How to Generate LODs Automatically in Unity

Level of Detail (LOD) is how games render distant objects cheaply: full quality up close, simplified versions far away. The problem is authoring those simplified versions — here's how to generate them automatically instead of by hand.

What LOD actually does

Unity's LODGroup component swaps between model versions based on distance (or screen size). LOD0 is the full-quality mesh; LOD1, LOD2 and beyond are progressively simpler. A tree 200 meters away doesn't need 50,000 triangles — a 500-triangle version looks identical at that distance and costs 100x less to render. Without LODs, you're paying full price for detail nobody can see.

The manual way (and why nobody does it)

Traditionally, an artist creates each LOD level by hand in Blender or Maya: decimate, clean up, export, repeat — per model, per level. For a library of 200 props, that's weeks of mind-numbing work. Most indie teams simply skip LODs and ship the performance hit. Automatic generation is the only sane approach at scale.

Automatic LOD generation

Automatic LOD generators decimate your meshes algorithmically — reducing triangle counts while preserving silhouettes — and wire the results straight into Unity's LODGroup. You set how aggressive each level should be (e.g. LOD1 at 50%, LOD2 at 25%, LOD3 at 10%), and the tool produces every level for you.

Batch generation for whole libraries

The real time-saver is batching: point the generator at a folder of models and process dozens or hundreds in one pass, each with LOD levels tuned to your targets. What took weeks by hand takes an afternoon. This is exactly what Batch LOD Generator does — one click, entire model libraries, output ready for LODGroup, all in the Editor with zero runtime cost.

1. Select the models (or a whole folder) you want LODs for.
2. Set your reduction targets per LOD level.
3. Generate — every model gets its LOD chain, wired into LODGroup automatically.

LODs are one piece of the puzzle

For maximum performance, pair LODs with polygon reduction on your base meshes (see how to reduce polygon count) and mesh combining for draw calls (see how to combine meshes). Or get all three in a single workflow with One Click Mesh Suite.