Merge actor vs instanced static performance

Fanaatti
Wed, 17 Jan 2018 14:22:57 +0000
Asset Creation

Hello everyone.

I’m having some hard time of understanding how merging actors together and using instances works in different conditions. So I would like have some answers:

Okay, so lets say that I have build a whole house with modular assets. There are about 30 different kind of pieces and all of them have one material. So, the complete building now have for example 1200 pieces in it.

1. Does that means that the draw calls will be 1200 if I don’t merge or make those assets to instanced meshes?

2. If I merge all of those assets with “merge actors” tool, will the draw calls decrease to 30?

3. If I change those modular models to instanced static meshes or hierarchically instanced static meshes, will the draw call drop to 30 (as there is only 30 different materials that all are same)?

4. Is instanced/HISMC better than merging actors if there is only like 30 different assets that are repeated like 40 time each?

5. Okay, so lets think that I now add a vertex color to some of my material, so it will change the roughness based on how I have painted those assets. So there would be like a 40 models of roof tile and only 5 of them have been painted so it would look like there is a puddle. So, If I paint to some models, will they now require extra draw calls after I have merged all my models? If that is true, will all differently painted material require extra draw call?

6. Is there some other aspects that I should take notice rather than draw calls when developing buildings from modular assets?

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