Help to decide terrain or mesh?

Unity Engine
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1

I still have some doubts, do I need to go with the Unity terrain system or use mesh generated using some 3d party apps like Blender or so?
I’m working on a mobile app with an open 3D world and 3d person-view camera. Most of the objects around are lowpoly meshes. I’m using Unity 2022.2 with URP 13.x, but most of the articles i’ve been red concerning performance were from 2016-19 years. So, i’m thinking that things might be changed since those times, and the performance is now acceptable for low-performance devices. So, i still can’t decide the side :).
My terrain - max 3 layers and all of them are just color materials (SimpleLit). I’m not planning to plant some grass or trees using a terrain system, only a manual setup. Another thing, i need my terrain to look like low-poly one, or close to it. Not sure it is possible with a built-in terrain system.
Or i’m mistaking here?

It is nice to hear your thoughts.

Check the attached image as a reference. (Image was taken from one of the internet resources)

8911234--1220227--5eb91c2c5663581ef0257b35_unity-speed-level-design-low-poly-pine-forest-very-large.jpg
8911234--1220227--5eb91c2c5663581ef0257b35_unity-speed-level-design-low-poly-pine-forest-very-large.jpg1920×1080 171 KB

2

Which is easier for you to do in terms of art? If mesh terrains are easier for you to make, go with those. However, you will probably need to use LODs, and activate/deactivate renderers depending on player position (for example, only keep a grid of the closest 9 terrain objects active at any time, with low-detail versions in the distance).

Unity;s terrain system internally hasn’t changed since like 2008, so any articles you read about it still apply. Low-poly terrain is possible, but it requires replacing the Unity terrain shader, which AFAICT is non-trivial. You may be best off using an asset does it (for example the Low-Poly module for MicroSplat ).

3

For a low poly scene like the one shown in the pic, I would say that modelling the entire scene is a better idea. But as the poster above mentioned, it comes down to which is easier for you.