another weird grass cache problem, generating works okay but no grass is cached

[Statick]

ongoing grass cache issues again. thanks for the help so far!

I've got the grass cache generation apparently working - it takes about 25 minutes to complete, and if I open the console I can watch it progress through the 38 worlds it generates for

when it's finished the game crashes (of course) and the files are in MO2 overwrite folder, over 2000 CGID files so it looks good, so I save that as a new mod. all good

however there are two problems

first, the cache is really small. most reports online suggest it should be several GB, mine is only about 200MB. so it's not zero, but it doesn't seem anything like as big as it should be

second, absolutely no grass appears in game if I try to use it. I don't know if this is because the cache has little/no grass in it, which is why I can't see any, or if it's because there's something wrong with loading it

I'm using Veydosebrom with the "dense" preset, and I've found that when enabling NGIO I need to enable "super dense" mode in NGIO ini to maintain the same amount of grass visible in the game, as when the mod is disabled. so that's enabled. for some reason, all areas of grass just get a little depleted when it's enabled and super dense mode seems to fix it

here's a screenshot of a test play using the settings I'm building the grass cache from (so most mods disabled except for grass/landscape mods and relevant patches, resolution down to 1200x720, etc) with NGIO enabled, but the settings "UseGrassCache = false" and "OnlyLoadFromCache = false", so that I can play the game and see how it should look. as you can see, plenty of grass

I then set both of those settings to "true" and build the cache, which as I said takes about 25 minutes and ends up with a cache of about 2000 files adding up to about 200MB of data

I then enable the cache and enable Grass Cache Helper NG and get absolutely no grass. nothing. completely barren. I've tried this with and without NGIO enabled and it's the same either way. I do not have Seasons of Skyrim, which the Grass Cache Helper NG page suggests can cause this, so it can't be that

I've built the cache 4 times over now, trying a few different things, and it's coming out the same size every time. I've pasted below a few ini files that are relevant (I'm using Bethini ultra preset but with the shadow res turned down). I feel like it's the cache that's at fault, as 200MB seems way smaller than any of the reported cache sizes I've seen online (just seen one that says 1.8GB for example), but I can't be certain that it's not just failing to read the cache

if anyone has any idea what's gone wrong, I'd love some assistance

cheers

 

skyrim.ini :

Spoiler

[Actor]
bUseNavMeshForMovement=0
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288

[Animation]
bAlwaysDriveRagdoll=0
bEnableHavokHit=0
fHavokHitImpulseMult=50
fWeaponChangeClearTime=0.5

[Archive]
bLoadArchiveInMemory=1
sArchiveToLoadInMemoryList=Skyrim - Animations.bsa
sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes0.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes1.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa
sResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Voices_en0.bsa, Skyrim - Textures0.bsa, Skyrim - Textures1.bsa, Skyrim - Textures2.bsa, Skyrim - Textures3.bsa, Skyrim - Textures4.bsa, Skyrim - Textures5.bsa, Skyrim - Textures6.bsa, Skyrim - Textures7.bsa, Skyrim - Textures8.bsa, Skyrim - Patch.bsa

[Audio]
fMenuModeFadeInTime=1.0
fMenuModeFadeOutTime=3.0
fMusicDuckingSeconds=6.0
fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=8.0
uMaxSizeForCachedSound=4096

[Bethesda.net]
bEnablePlatform=0

[Camera]
fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=3.0
iHorseTransitionMillis=250

[Combat]
bDisableCombatDialogue=0
bForceNPCsUseAmmo=0
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=2.5
fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0
fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0

[Controls]
fDialogueHardStopAngle1P=180
fDialogueHardStopAngle3P=180
fDialogueSoftStopAngle1P=150
fDialogueSoftStopAngle3P=150
fGamepadHeadingSensitivityMax=1.5556
fGamepadHeadingSensitivityMin=0.4445
fMouseHeadingSensitivityMax=0.05
fMouseHeadingSensitivityMin=0.01
fMouseHeadingXScale=0.02
fMouseHeadingYScale=0.85

[Decals]
uMaxSkinDecalPerActor=60

[Display]
bDeactivateAOOnSnow=1
bDisableHighTreeShadow=1
bDisableShadowJumps=1
bEnableLandFade=0
bEnableSnowMask=0
bEnableSnowRimLighting=0
bLockFramerate=0
bShowMarkers=0
bVolumetricLightingDisableInterior=1
fDDOFFocusCenterweightExt=2.0
fDOFMaxDepthParticipation=10000.0
fDecalLOD0=12288
fDecalLifetime=300
fDefault1stPersonFOV=80
fDefaultFOV=80
fDefaultWorldFOV=80
fDynamicDOFBlurMultiplierMax=1.0
fDynamicDOFBlurMultiplierMin=0.0
fDynamicDOFFarBlur=0.4
fFirstSliceDistance=3620
fGammaMax=1.4
fGammaMin=0.6
fGlobalBloomThresholdBoost=0.0
fGlobalBrightnessBoost=0.0
fGlobalContrastBoost=0.0
fGlobalMapBloomThresholdBoost=0.25
fGlobalMapBrightnessBoost=0.25
fGlobalMapContrastBoost=-0.3
fGlobalSaturationBoost=0.0
fLightLODRange=34816
fMaxHeightShadowCastingTrees=5000
fPoissonRadiusScale=4.0
fSAOBias=2.5
fSAOExpFactor=0.11
fSAOIntensity=15.0
fSAORadius=250
fSAOValueDiffFactor=0.3
fShadowDirectionalBiasScale=0.47
fSnowGeometrySpecPower=3.0
fSnowNormalSpecPower=2.0
fSnowRimLightIntensity=0.3
fSparklesDensity=0.85
fSparklesIntensity=1.0
fSparklesSize=6.0
fWaterSSRBlurAmount=0.3
fWaterSSRIntensity=0.5
fWaterSSRNormalPerturbationScale=0.05
iLandscapeMultiNormalTilingFactor=1
sScreenShotBaseName=ScreenShot

[General]
bAlwaysActive=0
bBackgroundLoadVMData=0
bBorderRegionsEnabled=1
bDisableAllGore=0
bModManagerMenuEnabled=1
fEncumberedReminderTimer=30.0
fFlickeringLightDistance=8192
sIntroSequence=
sLanguage=ENGLISH
sMainMenuMusic=\Data\Music\Special\MUS_MainTheme.xwm
sTestFile1=Dawnguard.esm
sTestFile2=HearthFires.esm
sTestFile3=Dragonborn.esm
uExterior Cell Buffer=36
uGridsToLoad=5

[Grass]
bAllowCreateGrass=1
bAllowLoadGrass=0
bDrawShaderGrass=1
bEnableGrassFade=0
fGrassFadeRange=14128
fGrassWindMagnitudeMax=125
fGrassWindMagnitudeMin=5
iGrassCellRadius=2
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=15
iMinGrassSize=40

[HAVOK]
fMaxTime=0.01666667

[Imagespace]
iRadialBlurLevel=2

[Interface]
bShowTutorials=1
fBookOpenTime=500
iSubtitleSpeakerNameColor=8947848
uMaxCustomItemNameLength=64

[Landscape]
fLandFriction=2.5

[LightingShader]
fDecalLODFadeEnd=1.0
fDecalLODFadeStart=0.9
fEnvmapLODFadeEnd=1.0
fEnvmapLODFadeStart=0.9
fRefractionLODFadeEnd=0.03
fRefractionLODFadeStart=0.025
fSpecularLODFadeEnd=0.1
fSpecularLODFadeStart=0.09

[MapMenu]
bWorldMapNoSkyDepthBlur=1
fMapWorldMaxPitch=90
fMapWorldMinPitch=0
fMapWorldYawRange=400
fWorldMapDepthBlurScale=0
fWorldMapMaximumDepthBlur=0
fWorldMapNearDepthBlurScale=0

[Menu]
iConsoleSizeScreenPercent=40
iConsoleTextSize=20
rConsoleHistoryTextColor=153,153,153
rConsoleTextColor=255,255,255

[Papyrus]
bEnableLogging=0
bEnableProfiling=0
bEnableTrace=0
bLoadDebugInformation=0
fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=2000
iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=500000

[SaveGame]
bAllowScriptedAutosave=1
bAllowScriptedForceSave=1
bDisableAutoSave=0
bDisplayMissingContentDialogue=1
iAutoSaveCount=3
uiCompression=2

[Trees]
bEnableTreeAnimations=1
bEnableTrees=1
fUpdateBudget=1.5

[Water]
bReflectLODLand=1
bReflectLODObjects=1
bReflectLODTrees=1
bReflectSky=1

[Weather]
fSunBaseSize=425
fSunBoost=1.0
fSunGlareMultiplier=2.0
fSunGlareSize=600

[Launcher]
bEnableFileSelection=1

 

 

skyrimprefs.ini :

Spoiler

[AudioMenu]
fAudioMasterVolume=1.0000
fVal0=1.0000
fVal1=0.8000
fVal2=0.8000
fVal3=0.5000
fVal4=1.0000
fVal5=1.0000
fVal6=1.0000
fVal7=1.0000
uID0=94881
uID1=1007612
uID2=554685
uID3=466532
uID4=0
uID5=0
uID6=0
uID7=0

[Bethesda.net]
uPersistentUuidData0=3930373111
uPersistentUuidData1=4138552613
uPersistentUuidData2=2907421344
uPersistentUuidData3=1421321221

[Clouds]
fCloudLevel0Distance=16384.0000
fCloudLevel1Distance=32768.0000
fCloudLevel2Distance=262144.0000
fCloudNearFadeDistance=9000.0000

[Controls]
bAlwaysRunByDefault=1
bGamePadRumble=1
bInvertYValues=1
bUseKinect=0
fGamepadHeadingSensitivity=1.5556
fMouseHeadingSensitivity=0.0125

[Decals]
bDecals=1
bSkinnedDecals=1
uMaxDecals=350
uMaxSkinDecals=100

[Display]
bBorderless=0
bDrawLandShadows=1
bEnableImprovedSnow=0
bEnableProjecteUVDiffuseNormals=1
bFXAAEnabled=0
bForceCreateTarget=0
bFull Screen=1
bIBLFEnable=0
bIndEnable=0
bSAOEnable=1
bSAO_CS_Enable=0
bScreenSpaceReflectionEnabled=1
bToggleSparkles=0
bTreesReceiveShadows=1
bUse64bitsHDRRenderTarget=0
bUsePrecipitationOcclusion=1
bUseTAA=1
bVolumetricLightingEnable=1
fDynamicDOFBlurMultiplier=0.8
fGamma=1.0
fInteriorShadowDistance=3000.0000
fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd=4600.0000
fLeafAnimDampenDistStart=3600.0000
fLightLODStartFade=6144
fMeshLODFadeBoundDefault=256.0000
fMeshLODFadePercentDefault=1.2000
fMeshLODLevel1FadeDist=12288
fMeshLODLevel1FadeTreeDistance=12288
fMeshLODLevel2FadeDist=16384
fMeshLODLevel2FadeTreeDistance=16384
fProjectedUVDiffuseNormalTilingScale=0.2
fProjectedUVNormalDetailTilingScale=0.8
fShadowDistance=10240
fTreesMidLODSwitchDist=16384
ffocusShadowMapDoubleEveryXUnit=450.0000
iMaxDecalsPerFrame=250
iMaxSkinDecalsPerFrame=100
iNumFocusShadow=4
iNumSplits=2
iReflectionResolutionDivider=2
iSaveGameScreenShotHeighWSt=192
iSaveGameScreenShotHeight=192
iSaveGameScreenShotWidth=256
iSaveGameScreenShotWidthWS=320
iScreenShotIndex=0
iShadowMapResolution=1024
iShadowMaskQuarter=4
iSize H=720
iSize W=1280
iVSyncPresentInterval=1
iVolumetricLightingQuality=2
uBookRatio=2

[GamePlay]
bShowFloatingQuestMarkers=1
bShowQuestMarkers=1
iDifficulty=2

[General]
bEnableStoryManagerLogging=0
bFreebiesSeen=0
fLightingOutputColourClampPostEnv=1.0000
fLightingOutputColourClampPostLit=1.0000
fLightingOutputColourClampPostSpec=1.0000
iStoryManagerLoggingEvent=-1
uLargeRefLODGridSize=11

[Grass]
fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=7000.0000
fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=0
fGrassStartFadeDistance=6144

[Imagespace]
bDoDepthOfField=1
bLensFlare=1

[Interface]
bDialogueSubtitles=0
bGeneralSubtitles=0
bShowCompass=1
fMouseCursorSpeed=1.0

[LOD]
fLODFadeOutMultActors=15.0
fLODFadeOutMultItems=10.0
fLODFadeOutMultObjects=30.0
fLODFadeOutMultSkyCell=1.0000

[Launcher]
bEnableFileSelection=0
sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660"

[MAIN]
bCrosshairEnabled=1
bGamepadEnable=1
bSaveOnPause=0
bSaveOnRest=1
bSaveOnTravel=1
bSaveOnWait=1
fHUDOpacity=1.0
fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=598016

[NavMesh]
fCoverSideHighAlpha=0.8000
fCoverSideLowAlpha=0.6500
fEdgeDistFromVert=10.0000
fEdgeFullAlpha=1.0000
fEdgeHighAlpha=0.7500
fEdgeLowAlpha=0.5000
fEdgeThickness=10.0000
fLedgeBoxHalfHeight=25.0000
fObstacleAlpha=0.5000
fPointSize=2.5000
fTriangleFullAlpha=0.7000
fTriangleHighAlpha=0.3500
fTriangleLowAlpha=0.2000

[Particles]
iMaxDesired=6000

[SaveGame]
fAutosaveEveryXMins=15.0000

[TerrainManager]
bShowLODInEditor=1
fBlockLevel0Distance=57344
fBlockLevel1Distance=147456
fBlockMaximumDistance=327680
fSplitDistanceMult=1.0
fTreeLoadDistance=57344

[Trees]
bRenderSkinnedTrees=1
uiMaxSkinnedTreesToRender=200

[Water]
bUseWaterDepth=1
bUseWaterDisplacements=1
bUseWaterReflections=1
bUseWaterRefractions=1

 

 

NGIO GrassControl.config.txt :

Spoiler

########################################################################################################################
#   Ray cast enabled                                                                                                   #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Use ray casting to detect where grass shouldn't grow (inside rocks or roads).                                        #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

RayCast = True

########################################################################################################################
#   Ray cast height                                                                                                    #
#                                                                                                                      #
# The distance above grass that must be free. 200 is slightly more than player height.                                 #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (float)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

RayCastHeight = 150

########################################################################################################################
#   Ray cast depth                                                                                                     #
#                                                                                                                      #
# The distance below grass that must be free.                                                                          #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (float)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

RayCastDepth = 5

########################################################################################################################
#   Ray cast collision layers                                                                                          #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Which collision layers to check when raycasting. Not recommended to change unless you know what you're doing. These  #
# are collision layer index from CK separated by space.                                                                #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (string)                                                                                                    #
########################################################################################################################

RayCastCollisionLayers = "1 2 13 20 31"

########################################################################################################################
#   Ray cast ignore forms                                                                                              #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Which objects will raycast ignore. This can be useful if you want grass to still grow from some objects (such as     #
# roads). The format is formid:formfile separated by ; for example "1812A:Skyrim.esm;1812D:Skyrim.esm" would add       #
# RoadChunkL01 and RoadChunkL02 forms to ignore list. Base forms go here not object references!                        #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (string)                                                                                                    #
########################################################################################################################

RayCastIgnoreForms = ""

########################################################################################################################
#   Super dense grass                                                                                                  #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Enable much more grass without having to change mod files.                                                           #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

SuperDenseGrass = True

########################################################################################################################
#   Super dense mode                                                                                                   #
#                                                                                                                      #
# How the super dense mode is achieved. Not recommended to change for normal play. This does nothing unless you enable #
# SuperDenseGrass setting. 7 is normal game (meaning nothing is actually changed), 6 or less would be much less grass, #
# 8 is dense, 9 is ?, 10+ is probably crash city.                                                                      #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (int32)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

SuperDenseMode = 8

########################################################################################################################
#   Profiler report                                                                                                    #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Whether to track how much time is taken to generate grass. Whenever you open console the result is reported. Try     #
# disabling all settings except profiler, go to game and in main menu 'coc riverwood', after loading open console to   #
# see normal game time. Then enable settings and check again how it changed. Remember to coc from main menu instead of #
# loading save because it might not be accurate otherwise.                                                             #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

ProfilerReport = False

########################################################################################################################
#   Use grass cache                                                                                                    #
#                                                                                                                      #
# This will generate cache files in /Data/Grass/ and use those when we have them. Any time you change anything with    #
# your mod setup you must delete the contents of that directory so new cache can be generated or you will have bugs    #
# like floating grass or still grass in objects (that were changed by mods).                                           #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

UseGrassCache = True

########################################################################################################################
#   Extend grass distance                                                                                              #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Set true if you want to enable extended grass distance mode. This will allow grass to appear outside of loaded       #
# cells. Relevant ini settings:                                                                                        #
# SkyrimPrefs.ini [Grass] fGrassStartFadeDistance                                                                      #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

ExtendGrassDistance = True

########################################################################################################################
#   Extend grass count                                                                                                 #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Allow more grass to be made in total. This is needed if you use very dense grass or have large draw distance.        #
# Otherwise it will reach a limit and just stop making grass leaving weird empty squares.                              #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

ExtendGrassCount = False

########################################################################################################################
#   Ensure max grass types setting                                                                                     #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Makes sure that the max grass types per texture setting is set to at least this much. Can be useful to make sure     #
# your INI isn't being overwritten by anything. Most grass replacer mods require this. Set 0 to disable any            #
# verification.                                                                                                        #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (int32)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

EnsureMaxGrassTypesPerTextureSetting = 15

########################################################################################################################
#   Overwrite grass distance                                                                                           #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Overwrite fGrassStartFadeDistance from any INI. If this is zero or higher then the grass distance will always be     #
# taken from this configuration instead of any INI. This can be useful if you have a million things overwriting your   #
# INI files and don't know what to edit, so you can just set it here. For example 7000 is vanilla highest in-game      #
# grass slider. If you want to set higher you need to enable ExtendGrassDistance setting as well or it will not look   #
# right in-game. What the setting actually means is that grass will start to fade out at this distance. Actual total   #
# grass distance is this value + fade range value.                                                                     #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (float)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

OverwriteGrassDistance = 6144

########################################################################################################################
#   Overwrite grass fade range                                                                                         #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Overwrite fGrassFadeRange from any INI. If this is zero or higher then the grass fade range will always be taken     #
# from this configuration instead of any INI. This determines the distance it takes for grass to completely fade out   #
# starting from OverwriteGrassDistance (or fGrassStartFadeDistance if you didn't use the overwrite). If you want the   #
# grass fade out to not be so sudden then increase this value. Probably recommended to keep this at least half of the  #
# other setting.                                                                                                       #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (float)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

OverwriteGrassFadeRange = 14128

########################################################################################################################
#   Overwrite min grass size                                                                                           #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Overwrite iMinGrassSize from any INI. If this is zero or higher then the grass density setting (iMinGrassSize) will  #
# be taken from here instead of INI files. Lower values means more dense grass. 50 or 60 is normal mode with somewhat  #
# sparse grass (good performance). Lowering the value increases density! 20 is very high density. You should probably  #
# not set lower than 20 if you decide to change it. The grass form density setting itself still mostly controls the    #
# actual density of grass, think of iMinGrassSize more of as a cap for that setting.                                   #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (int32)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

OverwriteMinGrassSize = 67

########################################################################################################################
#   Global grass scale                                                                                                 #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Apply this scale to every piece of grass everywhere. For example 0.5 makes all grass pieces half the size it should  #
# be.                                                                                                                  #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (float)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

GlobalGrassScale = 1

########################################################################################################################
#   Only load from cache                                                                                               #
#                                                                                                                      #
# This will change how grass works. It means grass can only ever be loaded from files and not generated during play.   #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (boolean)                                                                                                   #
########################################################################################################################

OnlyLoadFromCache = True

########################################################################################################################
#   Skip pregenerate world spaces                                                                                      #
#                                                                                                                      #
# When pre-generating grass then skip worldspaces with this editor IDs. This can greatly speed up generating if we     #
# know the worldspace will not need grass at all.                                                                      #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (string)                                                                                                    #
########################################################################################################################

SkipPregenerateWorldSpaces = "DLC2ApocryphaWorld;DLC01Boneyard;WindhelmPitWorldspace"

########################################################################################################################
#   Only pregenerate world spaces                                                                                      #
#                                                                                                                      #
# If this is not empty then skip every worldspace that isn't in this list.                                             #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (string)                                                                                                    #
########################################################################################################################

OnlyPregenerateWorldSpaces = "AlftandWorld;Blackreach;BloatedMansGrottoWorld;BluePalaceWingWorld;DarkwaterWorld;DeepwoodRedoubtWorld;DLC01Boneyard;DLC01FalmerValley;DLC01SoulCairn;DLC1AncestorsGladeWorld;DLC1DarkfallPassageWorld;DLC1ForebearsHoldout;DLC1HunterHQWorld;DLC1VampireCastleCourtyard;DLC2SolstheimWorld;EastEmpireWarehouse;EldergleamSanctuaryWorld;FallowstoneCaveWorldEnd;FallowstoneCaveWorldStart;FrostmereCryptWorld;JaphetsFollyWorld;KarthspireRedoubtWorld;KatariahWorld;LabyrinthianWorld03;LabyrinthianWorld04;MarkarthWorld;RedEagleRedoubtWorld;RiftenWorld;ShadowgreenCavernWorld;SkuldafnWorld;SolitudeWorld;Sovngarde;Tamriel;WhiterunDragonsreachWorld;WhiterunWorld;WindhelmPitWorldspace;WindhelmWorld"

########################################################################################################################
#   DynDOLOD Grass Mode                                                                                                #
#                                                                                                                      #
# Enable grass compatibility mode with DynDOLOD Grass LODs. Valid values:                                              #
# 0 = Disabled                                                                                                         #
# 1 = Display grass only in active cells (without fade) and let DynDOLOD handle inactive cell Grass                    #
# 2 = Display grass only in active cells and large ref loaded cells (without fade) and let DynDOLOD handle grass       #
# outside of large ref cells                                                                                           #
#                                                                                                                      #
#    Type: (int32)                                                                                                     #
########################################################################################################################

DynDOLODGrassMode = 1

 

 

GrassCacheHelperNG.ini :

Spoiler

################################################################################################
# This is the config file for Grass Cache Helper NG mod
#
#
# # ->This is the comment character.
#
################################################################################################
[Settings]
UseCGID = 1   #This option will make Skyrim use .cgid files for grass loading instead of .gid. It's not recommended to set this to 0. Instead, keep everything named as .cgid.

ForceNoGrassWorlds = KatariahWorld  #Comma separated worldspace editorids list to set to No Grass flag.
ForceGrassWorlds = WhiterunWorld  #Comma separated worldspace editorids list to remove No Grass flag from.

SetGrassLoadCreate = 1  #Automatically sets bAllowCreateGrass, bAllowLoadGrass, bGenerateGrassDataFiles settings in the game ini by checking if you are generating precache or not.

AutoGrassDistanceSettings = 1  #Automatically calculates and sets iGrassCellRadius, fGrassStartFadeDistance, fGrassFadeRange using uGridsToLoad setting.

EnableGrassFade = 0       #Automatically sets bEnableGrassFade setting to 0. This is recommended if you are using Grass LODs.

 

Edited January 8, 2024 by Statick

[Statick]

okay I'm getting somewhere

I'm using rootbuilder - turns out this causes problems here unless you add precachegrass.txt to its exclusions

since doing that, the game still crashes instantly when I start to generate grass with mods enabled, but then MO2 restarts it and it continues from where it was. it seems that previously it was starting from scratch every time because rootbuilder was interfering with this file, so it would crash right at the start and then MO2 would just say "grass cache finished successfully" and that would be it. so it just appeared to be getting nowhere at all. it's actually progressing now

 

 

Edited January 9, 2024 by Statick

[Statick]

actually one thing I've just noticed is there's no files whatsoever in my cache that begin with the word "tamriel"

there's 2000 files there and I can see files for all the different worlds listed in "OnlyPregenerateWorldSpaces", except for Tamriel.

that's bad isn't it

Edited January 8, 2024 by Statick

[Statick]

right I've changed my OnlyPregenerateWorldSpaces so it only generates for Tamriel, to assist debugging

if I turn off every mod then it will generate the Tamriel world

turning the few mods I'm using back on one by one, and it seems that if I enable any mod that modifies the terrain then it's instant crash as soon as cache building begins. so that's cutting room floor, landscape fixes for grass mods, landscape and water fixes, and northern roads. any of these enabled and it's instant crash, but without any of these then it works. of course if I generate the cache without these and then use it, the grass will be cached to the wrong terrain unless I remove those mods permanently...

 

[z929669]

Grass Cache Helper NG should be enabled when you are building the cache and after. It's always enabled.

Also, you should enable all of your mods when building the cache; although, some will be different runtime versions (e.g., Address Lib, SKSE, SSE Engine Fixes, etc.).

Are you following the instructions in the Grass LOD Guide?

EDIT: From the GCHNG Nexus page ...

Usage

For generating precache:
- Install Grass Cache Helper NG in your 1.5.97 MO2 installation. It will detect that you are generating precache and set game ini settings automatically.
- Generate *.cgid files (and .SPR|SUM|AUT|WIN.cgid files if you want to use it with Seasons of Skyrim) normally with "No Grass In Objects". Make sure you use DynDOLODGrassMode=1. Refer to Step Grass LOD Guide which now uses this mod.


For using precache:
- Install Grass Cache Helper NG in your regular mod list. It will detect that you are not generating precache and set game ini settings automatically.
- Copy your grass precache (*.cgid files) to the mod list as well. Always leave it enabled, because they will be used. Make sure your grass precache files are in "Data\Grass\" folder. In MO2, this would require them to be in a "Grass" folder inside the mod folder. (ACTIVATE THIS MOD)
- (OPTIONAL) Generate Grass LOD with DynDOLOD. You don't have to rename precache files and you don't have to change DynDOLOD GrassGID setting to gid, leave it as GrassGID=cgid which is the default.
- If you are on game version 1.5.x, disable NGIO in your mod list for normal play, otherwise it would overwrite the hooks of this mod.
- No setting changes required. When you are ready, open the game and you'll be using grass precache instead of creating the grass on the fly. Everything else is done automatically.

 

PS: Always test with a new game.

[DoubleYou]

Are you or are you not using the MO2 plugin for caching grass? If not, that is your issue. Tamriel always crashes during grass generation. Simply relaunch the game to continue precaching. There will be a error message box stating Grass Generation Finished Successfully when it has fully completed.

[Statick]

7 hours ago, DoubleYou said:

Are you or are you not using the MO2 plugin for caching grass? If not, that is your issue. Tamriel always crashes during grass generation. Simply relaunch the game to continue precaching. There will be a error message box stating Grass Generation Finished Successfully when it has fully completed.

I am yes, and if I enable any of the terrain-editing mods (landscape fixes, northern roads, etc) then the game loads up but then exits immediately, before any grass generation happens, and the pop up says "grass generation finished successfully". if I disable those mods then the grass generation works

Edited January 9, 2024 by Statick

[Statick]

9 hours ago, z929669 said:

Grass Cache Helper NG should be enabled when you are building the cache and after. It's always enabled.

Also, you should enable all of your mods when building the cache; although, some will be different runtime versions (e.g., Address Lib, SKSE, SSE Engine Fixes, etc.).

Are you following the instructions in the Grass LOD Guide?

EDIT: From the GCHNG Nexus page ...

Usage

For generating precache:
- Install Grass Cache Helper NG in your 1.5.97 MO2 installation. It will detect that you are generating precache and set game ini settings automatically.
- Generate *.cgid files (and .SPR|SUM|AUT|WIN.cgid files if you want to use it with Seasons of Skyrim) normally with "No Grass In Objects". Make sure you use DynDOLODGrassMode=1. Refer to Step Grass LOD Guide which now uses this mod.


For using precache:
- Install Grass Cache Helper NG in your regular mod list. It will detect that you are not generating precache and set game ini settings automatically.
- Copy your grass precache (*.cgid files) to the mod list as well. Always leave it enabled, because they will be used. Make sure your grass precache files are in "Data\Grass\" folder. In MO2, this would require them to be in a "Grass" folder inside the mod folder. (ACTIVATE THIS MOD)
- (OPTIONAL) Generate Grass LOD with DynDOLOD. You don't have to rename precache files and you don't have to change DynDOLOD GrassGID setting to gid, leave it as GrassGID=cgid which is the default.
- If you are on game version 1.5.x, disable NGIO in your mod list for normal play, otherwise it would overwrite the hooks of this mod.
- No setting changes required. When you are ready, open the game and you'll be using grass precache instead of creating the grass on the fly. Everything else is done automatically.

 

PS: Always test with a new game.

 

ah yes I am using grass cache helper NG during generation as well, but I have tried disabling that and changing settings manually so I could be certain what was going on. I have the base set of mods (skse, address library, etc) all running and initially I had all my mods enabled, but I've since disabled anything that doesn't affect grass or terrain to try to track down what's causing the problems, and then started disabling those as well to try and figure it out. so far, it seems that if I enable any mods that include terrain edits (landscape fixes for grass mods, northern roads, etc) then Tamriel generation exits immediately, but if I disable those mods then it works. ideally I want to generate grass with those enabled though!

 

[Statick]

managed to enable all my mods and it's working fine, the only one I've had a problem with is "northern roads - floating plants fix.esp" from NR patches compendium. for some reason with this enabled, the grass generation starts but then ends a couple of seconds later with a popup saying it's finished successfully. not sure if this patch affects the grass or not but happy to leave it disabled for now and see what happens, everything else is enabled and working fine

 

Edited January 9, 2024 by Statick

[Statick]

okay next problem lol

it pops up "completed successfully" (this popup comes from skyrim not from MO2)

but I can see in the skyrim window that Tamriel only reached 71%

is this sort of thing normal? am I going to be missing loads of grass if it hasn't reached 100%?

[DoubleYou]

It is normal for Tamriel to finish around 71.

1 hour ago, Statick said:

okay next problem lol

it pops up "completed successfully" (this popup comes from skyrim not from MO2)

but I can see in the skyrim window that Tamriel only reached 71%

is this sort of thing normal? am I going to be missing loads of grass if it hasn't reached 100%?