A couple of pics showing how we’re keeping buildings out of the main level file.
Reasons we don’t want buildings in the main level file:
- How Blender manages hierarchies. Notably, it doesn’t allow name collisions and has a bit of a quirky approach to hierarchic groupings.
- Don’t want to collapse modifier stacks until late in the project life cycle.
- Triangle count. To keep import speedy it’s better to break everything down into several files.
So, building dummies in the main level file are replaced by footprints (top). Sometimes these marks are also used to level the ground under buildings using skinwrap.
Bottom pic shows how boolean ops are used. Although booleans are applied in blender since Unity imports everything cutout shapes end up in the editor. Not clean but not a big deal, just uncheck the box next to MeshRenderer in properties. Likewise with footprints.
Sometimes these cutout shapes have uses; for example dropping a script on a doorway shape switches cameras.