Chapter 3: LOD Thinking Baked into Concepts

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

LOD Thinking Baked Into Concepts

Readability Across Cameras & Distances for Prop Concept Artists (FPP, TPP, Isometric, VR/AR, Marketing)

Designing props that read at a glance is not only about aesthetics—it is an information‑delivery problem constrained by distance, speed, display size, tone mapping, and platform budgets. Level of Detail (LOD) thinking must be designed into concepts from day one so that each prop tells the same story at arm’s length, across an arena, in an isometric diorama, inside a headset, and on a 320‑px store thumbnail. This article treats LOD as a cross‑discipline language: shapes, values, patterns, text, decals, micro‑materials, and temporal cues that all degrade gracefully.

1) What LOD actually is (for concept & production)

In production, LOD is a set of meshes, textures, and materials that swap as camera distance increases, reducing complexity. In concept, LOD is a readability storyboard: a planned series of simplifications where the prop’s message survives while complexity drops. We design not one prop, but three or more views of the same idea:

  • Close (interaction range): identity + micro‑mechanics + surface story.
  • Mid (gameplay read): silhouette + primary color blocks + key functional seams.
  • Far (navigation/read): iconic massing + 1–2 color fields + single symbol/shape.

The concept deliverable anticipates which details will be cut, merged, or replaced by cheaper cues later.

2) The LOD Pyramid: from silhouette to micro

Think of information as a pyramid. The lower layers must carry the message when upper layers are gone.

  • Base: Silhouette & Proportions. Distinct negative space and mass ratios; asymmetry that signals orientation.
  • Layer 2: Major Planes & Cutlines. Panel breaks that explain function (doors, hatches, latches) with strong value steps.
  • Layer 3: Color Fields & Hazard Bands. Large blocks with high luminance contrast; 1–2 codes per face.
  • Layer 4: Icons, Numerals, Labels. Bold pictograms sized for distance; short IDs.
  • Top: Micro Story & Material Grain. Screws, fillets, stamps, grime, brush texture—nice‑to‑have at close.

When you thumbnail, remove the top and check if the bottom still speaks.

3) Camera‑specific LOD strategies

First‑Person Perspective (FPP)

FPP props live near the camera, but whip through view during sprint and combat. Design for rapid parallax and hand occlusion.

  • Close LOD (L0): readable micro mechanisms (latch, slider), embossed text for tactile reads, emissive pips with subtle pulses.
  • Mid LOD (L1): merge micro‑greeble into beveled highlights; keep 2–3 bold panel lines that describe function.
  • Far LOD (L2): collapse labels to single icon + color band on the forward‑facing plane; ensure a clean rim light path.

Third‑Person Perspective (TPP)

Distance and screen‑space occupancy dominate. Camera pans create streak blur; characters block sightlines.

  • L0: Pronounced silhouette hooks (guard, tanks, handles). Use macro chamfers that throw bright edges.
  • L1: Remove interior cut‑ins; keep corner keys and big numerals. Merge stripe patterns into solid fields.
  • L2: Replace decals with geometry color cards (small inset panels) that hold value separation under MIP.

Isometric / Top‑Down

Everything is small and constantly in motion. Moiré is the enemy.

  • L0: Top faces carry identity: colored lids, bold top icons, directional chevrons.
  • L1: Simplify to one diagonal system or orthogonal bars; avoid tight repeats.
  • L2: Show only block color, outline, and a single glyph; kill micro shadows that shimmer.

VR/AR

Stereo depth helps silhouette but head saccades blur textures. Comfort rules bound animation and contrast.

  • L0: Replace fine decals with physical features (raised icons, LED beads). Use world‑space scaling for decals so angular size is stable.
  • L1: Boost value separation rather than saturation; keep blink ≤3 Hz sustained; avoid 10–20 Hz.
  • L2: Geometry impostors (simple emissive studs, large beveled panels) over texture‑only detail.

Marketing (Key Art, Thumbs, Trailers)

You design two extra LODs: Thumbnail LOD and Trailer Motion LOD.

  • Thumb LOD: 1–2 shapes, 1–2 color blocks, one icon, exaggerated rim light. No small type.
  • Trailer LOD: thicker hazard bands (1.25–1.5×), minimal repeat patterns, timed glints and steam bursts as temporal reads.

4) Value‑first thinking (because MIP maps don’t respect hue)

Under blur and downsampling, hue collapses faster than value. In your concept pack:

  • Supply grayscale thumbnails for L0/L1/L2 to prove message survival.
  • Choose body colors that sit mid value (N4–N6) to preserve headroom for bright fields and dark cutlines.
  • Add keylines (thin light/dark borders) around icons in your paintovers to simulate shader help later.

5) Planned simplifications: merge tables

For each prominent detail, decide how it simplifies. Include a merge table in your callouts:

  • Tiger stripes → solid caution field at L1; field → corner keys at L2.
  • Serial text (12+ chars) → 3‑letter code; code → numeral.
  • Fine fasteners grid → 4 hero bolts; hero bolts → embossed circle ghosts.
  • Perforated vents → two slotted louvers; louvers → dark rectangle.

This intentional ladder prevents arbitrary deletions that break the story.

6) Concept deliverables that make LOD easy downstream

  • LOD Read Board: a single page with L0/L1/L2 side‑by‑side paintovers (FPP, TPP, ISO, VR crops). Under each, list which elements are removed/merged.
  • Decal Library in Two Scales: micro (close) and macro (distance) versions of the same iconography.
  • Material Stack Notes: body roughness, hazard paint albedo, emissive targets, outline thickness in screen‑space.
  • Distance Heuristics: “At 10 m: stripes merge; at 25 m: switch to field; at 50 m: keep only numeral.”

7) Production‑minded tips to bake into the concept

Even if you don’t author the shaders, design as if you do:

  • Screen‑space outline allowance: include a 1–2 px outline around hazard patches in your mockups; call this out for the tech artist.
  • Dithered alpha fades: specify where geometry fades (e.g., grills, wire guards) to avoid popping.
  • Distance‑based normal/detail: show a detail normal (micro noise) at L0 and a flat normal at L2 to prevent shimmer.
  • Impostors & billboards: for far LODs, propose a flat emissive card or small billboard for blinky elements; show its placement.

8) Geometry budgeting by read importance

Budget triangles by information priority:

  • Silhouette carriers: handles, hooks, antennae get the highest geo; they define identity at all distances.
  • Functional seams: doors/latches keep bevels (hard highlights distinguish function).
  • Micro greeble: reserve for L0 only; design them as removable plates in the concept to encourage easy culling later.

Add a margin note: “If memory pressure, remove plate A, then B; keep C for silhouette.”

9) Texture & decal authoring logic

  • MIP‑aware patterns: start with thick stripes and large icons; never depend on 1‑px lines.
  • Grime masks with gutters: leave a clean halo around icons so they don’t mud out as values compress.
  • Two‑tier decals: variant A (micro detail, close) and variant B (bold, far) derived from the same motif.
  • UV packing for LOD: place far‑read icons on their own islands to keep texel density for L2.

10) Temporal LOD: using time to carry information

When space and pixels fail, time can carry the message.

  • Blink codes: steady → safe; 1 Hz pulse → caution; double‑blink → warning; rapid burst (≤0.5 s) → critical (respect VR comfort).
  • Glints & steam: place specular edges and micro VFX that trigger at motion beats in trailers and gameplay.

In concept paintovers, annotate blink patterns and glint paths.

11) Testing loop you can run in a day

  1. Thumbnail in value: three sizes (close/mid/far). Ensure silhouette + color blocks carry.
  2. Motion pass: fake blur with quick smears/transform motion; verify large shapes and emissives survive.
  3. LOD crop board: paste 100%, 33%, 12.5% scale crops to simulate distance and MIP.
  4. Color‑blind sim: convert to deutan/protan and ensure shape/text reads.
  5. Compression check: export a 320‑px square (store thumb) and a 1080p frame (YouTube). The story should still land.

Document the fixes; ship with the concept.

12) Case mini‑studies (design once, read always)

A. Emergency Wall Valve

  • L0: orange wheel with black chevrons, engraved “PUSH TO RELEASE,” 6 small bolts.
  • L1: chevrons → solid black corner keys; text → “REL.”; bolts → 4 hero bolts.
  • L2: orange disk + white triangle icon only; a single emissive dot pulses 1 Hz.

B. Bio‑Sample Canister

  • L0: brushed steel, purple hazard band with bio icon and lab serial; vent perforations.
  • L1: serial → “B‑12”; perforations → two louvers; add white keyline around band.
  • L2: matte steel cylinder with purple cap and big bio glyph.

C. Power Junction Box

  • L0: yellow door, stencil text, diagram sticker, small latch.
  • L1: diagram → solid white square; text → “HV”; latch enlarged; dark hinge strip.
  • L2: simple yellow rectangle with black border and single lightning icon.

13) Accessibility baked into LOD

  • Never rely on hue alone; pair color fields with shapes and numerals.
  • Use mixed case for any label longer than 4 characters.
  • Ensure emissive pulses are readable at 1–3 Hz and avoid discomfort ranges.

Include these checks in your LOD board.

14) Handoff checklist (fast)

  • L0/L1/L2 concept paintovers with distance notes for FPP, TPP, ISO, VR.
  • Merge table for decals, text, fasteners, vents.
  • Material stack with value chips and emissive guidance.
  • Thumbnail/Trailer variants for marketing.
  • Accessibility notes and blink codes.

If you deliver this every time, tech art and modeling can author LODs without guessing.

15) Closing

LOD is not an afterthought—it is the design of graceful failure. When the camera pulls back, the frame compresses, or the player sprints past, your prop should still communicate identity, function, and state. Bake LOD into the concept: plan the pyramid, script the merges, and prove the read. Do that, and your props will survive every camera, every distance, and every edit—from graybox to store thumbnail.