Quality Presets

The SurfaceLodRenderer component provides four quality presets that control mesh density and LOD behavior. This page explains each preset in detail and provides guidance for custom configurations.

Preset Overview

Preset	Vertices/Patch	LOD Threshold	Cull Scale	Target Platform
Low	16x16 (289)	2.0	1.2	Quest standalone
Medium	32x32 (1,089)	1.5	1.5	Quest / Low-end PC
High	64x64 (4,225)	1.2	1.8	PC VR
Ultra	64x64 (4,225)	1.0	2.0	High-end PC

Preset Parameters Explained

Vertices Per Patch

The grid resolution of each rendered ocean patch.

Value	Grid	Triangles/Patch	Visual Quality
16	17x17	~512	Visible faceting at close range
32	33x33	~2,048	Smooth at typical distances
64	65x65	~8,192	Very smooth, high detail

Higher vertex counts create smoother wave surfaces but increase GPU vertex processing cost.

LOD Threshold

Controls when patches subdivide based on camera distance.

Subdivision occurs when: cameraDistance < (patchSize * LODThreshold)

Value	Effect
2.0	Subdivide only when very close (fewer patches, lower quality)
1.5	Balanced subdivision distance
1.2	Subdivide at moderate distance (more patches, higher quality)
1.0	Subdivide aggressively (maximum patches, highest quality)

Lower threshold values increase detail at distance but render more patches.

Cull Scale

Multiplier for frustum culling bounding boxes.

Value	Effect
1.0	Tight culling (may cause popping at screen edges)
1.2	Slight padding
1.5	Moderate padding
2.0	Conservative culling (renders some off-screen patches)

Higher values prevent patches from popping in at screen edges but waste GPU cycles on non-visible geometry.

Low Preset

Vertices: 16
LODThreshold: 2.0
CullScale: 1.2

Characteristics:

• Minimum mesh density
• Aggressive LOD reduction
• Tight frustum culling

Performance:

• ~5,000-10,000 vertices typical
• ~20-40 draw calls
• Minimal GPU impact

Visual Quality:

• Visible polygon edges at close range
• Lower wave detail
• Acceptable for mobile VR where frame rate is critical

Best For:

• Quest 2 standalone
• Quest 3 at 120 Hz
• Scenes with many other rendering demands

renderer.Quality = SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Low;

Medium Preset

Vertices: 32
LODThreshold: 1.5
CullScale: 1.5

Characteristics:

• Balanced mesh density
• Moderate LOD transitions
• Reasonable culling padding

Performance:

• ~20,000-40,000 vertices typical
• ~25-50 draw calls
• Low-moderate GPU impact

Visual Quality:

• Smooth surface at typical viewing distances
• Good wave detail
• Minor faceting only at very close range

Best For:

• Quest 3 at 72-90 Hz
• PC VR with limited GPU headroom
• Default choice for most VR projects

renderer.Quality = SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Medium;

High Preset

Vertices: 64
LODThreshold: 1.2
CullScale: 1.8

Characteristics:

• High mesh density
• More subdivision at distance
• Conservative culling

Performance:

• ~80,000-150,000 vertices typical
• ~30-60 draw calls
• Moderate GPU impact

Visual Quality:

• Very smooth surface
• High wave detail at all distances
• No visible faceting

Best For:

• PC VR with mid-range GPU
• Dedicated ocean experiences
• When ocean is a visual focus

renderer.Quality = SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.High;

Ultra Preset

Vertices: 64
LODThreshold: 1.0
CullScale: 2.0

Characteristics:

• Maximum mesh density
• Aggressive subdivision (always subdivide when possible)
• Very conservative culling

Performance:

• ~150,000-250,000 vertices typical
• ~40-80 draw calls
• Significant GPU impact

Visual Quality:

• Maximum surface smoothness
• Highest wave detail
• Best possible visual quality

Best For:

• High-end PC VR (RTX 3080+)
• Cinematic experiences
• Screenshots and video capture

renderer.Quality = SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Ultra;

Performance Comparison

Measured on Quest 3 at 1024m ocean size:

Preset	Vertices	Draw Calls	GPU Time	Frame Rate Impact
Low	8,200	24	0.8 ms	Minimal
Medium	32,400	38	1.4 ms	Low
High	98,000	52	2.8 ms	Moderate
Ultra	186,000	71	4.2 ms	Significant

Measured on RTX 3070 at 2048m ocean size:

Preset	Vertices	Draw Calls	GPU Time	Frame Rate Impact
Low	12,400	32	0.3 ms	Negligible
Medium	48,600	54	0.6 ms	Minimal
High	142,000	78	1.2 ms	Low
Ultra	268,000	104	2.1 ms	Moderate

Custom Configurations

For fine-tuned control, access the underlying parameters directly:

using PlatypusIdeas.VROcean.Runtime.Scripts.Ocean;
using System.Reflection;

public class CustomQualityConfig : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private SurfaceLodRenderer renderer;

    // Note: Quality presets are defined in a static dictionary
    // For custom values, modify the renderer's behavior via:

    public void ApplyCustomQuality()
    {
        // Set base quality then override via ocean size and LOD
        renderer.Quality = SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Medium;
        renderer.OceanSize = 768f; // Custom size
        
        // Force version increment to rebuild meshes
        renderer.Version++;
    }
}

Custom Vertex Count

The vertex count is tied to the quality preset. To use a different count, you would need to modify the source or create a custom renderer variant.

Recommended approach: Choose the preset with the closest vertex count, then adjust LOD threshold behavior via ocean size.

Adjusting LOD Behavior

While LOD threshold is preset-bound, you can influence LOD behavior through:

Ocean Size: Smaller ocean = fewer LOD levels = less subdivision regardless of threshold.

// Fewer LOD levels, effectively reducing detail
renderer.OceanSize = 512f;

LOD Level Override: Cap the maximum LOD depth:

// Inspector field: LOD Level Override
// 0 = automatic, 1-12 = manual cap
renderer.lodLevelOverride = 4; // Max 4 subdivision levels

Camera Distance: LOD is camera-relative. Moving the camera affects subdivision.

Dynamic Quality Adjustment

Adjust quality based on runtime performance:

using UnityEngine;
using PlatypusIdeas.VROcean.Runtime.Scripts.Ocean;

public class DynamicQuality : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private SurfaceLodRenderer renderer;

    private float[] frameTimeHistory = new float[30];
    private int historyIndex = 0;

    private const float TargetFrameTime = 0.0111f; // 90 fps
    private const float DowngradeThreshold = 0.013f; // Below 77 fps
    private const float UpgradeThreshold = 0.009f; // Above 111 fps

    void Update()
    {
        // Track frame times
        frameTimeHistory[historyIndex] = Time.unscaledDeltaTime;
        historyIndex = (historyIndex + 1) % frameTimeHistory.Length;

        // Check every 30 frames
        if (historyIndex == 0)
        {
            EvaluateQuality();
        }
    }

    void EvaluateQuality()
    {
        float avgFrameTime = 0f;
        foreach (float t in frameTimeHistory)
        {
            avgFrameTime += t;
        }
        avgFrameTime /= frameTimeHistory.Length;

        var currentQuality = renderer.Quality;

        if (avgFrameTime > DowngradeThreshold && currentQuality > SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Low)
        {
            renderer.Quality = currentQuality - 1;
            Debug.Log($"Ocean quality reduced to {renderer.Quality}");
        }
        else if (avgFrameTime < UpgradeThreshold && currentQuality < SurfaceLodRenderer.QualityLevel.Ultra)
        {
            renderer.Quality = currentQuality + 1;
            Debug.Log($"Ocean quality increased to {renderer.Quality}");
        }
    }
}

Quality and Simulation Resolution

Quality presets affect rendering only. Combine with appropriate simulation resolution:

Use Case	Simulation	Rendering
Quest Standalone	64x64	Low
Quest Quality	64x64	Medium
PC VR Balanced	128x128	Medium
PC VR Quality	128x128	High
PC VR Maximum	256x256	Ultra

Mismatched settings waste resources:

// Bad: High-res simulation with low-res mesh can't display detail
simulator.Resolution = OceanResolution._256x256;
renderer.Quality = QualityLevel.Low;

// Bad: Low-res simulation with high-res mesh wastes vertices
simulator.Resolution = OceanResolution._64x64;
renderer.Quality = QualityLevel.Ultra;

// Good: Matched settings
simulator.Resolution = OceanResolution._128x128;
renderer.Quality = QualityLevel.Medium;

Preset Selection Guide

Is this for Quest standalone?
├─ Yes → Use Low or Medium
│        ├─ 72 Hz target → Medium acceptable
│        └─ 90/120 Hz target → Use Low
└─ No (PC VR)
   ├─ GPU: Entry level (GTX 1060, RX 580)
   │  └─ Use Medium
   ├─ GPU: Mid-range (RTX 2070, RX 6700)
   │  └─ Use High
   └─ GPU: High-end (RTX 3080+, RX 6900+)
      └─ Use High or Ultra

Troubleshooting

Visible Polygon Edges

Symptom: Can see individual triangles on wave surface

Solutions:

• Increase quality preset
• Move camera farther from water
• Reduce wave choppiness (smooths the surface)

Too Many Draw Calls

Symptom: Draw call count exceeds 100

Solutions:

• Reduce quality preset (larger patches = fewer draw calls)
• Reduce ocean size
• Increase LOD level override (cap subdivision)

Popping at Screen Edges

Symptom: Patches appear/disappear at screen edges

Solutions:

• Increase quality preset (higher cull scale)
• For custom configs, increase culling bounds manually

Performance Varies by View Direction

Symptom: Looking down at water is slower than looking at horizon

Solutions:

• This is expected (more subdivision when looking down)
• Reduce quality if the variance is problematic
• Use smaller ocean size to cap maximum patches

Next Steps

• VR Performance - Platform-specific optimization
• Surface Renderer - Component reference