Auto LOD Generator

April 30, 2026 · View on GitHub

Automatic Level of Detail (LOD) generator and mesh simplifier for Unity.

Transform complex 3D meshes into optimized LOD groups with just a few clicks. Perfect for game developers who want to improve performance without manually creating multiple mesh versions.

Features
Why Use Auto LOD Generator?
Installation
Quick Start
Presets
Menu Reference
Advanced Features
API Usage
Requirements
Troubleshooting
FAQ
Contributing
Changelog
License

Features

Core Features

One-Click LOD Generation - Automatically create LOD groups with configurable quality levels
Batch Processing - Process multiple objects at once for efficient workflow
6 Built-in Presets - Pre-configured settings for different platforms and use cases
Customizable LOD Levels - Configure 2-6 LOD levels with individual quality settings
Real-time Preview - See estimated vertex/triangle counts before generation

Mesh Support

Static Meshes - Full support for MeshFilter + MeshRenderer objects
Skinned Meshes - Full support for SkinnedMeshRenderer (animated characters)
Composite Models - Supports imported prefab/model roots with mesh renderers on child objects
Save to Assets - Export generated meshes as reusable .asset files

Workflow

Drag & Drop Support - Simply drag objects from hierarchy or project window
Context Menu Integration - Right-click on objects for quick access
Keyboard Shortcuts - Speed up your workflow with hotkeys (Ctrl+Alt+L / Cmd+Alt+L)
Undo Support - Full integration with Unity's undo system
Custom Presets - Save and load your own preset configurations

Why Use Auto LOD Generator?

Aspect	Without LOD	With Auto LOD
Draw Calls	1 high-poly mesh always rendered	1 appropriate mesh based on distance
Memory	Full mesh in GPU memory	Smaller meshes at distance
FPS Impact	High on low-end devices	Optimized for all devices
Setup Time	Hours of manual work	Seconds with presets

Performance Example

A character with 10,000 triangles:

LOD0 (close): 10,000 triangles - 100% quality
LOD1 (medium): 6,500 triangles - 65% quality
LOD2 (far): 2,000 triangles - 20% quality
LOD3 (very far): Culled (0 triangles)

Result: Up to 80% reduction in GPU workload at distance.

Installation

Unity Package Manager (Recommended)

Open Window > Package Manager
Click + > Add package from git URL

Enter:

https://github.com/manaporkun/Automatic-LOD-Generator.git

The required UnityMeshSimplifier dependency is installed automatically.

Note: To install a specific version, append the tag to the URL:
https://github.com/manaporkun/Automatic-LOD-Generator.git#v2.1.1

Manual Installation

Download Auto-LOD-Generator.unitypackage from the Releases page
In Unity, go to Assets > Import Package > Custom Package
Select the downloaded file and import (the dependency will be installed automatically)

Development Installation

For contributing or modifying the source:

Clone this repository
In Unity Package Manager, click + > Add package from disk
Select the package.json at the repository root

Quick Start

Using the Main Window

Open Tools > Auto LOD Generator > Open Window
Select a GameObject with a mesh in your scene
Choose a preset or customize settings
Click Generate LOD Group

Right-click on any mesh object in the Hierarchy
Select Auto LOD > Generate LOD Group

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Alt+L` (Windows) / `Cmd+Alt+L` (Mac)	Quick Generate LOD Group

Presets

Preset	LOD Levels	Best For
Performance	3	Maximum FPS, aggressive simplification
Balanced	4	General use, good quality/performance balance (default)
Quality	5	Visual fidelity, gradual transitions
Mobile (Low-end)	2	Budget mobile devices
Mobile (High-end)	3	Modern mobile devices
VR	4	VR applications, avoids LOD popping

Quality Factor Guide

The quality factor determines how much the mesh is simplified:

Quality	Triangle Reduction	Use Case
1.0	0% (original)	LOD0 - Always keep original
0.75	~25%	LOD1 - Close distance
0.5	~50%	LOD2 - Medium distance
0.25	~75%	LOD3 - Far distance
0.1	~90%	LOD4 - Very far distance

Mesh Simplification Options

Advanced options to control the mesh simplification algorithm:

Option	Description	Recommended Use
Enable Smart Link	Links close vertices to prevent holes in simplified meshes	Always enabled (default)
Vertex Link Distance	Max distance for vertex linking	Increase for very large meshes
Preserve Borders	Preserves mesh edge boundaries	Architectural meshes, terrain
Preserve UV Seams	Prevents UV stretching at texture seams	Characters with seam-based UVs
Preserve UV Foldovers	Prevents distortion on overlapping UVs	Complex UV layouts

Preset Defaults:

Performance: Minimal preservation for maximum reduction
Quality/VR: Borders and seams preserved for best visuals
Balanced: Smart linking only

Custom Presets

You can save your own custom presets:

Open the main window
Go to the Presets tab
Configure your settings
Enter a name and click Save

Preset Storage Location: Custom presets are saved to Assets/Editor/AutoLODGenerator/Presets/ by default. This ensures they persist across package updates. You can change this location in the Presets tab.

Menu Item	Description
`Tools > Auto LOD Generator > Open Window`	Main interface
`Tools > Auto LOD Generator > Quick Generate LOD Group`	Generate with Balanced preset
`Tools > Auto LOD Generator > Quick Simplify (50%)`	Create 50% simplified mesh
`Tools > Auto LOD Generator > Generate with Preset > ...`	Generate with specific preset

Menu Item	Description
`Auto LOD > Generate LOD Group`	Generate LOD group
`Auto LOD > Simplify Mesh (50%)`	Create 50% simplified version
`Auto LOD > Simplify Mesh (25%)`	Create 25% simplified version
`Auto LOD > Open Generator Window...`	Open main window

Advanced Features

Save Meshes to Assets

Enable Save Meshes to Assets in the Save Options section to:

Export generated LOD meshes as .asset files
Reuse meshes across multiple prefabs
Reduce scene file size
Default save location: Assets/GeneratedLODs/<ModelName>/

Skinned Mesh Support

The plugin automatically detects and handles both static and skinned meshes:

Feature	Static Mesh	Skinned Mesh
Component	MeshFilter + MeshRenderer	SkinnedMeshRenderer
Bone Preservation	N/A	✅ Full support
Blend Shapes	N/A	✅ Preserved
Animation	N/A	✅ Works seamlessly

Custom LOD Settings

In the main window, expand Advanced Settings to customize:

Quality Factors - Mesh quality for each LOD level (0.0 - 1.0)
Screen Transition Heights - When each LOD level activates based on screen coverage (0.0 - 1.0)
Culled Level - Optional level that completely hides the object at distance

Batch Processing

Open the main window and go to the Batch Process tab
Drag multiple objects or click Add from Selection
Configure settings
Enable Save Meshes to Assets if needed
Click Process X Objects

API Usage

For programmatic access, use the LODGeneratorCore class:

using Plugins.AutoLODGenerator.Editor;

// Generate LOD group with default settings
var settings = new LODGeneratorSettings();
settings.ApplyPreset(LODPreset.Balanced);

var result = LODGeneratorCore.GenerateLODGroup(myGameObject, settings);

if (result.Success)
{
    Debug.Log($"Generated LOD group: {result.GeneratedLODGroup.name}");
    Debug.Log($"Original vertices: {result.OriginalVertexCount}");
}

// Generate with mesh saving
var resultWithSave = LODGeneratorCore.GenerateLODGroup(
    myGameObject,
    settings,
    saveMeshesToAssets: true,
    meshSavePath: "Assets/MyLODs");

// Simplify a single mesh
var simplifyResult = LODGeneratorCore.GenerateSimplifiedMesh(
    myGameObject,
    quality: 0.5f,
    saveMeshToAssets: true);

// Batch processing
var batchResult = LODGeneratorCore.ProcessBatch(
    gameObjectArray,
    settings,
    progressCallback: (progress, status) => Debug.Log($"{progress:P0} - {status}"),
    saveMeshesToAssets: true
);

// Save/Load custom presets
settings.SaveAsPreset("MyCustomPreset");
settings.LoadPreset("MyCustomPreset");

// Get available custom presets
string[] presets = LODGeneratorSettings.GetCustomPresetNames();

// Check mesh renderer type
var type = LODGeneratorCore.GetMeshRendererType(gameObject);
if (type == MeshRendererType.SkinnedMeshRenderer)
{
    Debug.Log("This is a skinned mesh!");
}

Requirements

Requirement	Version
Unity	2021.3 LTS or newer
UnityMeshSimplifier	Latest from GitHub
Platform	Editor only (runtime not required)

Troubleshooting

"Object does not have a valid mesh"

Cause: The selected object is missing required components.

Solution: Ensure the object has either:

MeshFilter + MeshRenderer components, OR
SkinnedMeshRenderer component

LOD transitions are too aggressive/subtle

Cause: Default transition heights don't match your use case.

Solution:

Adjust Screen Transition Heights in Advanced Settings
Try a different preset (Quality = gradual, Performance = aggressive)

Simplified mesh looks bad

Cause: Some mesh topologies don't simplify well at low quality.

Solution:

Increase the quality factor
Try Quality preset instead of Performance
Some meshes (with complex topology) may need manual LOD creation

Skinned mesh animations break after LOD generation

Cause: Skeleton hierarchy or bone references were not preserved.

Solution:

Ensure the original skeleton hierarchy is preserved
Check that bone references are correctly assigned
Verify the original SkinnedMeshRenderer has valid bone weights

FAQ

Q: Can I use this at runtime in my game?

A: No, this is an Editor-only tool. The generated LOD groups work at runtime, but the generation process must happen in the Unity Editor.

Q: Where are my custom presets saved?

A: By default, presets are saved to Assets/Editor/AutoLODGenerator/Presets/ in your project. This location survives package updates. You can change this in the Presets tab.

Q: Will my old presets work after updating the package?

A: Yes! The plugin automatically detects and migrates presets from the old location to the new location.

Q: Does this work with procedural/mesh-animated objects?

A: Yes, as long as the mesh has valid geometry. The simplified mesh will maintain the same structure as the original.

Q: Can I edit the generated meshes?

A: Yes, if you enable "Save Meshes to Assets", the meshes are saved as .asset files and can be modified like any other mesh asset.

Q: What mesh formats are supported?

A: Any mesh that Unity can import (FBX, OBJ, DAE, etc.) as long as it's a valid mesh with triangles. Imported prefab roots are supported when their child objects contain valid MeshRenderer or SkinnedMeshRenderer components, which covers common GLB/glTF and USDZ workflows after an appropriate Unity importer has converted the file into GameObjects.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines before submitting issues or pull requests.

Development Setup

Clone this repository
Create a new Unity 2021.3+ project (or use an existing one)
In Package Manager, click + > Add package from disk and select the package.json at the repo root
Install the UnityMeshSimplifier dependency
Import the demo scene from Package Manager > Auto LOD Generator > Samples
Make your changes and submit a pull request

Built on UnityMeshSimplifier by Mattias Edlund