LoD/billboarding on an entity?

[Khorne]

Is there a way to make an entity use different meshes or switch to a billboard as its distance from the camera decreases (or the other way around, switch a billboard to an entity)? I have a program with about 200,000 billboards that I would like to be able to switch into entities as the camera approaches.

[Comtois]

I have a program with about 200,000 billboards that I would like to be able to switch into entities as the camera approaches.

so your entity will be a plane using the billboard's material ?

[Num3]

You have to code it yourself...

I don't know if you know this, but this is the technique used in Farcry (CryEngine) to do the massive jungle scenarios (after a certain distance all the vegetation meshes are replaced by static billboards).

[Khorne]

so your entity will be a plane using the billboard's material ?

Not quite. My entities represent stars and I want to have a model and decent shader/lens flare loaded when the camera is close, but don't want 199,999 × 14 extra faces in the scene.

You have to code it yourself...
I don't know if you know this, but this is the technique used in Farcry (CryEngine) to do the massive jungle scenarios (after a certain distance all the vegetation meshes are replaced by static billboards).

Thanks. I am aware that that's how it's done, but I wasn't sure if I had to code it myself in PB or if OGRE already had LoD support covered.

[Num3]

OGRE meshes can be saved with pre-calculated LOD levels, but it only effects the polygon count.

AFAIK the engine itself does a texture LOD on-the-fly when they are loaded, but in terms of model meshes it does not....

[Khorne]

OGRE meshes can be saved with pre-calculated LOD levels, but it only effects the polygon count.

Thanks, that's working perfectly!