Grouped uploads versus single uploads and linking

[Chic Aeon]

So I spent an hour and a half trying to figure out the answer here and while I have a workaround I am no closer to "the why" of it. Any insights would be appreaciated.

BLENDER but I doubt that matters.

Here's the story.

 

I have a fairly complex object (not a lot of land impact as I have at least learned that lesson but still not simple). I have the parts divided into layers with all parts meeting up in layer one. I can upload the main object and it shrinks down to "real life" size just fine. The minute I add any of the details (I tested one by one and in groups so it isn't the particular part as far as I can see) the build will NOT shrink down to real life size.

 

I know that we can't go below the .01 barrier but I checked each and every piece and they are all way above that with the closest being .02.  

 

IF I bring them into world in parts (the main body and then the smaller parts (I narrowed it down to three as the screws I had costs waaaaay too much for their importance) they all shrink fine.

 

SOOOO I can bring them into world in parts and LINK (and the land impact goes down to 2 which is good) BUT my question is WHY?????    The logic is eluding me here. It is only a few lindens more uploading this way but I would really like to know what the problem is.

In the end this may be good as I can have some very impressive ambient maps with fills, but when you start adding this all together the upload costs get pretty steep.

Any BETTER work arounds would be good to know and if it was just a VERY BAD day on the Aditi grid well then I guess it was *wink*. 

 

Edit: Thanks for the idea on the LODs. I wasn't using the defaults but that could be the issue. In the meantime I have decided that uploading separately may actually work to my advantage as I can unlink and use the pieces for other projects since they are all less than .5 :D.  If I ever need to REALLY REALLY upload together for some reason, I will try making specialty LODs. Most of my things are very efficient to start out with as I take pains to make them that way. So hard to tell. Appreciate the input!

[Chosen Few]

What's the story with the various LOD's, and the physics shape, for each of the models?  If you're letting the system auto-generate these for you, then it's possible one or more is coming out too small when you do them all at once, but not coming out too small when you do the parts individually.

If that's indeed the case, then to avoid this problem (and others), always create your LOD's and physics shapes yourself, in your modeling program.  It's almost never a good idea to let the system do it.

 

If that's not what's going on, then I'm stumped for now.