LOD FORGE DOCUMENTATION

Version 1.0.0 · Blender 3.0 – 4.4+

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

- 1. Installation

- 2. Getting Started

- 3. Smart Decimation 3.1 How Protection Weights Work

- 3.2 UV Seam Detection

- 3.3 Material Boundary Detection

- 3.4 Silhouette Edge Detection

- 3.5 Adaptive Protection Scaling

- 3.6 Decimate Modifier Integration

- 3.7 Skip Decimation (Target >= Source)

    4. Engine Profiles

- 4.1 Unity LODGroup

- 4.2 Unreal Engine

- 4.3 Custom Naming

    5. LOD Presets

    6. Custom Targets

    7. Feature Protection Settings

    8. Budget Enforcement

    9. LOD Preview

    10. LOD Metrics

    11. Batch Generation

    12. Operator Reference

    13. Python API Examples

    14. Troubleshooting

    15. FAQ

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1. INSTALLATION

METHOD A — INSTALL FROM ZIP

1. Download the lod_forge.zip file from Blender Market.

2. Open Blender → Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.

3. Click Install... and select the downloaded .zip file.

4. Enable the addon by checking the box next to LOD Forge.

5. The LOD Forge panel appears in the 3D Viewport sidebar under the LOD Forge tab.

METHOD B — MANUAL INSTALL

1. Extract the lod_forge folder from the ZIP archive.

2. Copy it to your Blender addons directory: Windows: %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.4\scripts\addons\ macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Blender/4.4/scripts/addons/ Linux: ~/.config/blender/4.4/scripts/addons/

3. Restart Blender and enable the addon in Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.

Note:

  Do not extract the ZIP before installing via Method A. Blender expects the ZIP archive directly. For other Blender versions, replace 4.4 with your version number in the manual install path.

Important:

  Blender 3.0 minimum. LOD Forge uses APIs introduced in Blender 3.0. Earlier versions are not supported.

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2. GETTING STARTED

PANEL LOCATION

  Press N in the 3D Viewport to open the sidebar, then click the

  LOD Forge tab.

QUICK START — 6 STEPS

1. Select a mesh object in the viewport.

2. Open the sidebar (N) and switch to the LOD Forge tab.

3. Under Preset, pick Desktop Character (or any preset that matches your use case).

4. Under Engine, pick Unity or Unreal.

5. Leave all three protection options enabled (UV Seams, Material Boundaries, Silhouette Edges).

6. Click Generate LODs.

  LOD Forge will create LOD0 through LOD3, name them according to the selected engine convention,

  apply adaptive protection scaling for each level, check each level against the preset's polygon

  budget, and parent everything under an empty. The metrics panel below the button shows tri counts,

  vertex counts, reduction percentages, and budget pass/fail status for every level.

Note:

  Tip: When a preset is selected, the triangle targets are displayed as read-only info in the panel.

  If any target exceeds the source mesh's actual triangle count, an info icon appears next to that level,

  indicating it will be created as an exact copy rather than decimated.

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3. SMART DECIMATION

  The core of LOD Forge is its protection weight system combined with adaptive scaling. Before

  applying the Decimate modifier, LOD Forge analyses the mesh and creates a vertex group called

  _lodforge_protect. Vertices that sit on important features receive a weight of

  1.0 (fully protected), while all other vertices receive 0.0

  (free to collapse). For aggressive LOD levels, these weights are then scaled down so the

  decimator can reach the target triangle count.

3.1 HOW PROTECTION WEIGHTS WORK

  LOD Forge creates a vertex group named _lodforge_protect on the mesh. The initial

  weight assignment is binary:

- 1.0 — Vertex is on a protected feature (UV seam, material boundary, or silhouette edge)

- 0.0 — Vertex has no special importance and can be freely collapsed

  If a vertex qualifies for protection under multiple criteria (e.g., it sits on both a UV seam

  and a material boundary), it still receives 1.0 — protection is a flag, not additive.

Note:

  Inspect weights: You can view the protection weights by switching to Weight Paint mode

  and selecting the _lodforge_protect vertex group. Red vertices are protected;

  blue vertices will be decimated first.

3.2 UV SEAM DETECTION

  LOD Forge uses bmesh to iterate over every edge in the mesh. For each edge where

  edge.seam is True, both vertices of that edge receive a protection

  weight of 1.0. This ensures that UV island boundaries remain intact during decimation,

  preventing the texture tearing that plagues standard Decimate results.

Note:

  Tip: Make sure your UV seams are properly marked before generating LODs.

  LOD Forge reads edge.seam in bmesh — if seams are not marked, there is nothing to protect.

3.3 MATERIAL BOUNDARY DETECTION

  For every edge in the mesh, LOD Forge checks the two faces that share it. If those adjacent

  faces have different material_index values, the edge sits on a material boundary.

  Both vertices of that edge are assigned a protection weight of 1.0. This prevents the

  Decimate modifier from collapsing edges where two materials meet, which would cause color

  bleeding and shading artifacts.

3.4 SILHOUETTE EDGE DETECTION

  Silhouette edges are detected by measuring the angle between the normals of two adjacent faces

  that share an edge. If this angle exceeds the Angle Threshold (default: 40°),

  the edge is considered a silhouette-defining feature and both its vertices are protected.

The calculation works as follows:

    # Pseudocode for silhouette detection

    for edge in bmesh.edges:

        if len(edge.link_faces) == 2:

            face_a, face_b = edge.link_faces

            angle = angle_between(face_a.normal, face_b.normal)

            if angle > threshold:

                for vert in edge.verts:

                    protect(vert, weight=1.0)

  Lower threshold values protect more edges (aggressive protection); higher values protect

  only the sharpest creases (relaxed protection). See the

  Feature Protection Settings section for recommended values.

3.5 ADAPTIVE PROTECTION SCALING

  This is the key innovation in LOD Forge. Standard protection works well for gentle decimation

  (LOD1 at 50% of the original), but for aggressive LOD levels (LOD3 at 10% of the original),

  full protection can prevent the decimator from reaching the target triangle count. Adaptive

  protection solves this by automatically scaling down protection weights for aggressive levels.

THE FORMULA

  scaled_weight = original_weight × max(0.2, ratio)

Where:

- original_weight is the binary protection weight (0.0 or 1.0)

- ratio is the decimation ratio = target_tris / source_tris

- 0.2 is the floor — protection never drops below 20% of the original weight

WHEN ADAPTIVE SCALING ACTIVATES

  Adaptive scaling only activates when ratio . For ratios of 0.3 and above,

  protection weights remain at full strength (1.0). This means:

  LOD Level  Typical Ratio  Scaling Active?  Effective Protection Weight  Result

  ---------  -------------  ---------------  ---------------------------  ---------------------------------------------

  LOD0       1.0 (copy)     No               1.0                          Exact copy of source

  LOD1       ~0.5           No               1.0                          Full protection — UVs and silhouette perfect

  LOD2       ~0.2           Yes              0.2                          Reduced protection — decimator can reach ta..

  LOD3       ~0.1           Yes              0.2 (floor)                  Minimal protection — aggressive reduction, ..

EXAMPLE

  Consider a mesh with 15,000 triangles using the Desktop Character preset (LOD0: 15K, LOD1: 7.5K, LOD2: 3K, LOD3: 1.5K):

- LOD1: ratio = 7500/15000 = 0.5 → ratio >= 0.3 → weight stays 1.0. Full protection.

- LOD2: ratio = 3000/15000 = 0.2 → ratio Why this matters: Without adaptive protection, enabling feature protection on aggressive

  LOD levels often results in the decimator failing to reach the target — you end up with LOD3

  that is still 5,000 triangles instead of the target 1,500. Adaptive protection solves this by

  gradually releasing the hold on protected vertices, letting the decimator do its job while still

  prioritizing important features over flat areas.

3.6 DECIMATE MODIFIER INTEGRATION

  LOD Forge uses the DECIMATE modifier with mode COLLAPSE. It configures:

- modifier.vertex_group = "_lodforge_protect"

- modifier.invert_vertex_group = True

  With invert_vertex_group enabled, the modifier reads the vertex group weights

  in reverse: vertices with weight 1.0 are treated as having 0.0 influence on decimation

  (they resist collapse), while vertices with weight 0.0 are treated as having full influence

  (they collapse first). This is Blender's built-in mechanism — LOD Forge leverages it

  with intelligently computed and adaptively scaled weights.

3.7 SKIP DECIMATION (TARGET >= SOURCE)

  If the target triangle count for a given LOD level is greater than or equal to the source mesh's

  actual triangle count, LOD Forge skips decimation entirely and creates the LOD as an exact copy

  of the source mesh. No Decimate modifier is applied, no vertices are collapsed — the mesh

  is duplicated as-is. This prevents unnecessary decimation when the source mesh already meets

  the budget.

Note:

  Example: Your mesh has 4,000 triangles and you use the Desktop Character preset

  (LOD0: 15,000). Since 15,000 > 4,000, LOD0 is created as an exact copy. LOD1 (7,500) is also

  an exact copy. LOD2 (3,000) and LOD3 (1,500) are decimated normally.

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4. ENGINE PROFILES

  LOD Forge supports three naming modes that control how generated LOD meshes are named and

  organized in the outliner.

4.1 UNITY LODGROUP

  Unity's LOD Group component expects child objects named with an _LOD0, _LOD1,

  etc. suffix. When you select the Unity profile, LOD Forge names each level as:

    MeshName_LOD0   (highest detail)

    MeshName_LOD1

    MeshName_LOD2

    MeshName_LOD3

  All LODs are parented under an empty named MeshName_LODGroup. When exported as FBX and

  imported into Unity, the LOD Group component auto-detects the naming and sets up screen-size

  transitions automatically.

  Object  Name           Type

  ------  -------------  -----

  Parent  Hero_LODGroup  Empty

  LOD 0   Hero_LOD0      Mesh

  LOD 1   Hero_LOD1      Mesh

  LOD 2   Hero_LOD2      Mesh

  LOD 3   Hero_LOD3      Mesh

4.2 UNREAL ENGINE

  Unreal Engine uses the same _LOD0 through _LOD3 suffix convention.

  LOD Forge names levels identically but parents them under an empty named

  MeshName_LODs (note the _LODs suffix). This grouping convention

  allows Unreal's FBX import pipeline to recognize the LOD chain as a single asset.

  Object  Name       Type

  ------  ---------  -----

  Parent  Hero_LODs  Empty

  LOD 0   Hero_LOD0  Mesh

  LOD 1   Hero_LOD1  Mesh

  LOD 2   Hero_LOD2  Mesh

  LOD 3   Hero_LOD3  Mesh

4.3 CUSTOM NAMING

  If you are targeting a proprietary engine or have a studio-specific naming convention, select

  Custom. You can define your own suffix pattern in the text field. The token

  {level} is replaced with the LOD index (0, 1, 2, 3).

    Example pattern:  _detail{level}

    Result:           MeshName_detail0, MeshName_detail1, ...

NAMING CONVENTION COMPARISON

  Profile              LOD0 Name  LOD3 Name  Parent Empty

  -------------------  ---------  ---------  -------------

  Unity                Hero_LOD0  Hero_LOD3  Hero_LODGroup

  Unreal               Hero_LOD0  Hero_LOD3  Hero_LODs

  Custom (_lv{level})  Hero_lv0   Hero_lv3   Hero

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5. LOD PRESETS

  LOD Forge ships with four built-in presets that cover common production scenarios. Each

  preset defines triangle count targets for four LOD levels. When a preset is selected, the

  targets are displayed as read-only info in the panel — you can see

  exactly what will be generated without accidentally changing values.

DESKTOP CHARACTER

  Level  Max Triangles  Typical Use

  -----  -------------  ---------------------

  LOD0   15,000         Close-up / hero shot

  LOD1   7,500          Mid-range gameplay

  LOD2   3,000          Background characters

  LOD3   1,500          Far distance / crowd

When to use: Third-person or first-person player characters, important NPCs, and hero enemies on PC or console.

DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT

  Level  Max Triangles  Typical Use

  -----  -------------  ----------------------------------

  LOD0   25,000         Near-camera props and architecture

  LOD1   12,000         Mid-distance structures

  LOD2   5,000          Background buildings

  LOD3   2,000          Horizon / skyline fill

When to use: Buildings, terrain features, large props, vehicles, and set-dressing elements in desktop/console games.

MOBILE CHARACTER

  Level  Max Triangles  Typical Use

  -----  -------------  ------------------

  LOD0   5,000          Close-up on mobile

  LOD1   2,500          Gameplay distance

  LOD2   1,000          Background

  LOD3   500            Far / minimap icon

When to use: Player characters and NPCs in mobile games targeting a wide range of devices including low-end hardware.

MOBILE PROP

  Level  Max Triangles  Typical Use

  -----  -------------  ------------------------

  LOD0   2,000          Nearby interactive props

  LOD1   1,000          Mid-range scenery

  LOD2   500            Background detail

  LOD3   200            Minimal-distance fill

When to use: Small to medium props, pickups, environmental decorations, and UI-preview meshes in mobile games.

Note:

  Info icon: If any preset target exceeds the source mesh's current triangle count,

  an info icon appears next to that level in the panel. This indicates the LOD will be created as

  an exact copy of the source mesh — no decimation applied.

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6. CUSTOM TARGETS

  If none of the built-in presets match your requirements, select Custom from the

  Preset dropdown. This reveals four editable numeric input fields — one per LOD level —

  where you can type exact triangle count targets.

- LOD0 Tris: Target triangle count for the highest-detail level.

- LOD1 Tris: Target for the second level.

- LOD2 Tris: Target for the third level.

- LOD3 Tris: Target for the lowest-detail level.

  Custom target fields are only visible when the Custom preset is selected.

  When any other preset is active, the triangle targets are shown as read-only information.

Note:

  Tip: LOD0 should typically match or be close to your source mesh triangle count.

  If the source mesh has 12,000 triangles and you set LOD0 to 12,000, LOD Forge will skip decimation

  for that level and simply create an exact copy of the original.

Important:

  Warning: Setting a target higher than the source mesh's triangle count will not add

  geometry. The level will be created as an exact copy of the source mesh.

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7. FEATURE PROTECTION SETTINGS

The protection panel exposes three toggles and one slider:

UV SEAMS

  Toggle: On by default. When enabled, vertices on UV seam edges

  (edge.seam == True in bmesh) receive protection weight. Disable this only if your mesh

  has no meaningful UV layout (e.g., procedurally textured or vertex-colored assets).

MATERIAL BOUNDARIES

  Toggle: On by default. When enabled, vertices on edges shared by faces with

  different material_index values are protected. Disable if your mesh uses a single

  material or if material zone integrity is not important.

SILHOUETTE EDGES

  Toggle: On by default. When enabled, vertices on edges where the angle between

  adjacent face normals exceeds the angle threshold are protected. Disable for organic meshes

  where you want maximum decimation freedom and silhouette is less critical.

ANGLE THRESHOLD

  Slider: Range 0° to 180°, default 40°. Controls how aggressively

  silhouette edges are detected.

  Value  Effect                                         Best For

  -----  ---------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------

  30°    Aggressive — protects most creases and hard..  Hard-surface models, mechanical parts, weap..

  60°    Balanced — protects distinct creases, allow..  General characters, props, vehicles (recomm..

  90°    Relaxed — only very sharp angles (right-ang..  Organic meshes, terrain, foliage, rounded s..

  Rule of thumb: Start at 60° for most assets. Lower it to 30° for hard-surface

  models with important chamfers. Raise it to 90° for organic shapes where smooth reduction

  matters more than crease preservation.

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8. BUDGET ENFORCEMENT

  After LOD generation, LOD Forge compares the actual triangle count of each level against the

  target defined by the selected preset or custom values.

HOW IT WORKS

1. LOD Forge generates the decimated mesh for a given level.

2. It counts the actual triangles in the resulting mesh.

3. If actual , the level is marked PASS.

4. If actual > target, the level is marked FAIL and a warning icon is displayed.

WHY A LEVEL MIGHT FAIL

- Too many protected vertices: If a large portion of the mesh is protected and adaptive scaling cannot free enough vertices, the decimator may not reach the target.

- Target too aggressive: Extremely low targets on high-poly meshes with many protected features may not be achievable even with adaptive scaling.

WHAT TO DO WHEN A LEVEL FAILS

- Increase the target triangle count for that level (use Custom preset).

- Disable one or more protection options (try disabling silhouette protection first).

- Increase the silhouette angle threshold to free up more vertices.

- For the failing level specifically, consider disabling all protection — adaptive scaling already reduces protection for aggressive levels, but disabling it completely gives the decimator full freedom.

Note:

  Note: Thanks to adaptive protection scaling, budget failures are much less common

  than with fixed-weight protection systems. The adaptive system automatically loosens protection

  for aggressive LOD levels, making it much more likely that the target will be reached.

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9. LOD PREVIEW

  LOD Forge includes a viewport preview system to visually inspect each LOD level without

  leaving the 3D view.

CYCLING THROUGH LEVELS

  Use the LOD level buttons or click the ← Previous /

  Next → buttons to step through LOD0, LOD1, LOD2, and LOD3. The selected

  level becomes visible in the viewport; all other levels are hidden. This lets you quickly

  compare how each reduction stage looks.

SHOW ALL LODS TOGGLE

  Enable Show All LODs to display every LOD level simultaneously, offset along the

  X-axis. This side-by-side view is useful for presentations, quality reviews, and screenshots.

KEYBOARD WORKFLOW

  For rapid iteration, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to the preview operators via

  Blender's keymap editor (Edit > Preferences > Keymap). Search for:

- lodforge.preview_prev — cycle to the previous LOD level

- lodforge.preview_next — cycle to the next LOD level

- lodforge.preview_show_all — toggle show-all mode

Note:

  Tip: Combine LOD preview with wireframe overlay (Shift+Z)

  to see exactly where triangles were removed.

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10. LOD METRICS

  After generating LODs, the metrics panel displays a table with the following columns:

  Column       Description

  -----------  ---------------------------------------------

  Level        LOD level name (Source, LOD0, LOD1, LOD2, L..

  Tris         Actual triangle count of the mesh

  Verts        Actual vertex count of the mesh

  Reduction %  Percentage of triangles removed relative to..

  Budget       PASS if actual FAIL if actual > target

EXAMPLE METRICS OUTPUT

  Level   Tris    Verts  Reduction %  Budget

  ------  ------  -----  -----------  ------

  Source  14,832  7,520  Source       —

  LOD0    14,832  7,520  0.0%         PASS

  LOD1    7,416   3,812  50.0%        PASS

  LOD2    2,948   1,580  80.1%        PASS

  LOD3    1,488   802    90.0%        PASS

Note:

  Tip: If you manually edit an LOD mesh after generation, click Refresh Metrics

  to recalculate the table with updated values.

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11. BATCH GENERATION

  LOD Forge can process multiple objects in a single operation. This is essential for game

  projects where you need LODs for dozens or hundreds of assets.

WORKFLOW

1. Select all target mesh objects in the viewport (hold Shift and click, or use A to select all).

2. Configure the preset, engine profile, and protection settings as usual.

3. Click Batch Generate (or Generate LODs with multiple objects selected).

4. LOD Forge iterates over every selected mesh object, generating a full LOD chain for each.

5. Each object gets its own parent empty and naming hierarchy.

6. The metrics panel shows results for all processed objects.

Important:

  Important: Only mesh objects are processed during batch generation. Non-mesh objects

  (cameras, lights, empties, armatures, curves) in your selection are automatically skipped.

Note:

  Performance note: Generating LODs for very high-poly meshes (100K+ triangles)

  across many objects can take time. LOD Forge shows a progress indicator in Blender's status bar

  during batch operations.

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12. OPERATOR REFERENCE

  Operator          bl_idname                  Description                                    Requirements

  ----------------  -------------------------  ---------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------

  Generate LODs     lodforge.generate          Generate LOD chain for selected object usin..  1 mesh object selected

  Batch Generate    lodforge.batch_generate    Generate LOD chains for all selected mesh o..  1+ mesh objects selected

  Remove LODs       lodforge.remove            Delete all generated LOD objects and clean ..  Select an object with _LOD suffix

  Preview Previous  lodforge.preview_prev      Show the previous LOD level in the viewport    LODs generated for active object

  Preview Next      lodforge.preview_next      Show the next LOD level in the viewport        LODs generated for active object

  Show All LODs     lodforge.preview_show_all  Toggle visibility of all LOD levels side by..  LODs generated for active object

  Refresh Metrics   lodforge.refresh_metrics   Recalculate metrics table for existing LODs    LODs generated for active object

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13. PYTHON API EXAMPLES

GENERATE LODS WITH DESKTOP CHARACTER PRESET

    import bpy

    # Select your object

    obj = bpy.data.objects["MyCharacter"]

    bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj

    obj.select_set(True)

    # Generate LODs

    bpy.ops.lodforge.generate(

        preset='DESKTOP_CHARACTER',

        engine='UNITY',

        protect_uv_seams=True,

        protect_material_boundaries=True,

        protect_silhouette=True,

        silhouette_angle=40.0

    )

GENERATE LODS WITH CUSTOM TRIANGLE TARGETS

    import bpy

    obj = bpy.data.objects["EnvironmentProp"]

    bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj

    obj.select_set(True)

    bpy.ops.lodforge.generate(

        preset='CUSTOM',

        engine='UNREAL',

        custom_lod0=10000,

        custom_lod1=5000,

        custom_lod2=2000,

        custom_lod3=800,

        protect_uv_seams=True,

        protect_material_boundaries=True,

        protect_silhouette=True,

        silhouette_angle=35.0

    )

BATCH GENERATE FOR ALL MESH OBJECTS IN THE SCENE

    import bpy

    bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')

    for obj in bpy.data.objects:

        if obj.type == 'MESH':

            obj.select_set(True)

    bpy.ops.lodforge.batch_generate(

        preset='MOBILE_PROP',

        engine='UNITY',

        protect_uv_seams=True,

        protect_material_boundaries=False,

        protect_silhouette=True,

        silhouette_angle=50.0

    )

PREVIEW A SPECIFIC LOD LEVEL

    import bpy

    # Cycle to next LOD level

    bpy.ops.lodforge.preview_next()

    # Or show all LODs side by side

    bpy.ops.lodforge.preview_show_all()

REFRESH METRICS AFTER MANUAL EDITS

    import bpy

    bpy.ops.lodforge.refresh_metrics()

REMOVE ALL LODS FROM SELECTED OBJECT

    import bpy

    obj = bpy.data.objects["MyCharacter_LOD0"]

    bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj

    obj.select_set(True)

    bpy.ops.lodforge.remove()

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14. TROUBLESHOOTING

LODS HAVE THE SAME TRIANGLE COUNT AS THE SOURCE

  Cause: The target triangle count is higher than the source mesh's actual tri count.

  When target >= source, LOD Forge creates an exact copy instead of decimating.

  Fix: Use a lower preset (e.g., Mobile Character instead of Desktop Character) or

  switch to Custom preset and enter targets below your source tri count.

PROTECTION DOES NOT SEEM TO WORK — UVS STILL BREAK

  Cause: The UV seam, material boundary, or silhouette protection toggles may be

  disabled in the panel.

  Fix: Open the Feature Protection section in the LOD Forge panel and make sure

  the relevant toggles are enabled. Also verify that your UV seams are actually marked on the mesh

  (in Edit Mode, check Edge > Mark Seam).

LOD STILL TOO HIGH-POLY DESPITE ADAPTIVE PROTECTION

  Cause: Adaptive protection scales weights down but uses a floor of 0.2, which

  may not be aggressive enough for extreme reduction targets.

  Fix: Try disabling one or more protection options for that level. Alternatively,

  increase the silhouette angle threshold to reduce the number of protected vertices. For extreme

  cases, you can disable all protection for the lowest LOD level.

NAMING CONFLICTS — OBJECTS GET .001 SUFFIX

  Cause: Blender automatically appends .001, .002 suffixes

  when an object with the same name already exists in the scene.

  Fix: LOD Forge handles this internally by checking for existing names and cleaning

  up before generation. If you still see suffixed names, run Remove LODs first

  to clean up the previous generation, then regenerate.

REMOVE LODS DOES NOT WORK

  Cause: You need to select an object that is part of an LOD chain (has an

  _LOD suffix) for the removal operator to identify which LODs to delete.

  Fix: Select any object with an _LOD0, _LOD1, etc. suffix,

  then click Remove LODs.

BATCH GENERATE SKIPS SOME OBJECTS

  Cause: LOD Forge only processes mesh objects. Non-mesh objects (cameras, lights,

  empties, armatures, curves, text) in your selection are automatically skipped.

  Fix: Convert non-mesh objects to mesh first (Ctrl+A

  > Mesh) if you need LODs for them.

ANGLE THRESHOLD TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW

  Cause: An incorrect angle threshold can either protect too many edges (low value)

  or too few edges (high value).

  Fix: Use 60° as a starting point for most assets. Lower to 30° for

  hard-surface models, raise to 90° for organic meshes. You can use Apply Protection

  to preview the weight paint before committing to full LOD generation.

METRICS SHOW WRONG DATA

  Cause: If you manually edit LOD meshes after generation, the metrics table

  still shows the values from generation time.

  Fix: Click Refresh Metrics to recalculate the table with

  current mesh data.

LOD FORGE PANEL DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE SIDEBAR

  Cause: The addon is not enabled, or a conflicting addon is registered to the

  same panel category.

  Fix: Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, search for

  "LOD Forge", and make sure the checkbox is enabled. Press N in

  the 3D Viewport and check the tab list on the right side of the sidebar.

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15. FAQ

Q: DOES LOD FORGE WORK WITH BLENDER 4.X?

  Yes. LOD Forge is tested with Blender 3.0 through 4.4+. It uses stable API features that are

  compatible across all recent versions.

Q: CAN I UNDO LOD GENERATION?

  Yes. All operators support Ctrl+Z undo. The entire LOD generation

  operation is registered as a single undo step, so one undo reverts everything.

Q: DOES LOD FORGE MODIFY MY ORIGINAL MESH?

  No. LOD Forge duplicates your mesh for each LOD level and applies decimation to the copies.

  Your original mesh is never altered. If the LOD0 target matches or exceeds the source tri count,

  LOD0 is created as an exact copy.

Q: CAN I EXPORT THE LODS DIRECTLY TO FBX/GLTF?

  LOD Forge does not include its own exporter. Use Blender's built-in FBX or glTF exporters.

  The engine-correct naming applied by LOD Forge ensures that Unity and Unreal will auto-detect

  the LOD hierarchy on import.

Q: HOW DOES ADAPTIVE PROTECTION AFFECT VISUAL QUALITY?

  For LOD1 and LOD2 (where the decimation ratio is moderate), adaptive protection keeps weights at

  full strength — UVs, material boundaries, and silhouette are preserved perfectly. For LOD3

  and beyond (aggressive reduction), protection is scaled down so the decimator can reach the target.

  The visual quality at LOD3 is slightly lower than with full protection, but the mesh actually reaches

  the target triangle count, which is the entire point of aggressive LOD levels.

Q: DOES IT WORK WITH MULTI-MATERIAL MESHES?

  Yes. Multi-material meshes benefit the most from LOD Forge's material boundary protection.

  Without it, the Decimate modifier would collapse edges between material zones, causing materials

  to bleed into each other.

Q: CAN I USE LOD FORGE WITH MESHES THAT HAVE SHAPE KEYS?

  The Decimate modifier cannot be applied to meshes with shape keys in Blender. LOD Forge will

  warn you if it detects shape keys on the selected object. Apply the shape keys first, or

  duplicate the mesh with the desired shape key applied and generate LODs from the duplicate.

Q: HOW MANY LOD LEVELS CAN I GENERATE?

  LOD Forge generates 4 levels (LOD0 through LOD3) by default. This matches the standard used

  by Unity's LOD Group and Unreal Engine. Custom level counts may be supported in a future update.

Q: WILL LOD FORGE WORK ON MESHES WITH MODIFIERS?

  LOD Forge operates on the evaluated (final) mesh. If your object has unapplied modifiers

  (Subdivision Surface, Mirror, etc.), LOD Forge applies them to the LOD copies before

  decimation. Your original object's modifier stack remains untouched.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS WITH VERY HIGH-POLY MESHES (100K+ TRIANGLES)?

  LOD Forge handles high-poly meshes without issues. The protection analysis and decimation are

  performed using Blender's native bmesh and modifier systems, which are well-optimized. Processing

  time increases linearly with polygon count. For batch operations on many high-poly meshes, expect

  longer processing times — a progress indicator is shown in Blender's status bar.

Q: CAN I USE LOD FORGE IN A COMMERCIAL PROJECT?

  Yes. The license permits use in any personal or commercial project. You may not redistribute

  the addon itself.

Q: DOES LOD FORGE SUPPORT CURVES, TEXT, OR OTHER NON-MESH OBJECTS?

  No. LOD Forge requires mesh objects. Convert curves, text, or other objects to mesh first

  (Ctrl+A > Mesh) before using LOD Forge.

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LOD Forge v1.0.0

Smart LOD generation for Blender · Preserve what matters, decimate the rest.