You actually need 3 seperate models of each tree - high, med, low poly detail.. LOD triggers can be built fairly simple in blitz3d. Myself, I use the node triggers to launch a group of trees into action. The problem with your routine and with Autofadeentity when using 10,000+ trees is; the logic has to be preformed on each entity per cpu cycle or logic render. Ouch! that can kill a game quickly.
By linking your trees to triggers (or some call them portals), you can skip the cycle time needed to filter through all your tree entites tring to detemrine autofade values and hiden/visible data. You preform these operations on the portals instead then if something needs changed you branch off to the objects linked to the portals.
Using that approach I managed over 12,000 trees on this map and kept the frame rates extermely high. http://www.aliencodec.com/products/treemagik_pro/screenshot_4.html
Check out some of my tree shots here http://www.aliencodec.com/products/treemagik_pro/tmpro_screens.html
Now of course theres other ways of doing this, and I will be the first to tell ya to explore the possibilites.. But this method I'm using is solid.. if you'd like some portal examples then email me.
By linking your trees to triggers (or some call them portals), you can skip the cycle time needed to filter through all your tree entites tring to detemrine autofade values and hiden/visible data. You preform these operations on the portals instead then if something needs changed you branch off to the objects linked to the portals.
Using that approach I managed over 12,000 trees on this map and kept the frame rates extermely high. http://www.aliencodec.com/products/treemagik_pro/screenshot_4.html
Check out some of my tree shots here http://www.aliencodec.com/products/treemagik_pro/tmpro_screens.html
Now of course theres other ways of doing this, and I will be the first to tell ya to explore the possibilites.. But this method I'm using is solid.. if you'd like some portal examples then email me.