Tree Pop-in and Billboard Issues with DynDOLOD

[Brexin212]

Hello, I am having issues with tree pop in and not being able to get tree billboards on the screen. I have looked at other threads on this forum, as well as reddit trying to find an answer and nothing has worked thus far. I have followed 3 separate guides, and have used 3 different mod setups trying to get billboards to load and pop-ins to stop. It does not matter what tree setup I use (EVT, S3D Trees, or Happy Little Trees), My game never looks how its supposed to. I have been fiddling with this stuff for over a week now and am just at that point where I am going to give up.

What am I using:

• DynDOLODx64  v2.96
  • DynDOLOD Resources SE v2.88
• xLODGenx64  v4.1.3.1 
  • xLODGen Resource - SSE Terrain Tamriel v1.0
• Mod Organizer  v2.4.2
• SkyrimSE v1.5.97 (old files before anniversary update)
• SKSE v2.0.20

I am running DynDOLOD after TexGen as the instructions say to do (using 512 texture size), ensuring that I add the TexGen output as a mod and activating it in MO2 before running DynDOLOD. I am running these programs through Mod Organizer after sorting my mods with LOOT, ensuring the output from these 2 programs are on a separate drive from MO, Skyrim and The programs themselves.

My SPECS:

• i7-8700K @ 3.7ghz with turbo mode at 4.7ghz
• 32gb RAM
• EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Gaming, 11GB GDDR5X
• 1440p G-sync monitor

Tree Mods I am currently using (in exact order in my mod list):

• Happy Little Trees
  • Happy Little Trees - Billboards (Contains all billboards from "Indistinguishable Billboards for Skyrim SE", therefore that mod is not needed).
  • Happy Little Trees Add-On - DynDOLOD 3 (Contains billboards and ultra lod stuff)
• TREES ADDON SE
• Aspens Ablaze
• Bent Pines II
• Leafeater's 3-in-1 Tree Overhaul (only adds tree locations to the city cells, esp plugin)
• Alpine Forest of Whiterun Valley (only adds tree locations to the world cells, esp plugin)
• Reach Tree Replacer SSE
  • Reach Tree Replacer - Billboards
  • Reach Tree Replacer SSE - DynDoLOD Ultra Tree Lod

Example of what is happening in my game. These screenshots were taken in the exact same session, I just moved forward a bit:

Spoiler

https://ibb.co/r07zcWT
https://ibb.co/phCr5L9

As you can see in the screenshots above, SOME trees are rendering billboards in the distance (Bent Pines II and I think Trees Addon SE), but not from the main tree mod or tree locations added by Alpine Forest of Whiterun Valley. Setting the fTreeLoadDistance in the MCM menu has zero effect in game. Even saving after changing a setting and completely reloading the game has no effect (though the slider is updated in game after reloading in the correct location). I have tried using my setups on fresh new games and there is no difference.

MCM menu screenshots:

Spoiler

https://ibb.co/LP5n9Hs
https://ibb.co/vhk7JtC
https://ibb.co/XzLpg9z
https://ibb.co/YRcByfc

My INI settings were set using the "Ultra" setting using BETHini, and are as follows in both My/Documents files AND my profile ini files through MO2:

Spoiler

[TerrainManager]
bShowLODInEditor=1
fBlockLevel0Distance=50000
fBlockLevel1Distance=72500
fBlockMaximumDistance=94000
fSplitDistanceMult=4.000
fTreeLoadDistance=72500

The latest guide I used was a video guide by WazaLang:

I followed his guide step by step during one of my setups and was not able to get my billboards to load like his. I used the exact mods he used, and the exact DynDOLOD settings he used also.

Other guides I used were:

1. https://www.nolvus.net/guide/ultra/lodgen
2. https://lexyslotd.com/guide/finishing-line/#dyndolod-dynamic-distant-lod-generation

If anyone can assist me I will be greatly appreciative!

[z929669]

23 minutes ago, Brexin212 said:

Example of what is happening in my game. These screenshots were taken in the exact same session, I just moved forward a bit:

  Hide contents

https://ibb.co/r07zcWT
https://ibb.co/phCr5L9

As you can see in the screenshots above, SOME trees are rendering billboards in the distance (Bent Pines II and I think Trees Addon SE), but not from the main tree mod or tree locations added by Alpine Forest of Whiterun Valley. Setting the fTreeLoadDistance in the MCM menu has zero effect in game. Even saving after changing a setting and completely reloading the game has no effect (though the slider is updated in game after reloading in the correct location). I have tried using my setups on fresh new games and there is no difference.

I'm not sure you are using the term 'billboards' correctly. From the screens, I really don't see any issues with your distant trees. If you are trying to get trees in object LOD, then you can either render the LOD models on the atlas (3D trees) or the '+' models showing billboards.

Try our WIP instructions with DynDOLOD 3 alpha 53. Throw away or hide any of your mod-packaged billboards (2D pictures of trees), because TexGen 3 will make them. If you are generating grass with NGIO, start here. Your terrainmanager fBlockLevel1Distance and fBlockMaximumDistance are too low (especially the latter).

 

[Brexin212]

8 minutes ago, z929669 said:

I'm not sure you are using the term 'billboards' correctly. From the screens, I really don't see any issues with your distant trees.

I was under the impression that a 'billboard' was a 2d image of a tree that is painted on the screen in place of a 3d tree? In any case, my landscape should be covered with trees in the distance, but there are very few trees in the distance. This creates a massive tree pop in as I travel in the game world (no tree at all to BAM, there is trees there now

 

10 minutes ago, z929669 said:

Try our WIP instructions with DynDOLOD 3 alpha 53. Throw away or hide any of your mod-packaged billboards (2D pictures of trees), because TexGen 3 will make them. If you are generating grass with NGIO, start here. Your terrainmanager fBlockLevel1Distance and fBlockMaximumDistance are too low (especially the latter).

I will try and generate these now using that guide and v3 of DynDOLOD. What should my tree settings be?

[DoubleYou]

The issue is that your LOD does not contain all the trees. It contains some of them, but not all of them. Most likely since you are using DynDOLOD 2, you are missing the necessary billboards for that version. It is much simpler to do as Z says and use DynDOLOD 3, where TexGen is able to make all the necessary billboards automatically.

Recommended TerrainManager settings:

[TerrainManager]
fBlockLevel0Distance=53248
fBlockLevel1Distance=159744
fBlockMaximumDistance=331776
fSplitDistanceMult=1.000

 

[Brexin212]

I followed the STEP guide, removed the 2d billboard files, redid everything with DynDOLOD 3 and now everything looks great!

https://ibb.co/HBd4nM1

I just have 1 more small issue, I get some trees that are floating in the distance. Any ideas?

https://ibb.co/2Ppb8N1

[z929669]

1 hour ago, Brexin212 said:

I followed the STEP guide, removed the 2d billboard files, redid everything with DynDOLOD 3 and now everything looks great!

https://ibb.co/HBd4nM1

I just have 1 more small issue, I get some trees that are floating in the distance. Any ideas?

https://ibb.co/2Ppb8N1

Yeah, we have done a lot of testing .... Whoever did the 3d LOD models for the reach trees mod (I assume) did not include the rocky base, which is actually part of those trees. As you get closer, that will go away.

[sheson]

7 hours ago, Brexin212 said:

Example of what is happening in my game. These screenshots were taken in the exact same session, I just moved forward a bit:

  Reveal hidden contents

https://ibb.co/r07zcWT
https://ibb.co/phCr5L9

As you can see in the screenshots above, SOME trees are rendering billboards in the distance (Bent Pines II and I think Trees Addon SE), but not from the main tree mod or tree locations added by Alpine Forest of Whiterun Valley. Setting the fTreeLoadDistance in the MCM menu has zero effect in game. Even saving after changing a setting and completely reloading the game has no effect (though the slider is updated in game after reloading in the correct location). I have tried using my setups on fresh new games and there is no difference.

I am going to answer the original post anyways to point out a few things for future readers.

If you follow and have problems with 3rd party guides you should ask their author/forum/discord for help.

For DynDOLOD 2.x, for each tree that you want to have billboard tree LOD, a billboard needs to be installed. This is explained in the installation instructions.
The log prints a list of found and not found billboard textures which helps to find which of the desired trees still needs a billboard.

TexGen from DynDOLOD 3 Alpha generates all required billboards automatically. No more billboards need to be downloaded/installed or created manually.