Model sizes

[farshizzo]

Why do we need spatial hierarchies if Vizard only renders what is on screen.

Vizard will not split up meshes and only render the parts that are in view. If even one polygon of a very large mesh is in view, then Vizard will render the entire mesh. So if you have a mesh that takes up a large area, then I suggest you break up the mesh into smaller pieces.

In some scenes there could be over 200,000 polygons in view at once in the model as it is. Will a better graphics card help here or does everything start grinding to a halt above 200,000.

I just threw out that number as a general guideline. A better graphics card will definitely be able to handle more polygons.

Can Vizard move seamlessly between hierarchies/models?

Sorry, I don't exactly understand your question here.

Does it render all parts of every model in view - ie if you are in one model but can see through a doorway to another

No, if your model is split up into submeshes, then it will only render the submeshes that are in view. However, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Vizard does not perform occlusion culling, so it will still render objects that are occluded by a wall, for example.