Could you please give me some tips to optimize mods? For example... I have a question: Is a 10 MB 3D model worser than a duo of 6 MB + 4 MB 3D Models? The title says all. I need some tips to optimize my mods. Cheers.
I would suppose that it don't matters if you use a file with 10 mb or 2 with 6 and 4 mb instead. I think the most important part is, to use lod meshes that are properly set. And a while ago, a friend told me, that is it better to use less textures. For example, to use 1 texture with 1024x1024 instead of 16 textures with 256x256.
For a track, dividing terrain into pieces improves performance. For a car it could be a different story though. My suggestion is to do your own tests and yield your own conclusions.
Triangle count, material count are where you'll save a lot. Try to combine as many materials as possible. And don't use large image sizes if not needed.
Lod meshes are meshes with a lower poly count. 'lod' means 'level of detail' If, for example, your high detail carbody mesh has 20000 polys, you create 2 more meshes with, for example, 13000 and 3000 meshes from it. In 3dsmax there is a tool called mult res, to do that. The reason to use lod meshes is, that you can gain better fps with it. In the gen file you can use lodin and lodout values, to define in which distance which mesh is visible. For example you would use lodin=(0) / lodout=(10) for the high poly mesh, lodin=(10) / lodout=(50) for the med poly mesh and lodin=(50) / lodout=(500) for the low poly mesh. If you don't do that, the game always uses and has to render the high poly mesh, what of course needs more resources. But you don't need to see the high poly mesh in 100 or 300 meters distance, because you don't see the details in that distance anyway. You should use the lod meshes for all objects where it makes sense. And you have to check that the fading between the lod meshes is not noticable in game.