HD Terrain LOD Mesh (by Dlizzio)

[TechAngel85 46]

Discussion topic:
HD Terrain LOD Mesh by Dlizzio
Wiki Link

STEP SE Notes:
Test Files: Main File (meshes) only!
Test against current STEP SE. We used to have a mod for this in the LE Guide, so this should be an easy add. It'll require regenerating with the xLODGen process.

 

Verdict:

This mod is redundant with xLODGen, but the "Light" noise map itself is a big improvement. Need to verify that it behaves in transitions and weathers.

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[z929669 54]

Here are some compares at two locations. STEP 0.3.0b with/wo HD Terrain Mesh. LOD gen performed according to STEP Recommendations both with this mod active/inactive, so this is a direct compare with the only difference being with/without this mod. In MO, each respective LOD output was active, and only in the HD Terrain-enabled setup was the HD Terrain mod active (it was largely/mostly overwritten by the xLODGen meshes though).
 
Windhelm, Whiterun, Solitude (sequence: STEP --> STEP+HDT).
 

EDIT: I discovered that my compare images had a xLODGen issue, so they weren't accurate. Below are the compares with LOD generated correctly with/without the mod.

 

 

Summary

• I see no quality difference on my system with/without this mod.
• I saw an FPS drop of 1-3 frames with this mod in all three locations.
• There is no point in using this mod with STEP, probably because xLODGen obviates this mod (meshes are generated by xLODGen in either case, and the /meshes folder in each case takes up the exact same disk space and contain the exact same mesh count).

It seems that LOD mesh replacers are irrelevant with xLODGen ... ? Why then do I see a frame drop with this mod enabled? Am I crazy?

[TechAngel85 46]

Z is correct. This mod is redundant with xLODGen. 

[Greg 53]

Here are some compares at two locations. STEP 0.3.0b with/wo HD Terrain Mesh. LOD gen performed according to STEP Recommendations both with this mod active/inactive, so this is a direct compare with the only difference being with/without this mod. In MO, each respective LOD output was active, and only in the HD Terrain-enabled setup was the HD Terrain mod active (it was largely/mostly overwritten by the xLODGen meshes though).

 

Windhelm, Whiterun, Solitude (sequence: STEP --> STEP+HDT).

 

 

EDIT: I discovered that my compare images had a xLODGen issue, so they weren't accurate. Below are the compares with LOD generated correctly with/without the mod.

 

 

Summary

• I see no quality difference on my system with/without this mod.
• I saw an FPS drop of 1-3 frames with this mod in all three locations.
• There is no point in using this mod with STEP, probably because xLODGen obviates this mod (meshes are generated by xLODGen in either case, and the /meshes folder in each case takes up the exact same disk space and contain the exact same mesh count).

It seems that LOD mesh replacers are irrelevant with xLODGen ... ? Why then do I see a frame drop with this mod enabled? Am I crazy?

Can a drop of 1 to 3 FPS be considered statistically insignificant or within the margin of error?

[z929669 54]

Can a drop of 1 to 3 FPS be considered statistically insignificant or within the margin of error?

Normally, yes. But I looked at FPS/VRAM many times for these saves on load in testing various things, and they were always very consistent for each. The normal caps were reduced in all three locations with this LOD active.

 

Weird.

[z929669 54]

I was looking at the terrain noise maps and decided to compare them. STEP comes with the noise map from Cathedral Landscapes, which is very dark. HD Terrain offers two others based on the exact same pattern as CL, so here they are ...

 

CL > HDT light > HDT dark

 

 

From the screens, I think HDT light is the best option, especially since it works best for both light and dark landscapes. CL and HDT dark are both fine on darker landscapes but pretty bad on light, snowy landscapes (makes snow look like granite).

[TechAngel85 46]

Dropped from testing. Unneeded with xLODGen and Cathedral Landscapes.