View Level of Detail or LOD
Level of Detail (LOD) refers to the ability to change the level of detail found in an object (its polygon count and/or topology). LOD can often be animated and adjusted for distance and other parameters.
LOD is of great use while working with scenes or projects with high polygon counts. Often, you only need a minimal representation as you block out your scenes or animate. You can use LOD to reduce the amount of detail while working. Conversely, you can use LOD to increase the resolution of a mesh at render time. Either way, the result is essentially the same.
LOD is a great time saver. You really don’t need to deal with so much detail while working with scene components, except in rare instances. Also, you tend to concentrate on one component at a time. You can allocate more resolution to the active object, leaving the others at lower levels. This is especially handy if you still need to see the other scene items, while working with your active object; if you don’t need to have those objects visible, you can make them invisible on demand in a variety of ways.