[ODE] Changing trimesh geometry runtime?

[Megan Fox]

As an example, say I simply add a bit more level geometry in my editor
- it's all script-active, so it's an extremely simple operation that
makes the artist's life easier.

Now if I could, I'd like to avoid rebuilding the entire world's
trimesh geometry at this point, so I suppose I have two options:

1.) Keep each independent object (each wall chunk, each floor chunk,
the terrain, etc) in a separate trimesh geom.  This would let me
change them independently, but as far as I know this is quite a bit
less efficient than keeping it all in one geom, right?

2.) Find some way of changing the data in part, while leaving the
majority of it intact.  I'm going to guess this isn't particularly
possible, right?


... right now, my best alternative appears to be to allow trimesh
geoms to be created separately from the main group, and then have a
"compile into single mesh" button that can be used whenever they've
stopped adding new geometry and want it all refreshed into a single
solid unit - but is there any better way?  Any other clever solutions
people have found in their own engines?

Thanks,
-Megan