InstaLOD profiles are saved "recipes" for processing 3D meshes. Each profile lists the steps aka Mesh Operations to run (such as polygon optimization, UV unwrapping, texture baking, hidden geometry removal) and the settings for those steps. A profile can be applied to any 3D model or collection of 3D models to produce consistent results.
In short: a profile defines what to do when procesing a mesh, eliminating the need to reconfigure settings for each model.
InstaLOD's design philosophy centers on an important principle: processing instructions (profiles) are defined independently and remain separate from the models they are processing (scenes). This allows the same profile to be applied consistently across different assets and batches.
When saving files from InstaLOD Studio, you can export either the scene (which contains the mesh data) or the profile (which contains the processing instructions). Scenes and profiles are separate—a scene exported from InstaLOD Studio contains no profile information.
¶ Why Profiles Are Useful (At a Glance)
- Consistency: Apply the same processing steps to any number of assets, ensuring repeatable, predictable results.
- Efficiency: Save time by reusing pre-configured settings instead of manually adjusting parameters for each model.
- Collaboration: Share profiles across a team to maintain standardized workflows and quality.
- Flexibility: Use profiles across InstaLOD Studio, InstaLOD Pipeline (InstaLOD's CLI), and InstaLOD's integrations into popular DCCs and game engines.
¶ Profiles Are Human‑Readable JSON Files
Profiles are stored as plain JSON, which keeps intent clear and structure explicit. The steps a profile runs and the parameters it uses are readable at a glance, so changes are easy to review alongside code and documentation. Because JSON is a common, text-based format, profiles work naturally with editors, linters, and schema validators.
This format also fits well into build and release workflows. Profiles can be versioned in source control, compared with clean diffs, and promoted across environments without conversion. The result is predictable automation and portable configurations that behave the same locally, on CI, and in production systems.
¶ Parallel and Sequential Profiles
By default InstaLOD Studio sets up new profiles so that they run thier mesh operations in parallel. This allows for multiple mesh operations to run simultaniously and asyncronously across all available CPU cores. This is useful for example when using the Optimize mesh operation to create a set of LODs.
Sometimes however it is useful to process mesh data sequentially where the result of each mesh operation is fed into the next. To enable this functionality, enable Previous Output As Input from the Profile Settings panel.
Once enabled, each mesh operation will appear connected in the Mesh Operations panel. To the right of each operation, a circle will appear. Clicking this circle will instruct InstaLOD to export a mesh at this particular stage in the Mesh Operation chain.
¶ Saving and Loading Profiles in InstaLOD Studio
The following explains how to get started saving and loading profiles with InstaLOD Studio.
¶ How to Save a Profile in InstaLOD Studio
To save a profile in InstaLOD Studio, go to File > Save Profile from the main menu.
¶ How to Load a Profile in InstaLOD Studio
Opening a profile in InstaLOD Studio can be done in a few ways:
- Go to
File>Open Profile...from the main menu. - Drag and drop a profile from your computer's file system into the main InstaLOD Studio window.