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)

[Ethatron]

"Vurt's Skyrim Flora Overhaul", well ... he destroyed a few of his textures with DXT3 compression:

- architecture\whiterun\wrtreealivebark01_n.dds (should be DXT5)

- architecture\whiterun\wrtreedeadbark01_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\grass\forestgrass01_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\grass\forestgrass02_n.dds (should be DXT5)

- landscape\trees\treeaspenbarkcomp_N.dds (should be DXT5)

- landscape\trees\treeaspenbranchcomp_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcomp.dds (should be DXT1, is DXT3 black)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcomp_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcompsnow_N.dds (should be DXT5)

- ... and so on, now I'm tired, actually all normal-map alpha channels should be revisited and probably almost all have higher quality as DXT5

 

I'm not sure if the bark-shader employs transparency, if yes, then all barks have black/transparent speckles.

 

If someones convinces Vurt to give out the uncompressed maps, we can make a proper compressed version for him (using the format with the least error).

[z929669]

"Vurt's Skyrim Flora Overhaul", well ... he destroyed a few of his textures with DXT3 compression:

- architecture\whiterun\wrtreealivebark01_n.dds (should be DXT5)

- architecture\whiterun\wrtreedeadbark01_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\grass\forestgrass01_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\grass\forestgrass02_n.dds (should be DXT5)

- landscape\trees\treeaspenbarkcomp_N.dds (should be DXT5)

- landscape\trees\treeaspenbranchcomp_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcomp.dds (should be DXT1, is DXT3 black)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcomp_n.dds (could be DXT5, should check PSNR in the compressonator)

- landscape\trees\treepineforestbarkcompsnow_N.dds (should be DXT5)

- ... and so on, now I'm tired, actually all normal-map alpha channels should be revisited and probably almost all have higher quality as DXT5

 

I'm not sure if the bark-shader employs transparency, if yes, then all barks have black/transparent speckles.

 

If someones convinces Vurt to give out the uncompressed maps, we can make a proper compressed version for him (using the format with the least error).

Thank you, my friend. I will contact Vurt and try to get him (her??) in here to discuss.

[Ethatron]

Sure, no problem. I just wish there would be a standard etikette to approach authors just to make the mod a bit better. Sometimes people are seemingly resistant to see that one only has the best intentions. I don't assume someone does little errors intentionally, and teamwork is also a cool thing if you can trust [the intentions]. :)

[z929669]

I think that sometimes people come across offensively and that a mod author is poised to defend their work from unjust criticism. I also find that the problem is more often than not due to a language issue. It is difficult to both present oneself --or respond to another-- eloquently in a secondary language, especially in the written word.

 

I am pretty sure that I came across politely and that Vurt will defer to your expertise in matters of DDS compression just as we all do with respect to his artistry ;)

 

--if he ever reads my PM that is

[Ethatron]

:D Best of luck to us for this then.

[Ethatron]

I checked Crimson Tide out, in general it's okay, just the screen-splash is black, I'm not sure which that is (maybe screenbloodalpha01opt.dds).

[z929669]

my exchange with Vurt on the Nexus:

 

Hi Vurt,

 

First, we of the STEP Community endorse and appreciate your work with this mod.

 

I write this note to inform you of the potential to enhance your normal maps and increase the efficiency of your textures via some minor adjustments to the compression formats used on some of the normal maps. This advice comes from Ethatron, who you may know as one of the foremost experts on compression technology and other imaging/rendering features of Skyrim and other games.

 

Here is a link to some info that you will likely be interested in.

 

Lastly, we would love you to join us over at the STEP Community, where we have a forum and wiki dedicated to our project. We also host information concerning your mod as well as many other STEP-approved mods. We like to host mod authors on our site where you will be recognized for your work. Please join us at STEP.

 

Thanks!

 

Interesting, my normal maps are already in kind of a bad shape because they're half the size of the original texture which probably makes a bigger difference than DXT3/5.. I'm not too interested in modding Skyrim atm, busy with Thief2 and System Shock2 because of the new fan patches that just came out.. if anyone wants to make better normal maps from my textures you're welcome to do so and release them. 

Any volunteers?

[Neovalen]

I keep hearing of modders being bored with Skyrim lately... hopefully with TES5Edit and other tools beginning to come out people will come back.

[Besidilo]

I keep hearing of modders being bored with Skyrim lately... hopefully with TES5Edit and other tools beginning to come out people will come back.

To be fair, some of them have been working on Skyrim for the past 10 months. It's been a long and, quite possibly, tedious ride. I hope I don't sound blasphemous here, but I highly doubt Skyrim will be remembered as one of the best TES games in the future. It lacks appeal in the long run, unlike Oblivion and some other RPGs.

 

Hopefully the Skyrim modding scene will get some fresh blood, there were a lot of instances where the good old was replaced with even better new.

[z929669]

I keep hearing of modders being bored with Skyrim lately... hopefully with TES5Edit and other tools beginning to come out people will come back.

To be fair, some of them have been working on Skyrim for the past 10 months. It's been a long and, quite possibly, tedious ride. I hope I don't sound blasphemous here, but I highly doubt Skyrim will be remembered as one of the best TES games in the future. It lacks appeal in the long run, unlike Oblivion and some other RPGs.

 

Have to disagree. I personally thought that Oblivion was a flop compared to Morrowind. Modding made it a lot better, but it is still pretty limited ... Daedric/Dwemer ruins of Morrowind were far superior to Ayleid/fort ruins of Oblivion, and I also like the Nordic/Dwemer/fort ruins of Skyrim better.

 

It is all a matter of opinion though.

[Ethatron]

"Any volunteers?"

 

Sure, just pass me the uncompressed maps, that's all what's needed.

[z929669]

I would be happy to begin modding these normal maps myself, but, alas, I have other priorities :(

[alt3rn1ty]

Help I'm a prisoner .. Probably going to have the shackles removed if I can behave for two minutes :)

 

You guys may probably have noticed but Ethatron has snuck a new dev beta out, its behaving rather nicely ( although I am not as prolific a tester as it deserves .. Hence my heads up post for the more meticulous among us who might wish to get amongst it :) )

[z929669]

Wow, it is true. That guy has been busy behind his curtain ...

 

And I am supposedly tracking that one on Git ...

 

I have yet to try out either pre IV or V, but plan on doing so soon and updating here.

[Neovalen]

Indeed Pre5b is up there. Doing a full run for giggles, just left the defaults on for the new options.

 

Vanilla:

 

 

Final report "D:\Games Misc\Skyrim\External Mods\Vanilla Optimized\Opt":

 processed files: 18580

 modified textures: 18531

 skipped textures: 10

 fixed textures: 0

 fixed files: 0

 broken files: 0 (0 without fixed ones)

 planar (1x1) textures: 3324

 changed texture formats: 3542

 i/o delta: -170473947 bytes

 tex delta: -170473947 bytes

 

 

 

HDDLC1:

 

 

Final report "D:\Games Misc\Skyrim\External Mods\Bethesda DLC Fix\Working\HRDLC1 Opt":

 processed files: 1174

 modified textures: 1173

 skipped textures: 0

 fixed textures: 0

 fixed files: 0

 broken files: 0 (0 without fixed ones)

 planar (1x1) textures: 0

 changed texture formats: 21

 i/o delta: -18221340 bytes

 tex delta: -18220452 bytes

 

 

 

HDDLC2:

 

 

Final report "D:\Games Misc\Skyrim\External Mods\Bethesda DLC Fix\Working\HRDLC2 Opt":

processed files: 1397

modified textures: 1397

skipped textures: 0

fixed textures: 0

fixed files: 0

broken files: 0 (0 without fixed ones)

planar (1x1) textures: 0

changed texture formats: 3

i/o delta: -10227398 bytes

tex delta: -10227398 bytes

 

 

 

TPC (Minus Soul Gems + Galaxy):

 

 

Final report "D:\Games Misc\Skyrim\External Mods\TexturePackCombiner 1.71\Combined Opt":

processed files: 2463

modified textures: 2458

skipped textures: 0

fixed textures: 1

fixed files: 0

broken files: 0 (0 without fixed ones)

planar (1x1) textures: 2

changed texture formats: 123

i/o delta: -124198253 bytes

tex delta: -124198253 bytes