SSE LOD for exterior mod changes

[NexBeth]

I have a mod that I've made a good deal of terrain, tree, and object changes to exterior cells where the mod is located near Anise's Cabin and Riverwood. I'm looking to only generate vanilla style LOD for these changes and used SSELODgen to do so (excellent results BTW even with the baseline settings used). The problem is that lodgen generates files for the entirety of the worldspace (in this case tamriel) and I have no idea which files are specific to my mod.

 

I posted my problem over at SSELODgen page and zilav suggested that I use dyndolod as it can show me LOD files using in-game MCM where the player is located. For me this is an extreme solution since I have never installed this program nor read through the massive documentation and, in the end, I'm not really going to use the program except if it can help me out with sorting through lod files specific to my mod.

 

I see some mods that contain terrain files added where landscape alterations have been made. Is there a simpler way of getting my LOD files?

 

Thanks.

[Vactrol]

Use XLodGen through Mod Organizer 2, I always use the CK via MO2 as the files are not generated in the main Skyrim folder but in custom location.

 

• create an empty mod in MO2 where the files from XLodGen will go and give it a recognizable name.
• In MO2, configure the XLODGen "Parameter" line and add your folder name. The following line is MY folder arborescence, the yellow path is only for MY setup. Replace with YOUR folder arborescence. The green name is my empty mod's name

-o:"E:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\ModOrganizer\SkyrimSKSE\mods\xLODGen"

 

• Generate only the cells you need (Specific Chunk on the window's bottom).
• Open your XlodGen mod (right click on it, open in Explorer). You now have three folders: SSE Edit Cache (keep it) and Meshes, Textures. In meshes - terrain, .btr files and a sub folder: objects with .bto files. You can open them in Nifskope to verify.

Hope it can help you or someone else.

 

Cheers

[NexBeth]

Vactrol, thank you for the response. I don't use ModOrg2. As a modder my load order is usually pretty absent of mods except the mod I am working on and when I do use mods I install them manually--mostly to study other mods or harvest assets with permissions. I don't think MO2 is a requirement is it?

 

The files I generated were for the whole of skyrim and I didn't look at the Chunk feature. Are you saying that I can input specific cell coordinates in Chunk and only get those files back in return? If so, then I should have what I need. However, I will say that the many files I generated, with my mod loaded in to SSEgenLod, did not produce files specific to my mod. Meaning the terrain, trees and so forth did not change. It seems like I just got back a copy of vanilla lods.

[Vactrol]

Vactrol, thank you for the response. I don't use ModOrg2. As a modder my load order is usually pretty absent of mods except the mod I am working on and when I do use mods I install them manually--mostly to study other mods or harvest assets with permissions. I don't think MO2 is a requirement is it?

 

The files I generated were for the whole of skyrim and I didn't look at the Chunk feature. Are you saying that I can input specific cell coordinates in Chunk and only get those files back in return? If so, then I should have what I need. However, I will say that the many files I generated, with my mod loaded in to SSEgenLod, did not produce files specific to my mod. Meaning the terrain, trees and so forth did not change. It seems like I just got back a copy of vanilla lods.

 

Yes you can generate for a specific Cell, but I have not used this function

Don't forget, you must have a billboard for the trees, otherwise nothing happens. Look at Vanilla Billboard on Oldrim.

I make three pass: first the terrain (facultative), then objects, then trees. Works fine in my custom worldspace, but I had plenty of trouble for Tamriel.

You must have a folder named "LODSettings" in your Data folder, whith a file named tamriel.lod, - don't forget to check your .esp in XLODgen.

 

This is why I use MO2, it keep the modded files entirely separate from the game Data folder, and the content of each mod is in its own folder. Easier to install/uninstall. I have a mod with my main custom worldspace, one mod with the trees assets for this worldspace, one mod for the tree LOD atlas, one with custom weapons, one with flora etc. Five mods for only one Main mod. Sounds complicated, but all assets are easily modifiable. No need to go in a lot of subfolders. And merge all when finished.

It take me a long time to achieve a LOD generation: I always forget something.

 

 

Cheers

[NexBeth]

Do you have any insights about why I only got vanilla game lods when I ran the program? Everything was nicely placed in my Data Folder, but nothing showing the modifications which my mod made which was is what I'm after.

 

Looks like I'll go back and try the Chunk if I can just tell the program what cells I want. See if that will work. (Otherwise, I just couldn't figure out what files were applicable to my section of the tamriel worldspace.) I don't have texture mods and, like I said, I try to run clean of mods because I need the game cleaned up to test my own mods. No problems finding the folder produced by xgen and no confusing those files with other mod's files.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Vactrol]

Sorry for my not good explanation (between language barrier and my level 1 perk in computer things)

I'm currently working on a BIG sized worldspace (2/3 of Skyrim), and generate LOD every time I add a lot of trees/object or make terrain change. LOD generation is fast BUT must follow a precise setup: it took me a few years to figure how it works. If you forget to place a file in a folder, or in the bad folder, the entire LOD generation fails. Things are easier with a custom world.

For me, original files in the .BSA weren't working, so I extracted all the files needed and placed them as loose files.

You absolutely need:

• the tamriel.lod , you find it in the Meshes0 BSA, in "lodsettings". It must be placed in Data - LODSettings
• a tree billboard - with picture of each tree and text files, you can find it here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/75269?tab=files , unzip and copy in your data folder. LOD trees DOESN'T work without it! Those files missing are the main reason of failed LOD

Now, the quadrant generated should be in the folder meshes - terrain - tamriel. Possibly the file named "tamriel.4.0.-16.btr" for level 4 LOD, "tamriel.8.0.-16.btr" for level 8 LOD, "tamriel.16.0.-16.btr" for level 16 and "tamriel.32.0.-32.btr" for level 32. You can check them in Nifskope

 

Citation: I try to run clean of mods because I need the game cleaned up to test my own mods

 

I made my first big mod directly in the Data folder, then got a problem, re-installed the game, accidentally mixed some files and lost my mod (it was called Lostlands...) Took me a while for using MO2 for Creation Kit, but can't go back now. The original Data folder ALWAYS stay clean! Mods data are in their own folder and "injected" in the CK or in the game. You can have a lot of different textures/meshes each in a separate folder mod and easily switch between them, or de-activate them all.

By exemple, I load a modder resource with hundreds of models/textures in it's own mod folder, import models in the CK, test them then keep those I want to keep. There's already a hundred textures/meshes in MY mod folder. It's a pain to search and delete those I will not use. More easy to only copy paste those I need and deactivate the resource mod. It's a kind of lazyness. Sorry to make a such blatant advertising for MO2, but it can help someone (no more deleting important things in the vanilla data folder - I am specialist in deleting important things)

 

The only big counterpart is: you cannot run Skyrim while the CK is running.

 

 

Cheers

[NexBeth]

MO2 is a great tool I know but it is also a MOD. I have concern about it someday not being updated and supported, then all the reliance users have with it suddenly becomes a problem. I believe I'll be building a new pc around the time that ES6 is released and will clean everything up in my folders so may take another look at MO then. Will have separate drive then for games and modding resources. At this point, I'm pretty familiar with the Data folder and hand placing my files as well as other mod files.

• the tamriel.lod , you find it in the Meshes0 BSA, in "lodsettings". It must be placed in Data - LODSettings
• a tree billboard - with picture of each tree and text files, you can find it here: https://www.nexusmod...75269?tab=files , unzip and copy in your data folder. LOD trees DOESN'T work without it! Those files missing are the main reason of failed LOD

This is where I've placed the files:

• Data/LodSettings/Meshes/tamriel.lod because that is its location in the vanilla folders. Is that correct?

• I've used the tree billboard from here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62698/?tab=files which is off of Sheson's TES5LodGen. This is not the same billboards you linked to. Billboards are placed in Data/Textures/Terrain/LodGen/Skyrim.esm

LodGen generates files to:

Meshes/Terrain/Tamriel/Objects/ [and] Trees/

Textures/Terrain/Tamriel/Trees

 

I did the lodgen sweep separately: terrain, then trees, then objects separately.

 

Only 2 terrain (tamriel dds) files are generated out of several cells that I input into the Chunk. One cell looks like it has been altered but the rest not.

Using vanilla cliff pieces in my mod, these will not generate. There is only one file that generated ( 1 .bto file)

I'm not sure about the trees since I used a lot of the trees that were in the vanilla landscape and just moved them a bit. I'd need to have the terrain run correctly, I think, before I can assess trees. However, a lot of files were generated for trees by LodGen.

 

I cleaned my mod prior to using LodGen.

 

I'm not sure why I don't seem to be getting all of the terrain generated. I've tried LodGen generation twice.

 

Thanks much for your help.

Edited July 6, 2019 by NexBeth

[Vactrol]

citation: This is where I've placed the files:

• Data/LodSettings/Meshes/tamriel.lod because that is its location in the vanilla folders. Is that correct?

• I've used the tree billboard from here: https://www.nexusmod...2698/?tab=files which is off of Sheson's TES5LodGen. This is not the same billboards you linked to. Billboards are placed in Data/Textures/Terrain/LodGen/Skyrim.esm

​- No, Data/LodSettings/tamriel.lod not in meshes/ it's used only to generate the lod

- Yes, there's plenty of different billboard (lighter or darker colors for ENB)

Arborescence of generated LOD:

Landscape: meshes/terrain/worldspace name/your .btr files. Textures/terrain/worldspace name/your .dds files.

Objects: meshes/terrain/worldspace name/objects/your .bto files. Textures/terrain/worldspace name/your .dds files (only two files)

Trees: same as object but in "tree" subfolder instead of objects.

For mountain generation, as I had some fails, I extracted from the BSA Data/textures/mountains/ all the mountainslabs01 and mountainslabs02. Don't forget to select your cells each time if you use "Specific Chunk" and don't close XLodGen too fast: just scroll the window up, all lines begining with"<Note: " indicate an error. It can help you to find the problem.

For exemple, I have the following line with my worldspace: <Note: TreeSClover01 [TREE:0505B458] LOD not found Textures\Terrain\LODGen\Chanterelle.esp\vacclover01_0005B458.dds>

It's because the billboard is missing (custom plants)

Cheers

[NexBeth]

I reorganized file paths according to your paths and will be checking the results. I have to say that LodGen executed the paths that I had previously stated so placement was not my doing but automatic by LodGen.

 

Also, when you say you extracted the mountainslaps, I'm assuming you mean the LOD versions? Where did you put them in the data folder? Just use the same path as in vanilla just make it loose in the Data folder?

 

Thanks so much for your time.

[Vactrol]

Not the LOD version, really Data/textures/mountains/mountainslabs01.dds. Yes, same path as vanilla.

 

I forgot to tell you, but I keep the extracted LOD meshes too (they were in my vanilla folder since a few years): You find them in the .BSA "Skyrim - Meshes1" Meshes/Lod/all folders and files

 

I couldn't make the LOD on a previous worldspace, and then followed a video tutorial from the author of "Falskaar" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB2rqH7Ytko&list=PLAA70B463FD87AABE and achieved a result. Most of this tutorial is now irrelevant, with the new XLodGen 4.

I nearly abandoned the idea of custom LOD the first time I tried, too much brain pain. Then took a full week only for that (Falskaar tutorial) and success. Then one year without using lods and the actual worlspace I'm working on.... .....aaaand a full week for the lod again (LodGen version 4)

Be patient, take notes, plenty of try. When it works - :cool:

 

If you don't use MO2, you could create a dummy "Data" folder somewhere on your computer, were you keep all the folders and files needed for the lod. Just copy and past this folder in the Skyrim data folder when needed, generate lod then delete files in vanilla data folder.

 

Cheers