STEP currently recommends DDSopt for optimizing textures. I think DDSopt can often times be a superior tool, however I think Optimizer Textures would be a better fit for STEP.
The reason is DDSopt has problems with exceptions. To optimize a BSA you have to extract the BSA into loose files and optimize those, because otherwise DDSopt will ruin the BSA. If you select a file that DDSopt is not suited to optimize, than DDSopt can kill the file (read esm, esps, ect). When I optimized my own game using the tool, I noticed that the on camera blood effects from Enhanced Blood textures were corrupted, for example. DDSopt, if configured properly, can work all its magic and do none of its harm but the problem is the configuration process is somewhat involved, and not well suited for the average STEP user.
Enter Optimizer Textures. Optimzer Textures does not even need to be extracted from an archive to work. You simply select maximum strength, click BSA, click select all in the BSA tab, and run it. At maximum strength I was able to get my textures folder down to about 4.5gb, while DDSopt forced it down to about 3.95gb using recommend settings. DDSopt does slightly better job with mipmaps, but texture optimzer actually seemed leaner on VRAM, probably due to not including as many mipmaps. Another advantage is that Optimizer Textures takes about 15 minutes to process my texture folder, and about an hour to process all of my BSAs. To perform the same task with DDSopt took somewhere somewhere around three or four hours on my system, mileage of course will vary.Â
Also, I want to note that in the PDF section 3.A.7 "Increase Overall Performance", the hyperlink that says "texture optimization" leads to this page:
I believe that is a mistake. EDIT: I see, it in the utilities tab. There really should be a separate page for this.
Advantages of DDSopt over Optimzer Textures:
Better compression
Better mipmaps
Advantages of Optimize Textures over DDSopt:
Works much more quickly
Much easier to use
Don't have to worry about exceptions - handles them on their own
Optimizing BSAs does not requires manual extraction and repackaging
cons of DDSopt:
Difficult to use
Need to worry about exceptions, and some of them may not yet be known
Takes a long time to run
I don't want to see STEP get rid of DDSopt or stop recommending it in the STEP guide, instead I want STEP to first recommend Optimzer Textures because it is easier to use and faster, and then I would like to see the community work on a better and more complete power users guide for DDSopt for the brave and daring willing to try it. I think that would give the best of both worlds.
Guide to using Optimizer Textures to optimize your skyrim game.
Download optimizer textures from the nexus.
Extract the archive into a folder. Then double click on ordenator.exe
In the window, click on the folder icon, and navigate to you skyrim data folder. For most of you, this will be in 'C://ProgramFiles/Steam/steamapps/common/skyrim'.
In the upper right under profiles, click on the menu and select "maximum". In the menu below it, select "skyrim".
Click on the box titled "BSA" and then on the tab called "BSA" to the right of "Textures". Check the boxes "Compress BSA", "unite internal files", and "Mark BSA". All of your BSA files will be shown to the right. Select all of them by checking each box.
When you have done this, click start. Optimizer Textures will run and optimize your entire skyrim install. A window will pop up showing its progress. Wait until it is finished.
My particular data folder has been optimized before, but there are a few textures that I have added sense the last time I ran it.
Optimizer Textures will create a back up of every file it changes and all your BSA in a folder called "Texture Backups" located in "C://TextureBackups". Your texture folder will be archived. To restore you old unoptimized texture just extract it to your data folder in skyrim. Your BSAs will be backed up and renamed with the file extension ".bak" added to it. To restore you old BSA, just rename the file so as to delete the ".bak" extension, and move it to your data folder in skyrim.
Question
mothergoose729
Optimizer Textures by AdPipino
https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/12801
STEP currently recommends DDSopt for optimizing textures. I think DDSopt can often times be a superior tool, however I think Optimizer Textures would be a better fit for STEP.
The reason is DDSopt has problems with exceptions. To optimize a BSA you have to extract the BSA into loose files and optimize those, because otherwise DDSopt will ruin the BSA. If you select a file that DDSopt is not suited to optimize, than DDSopt can kill the file (read esm, esps, ect). When I optimized my own game using the tool, I noticed that the on camera blood effects from Enhanced Blood textures were corrupted, for example. DDSopt, if configured properly, can work all its magic and do none of its harm but the problem is the configuration process is somewhat involved, and not well suited for the average STEP user.
Enter Optimizer Textures. Optimzer Textures does not even need to be extracted from an archive to work. You simply select maximum strength, click BSA, click select all in the BSA tab, and run it. At maximum strength I was able to get my textures folder down to about 4.5gb, while DDSopt forced it down to about 3.95gb using recommend settings. DDSopt does slightly better job with mipmaps, but texture optimzer actually seemed leaner on VRAM, probably due to not including as many mipmaps. Another advantage is that Optimizer Textures takes about 15 minutes to process my texture folder, and about an hour to process all of my BSAs. To perform the same task with DDSopt took somewhere somewhere around three or four hours on my system, mileage of course will vary.Â
Also, I want to note that in the PDF section 3.A.7 "Increase Overall Performance", the hyperlink that says "texture optimization" leads to this page:
https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Skyrim_Installation#tab=Graphic_Editors
I believe that is a mistake. EDIT: I see, it in the utilities tab. There really should be a separate page for this.
Advantages of DDSopt over Optimzer Textures:
Better compression
Better mipmaps
Advantages of Optimize Textures over DDSopt:
Works much more quickly
Much easier to use
Don't have to worry about exceptions - handles them on their own
Optimizing BSAs does not requires manual extraction and repackaging
cons of DDSopt:
Difficult to use
Need to worry about exceptions, and some of them may not yet be known
Takes a long time to run
I don't want to see STEP get rid of DDSopt or stop recommending it in the STEP guide, instead I want STEP to first recommend Optimzer Textures because it is easier to use and faster, and then I would like to see the community work on a better and more complete power users guide for DDSopt for the brave and daring willing to try it. I think that would give the best of both worlds.
Guide to using Optimizer Textures to optimize your skyrim game.
Download optimizer textures from the nexus.
Extract the archive into a folder. Then double click on ordenator.exe
In the window, click on the folder icon, and navigate to you skyrim data folder. For most of you, this will be in 'C://ProgramFiles/Steam/steamapps/common/skyrim'.
In the upper right under profiles, click on the menu and select "maximum". In the menu below it, select "skyrim".
Click on the box titled "BSA" and then on the tab called "BSA" to the right of "Textures". Check the boxes "Compress BSA", "unite internal files", and "Mark BSA". All of your BSA files will be shown to the right. Select all of them by checking each box.
When you have done this, click start. Optimizer Textures will run and optimize your entire skyrim install. A window will pop up showing its progress. Wait until it is finished.
My particular data folder has been optimized before, but there are a few textures that I have added sense the last time I ran it.
Optimizer Textures will create a back up of every file it changes and all your BSA in a folder called "Texture Backups" located in "C://TextureBackups". Your texture folder will be archived. To restore you old unoptimized texture just extract it to your data folder in skyrim. Your BSAs will be backed up and renamed with the file extension ".bak" added to it. To restore you old BSA, just rename the file so as to delete the ".bak" extension, and move it to your data folder in skyrim.
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