GoKawiilNVIDIA updates vk_lod_clusters sample, meshoptimizer gains clustered LOD improvements
NVIDIA released an updated version of its open-source vk_lod_clusters sample featuring a refreshed 1.6-billion-triangle Zorah scene rendered with path tracing and clustered raytracing. The new glTF scene data totals about 32 GB, down slightly from 36 GB last year, despite adding a full attribute set and textures, largely because processing now relies on meshoptimizer's clusterlod.h module. The author, who previously documented processing the original Zorah scene, has since contributed improvements to meshoptimizer's hierarchical clustered LOD support and is writing about the updated pipeline's other aspects beyond processing speed.
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The shrinking file size despite richer data suggests NVIDIA's updated glTF compression and clustering pipeline is becoming more efficient, which could make ultra-detailed scenes more practical to distribute and stream. Because the sample is open-source and built on community tools like meshoptimizer, improvements here may filter into broader graphics tooling used beyond NVIDIA's own demos. This points to ongoing convergence between Nanite-style clustered LOD techniques and hardware-accelerated raytracing workflows.
- NVIDIA updated its vk_lod_clusters sample with a new 1.6-billion-triangle Zorah scene using path tracing and clustered raytracing.
- The glTF scene data shrank from ~36 GB to ~32 GB year-over-year despite added textures and full attribute sets.
- Processing now relies heavily on meshoptimizer's clusterlod.h, which the author has been improving for hierarchical clustered LOD support.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU — This article dives deep into NVIDIA's clustered raytracing and Nanite-like LOD pipelines for rendering billions of triangles with full path tracing. Running these cutting-edge demos and experimenting with meshoptimizer yourself is best done on a GPU with strong RT core performance, making the RTX 4090 a great match for tinkering with this tech firsthand.
See NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: zeux.io, 2026-09-30
Published there as: “Billions of Triangles Redux”
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