Finding where a LOD breaks

A possible way to get from "LOD 4 looks wrong somewhere in the dance" to the exact frame and body part.

1. Select the level in the LOD table. The deviation timeline recomputes for it.
2. Zoom the timeline out fully (fit button) and read the header: the maximum surface and silhouette error over all evaluated frames.

   

3. Click near the highest peak. The playhead and both viewports jump there. Zoom in on the timeline and click the top of the peak more precisely — or Ctrl+Shift+click, which snaps to the local maximum and marks it as a range at the same time.
4. Switch the LOD viewport to a heatmap — Heatmap – Silhouette error for outline problems, Heatmap – Surface error for surface shifts. Red areas are the cause.

   

5. Look at the geometry. Set the LOD viewport back to a normal shading mode (optionally with Wireframe) and zoom into the red area: you can see where the simplifier removed too much for this pose.

   

What to do with it

Options, depending on what you found:

• Refine the LODs — automatically, or for the frames you just marked. Reducing error in extreme poses.
• Paint a Geometry importance or Protect mask on the area. Mask layer types.
• Accept it: the coarsest levels are seen from far away, and a peak in a single frame may never be noticed. The crowd benchmark shows at which distance each level is used.