Dramatically boost performance with custom 3D imposters. Add horizontal and vertical quads to perfectly match your model's shape. Features Efficient and High-Quality modes for total control.This asset is fully compatible with the Built-in and Universal (URP) render pipelines.For High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) projects, a specific workflow is required for correct texture captures due to the lighting.The included demo scene is configured for URP, but uses materials that can be converted to the Built-in or HDRP pipelines.Is your framerate dropping every time you look at your forest? Are your sprawling cities grinding to a halt? Stop sacrificing visual detail for performance.Veridian Imposters is a powerful editor tool for optimizing complex 3D models in Unity. It converts any high-poly model into an efficient, lightweight 3D imposter, letting you populate your world with thousands of detailed objects while maintaining a high framerate.This is not a standard billboard. Instead of a flat, camera-facing plane or a simple two-plane crosstree, Veridian Imposters builds a custom 3D mesh from several intersecting vertical and horizontal planes. As you move around the object, this multi-plane construction provides a convincing sense of depth and volume that simple techniques lack. The generated albedo and normal maps ensure it reacts to light correctly, creating a seamless transition from your high-poly model.It's the perfect, non-destructive tool for optimizing dense forests, detailed props, distant architecture, and any other scene that's heavy on geometry.Key FeaturesAdvanced Mesh ConstructionGo beyond a simple 2-plane cross-hatch. Veridian Imposters lets you build a mesh that truly fits your model's volume and complexity.Vertical Planes: Choose from 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 vertical planes to find the perfect balance between detail and performance.Horizontal Planes: Add any number of top-down planes, essential for making tree canopies or fields of grass look full and solid when viewed from above.Profile Shaping: Use simple Quads for maximum performance or tapered Octagons for a tighter silhouette that reduces transparent overdraw.The BillboardAnchor for a Perfect PivotTired of imposters rotating from the wrong spot? Simply add an empty BillboardAnchor GameObject to your source prefab. Our tool will use its exact position as the pivot, guaranteeing your trees and objects are perfectly grounded and rotate correctly.Two Powerful Render ModesEfficient Mode (Recommended): Creates the most performant imposters using half the texture space and double-sided materials. Perfect for filling your scene with thousands of objects.High-Quality Mode: Generates unique front and back faces for superior lighting accuracy. Ideal for hero assets where visual fidelity is paramount.Seamless LOD Group IntegrationThe tool intelligently handles Level of Detail groups. It can add the generated imposter as the final LOD to an existing setup or create a new LOD Group from scratch with your original model as LOD0. The entire workflow is non-destructive.Advanced Capture & Material ControlFine-tune every aspect of the generation process:Full control over texture resolution, normal map generation, and supersampling.Adjust lighting in the capture environment to perfectly match your original asset.Tweak alpha clipping values for both the texture bake and the final material.With a clean, intuitive interface and comprehensive tooltips, you can start optimizing your scenes in minutes.Core FeaturesMesh Generation: Creates multi-plane meshes with 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 intersecting vertical planes (corresponding to 4, 6, 8, 12, or 16 capture angles). Optionally add any number of horizontal planes for top-down coverage.Texture Generation: Captures Albedo and high-fidelity, world-space Normal Maps. Includes built-in Supersampling (SSAA) and an Edge Padding algorithm to eliminate halo artifacts.In-Editor Snapshot Previews: Review the generated Albedo and Normal map atlases directly in the editor window before creating the final assets, allowing for rapid iteration and adjustment.Customizable Capture Lighting: Fine-tune the key and ambient light intensity, color, and rotation within the capture environment to ensure the imposter's baked lighting perfectly matches the source model.Precise Pivot Control: Override automatic pivot detection by placing a simple BillboardAnchor object in your source prefab to explicitly define the imposter's rotation and grounding point.Automatic LOD Integration: Intelligently creates or updates LOD Group components on your prefabs. The entire workflow is non-destructive, creating all new assets in a dedicated folder.Settings Presets: Save all tool settings to ScriptableObject assets to create and share reusable presets for different types of models (e.g., "Conifer_Tree_Settings," "Grass_Settings").Limitations & Workflow RequirementsThe tool is compatible with the Built-in, URP, and HDRP render pipelines. However, please be aware of the following limitations and specific workflows:Static Imposters: The generated imposters are static and do not support vertex animation like wind. They are a "photograph" of your source model.Lighting and Shadow Rendering: Imposters are fundamentally flat planes. As such, they do not receive or cast complex, high-fidelity shadows. A shadow cast onto an imposter can look unnatural up close, and the imposter itself will not cast a detailed silhouette. This is an inherent limitation of the technique and is why imposters are most effective at a distance.Required HDRP Workflow: To ensure correct results in the High Definition Render Pipeline, two manual steps are required:You must add the UNITY_HDRP Scripting Define Symbol to your Project Settings.During the capture process, the source asset must temporarily use an Unlit shader. This is necessary to prevent HDRP's advanced, volume-based lighting from overexposing the texture bake. Full instructions are provided in the documentation.Best for Symmetrical Models: The tool produces the best results for objects that are roughly symmetrical, like single-trunk trees and bushes. It is not recommended for highly asymmetrical models or models with large concave gaps.What's IncludedThe core Veridian Imposters Editor Tool scripts.A comprehensive Demo Scene (URP only) showcasing the final quality.Example 3D Models: Three realistic oak trees and three stylized alien trees.Extensive Documentation: A comprehensive PDF user manual and well-commented C# scripts for advanced users.The BillboardSettings presets used to create the demo content.The three stylized "alien" trees in the demo content were created using generative AI. They are included purely as a "stress test" to demonstrate how Veridian Imposters can optimize complex, high-polygon models.The core tool itself is 100% AI-free. The demo assets are not required and can be safely deleted without affecting the tool's functionality.To remove them, you can either delete the entire /VeridianImposters/Demo folder, or just the specific model folders inside /Demo/Models/: ColorfulCoral, EnchantedBloom, and LuminousBuddingFlora.Dramatically boost performance with custom 3D imposters. Add horizontal and vertical quads to perfectly match your model's shape. Features Efficient and High-Quality modes for total control.
This asset is fully compatible with the Built-in and Universal (URP) render pipelines.
For High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) projects, a specific workflow is required for correct texture captures due to the lighting.
The included demo scene is configured for URP, but uses materials that can be converted to the Built-in or HDRP pipelines.
Is your framerate dropping every time you look at your forest? Are your sprawling cities grinding to a halt? Stop sacrificing visual detail for performance.
Veridian Imposters is a powerful editor tool for optimizing complex 3D models in Unity. It converts any high-poly model into an efficient, lightweight 3D imposter, letting you populate your world with thousands of detailed objects while maintaining a high framerate.
This is not a standard billboard. Instead of a flat, camera-facing plane or a simple two-plane crosstree, Veridian Imposters builds a custom 3D mesh from several intersecting vertical and horizontal planes. As you move around the object, this multi-plane construction provides a convincing sense of depth and volume that simple techniques lack. The generated albedo and normal maps ensure it reacts to light correctly, creating a seamless transition from your high-poly model.
It's the perfect, non-destructive tool for optimizing dense forests, detailed props, distant architecture, and any other scene that's heavy on geometry.
Key Features
Advanced Mesh ConstructionGo beyond a simple 2-plane cross-hatch. Veridian Imposters lets you build a mesh that truly fits your model's volume and complexity.
Vertical Planes: Choose from 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 vertical planes to find the perfect balance between detail and performance.
Horizontal Planes: Add any number of top-down planes, essential for making tree canopies or fields of grass look full and solid when viewed from above.
Profile Shaping: Use simple Quads for maximum performance or tapered Octagons for a tighter silhouette that reduces transparent overdraw.
The BillboardAnchor for a Perfect PivotTired of imposters rotating from the wrong spot? Simply add an empty BillboardAnchor GameObject to your source prefab. Our tool will use its exact position as the pivot, guaranteeing your trees and objects are perfectly grounded and rotate correctly.
Two Powerful Render Modes
Efficient Mode (Recommended): Creates the most performant imposters using half the texture space and double-sided materials. Perfect for filling your scene with thousands of objects.
High-Quality Mode: Generates unique front and back faces for superior lighting accuracy. Ideal for hero assets where visual fidelity is paramount.
Seamless LOD Group IntegrationThe tool intelligently handles Level of Detail groups. It can add the generated imposter as the final LOD to an existing setup or create a new LOD Group from scratch with your original model as LOD0. The entire workflow is non-destructive.
Advanced Capture & Material ControlFine-tune every aspect of the generation process:
Full control over texture resolution, normal map generation, and supersampling.
Adjust lighting in the capture environment to perfectly match your original asset.
Tweak alpha clipping values for both the texture bake and the final material.
With a clean, intuitive interface and comprehensive tooltips, you can start optimizing your scenes in minutes.
Core Features
Mesh Generation: Creates multi-plane meshes with 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 intersecting vertical planes (corresponding to 4, 6, 8, 12, or 16 capture angles). Optionally add any number of horizontal planes for top-down coverage.
Texture Generation: Captures Albedo and high-fidelity, world-space Normal Maps. Includes built-in Supersampling (SSAA) and an Edge Padding algorithm to eliminate halo artifacts.
In-Editor Snapshot Previews: Review the generated Albedo and Normal map atlases directly in the editor window before creating the final assets, allowing for rapid iteration and adjustment.
Customizable Capture Lighting: Fine-tune the key and ambient light intensity, color, and rotation within the capture environment to ensure the imposter's baked lighting perfectly matches the source model.
Precise Pivot Control: Override automatic pivot detection by placing a simple BillboardAnchor object in your source prefab to explicitly define the imposter's rotation and grounding point.
Automatic LOD Integration: Intelligently creates or updates LOD Group components on your prefabs. The entire workflow is non-destructive, creating all new assets in a dedicated folder.
Settings Presets: Save all tool settings to ScriptableObject assets to create and share reusable presets for different types of models (e.g., "Conifer_Tree_Settings," "Grass_Settings").
Limitations & Workflow RequirementsThe tool is compatible with the Built-in, URP, and HDRP render pipelines. However, please be aware of the following limitations and specific workflows:
Static Imposters: The generated imposters are static and do not support vertex animation like wind. They are a "photograph" of your source model.
Lighting and Shadow Rendering: Imposters are fundamentally flat planes. As such, they do not receive or cast complex, high-fidelity shadows. A shadow cast onto an imposter can look unnatural up close, and the imposter itself will not cast a detailed silhouette. This is an inherent limitation of the technique and is why imposters are most effective at a distance.
Required HDRP Workflow: To ensure correct results in the High Definition Render Pipeline, two manual steps are required:
You must add the UNITY_HDRP Scripting Define Symbol to your Project Settings.
During the capture process, the source asset must temporarily use an Unlit shader. This is necessary to prevent HDRP's advanced, volume-based lighting from overexposing the texture bake. Full instructions are provided in the documentation.
Best for Symmetrical Models: The tool produces the best results for objects that are roughly symmetrical, like single-trunk trees and bushes. It is not recommended for highly asymmetrical models or models with large concave gaps.
What's Included
The core Veridian Imposters Editor Tool scripts.
A comprehensive Demo Scene (URP only) showcasing the final quality.
Example 3D Models: Three realistic oak trees and three stylized alien trees.
Extensive Documentation: A comprehensive PDF user manual and well-commented C# scripts for advanced users.
The BillboardSettings presets used to create the demo content.
The three stylized "alien" trees in the demo content were created using generative AI. They are included purely as a "stress test" to demonstrate how Veridian Imposters can optimize complex, high-polygon models.
The core tool itself is 100% AI-free. The demo assets are not required and can be safely deleted without affecting the tool's functionality.
To remove them, you can either delete the entire /VeridianImposters/Demo folder, or just the specific model folders inside /Demo/Models/: ColorfulCoral, EnchantedBloom, and LuminousBuddingFlora.
