Version: Unity 6.1 Alpha (6000.1)
Language : English
Types of mesh data compression
Configure mesh compression

Configure vertex compression

To use the Vertex CompressionA method of storing data that reduces the amount of storage space it requires. See Texture Compression, Animation Compression, Audio Compression, Build Compression.
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setting, you must first prepare the meshThe main graphics primitive of Unity. Meshes make up a large part of your 3D worlds. Unity supports triangulated or Quadrangulated polygon meshes. Nurbs, Nurms, Subdiv surfaces must be converted to polygons. More info
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, then apply compression in the project’s optimization settings.

Prepare the mesh for vertex compression

The mesh must meet the following requirements to use vertex compression:

  • The mesh must have its Read/Write Enabled property disabled. You can change this property in the Model tab of the Model Import Settings window.
  • The mesh must not be a skinned mesh.
  • The target platform must support FP16 values.
  • The model that contains the mesh must have its Mesh Compression value set to “Off”.
  • The mesh is not eligible for dynamic batchingAn automatic Unity process which attempts to render multiple meshes as if they were a single mesh for optimized graphics performance. The technique transforms all of the GameObject vertices on the CPU and groups many similar vertices together. More info
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    or dynamic batching is turned off in the player settingsSettings that let you set various player-specific options for the final game built by Unity. More info
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    .

If a mesh fails to meet any of these requirements, then Unity does not apply vertex compression to that mesh and all data channels on the mesh use FP32 precision numbers.

Configure Vertex Compression

To change the Vertex Compression settings:

  1. Open the Player settings (menu: Edit > Project Settings > Player).
  2. Open the Other Settings submenu and navigate to the Optimization heading.
  3. Select the Vertex Compression dropdown and select any channel to enable or disable compression for that channel. You can also select None to disable compression for all channels, or select Everything to enable compression for all channels.

By default, Vertex Compression is set to Mixed, which Unity displays when multiple selections are active in the dropdown. By default, Unity uses Vertex Compression for the following channels:

  • Normal
  • Tangent
  • Tex Coord 0
  • Tex Coord 2
  • Tex Coord 3

Unity compresses these channels by default because in most cases this combination of settings provides a good mixture of saved memory without significant changes to how the mesh looks. Unity doesn’t compress the other settings, Position and Tex Coord 1, by default because these are more likely to affect the appearance of the mesh, and do not offer significant reduction in memory use. If you intend to enable Vertex Compression for the Position and Tex Coord 1 channels, you should test the settings to ensure they don’t cause artifacts in your meshes.

Types of mesh data compression
Configure mesh compression