koobas.hobune.stream
Particle Newbie: Mesh vs Billboard
Hi there, I just started using the particle system for some game effects and I'm a bit confused regarding the difference between Mesh and Billboard in render mode and particularly why I should even use Billboard anymore, now that in 2017 Mesh particles can also align with the view. As far as I can tell, with Mesh you're able to combine all of your textures in an atlas and just UV unwrap each separate mesh so it picks the image that you want. You also only need one single material instead of having to create a new one for each particle type. I assume both of these things have to increase performance as there are fewer draw calls as a result?
So what am I missing? Can you do the same with billboards and I just haven't figured out how or what's the point in ever using Billboards instead of Mesh for particle systems? Thanks in advance!
Texture Sheet Animation module is partially built for particle texture atlas without you fiddling with the UV of the mesh. Even though mesh render mode allows draw call batching, there is strict criteria when multiple mesh particles are present. In this example, no draw call is batched when their z-depths are as follow: Camera <- PS of mesh A <- PS of mesh B <- PS of mesh A. If we change the z order like this: Camera <- PS of mesh A <- PS of mesh A <- PS of mesh B, draw calls of mesh A are batched. This rule applies to billboard (essentially quad) as well.
