When working with large and complex datasets, performance and visual quality can vary depending on the hardware you are using and the detail of your data. SKAND gives you control over how your models are displayed through adjustable settings that balance performance and clarity. By fine-tuning these options, you can create a smooth and responsive experience without sacrificing important details.
Below, we’ll explore three key settings you can toggle in SKAND to optimise your visualisation experience: Tile Memory Budget, Point Budget, and Refinement Quality.
See this link on how to increase your machine's performance while using SKAND.
Tile Memory Budget
The Tile Memory Budget determines how much memory SKAND allocates for loading and displaying tiles. Tiles are essentially sections of your 3D model that load progressively as you navigate.
Pro tip:
Increase the tile memory budget if you are working with a powerful machine and need more detail visible at once. This reduces tile reloading and creates a smoother experience when zooming or panning.
Decrease the tile memory budget if you notice performance slowdowns or memory use is too high. This prevents overloading your system at the cost of occasionally reloading tiles.
How to access Tile Memory Budget:
Go to General Settings under the floating toolbars on the 3D scene.
Adjust the Tile Memory Budget to optimise your machine.
Point Budget in 100,000
The Point Budget defines how many points SKAND will render at one time, measured in increments of 100,000. This is especially useful for large point clouds where displaying every point is unnecessary.
Pro tip:
Higher point budgets allow you to see finer details in dense point clouds, making it ideal for inspection or close-up analysis.
Lower point budgets improve performance, particularly on less powerful machines, while still giving a good overview of the model.
How to access Point Budget:
Go to General Settings under the floating toolbars on the 3D scene.
Adjust the Point Budget in 100,000 to suit your needs.
Refinement Quality
The Refinement Quality setting controls the level of detail (LOD) used when displaying your 3D mesh. This is adjusted on a scale where 1 is the lowest quality (fastest performance) and 64 is the highest quality (best visuals).
Pro tip:
Increase refinement quality for presentations, detailed inspections, or when your system can handle high rendering loads. This results in sharper and more accurate meshes.
Decrease refinement quality if your viewer feels sluggish or lags when navigating. Lowering the setting can significantly improve responsiveness.
How to access Refinement Quality:
Go to Settings next to the 3D mesh you want to adjust.
Switch to the Tileset tab.
Under Refinement Quality, adjust the slider freely (Low = 1, Best = 64).
Adjusting for Your Machine’s Capabilities
Older machines can take advantage of lower settings to maintain smooth performance without overloading system resources. On the other hand, newer and more powerful machines can fully leverage higher settings to unlock greater detail, sharper visuals, and a more seamless navigation experience.
Finding the Right Balance
Optimising these settings is about striking the right balance between performance and visual clarity. Here’s a quick guideline:
For smooth navigation on standard machines: Lower tile memory budget, moderate point budget, and lower refinement quality.
For detailed analysis on powerful machines: Higher tile memory budget, higher point budget, and high refinement quality.
For presentations: Prioritise refinement quality and point budget, but ensure performance remains fluid.
TL;DR: Quick Performance Tips
If you want to quickly increase performance, adjust the following:
Lower the Tile Memory Budget → reduces memory load, speeds up navigation.
Lower the Point Budget in 100,000 → fewer points rendered, faster response.
Lower the Refinement Quality → less detail, smoother movement.
Rule of thumb: Decrease these settings for older or low-end machines. Increase them for newer, high-end machines when you want sharper visuals and more detail.
SKAND empowers you to tailor the visualisation experience to your hardware and project needs. By adjusting the Tile Memory Budget, Point Budget, and Refinement Quality, you can ensure your models are both responsive and visually accurate. Start with the defaults, then tweak these settings until you find the balance that best suits your workflow.