Cornucopia Raw Dev Log #1: GPU Instancing, or How 2,583 Plants Became 3 Draw Calls Walking on my treadmill while writing this. I have ADHD so if exercise isn't the first thing I do in the morning, it's just not likely to happen, lol. Our 3D modeler kept asking 'how much vegetation can I add?' and I kept thinking about the GPU. 2,583 individual plants, each their own draw call. On PC that's fine but we're also on console and lower end hardware. The breakthrough: these plants are all non-interactable decorations sharing the same texture. So I built a tool that combines nearby ones into big meshes. 2,583 plants became 3 draw calls. 99% reduction. The best part? They still sway in the wind individually thanks to vertex color painting and a custom shader. Full technical writeup with code details: https://cornucopiavideogame.com/devlog/ -david
