Setting up LOD/draw distance?

#1 There is no draw distance, it is measured by pixel size of the object.
Just open a model for Torque3D and you will notice empty nodes called with a number and the models also have a number after the name, some kind of default is 300 for the highest LOD, then 200 and then 100. This means when your model is smaller than 300 pixels on your screen it switches to the 200- model and so on.
So just look how others did it and you may understand.

#2 Ahhhh! That's how it works! Ok, I figured some of it out eventually but I thought the LOD###s were based on draw distance, not pixel size, hence my confusion about draw distance. That makes a lot more sense. Maybe I'll sit down and write a tutorial after I get it all worked out.

The only thing I can't figure out is how to make an empty shape with just a node for max distance. So like after a certain point it doesn't draw it at all. I tried just exporting an empty MAX scene and didn't get anywhere.

Thanks though, I think I'm getting a better handle on this.

#3 there is a null lod,
can't remember off hand but think you setup a dummy object with the name null and the detail level, so
null32 will not display any object after the lod reaches 32 pixels high.

#4 I always add nulldetail8
32 is far too much, you will clearly notice the object disappear.

#5 How do you set up the dummy object? Or is there just one somewhere in the art folder that I can copy and start using?

I'll take your advice and go with 8, that sounds perfect for my needs.

#6 You can open the blender files of my models, there you can see how it is set up and for 3dsmax there are tutorials, I think.

#7 I used to a attach a tiny, upside down, single triangle at detail1 for DAE, as I couldn't get it to export an empty LOD - but this was ages ago using an out-of-date exporter.

#8 A tiny triangle was actually my first idea, seems simple enough right?

Anyway I think I have it all sorted out. I've actually been building LOD meshes off and on for years, this is just my first foray into actually implementing them.

Now I just have to figure out why my objects aren't moving and I'm set! haha

#9 You don't need an empty LOD model, the empty node is enough.

#10 Yes but how to create an empty node?

#11 In blender it is "add" (shift+a) --> empty

#12 Well now I'm having a fun new problem. I got LOD all sorted out, had everything working great, except that it's not saving my changes. I go in, I set everything up, I click the little "save" icon under detail, I save the level, I exit out... and when I come back, all my LODs are gone and I have to set everything back up again. On the one hand, it's giving me great practice, but I sort of need this to work.