Meshes can consist of up to many millions of polygons and this can be a real challenge for some 3D programs. It can also take long to render those high-resolution structures. A very good way to reduce the amount of polygons without losing (too much) detail is RealFlow’s ability to optimize a mesh. Especially in combination with a camera optimization, because you can specify that parts closer to the viewer should have a higher resolution, while distant areas should consist of less faces. Optimizing will increase the mesh creation time, but the render time can be drastically reduced, so you should always consider the available optimizations.
Optimize
It is possible to choose from 3 different modes. The first one is “None” and disables the optimization process. It is also the standard setting. “Curvature” analyses the mesh’s topology to find areas where it is safe to remove polygons. “Camera”, activates the “Camera” field and optimizes the mesh based on the user’s point of view. The camera view should of course be maintained during final rendering. The optimization parameters are valid for both “Curvature” and “Camera”.
@ Camera
Here you can select the camera you want to use for the appropriate optimization process. This field is only available with Optimize > Camera.
@ Merge Iterations
This parameter specifies the number of optimization cycles and depends on “@Ite Threshold”. With each iteration pass, RealFlow tries to remove more polygons, but always related to “@ Ite Threshold”. With large “@ Merge Iterations” the mesh starts shrinking.
@ Ite Threshold
As has already been mentioned, “@Ite Threshold” is closely related to “@ Merge Iterations” and can be seen as a trigger. Higher values are used to remove more polygons, but also decrease the mesh’s quality. The standard setting is a good starting point.
@ Face subdivision
In some cases, meshes show unnaturally hard edges, because of a lack of polygons in certain areas. “@ Face subdivision” can be used to add faces, creating a smoother look. However it also increases the number of polygons, leading to larger files. After this process, some parts of the mesh show a characteristic pattern, as shown below. It is recommended to use filters and field settings instead of “@ Face subdivision”.
@ Sub Threshold
You can specify a certain trigger value to start the process of subdividing a mesh’s faces. Please note that, in most cases, this value has no influence on the final result.