Help, if you please. Some things I need to be clarified.

[lupus_hegemonia]

Greetings.

First time I'm using DynDOLOD & TexGen, I used to using SSELODGen...

 

So, I did the following guide (which I published to my SSE Guide in Nexus):

 

 

 

So, let's start making the super-duper FORESTS! Install first by this order:

01. Whiterun Forest Borealis (no LODs version)
02. Bent Pines
03. Immersive Fallen Trees
04. Indistinguishable Billboards for Skyrim SE (Vanilla medium version)
05. DynDOLOD Resources SE 2.22 (select HolyCow and other options you like)
06. Enhanced Landscapes standalone OAKS and Marsh Pines (oldrim - you need to convert them to form44 via SSE Creation Kit)
07. SKyrim Flora Overhaul SE (Trees only version) ... or DFOS 2.6 Core plus BillBoards standalone

[ ETD - Every Tree Different v1.0 - New mod, OPTIONAL]

08. Beyond Skyrim Bruma Tree LOD Billboards (oldrim) + Hotfix ... if you using this unofficial DLC
09. Forests of Dibella + Billboards - DO NOT install yet!
10. Skyrim 3D Trees + Billboards (adding specific selected stuff) - DO NOT install yet!
11. Create a new mod folder and place there all the additional staff you want to get from Skyrim 3D Trees & Forests of Dibella, zip them and install them as (2) new mods

--- INSTALLING DynDOLOD ---
11. Create a DynDOLOD new folder (not in Program Files, Steam folder, SSE folder or NMM folder)
12. Copy DynDOLOD's tool contents into that new DynDOLOD folder
13. Adding parameter to DynDOLODx64.exe:

- Right click on DynDOLODx64.exe
- Click "Create Shortcut"
- Right click on the shortcut
- Select "Properties"
- Edit the "Target" text field by adding a space & -sse at the end
- Click "OK" and update the shortcut

THE SAME process for the TexGen.exe too!

14. Adding DynDOLODx64.exe to the NMM executables (to run the tool via NMM)
15. Adding TexGenx64.exe to the NMM executables (to run the tool via NMM)
16. Go into your DynDOLOD folder, then to ...Edit Scripts\ DynDOLOD\Cashe
17. DELETE ALL FILES inside that folder
18. Now go to ...Edit Scriptts\ DynDOLOD\ and open the DynDOLOD_SEE.ini with the NotePad and set:

TreeLOD=0
TreeFullFallBack=1

Save the file and exit. DynDOLOD is now setup to run Ultra Trees!

WARNING:
-------------
DO NOT... I SAY AGAIN...
...DO NOT RUN ANY TOOL TO CREATE LODS, WITH MODS ENABLED EXCEPT THOSE MODS ABOUT THE FLORA/FORESTS!!!

ALL REST MODS SHOULD BE DISABLED!

19. Running TexGen.exe
20. Select where you want TexGen output to be. Create a new folder if you need to.
21. Select the LOD texture size. Higher number will consume performance. Pick 256/512 for minimum. Click START!
22. When TexGen is finished, exit from the application
23. Now, navigate to your TexGen output location (folder you priviously chose)
24. Zip the new textures folder, name it TexGenOutput and install it with NMM

--- RUNNING DynDOLOD ---
(If you have a Bashed Patch and/or Merged Patch, unselect their esp before run DynDOLOD)

25. When DynDOLOD opens, click on the Advanced Tab at the bottom of the screen
26. On top left list (worlds) right click on it and "Select All"
27. The bottom right options' boxes should be disabled, if Ultra Trees is set up correctly
28. On top right, select quality (Medium is suggested, to start with)
29. Select a DynDOLOD Output location (folder)
30. MAKE SURE THE FILE PATH TO SKYRIM SE DATA FOLDER IS THE CORRECT ONE!
31. Select Create Texture Atlas (remember, the higher max tile size the bigger hit on performance)
32. LOD Brightness refers to distant tree LOD brightness. Keep 0 for start and will see how the distant trees looks like in the game
33. Click "OK" to start! It make takes 15-30 minutes to finish the generated LODs!!!
34. You should see " DynDOLOD Worlds completed successfully ", meaning DynDOLOD has finished successfully the LODs
35. Click "Save and Exit"
36. Click "OK"
37. Navigate to your DynDOLOD Output folder you chose/created
38. There should be Meshes & Textures folders and a DynDOLOD.esp file
39. Zip them up (all these three) and create a mod - which ALWAYS PLACING IT (with the DynDOLOD.esp) at the bottom of your mods loading order list! LOOT will place them too.
40. DONE! YOU SHOULD HAVE NOW SUPER AMAZING TREES in your game!

(Some pines from Whiterun Forest Borealis will clipping with Bent Pines. Nothing to do for it, simply REMOVE them via console command - it takes 15/30 minutes to find and remove them)

After finishing with the trees, you can now install your favorite GRASS mod, any GRASS FIXING mod (and patched) and FLOWERS mods. These (grass/flowers) always goes AFTER any trees' overhaul modding.

 

 

Now... I installed the HD LODs Textures SE and I want to install too the Imperial City LOD fix for custom lods (Beyond skyrim Bruma).

So, even if I made my LODs... now after install these two, I need to re-run the TexGen & DynDOLOD again? And, what do I need to tick to have BUILDINGS/OBJECTS LODs too (except the trees)???

 

And if I finish that too ...and then, after a while, I'll install something else... do I ALWAYS NEED to re-run the TexGen & DynDOLOD for the ENTIRE things I have, all over again? And of course DELETING the existing TexGen/DynDOLOD Outputs and DynDOLOD.esp ???

 

...Finally, another small thing. Even if I chose -2 for the LODs' brightness, my snowy trees looks quite bright (SFO snowy trees). Is it safe to place -4/-5 to the amount or the LODs will be VERY dark (which I don't mind for regular stuff but for snowy it will be silly to be very dark)?

[sheson]

I suggest to read D:\DynDOLOD_Manual.html section "How LOD works in Skyrim", "Generating" and "Updating". Also read  DynDOLOD_TexGen.html "Update Texture Atlas". This has been as asked a few times already.

 

 

 

The default LOD in Skyrim is static. This means it is precompiled and can not change based on events in the game

 

Precompiled means that changes need to be generated if they should show up in the game.

 

 

Tip: If the load order changes often, consider generating LOD only for the base install of Skyrim Legendary and only the mods which are considered essential. There is no technical requirement to update LOD just because a mod was added. The worst that can happen is that LOD is missing for new objects. This will make it easier to remove non essential mods from the load order without having to generate LOD from scratch.

 

 

There is no need to generate LOD just because a new mod was added. New objects may be missing LOD, but that is only a visual problem.

 

 

Technically it is safe to set any number to the tree LOD brightness setting. They will either be darker or brighter but nothing else will happen. If the weather and ENB combination messes badly with individual billboards, I suggest to edit or create better matching source billboards.

[lupus_hegemonia]

Yes, I've read a lot tutorials, I have a wide picture clarified but I need few stuff to be more clear...

I already making my own billboards, since I'm the author of FORESTS OF DIBELLA and I'm editing them via Photoshop.

 

So... just to be sure... if I want flora LODs but ALSO building (like from HD LODs Textures mod), I can do them together via DynDOLOD, right? At the same time...

Also... does anything (negative, positive) if I have enabled all the cities expansions, flora changes, etc... or I need to disable these?

[sheson]

DynDOLOD generates tree, static object and a new optional dynamic LOD. Buildings are static objects. Flora can be billboard tree LOD or static object LOD depending on the source assets and settings. DynDOLOD can generate all these supported LOD types in one session with the currently installed LOD meshes and textures in the load order.

 
Not sure what mods you are referring to with "all the cities expansions, flora changes". Check the "Compatibility" section of the manual and maybe search this subforum for a mods name.

 

When generating LOD the load order should typically contain all mods that affect LOD, like plugins adding objects like landscape features, buildings and trees and their LOD meshes and textures.

[lupus_hegemonia]

Cities expansions, man - like JK Whiterun, Another Riften, JK Riverwood, stuff like these.

[sheson]

Read the "Compatibility" section in the DynDOLOD manual to check for mods that have been specifically tested already, but note the limited support for Skyrim SE and also this post and this one maybe.

 

When generating LOD, the load order should typically contain all mods that affect LOD, like plugins adding objects like landscape features, buildings and trees and their LOD meshes and textures. If LOD for a plugin is not desired, disable that plugin. If a mod in the load order causes problems with LOD make a post about it so it can be solved.