Static mesh


Static meshes are polygon meshes which constitute a major part of map architecture in many game engines, including Unreal Engine, Source, and Unity. The word "static" refers only to the fact that static meshes can't be vertex animated, as they can be moved, scaled, or reskinned in realtime.
Static Meshes can create more complex shapes than CSG and are faster to render per triangle.

Characteristics

A Static Mesh contains information about its shape, a reference to the textures to be used, and optionally a collision model.

Collision

There are three ways for a Static Mesh to collide:
Although Static Meshes have built-in information on what textures to use, this can be overridden by adding a new skin in the Static Mesh's properties. Alternatively, the Static Mesh itself can be modified to use different textures by default.

Usage

In maps, Static Meshes are very common, as they are used for anything more complex than basic architecture or terrain.
Additionally, Static Meshes sometimes represent other objects, including weapon projectiles and destroyed vehicles. Often after rendered cutscenes in which, for instance, a tank is destroyed, the tank's hull would be added as a static mesh to the real-game world.