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T1KTheOneKit

t1k:unity:dots-rendering:perspective-3d

FieldValue
Moduledots-rendering
Version2.1.7
Efforthigh
Tools—

Keywords: 3D, DOTS, perspective, rendering

How to invoke

Section titled “How to invoke”
/t1k:unity:dots-rendering:perspective-3d

DOTS Perspective: 3D

Section titled “DOTS Perspective: 3D”

When This Skill Triggers

Section titled “When This Skill Triggers”
  • 3D mesh rendering, LODGroup, skeletal animation, impostor billboard
  • Third-person camera, orbit camera, perspective projection
  • URP/Lit materials, shadow casting, light probes

Key Concepts

Section titled “Key Concepts”
  • Simulation: XZ plane (always). Standard 3D NavMesh pathfinding on XZ ground
  • Presentation: Perspective camera. 3D meshes (primitives or skeletal). LOD for performance
  • No coordinate remapping — what you see is what the simulation computes

Camera Setup

Section titled “Camera Setup”
  • Perspective camera with orbit/spring-arm or fixed angle
  • Adjust position based on battle AABB and FOV (same math as isometric)
  • Can use Cinemachine for production cameras -> See references/camera-3d-guide.md

Rendering

Section titled “Rendering”
  • Meshes: Unity primitives (Capsule, Cylinder, Sphere) or Synty Polygon skeletal models
  • Shader: Universal Render Pipeline/Lit with per-unit color and smoothness
  • LODGroup: LOD0 = full 3D mesh, LOD1 = Amplify Impostor billboard
  • Shadows: Full shadow casting enabled (unlike 2D perspectives) -> See references/rendering-3d-guide.md
Section titled “Navigation”
  • NavigationAuthoring.EnableGrounding = true (default) — DOTSGroundingSystem applies Y
  • RangedAttackAuthoring.ArcHeight = 5f — parabolic arc projectiles
  • Standard NavMeshSurface with PhysicsColliders geometry
  • Full SonarAvoidance enabled (viable at 3D unit counts, typically < 500)

Animation

Section titled “Animation”
  • Skeletal: Animator + AnimatorController on mesh child (not DOTS-native yet)
  • Impostor: static billboard at LOD1 (no animation at distance)
  • Death: DeathAnimationSystem handles scale shrink (no alpha fade needed for 3D)

LODGroup + Impostor Pattern

Section titled “LODGroup + Impostor Pattern”

Prefab Structure

Section titled “Prefab Structure”
UnitPrefab (root — authoring components here)
├── Mesh (child — MeshFilter + MeshRenderer + LOD0)
│   └── Primitive mesh with URP/Lit material
├── LOD1_Impostor (child — MeshFilter + MeshRenderer)
│   └── Amplify Impostor mesh + tinted material
└── LODGroup (on root)
    ├── LOD0: transition at 0.15 → Mesh renderer
    └── LOD1: transition at 0.0 (never cull) → Impostor renderer

LOD Configuration

Section titled “LOD Configuration”
var lodGroup = root.AddComponent<LODGroup>();
lodGroup.SetLODs(new[] {
    new LOD(0.15f, new[] { lod0Renderer }),      // LOD0 = 3D mesh
    new LOD(0f,    new[] { impostorRenderer }),   // LOD1 = impostor (never cull)
});
lodGroup.RecalculateBounds();

Impostor Team Color Tinting

Section titled “Impostor Team Color Tinting”
// Per-unit material instance (don't modify shared atlas)
var tintedMat = new Material(baseMat);
tintedMat.SetColor("_BaseColor", teamColor);
AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(tintedMat, folder + name + "_Tinted.mat");
impostorRenderer.sharedMaterial = tintedMat;

Gotchas

Section titled “Gotchas”
#IssueFix
1Synty models: 5 SMRs + 50 bones per unit = 0.9 FPS at 100 unitsUse Amplify Impostor LOD1 at distance
2Impostor atlas shared across units — team tint modifies allCreate per-unit material instance with _BaseColor override
3Animator on source model captures dynamic pose during impostor bakeDisable Animator before baking impostors
4Lightmap baking corrupts ChunkWorldRenderBounds with NaNDo NOT bake lightmaps for DOTS entities. Use realtime lighting
5Mesh pivot at center, not feet — authoring offset neededChild mesh at (0, halfHeight, 0), root at feet

Cross-References

Section titled “Cross-References”
  • dots-ecs — ECS fundamentals
  • dots-rpg — Combat, stats, navigation authoring components
  • dots-graphics — RenderMeshArray, MaterialMeshInfo, LOD in ECS
  • amplify-impostors — Impostor baking workflow, atlas config, URP shader
  • dots-battlefield — ArenaConfig, tree LOD with impostors
  • unity-urp — URP/Lit shader, shadow settings, pipeline config
  • unity-shadow-optimization — Shadow cascades, light probes
  • agents-navigation — NavMesh pathfinding with grounding
  • dots-performance — Draw call reduction, chunk utilization

Reference Files

Section titled “Reference Files”
FileCoverage
references/rendering-3d-guide.mdLOD setup, impostor integration, mesh rendering, materials
references/camera-3d-guide.mdPerspective camera, orbit patterns, FOV-based framing