LODinizeEarly PreviewDownload

Free Early Preview for Windows

Lower the poly count.
Keep the deformation.

LODinize makes level-of-detail meshes for skinned, animated characters. It checks every LOD on every frame of your animations, shows you where it breaks, and helps you fix it before you export to Unreal, Unity or any engine that reads FBX.

Download the free Early Preview Read the docs

Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit55.9 MBAll features for 30 daysNo account

The same character at full resolution on the left and at 12 percent of the triangles on the right. Both look almost the same. Wireframe of the same comparison: the dense original mesh and the much lighter LOD. Original · 23,406 triangles LOD · 2,925 triangles (12%)
About 8× fewer triangles, same silhouette.

Why LODs break

A LOD that looks right standing still can fail in motion

Most LOD tools simplify a character in its rest pose, and in the rest pose the result looks fine. The trouble shows up at a bent knee, a raised arm or a twisting hip: the poses players actually see. LODinize compares each LOD with the original on every frame of the animations you load, both how far the surface moves and how much the outline changes. Then it spends triangles where the motion needs them.

The same LOD in a high-kick pose, before and after refinement. Before, the hips and thigh are red; after, most of the body is blue.
The same LOD in a kick pose, before and after Refine with animation. Red marks where the LOD strays furthest from the original.
8.13largest silhouette error, before
4.88after Refine with animation

Guide: reducing error in extreme poses How refinement works

How it works

From FBX to a checked LOD chain

One window for the whole job. You can follow these steps or jump between them. The walkthrough A new character from scratch does all four on one character.

  1. Load a character and its animations

    The FBX mesh, skeleton and textures, plus any number of animation clips. Clips from other files are matched to the skeleton by joint name or by hierarchy, and you can preview them before loading.

    Loading meshes and animations

    The Select Animation dialog with a file list, a skeleton-matching report showing 88 of 88 joints compatible, and a preview of the character.

  2. Generate LODs and see the error over time

    Pick a preset or set your own levels. The original and the LOD play side by side, a timeline shows the surface and silhouette error for every frame, and a heatmap shows where on the body it is.

    Guide: finding where a LOD breaks

    The LODinize window: LOD levels on the left, the textured original and a heatmap of the LOD in the middle, and the deviation timeline below.

  3. Fix the frames that break

    Refine with animation spends the triangle budget on the poses that go wrong. Masks protect what matters, such as a face or hands, or remove geometry nobody sees.

    Refine with animation, step by step

    Close-up of a raised leg: on the left the LOD from Generate LODs only, on the right the same LOD after Refine with animation, where the ankle and shoe keep more volume.

  4. Export for your engine

    One FBX with a LOD group for Unreal, one FBX with separate LOD meshes for Unity, or one file per LOD. Textures embedded or copied beside the file, skeleton in every LOD, Y-up or Z-up, centimetres or metres.

    All export options

    The Export LODs dialog with packaging, texture and coordinate options.

Also inside

The details that usually take a second tool

Texture gaps, found and filled

Simplified triangles can reach parts of the texture the original never used, like the pale stripe on the right. The Atlas Editor shows those areas and fills them.

Guide: filling texture gaps

Close-up of jeans: the original on the left, the LOD on the right with a pale stripe where it samples unused texture.

A crowd to test on

See your LODs at work in a crowd of up to 2,025 animated, textured characters that switch level with distance, with frame times and triangle counts per level.

Workflow: checking a LOD set in a crowd

A crowd of animated characters on a plain floor, rendered by the Benchmark window.

Masks and presets

Select or paint the areas that matter and tell the simplifier to protect them, weight them or remove them. Save your settings as presets for the next character.

Selection and mask painting

Close-up of a face: the original on the left and a LOD on the right that kept the lips, thanks to a mask.

The Early Preview

The full app, free, while we finish the paid version

  • Every feature for 30 daysExport included, counted from the first time you run it.
  • Your projects stay usableAfter that, export turns off and the app still opens your projects. The preview ends on January 1, 2027.
  • Works offline, on your PCNo account and no sign-in. Your files stay on your computer.
  • Your feedback shapes version 1Tell us what works and what gets in the way: send feedback.

Questions

What do I need to run it?

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and a graphics card that supports Direct3D 11 or newer. Characters come in as FBX: a skinned mesh with its skeleton, and animations in the same file or in separate FBX files.

I don't have an animated character. Can I still try it?

Yes. The characters on this site and in the docs are free scanned models from RenderPeople. Open renderpeople.com/free-3d-people, go to Animated People and download them in FBX format (RenderPeople's license terms apply), then follow Getting started.

Which engines does it work with?

It writes FBX LOD chains laid out the way Unreal and Unity expect, or one FBX per LOD for anything else.

Is it really free?

Yes. The Early Preview is free and has every feature for 30 days from the first run. A paid version is planned; join the launch list to hear when it is ready.

What happens after 30 days?

Export turns off. You can still open and look at your projects. The preview ends on January 1, 2027 for everyone.

Why does Windows warn me when I run the installer?

This preview is not code-signed yet, so Windows does not recognise the publisher. The download page shows how to check the file and run it.

Does it need an internet connection?

No. On its first run it sends its version number to our website once, so we can count installations by country (privacy). Without a connection, nothing is sent and everything still works.

Try it on your own characters

Install the Early Preview, load a character you know, and see where its LODs break and how far you can fix them. Then tell us what you think: what worked, what got in the way, what you missed.

Download Send feedback

Hear when the full version launches

We will send one email when the paid version is ready.

Sarnea Solutions Inc. will email you about the LODinize launch. We never sell your email address or share it with other companies, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See privacy.