%20LOD%20allows%20you

"Forest LOD allows you to switch geometry objects based on their distance from the camera or their size in the render view. The most common use for this feature is to create Level of Detail models so that less complex models and materials can be used further from the camera to help speed up renders."

I assume you mean to speed up the render but not reduce the amount of VRAM used, it would be on the contrary.