Geometry Shell Overhead

Timotheus

I started a discussion in The Commons to talk about different approaches to things like makeup, tattoos, and even body hair. One of the techniques considered there is the geometry shell (or geoshell). 

I used a geometry shell in the creation of a character product, but testers questioned whether it would add too much overhead. I was using it to avoid using multiple large image maps in the materials; I thought the overhead would be lower this way.

So here's the question: is a geometry shell more like an instance, where it's a sort of reference to the original geometry, or is it more like a full copy of the original geometry?

Tim

Silver Dolphin

Huh, that is a good question. I would be interested in the answer to this question as well because I like the way geoshells fit so well.

Richard Haseltine

A Geometry Shell is betwixt-and-between - it isn't as resource heavy as a full figure, but it is more so than an instance.

Timotheus

As a follow-up, it has been suggested that geometry shells do not always play nice with dForce. Any thoughts on that?

Richard Haseltine

I'vwe not noticed issues, but I'm not sure how often I've combined them.

Timotheus

Thanks for weighing in, Richard.