Overdraw Best Practices
Overdraw is a silent performance killer in VR development.
In this workshop, Meta Horizon Start Mentor Sidney breaks down what overdraw is, why it drains GPU resources, and how to fix it in Unity.
Learn why relying on Unity’s default settings (like a 1KM draw distance) or the SRP batcher isn’t enough to prevent overdraw. Sidney walks through practical, simple solutions including smart level design, utilizing occlusion culling (especially for indoor scenes), and leveraging the Unity Frame Debugger to catch pixel fill issues early in the greybox phase. The session also covers the specific challenges of overdraw in procedurally generated levels.
This session was recorded in March 2026 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program.
🎬 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Welcome & Introduction to Overdraw
00:15 - Speaker Intro: Sidney (Angelsin)
01:14 - Defining Overdraw and the Rendering Pipeline
02:08 - The Performance Impact of Overdraw
02:50 - Unity's Role and Limitations in Handling Overdraw
03:19 - Risks of Mesh Combining and Dynamic Objects
04:03 - Demonstrating Overdraw with Scene and Debug Tools
06:15 - Reducing Overdraw: Adjusting Draw Distance
07:55 - Reducing Overdraw: Occlusion Culling
08:21 - Overdraw Challenges in Procedural Generation
09:10 - Using the Frame Debugger for Optimization
10:10 - Conclusion and Summary of Best Practices
🎮 FEATURED IN THIS SESSION
➡️ Unity Frame Debugger: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/FrameDebugger.html
➡️ Unity Occlusion Culling: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/OcclusionCulling.html
📚 RESOURCES
➡️ Meta Horizon Developer Forum: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/category/horizon-developer-forum
➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/
➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/
🔗 CONNECT WITH US
Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter
💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM
The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with hands-on support and expert guidance to accelerate app development. Join a thriving community to access the tools and go-to-market resources you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS.
Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
