Optimize / Poly Reduction

[Emor D'ni Lap]

While 3DS Max's Optimize modifier can do a decent job of reducing a high-poly-count mesh, you have no doubt noticed one serious drawback it has:

It completely ruins your UV mapping, especially painful when you've worked hard on a clever unwrapping!
(I've tried moving Optimize around within the modifier stack, but I still get the same results!)

Here's a free (or cheap) solution:

1. - Do an OBJ export of your (beautifully-UVed!) mesh object
   
2. - Install Balancer mesh reduction from atangeo.com : there's a free version, but non-commercial license is only US$26
   
3. - Import your OBJ into Balancer, then do as much poly reduction as you feel appropriate
   
4. - your UV mapping is preserved through the reduction!
   
5. - save that as OBJ, then import that reduced mesh back into your project