GPU Instancer:GettingStarted
About | Features | Getting Started | Terminology | Best Practices | F.A.Q.
GPU Instancer consists of three main Monobehavior classes. These are the Prefab Manager, Detail Manager and Tree Manager. The managers are designed with mainly ease of use in mind, and adding them to your scene is as easy as clicking a menu item. On this page, you will find information about these managers that will quickly get you started using GPUI.
 All the GPU Instancer Managers also have a question mark icon on their top right corners. Clicking this icon will make the managers show descriptions on their settings. You can always click this button to get information about a manager setting.
|
The Prefab Manager
You can add a Prefab Manager from:
GPU Instancer -> Add Prefab Manager
By adding your prefabs to the GPU Instancer Prefab Manager, the prefab instances you add to your scenes are automatically rendered by GPU Instancer. It also provides additional functionality such as adding/removing/updating instances at runtime, changing material properties per instance, choosing an LOD level to render the shadows from, and much more. Note that the Prefab Manager only accepts user created prefabs. It will not accept prefabs that are generated when importing your 3D model assets.
| In the Inspector window, press the question mark button at the top-right corner to get detailed information about setting up the manager.
|
Below are the sections you will find in the Prefab Manager.
Scene Settings
Scene Settings contains scene specific settings like camera selection.
Auto Select Camera: When this checkbox is active, GPU Instancer will use the first camera with the "MainCamera" tag at startup. If the checkbox is inactive, the desired camera can be set manually. GPU Instancer uses this camera for various calculations including culling operations.
Use Selected Camera Only: If enabled, instances will only be rendered with the selected camera. They will not be rendered in other active cameras (including the Scene View camera). This may improve performance if there are other cameras in the scene that are mainly used for camera effects, weather/water effects, reflections, etc. Using this option will make them ignore GPUI, increasing performance. Please note that the scene view during play mode will no longer show GPUI instances if this is selected.
Use Frustum Culling: Toggles frustum culling globally for all the prototypes in this manager. If turned on, you can still turn frustum culling off for individual prototypes.
Use Occlusion Culling: toggles occlusion culling globally for all the prototypes in this manager. If turned on, you can still turn occlusion culling off for individual prototypes. Please note that occlusion culling may lag if the FPS falls to extremely low levels. If this is a possiblitiy, it could be better to turn it off.
Registered Prefabs
Registered Prefabs shows the list of registered prefab instances that are currently in the scene that will be used by GPU Instancer.
Prototypes
Prototypes show the list of objects that will be used in GPU Instancer. To modify a prototype, click on its image.
Render Settings
Render Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Runtime Settings
Runtime Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Billboard Settings
Billboard Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
The Detail Manager
Scene Settings
Scene Settings contains scene specific settings like camera selection.
Debug
Debug shows the list of registered prefab instances that are currently in the scene that will be used by GPU Instancer.
Global Detail Values
Global Detail Values settings that are applied to all detail prototypes.
Prototypes
Prototypes show the list of objects that will be used in GPU Instancer. To modify a prototype, click on its image.
Render Settings
Render Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Detail Properties
Detail Properties can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Cross Quads
Cross Quads can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Foliage Shader Properties
Foliage Shader Properties can be edited individualy for each prototype.
The Tree Manager
Scene Settings
Scene Settings contains scene specific settings like camera selection.
Global Tree Values
Global Tree Values settings that are applied to all tree prototypes.
Prototypes
Prototypes show the list of objects that will be used in GPU Instancer. To modify a prototype, click on its image.
Render Settings
Render Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
Billboard Settings
Billboard Settings can be edited individualy for each prototype.
