Dynamic Level of Detail (LOD) System

Tensio features an intelligent Level of Detail (LOD) subsystem designed to maximize frame budgets in open-world games and large-scale architectural environments. The system is managed by the RopeLODController.

How the LOD System Works

RopeLODController hooks into Unity’s high-performance native CullingGroup API. It continuously evaluates camera distance and viewport visibility without incurring any GameObject raycasts:

LOD 0 — High Quality (Close Range, e.g. 0 – 10m):
- Visuals: Full 3D procedural tube mesh generated via RopeRenderer.
- Physics: Full simulation fidelity (Substeps = 8+).
LOD 1 — Medium Quality (Mid Range, e.g. 10 – 40m):
- Visuals: Replaces heavy 3D geometry with an efficient 2D billboard LineRenderer.
- Physics: Reduced simulation fidelity (Substeps = 4). Skips procedural mesh generation entirely.
LOD 2 — Off-Screen / Distant (Far Range, > 40m):
- Visuals: Completely culled (renderers disabled).
- Physics: Minimal maintenance simulation (Substeps = 1) to preserve resting shape.
LOD 3 — Suspended (> 100m):
- Physics solver suspended entirely until the player re-enters the active bounding sphere.

Component Configuration

Attach RopeLODController to the same GameObject hosting RopeController:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
High Quality Renderer	`RopeRenderer`	Auto	Reference to the primary 3D tube renderer.
Low Quality Renderer	`LineRenderer`	Auto	Reference to the lightweight line renderer (auto-instantiated if empty).
Distance Mesh To Line	`float`	`15.0`	Distance in meters where 3D mesh transitions to 2D line.
Distance Line To Cull	`float`	`45.0`	Distance where visual rendering is disabled completely.
Distance Suspend Physics	`float`	`100.0`	Distance where physics updates stop.
LOD Substeps	`Vector3Int`	`(8, 4, 1)`	Physics iteration budgets assigned per respective LOD tier.