OSG Visibility Group

General

The Visibility group allows you assign a volume to a group of (geometrical ) objects. When the camera is within this bounding volume the objects within the group are visible, when the camera is outside, they are not. Use it to optimise your scene.

To create a Visibility Group in MAX

• Create some geometry;
• Create a volume (a box f.i.) which will be used as bouding object;
• Add an OSG Visibility Group Helper-object to the scene;
• Assign the volume shape to 'Visibility Volume' and the objects to 'Visibility Geometry'.

The modfiy panel options for the Visibility Group Helper

Other options

1. Visibility Volume: This defines the boundaries of the Visibility Group. This volume can have any shape (even very complex ones), but calculation time will increase with the complextity of the volume so this will more or less nullify the gained optimsation.
2. Visibility Geometry: The objects in the Group. Note that the objects in the Group do not necessarily have to lie within the box (although this makes sense) but can be outside it as well;

Demonstration

In the first picture the camera is outside the Groups Visibility Volume (denoted by the green dots): only the sphere which is not part of the group is visible. The second picture shows what happens when the camera is within the volume. The others spheres appear as well. You can download this demonstration. The .MAX, .OSG and Images are included in the archive.

More information

• OSG Exporter HOWTO