Level of detail and imposters are effective optimizations that work for reasons you may not fully understand. Let's explore why, from a hardware perspective, these work.

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In this video, we explore the underlying reasons why optimizations like level of detail work. This involves understanding at a deep level, what the GPU expects in terms of data, what the hardware is optimized for, and how the pipeline and physical hardware units are setup.

References:
https://developer.nvidia.com/content/life-triangle-nvidias-logical-pipeline
https://gpuopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AMD_Graphics_pipeline_GIC2020.pdf
https://www.amd.com/system/files/documents/rdna-whitepaper.pdf
https://shaderbits.com/blog/octahedral-impostors
https://www.humus.name/index.php?page=Comments&ID=228
https://www.g-truc.net/post-0662.html
https://developer.nvidia.com/gpugems/gpugems3/part-iv-image-effects/chapter-21-true-impostors
https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102695/0100/Triangle-and-polygon-usage?lang=en#micro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRhJT2nmvA4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE-4GvjKcfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKQem4Z6ioQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdBZY2fkU-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWm_OhIKms8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-50MJf7hyOw

When Optimisations Work, But for the Wrong Reasons