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)

[EssArrBee]

I'm having trouble getting DDSopt to reduce some normal maps in size using the constraints tab. I was starting out with some uncompressed textures and just wanted to reduce them in size, but setting the resolution constraint doesn't seem to be working. What am I missing?

[Aiyen]

Compression and resolution are two different parameters. Both affect the file size. 

 

You would need to adjust the compression used to alter that and the resolution constraint if you want to affect that. Granted I never liked how DDSopt handled compression. Never figured out how to just force it to save all files in a specific compression... 

Remember getting quite annoyed at it and stopped using it when it continually made some textures I made into dxt1 when it clearly caused artifacts... and I needed at least dxt5.. 

[EssArrBee]

Yeah, I set the constraints to 256x256 and it just ignored some of the normals completely. It did most of them, but I can't figure out why.

[Aiyen]

I would check the log it generates to see if it provides some insights.. it would be odd if it does some but not all. Only thing that comes to mind is if an alpha channel is involved and it has a setting to do something else in that case. 

[Kelmych]

Are the normal maps compressed or uncompressed, and if they are uncompressed are you trying to force them to be compressed? Are both dimensions the same? Are any of the normal maps you are working actually 2x2 textures created from 1 base texture or perhaps 4 base textures; I'm not sure how well DDSopt can handle the normal maps for these if there are significant inconsistencies at the texture boundaries? As Aiyen mentioned, what do the logs say? What constraint options for normal maps and for normal maps with specularity are you using (e.g., R8G8B8 and A8R8B8G8)?

[RuubixO]

This link (https://obge.paradice-insight.us/wiki/DDSopt) for the program leads to a blank page/ suggests the site no longer exists. Should I stick with the nexus version or is there another place I should be looking. Thanks!

[Kelmych]

The obge site had documentation, not the files. Get the files from Nexus.

[hellanios]

If I want to downscale the resolution of a texture without changing anything else, how should DDSopt be configured?

[Kelmych]

The configuration setup values for DDSopt are in several places in the guide. Here is the place I use for this. There was a comment a little while ago that the gamma value might be 1 step too high, but there hasn't been any testing of this yet.

 

For the Constraints tab settings it depends on what you are optimizing. If the textures are already DirectX compressed then either the "constraints" screenshot figure or the "DXTx Constraints tab settings" can be used; the resolution limit values would of course be changed to the desired values.

 

For rectangular (vs. square) textures the standard settings handle up to a 2x1 difference in the size of the two axes. If you want to reduce textures with a 4x difference in the two axes use the percentage reduction settings.

 

For uncompressed settings the format settings depends on the type of textures (e.g., body textures, face textures, architectural textures, landscape textures). The R5G5B5 or A4R4G4B4 setting (e.g., see the "Alternate Constraints tab settings" figure) often works well even with body textures; this provides a 50% size reduction vs. the 75% reduction when the size of both axes is reduced by 2. Facial textures are always tricky whether they are compressed or uncompressed; you have to try them after compression.

 

The settings (other than the resolution limit which needs to change) from the "Constraints" figure generally work well with a mixed set of compressed or uncompressed textures, and typically work well even with compressed textures.

 

DDSopt will generally flatten Monocolor textures to 1x1. This rarely causes problems in the game but many graphics editors including the Creation Kit don't like flattened textures.

[z929669]

That information is also available in the main guide and it may be more up to date there, but I didn't verify that they are different.

[TechAngel85]

I noticed after running through the Guide for F&L that my Vanilla Optimized folder is only ~3GB where the Guide says you'll need about 30GB of space. Something seems off here! The log was clean like it should have been. I did notice while following the instructions that several sections were grayed out in DDSopt as if they weren't going to be processed for some reason and it looks like they may not have been. Anyone know what is going on here? (did I mention I dislike DDSopt...why hasn't someone created these and uploaded them to Nexus? ...now that Bethesda said we can do that sort of thing.)

 

[GrantSP]

Check the input path in the top field, I see that sort of thing when the output path has those folders but the input path is only selecting some of them.

I'm with you though, DDSopt is not the easiest to use. For that reason my solution may be completely off-mark.

[TechAngel85]

Still not working. I really don't understand DDSopt that well and try to avoid it. The batch files are running and finishing so my file structure is good to my knowledge. Something could be off with them them, but I wouldn't know.

[EssArrBee]

They are on the nexus. Someone uploaded them just a couple weeks ago.

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/59435/?

[TechAngel85]

Omg! That's a godsend! Thank you!

So...all those sizes look similar to mine. Perhaps there was nothing wrong? Where's that 30GBs coming in?