GUIDE [WIP] DDSopt & Texture Overhauls

[z929669]

Discussion thread:
DDSopt Guide by STEP
Wiki Link

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GET DDSopt:
Github Pre-release versions
Official Nexus versions (select pre-release update 4)

[Vulgar1]

After going through step by step and optimizing the vanilla textures, I am missing files in the Vanilla Optimized folder. The guide say there should be the same number of files and folders in each sub folder.

Only the 3 DLC folders are missing files. Dawnguard 14,704 changed to 3,112, Dragonborn 26,744 changed to 9,241, Hearthfire 2,328 change to 143.

The total number in the Extracted folder is 76,295 (like the guide suggests) The total number of files in the Optimized folder is 45,125.

 

Can anyone tell me why this is happening?

Please help.

[Kelmych]

The text says " When the DDSopt vanilla texture optimization is complete, the "STD" and "HRDLC" folders in "Vanilla Optimized" should have the same number of files and folders as the corresponding folders in "Vanilla Extracted"  ". It doesn't mention the DLC folders since only the textures are optimized for these and the DLC BSAs have non-texture files, so there are fewer files in these Optimized subfolders than are in the Extracted folder. The file tree screenshot figure at the bottom of the Optimize the Vanilla Textures subsection shows the same number of files in the Vanilla Optimized subfolders that you mention (except Dawnguard is 3122).

[steveley]

I think at some point it is just going to make sense to merge the tables for the STEP guide and the DDSOpt recommendation, so that in one spot the user can see:
 

• Download Mod ABC, version X, resolution Y.
• Follow these special instructions, such as: hide the meshes folder, copy files 1, 2, and 5 and rename them, delete file 4 as the version from mod Foo is better.
• Set X special load order in BUM, create override to put it at the Bottom of LANDSCAPES
• Load in TES5Edit and clean up your ITM's, UDR's, etc.
• Find entry 003827492 for "Flaming Sword of Azule" and copy as override to Conflict Resolution.esp so that the stats are not overwritten by Jerry's Cold Swords textures.
• Run it through DDSOpt using these exact settings and load the resulting files in MO right afterwards.

 

Heh...

[Kelmych]

The batch files described in the DDSopt guide for optimizing mods were built to optimize a large set of mods at the same time. This should make using DDSopt for the STEP:Core or the combination of Core and Extended mods (or all the mods in a particular pack) simpler since all the optimization can be done in one "step" prior to installing these mods. DDSopt can of course be used with individual mods but it is less tedious IMO to optimize a set of mods together. An optional step such as this could be added to the guide (or mentioned) since it would only need to be in one place. Many mods don't need further optimization with DDSopt, so the set of mods to be optimized isn't usually very large.

[hellanios]

If I want to use the batch files for the HRDLC bsas only, will there be any problem or do they require the other bsas to work correctly?

[Kelmych]

The pre-optimization batch file is built to handle one or more of the extracted BSAs; it doesn't need all of them. For each command it tests to see if the relevant extracted textures are available.

[hellanios]

Ok. Two more questions:

1)In order to leave the resolution of a texture as it is which resolution limit should I use?

2)I want to reduce the normals at 1024 while leaving the diffuse ones as they are. In the uncompressed textured folder they are only _n.dds files. Should I treat it like the normal maps folder?

[Kelmych]

1. As long as the resolution limit is equal to or greater than the texture size DDSopt will not change the texture size.

 

2. The uncompressed textures folder has tintmasks in the STD folder, normal maps in the HRDLC2 folder, and a model space normal map (MSN)  in the HRDLC1 folder. The only file greater than 512x512 is a 2Kx2K MSN in HRDLC1. You can use the S3 or H3 screenshot settings. The only difference will be with the one MSN. If you want to reduce the size of the MSN use S3 as the example otherwise use H3. I used H3 myself.

[phazer11]

If you want to ensure that the size you are optimizing to is the same size or half the size of the original texture the constraint tab has % options under the resolution-limit settings; you would set it to 100% or 50% respectively if that's how you wished to optimize them.

[Kelmych]

If you use percentage you need to be careful since the mod might also have some smaller size textures whose size you don't want to change. This happens to be true for the Vanilla Uncompressed textures. The tintmasks and landscape normal maps are already small enough. DDSopt will do a little collapsing, and format changing with some of the landscape normal maps but these should be OK, and it's a lot better when optimizing them with uncompressed format in the Constraints tab. For these particular landscape normal maps, if the output formats are set to compressed (DXTx) DDSopt will collapse far too many of the textures.

[EssArrBee]

Hey Kelmych, can you add the following to the ignored textures of the INI for FNV:

• architecture/barracks/ (don't know if you need path)
  • blackdoor.dds
  • blackdoor_n.dds
  • white.dds
• pipboy3000
  • screen.dds
  • screen_n.dds

Probably lots more, but those mess up the pip boy and cave entrances so they are really noticeable.

[Kelmych]

I updated the DDSopt.ini with these textures. The path is needed in this file, but these particular ones were easy to find. Let us know if it works properly. I recently added a Skyrim Sewers texture and it isn't being ignored.

[croc]

In the DDSOpt guide, under 'Archive or Move the Optimized Vanilla Texture Files', step 1 reads:

 

"If using the batch file, start the 3_Compress - 7z_2.7.bat batch file."  In the files that were in the " Download v2.74 batch files referenced in the Guide"  there was no such file.  The closest file was "3_Compress_Vanilla_7z_2.7.bat".  I have an appointment with my eye Dr. day after tomorrow...

[Kelmych]

Apparently that part of the guide wasn't updated when the file name changed to make it clear that it was for the vanilla textures vs. the batch file used to compress textures from mod files. The guide text was updated to show "3_Compress_Vanilla_7z_2.7.bat" for this file.

[peppergomez]

Heads up that the latest STEP guide still links to the 0.7.3 version of DDSopt. I was about to post asking why the screenshots didn't match up with the UI.