What is the "Hierarchical Instanced Static Mesh Component"?

This came with 4.7 and I am pretty sure it is foliage related. There is a blueprint node for it that looks just like the Add Instanced Static Mesh Component, except it has the word Hierarchical in front of it.

It looks like we use it the same. Are there any tricks with it? Can it provide the same instance improvements to normal instancing that the foliage system has seen?

Any able to explain?

I would like to know too :slight_smile:

I may have to post in C++ section. Someone there might know.

The above is from the 4.7 announcement. Please see the underlined section.

Thank you, but I know about that.

It doesn’t say anything about what hierarchical instancing is, how it is supposed to be used, or whether it can be used with non-foliage actors and/or without the foliage tool.

Documentation would be great, but really something like this should at least come with a paragraph or two of explanation(IE more than the plain headline that was given).

Hello,
As you, i wonder how usefull it can be for users who abuse of ISM ^^. As no reply, i wonder if asking in feedback / documentation wouldn’t be the best way.

Yeah posted a thread in the feedback forum. Beyond finding information on what it is and how to use it, this has kind of been a communication failure. Surely we could have gotten more information than the “Hey look at the pretty trees!” headline provided.