GUIDE [WIP] DDSopt & Texture Overhauls

[z929669]

Discussion thread:
DDSopt Guide by STEP
Wiki Link

---

 

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

[peppergomez]

Thanks a lot Mishmash.

 

OK, can anyone field question 6 about how (and where) to create these three virtual drives?

 

Man, I am dying to play Skyrim again...chompin' at the bit. :-)

 

For those who prefer not to scroll back a page, here it is:

 

6) How do I create the "q:\" "r:\" and "w:\" virtual drive paths to the respective HRDLC folder?

 

"IMPORTANT: These batch files should be placed into the working directory alongside of the HRDLC folders. They are configured to use drive substitution with 3 virtual drives, each representing the relative path to the corresponding HRDLC. The virtual drives used in this example are q:\, r:\, and w:\. The BAT will not execute properly unless these file paths exist. Either create them or change the paths to reflect the folder locations existing in the working environment."

[Kelmych]

The drive substitutions are created by the HRDLC_Removal_Fix-START.bat file. In the batch files shown here  you will see the steps where they are created by this batch file and then, when processing is finished, removed by the HRDLC_Removal_Fix.bat file. You don't need to create these substitutions yourself, but you need to make sure they work on your system. Some systems have already assigned these virtual drives for other purposes, in which case you would need to edit the batch file to use a different drive letter for the affected virtual drives.

[bitdman]

Well said mishmash! and Thank you kelmesh!

@peppergomez, just a reminder that S.T.E.P. and the tools used are still a work-in-progress. Don't be afraid to experiment. Back things up, if in doubt. Read, reread,and read again. It will be worth it. And the best part is "for right now" All this invaluable knowledge is FREE. It will expand the value of the game 100% 'or more'

"Long live modding and PC gaming!!!

[peppergomez]

@kelmych- thanks. Is there a way I can tell if my system has assigned those paeticular drive letters? Be better to figure it out ahead of time.

 

@bitdman- agree 100% and it's why I am willing to jump through all these hoops to get STEP installed. I did the STEP install about 1.5 years ago (before my computer broke) and was blown away y how much better Skyrim was to play. Well worth the effort to do so again!

 

 

Thanks again everyone for the assistance and for helping bring this to the community. My hat is off to you.

[Kelmych]

The batch file has a pause. You can see whether the assignment commands worked in the print of commands prior to the pause in the command window. If there are no problems, continue. Otherwise abort and fix the assignments.

[mishmash]

If you use 7z to archive texture files, right clicking a folder to bring up the 7z contextual menu and selecting, for example: "add to STD.7z", produces a smaller archive than selecting "add to archive", entering the program's GUI (which shows the remembered non-solid block size selection) and hitting "OK".

 

I'm guessing this means it isn't registering the non-solid criterion unless you enter the GUI.

[z929669]

If you use 7z to archive texture files, right clicking a folder to bring up the 7z contextual menu and selecting, for example: "add to STD.7z", produces a smaller archive than selecting "add to archive", entering the program's GUI (which shows the remembered non-solid block size selection) and hitting "OK".

 

I'm guessing this means it isn't registering the non-solid criterion unless you enter the GUI.

Yes, I think so.

 

I have found in the past that the shortcut via the context menu adopts the last settings that the user inputs into the manual interface; however, lately I have found that my settings are only guaranteed if I do everything via manual mode. There must be a setting that controls this linkage or maybe you need to open the program itself as admin and compact something using your custom settings. Then maybe it will stick using the shortcut ...

[Pole]

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to be posting this, but I have been working through the Skyrim Revisited wiki and I have come to a problem.

 

I am attempting to run DDSOpt on the HRDLC 2 bsa.  I have done the initial run to pull all the dds files into a .bsa and then I attempted to run the optimization and I get an error.  It will run for about 7 mins and then everything goes grey and I get a windows box stating that DDSOpt has stopped running.  I have tried remaking the first .bsa to no avail, and I have also tried using both the 32bit and 64bit DDSOpt versions.  They both do the same thing.  All settings in DDSOpt are set according to the wiki recommendations. It seems to hang at processing: dawnguardbody2_d.dds everytime. Perhaps there is a way to exclude this file so I can test the rest of the optimization run?

 

I checked my event viewer and I am getting the following at every crash:

Faulting application name: DDSopt x32.exe, version: 0.8.0.0, time stamp: 0x5109c236
Faulting module name: MSVCR110.dll, version: 11.0.51106.1, time stamp: 0x5098858e
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0000e32e
Faulting process id: 0x1a8c
Faulting application start time: 0x01ce24570b9a84e0
Faulting application path: E:\Desktop\Modding\DDSopt\DDSopt x32.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\MSVCR110.dll
Report Id: 3886bf6c-904b-11e2-8766-0026833b4408

and

Activation context generation failed for "E:\Desktop\Modding\DDSopt\DDSopt x32.exe".Error in manifest or policy file "" on line . A component version required by the application conflicts with another component version already active. Conflicting components are:. Component 1: C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\amd64_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.17514_none_fa396087175ac9ac.manifest. Component 2: C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.17514_none_41e6975e2bd6f2b2.manifest.

I have VERY little experience with DDSOpt and I am at a complete loss for what if anything I am doing wrong.  Could anyone offer some advice or a possible work around.  I really want to try and finish this up and try out SR.

 

I appreciate any help you can offer, and if you would like any further information, please let me know.

[Neovalen]

Try optimizing without putting it into a BSA... I optimize loose files not into the bsa.

[cicer0]

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to be posting this, but I have been working through the Skyrim Revisited wiki and I have come to a problem.

 

I am attempting to run DDSOpt on the HRDLC 2 bsa.  I have done the initial run to pull all the dds files into a .bsa and then I attempted to run the optimization and I get an error.  It will run for about 7 mins and then everything goes grey and I get a windows box stating that DDSOpt has stopped running.  I have tried remaking the first .bsa to no avail, and I have also tried using both the 32bit and 64bit DDSOpt versions.  They both do the same thing.  All settings in DDSOpt are set according to the wiki recommendations. It seems to hang at processing: dawnguardbody2_d.dds everytime. Perhaps there is a way to exclude this file so I can test the rest of the optimization run?

 

I checked my event viewer and I am getting the following at every crash:

Faulting application name: DDSopt x32.exe, version: 0.8.0.0, time stamp: 0x5109c236
Faulting module name: MSVCR110.dll, version: 11.0.51106.1, time stamp: 0x5098858e
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0000e32e
Faulting process id: 0x1a8c
Faulting application start time: 0x01ce24570b9a84e0
Faulting application path: E:\Desktop\Modding\DDSopt\DDSopt x32.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\MSVCR110.dll
Report Id: 3886bf6c-904b-11e2-8766-0026833b4408

and

Activation context generation failed for "E:\Desktop\Modding\DDSopt\DDSopt x32.exe".Error in manifest or policy file "" on line . A component version required by the application conflicts with another component version already active. Conflicting components are:. Component 1: C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\amd64_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.17514_none_fa396087175ac9ac.manifest. Component 2: C:\Windows\WinSxS\manifests\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.17514_none_41e6975e2bd6f2b2.manifest.

 

 

I have VERY little experience with DDSOpt and I am at a complete loss for what if anything I am doing wrong.  Could anyone offer some advice or a possible work around.  I really want to try and finish this up and try out SR.

 

I appreciate any help you can offer, and if you would like any further information, please let me know.

 

I think you will find the the problem is with Microsoft Visual Studio. MSVCR110.DLL is the runtime environment packaged with applications developed in C++.

 

Perhaps try re-installing the runtime library from: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679

 

Cicer0

[Aiyen]

Also only use the version for your OS 64bit or 32bit... or other problems might arise.

[TechAngel85]

When you guys edited the guide you left out the part about skipping the .PNG files in the Interface\books section and then re-adding them later. Maybe it's there and I can't find it (the guide is a beast now and not for the light hearted) I'm sure this was a mistake if left out, but a user caught it via the Troubleshooting forum: https://forum.step-project.com/showthread.php?tid=2137

[Pole]

Ok I uninstalled all copies of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and only installed the 64bit version.  I still had the same crash but I am no longer getting the second (side-by-side) error.  I only get the general application error.

 

I tried excluding just the dawnguardbody2_d.dds and I still get the crash.  I also tried taking out the entire dlc01 armor group and the crash still happens at around 7 mins in.

 

I am able to make and optimize a .bsa of just the dlc01 armor group, so I think I can safely say that it is not the .dds's that are causing the crash.

 

 

Neovalen, you mentioned optimizing without putting it into a .bsa, how would I go about doing this?  I am not following you there.  I filtered out everything but the .dds files from the hrdlc2 and put them in a .bsa by themselves.  Then I take that bsa and optimize it.  How would I go about doing this as loose files?  Sorry this is my inexperience with DDSOpt showing.

[Kelmych]

When you guys edited the guide you left out the part about skipping the .PNG files in the Interface\books section and then re-adding them later. Maybe it's there and I can't find it (the guide is a beast now and not for the light hearted) I'm sure this was a mistake if left out' date=' but a user caught it via the Troubleshooting forum: https://forum.step-project.com/showthread.php?tid=2137[/quote']

The PNG files are handled here in step 4 of the "Optimizing the Textures" subsection. This is the only part of the guide that covers the actual steps in DDSopt to perform optimization.

 

Because the guide is large I wrote a short roadmap and put it in a new section called Texture Optimization Quickstart. Perhaps we should reference it at the beginning of the guide and/or move this roadmap earlier in the guide (at the beginning as a preface perhaps)? If you have any ideas on how to provide better layering of information in the guide we would appreciate suggestions. This roadmap could also be the basis for a video on initial use of DDSopt.

[Aiyen]

The first step is to unpack the bsa into loose files... save all these files in a separate folder. Then optimize on that folder and save the optimized textures into a new folder. This folder you then install with MO and it will be used instead of the contents of the bsa. because loose files has priority.

The guide on how to unpack the bsa´s are on the step wiki in full detail.