Object not visible at distance, help needed

[ledzepiv]

I have a problem. I placed a gate, and this gate refuses to fade in until I'm at a fixed distance from it (image #2). Regenerating LOD with FNVLODGEN didn't change the distance from which it fades in, toggling the "Visible when distant" flag didn't solve it either, any suggestions? The gate has a LOD model in the files so I don't know why it doesn't appear from longer distances.

[dubiousintent]

Not my field of expertise, but as I understand it you need (extracts from the TESTG Glossary):

• Mipmap: Pre-calculated, optimized collections of images that accompany a main texture, intended to increase rendering speed and reduce aliasing artifacts. Textures should contain mipmaps (the same texture copied several times but with lower resolution down to almost a single pixel). These lower resolution images are used when the texture is rendered in the mid- to back-ground, such as LOD/VWD. If the mipmap is not present in the texture file then it will be generated on the fly (adding some stress to the CPU/GPU). If the texture is 1x2 and a shader requests color from the middle of that texture then it should get the interpolated value (in that case average of both the adjacent pixels). Mipmaps are included (or not) as part of the texture file when it is created. (Source: CS Wiki. See also: DXT, LOD, Texture, VWD.

File extension: none; optionally included in "*.dds" files

• DistantLOD: Data used to display VWD meshes (xx_far.nif) in the right place. Basically, the VWD is the thing you see from far away, and the DistantLOD data allows you to see it. They are saved in the \Data\Textures\DistantLOD\ folder. (Source: CS Wiki). See also: LOD, Mesh, VWD.

File Extension: .lod

LOD extension files are built on the basis of Quads of adjacent cells and are highly dependent upon the load order of your mods. They should be rebuilt after distant terrain and objects are added to a load order. See also: Quad, Utilities:LOD/VWD Generators.

• VWD: "View While Distant" requires the presence of a mesh of objects to be seen at a distance. Objects added to the game which do not have VWD files are not visible beyond the "foreground" and can seem to pop up out of nowhere. They are independent from but related to LOD texture files for terrain.

Static objects that are supposed to be viewed from a distance, such as city walls, come with '_far.nifs'. Only statics have '_far.nifs'. They are simplified, low-poly versions of the original meshes of objects you see up close; the intent is to let you see them from far away, but use simpler 3D models to prevent your PC from being crippled by loading so many intense graphics at once. These are saved in various sub-folders under the "<game>\Data\Meshes\" folder. (Source: CS Wiki). VWD meshes also have normal maps (*_FN.dds). These are saved in the \Data\Textures\LandscapeLOD\Generated\ folder. See also: Alpha Channel, DDS, DistantLOD, DXT, LOD, Mesh, Mipmap, Normal Map.

File extension: *_far.nif
File extension: *_FN.dds

Hope this helps.

-Dubious-

[ledzepiv]

Ok, I understand a bit better now, but there's something I can't figure, the gate appears at longer distances where it is used in vanilla

 

 

 

 

So why it doesn't where I placed it? Do I only need to hunt for the appropriate nifs/dds files mentioned and include them in my .esp to make it appear?

[dubiousintent]

I suspect so, but again: not my area of expertise. You may need to ensure the principle part of the filenames are identical, or perhaps link them in NifSkope.

 

-Dubious-

[ledzepiv]

or perhaps link them in NifSkope.

 

-Dubious-

 

Assuming this will fix the problem, how do I do that? Never used nifskope before, is there a guide?

[dubiousintent]

Please see the "NifSkope Mesh Editor" section of the wiki "Getting started creating mods using GECK" article. There are links to the various resources others have mentioned in the past.

 

-Dubious-

[ledzepiv]

I solved it, in order to appear at distance the gate must be a static object (mine was a door) connected to a fake door like it is in vanilla. Thanks for the help anyway.

[dubiousintent]

Added as "TIP VWD objects must be static" to the "Worldspaces" section of the wiki "Getting started creating mods using GECK" article.

 

Please let me know if I misinterpreted what you meant by "fake door".

 

-Dubious-

[ledzepiv]

I'll post an image from the GECK, it probably explains it better:

 

 

 

 

Basically the orange thing is a non-visible door that display "enter to X" when you get in front of it.

Btw, I re-checked and the gate itself isn't connected to the door, it's just placed there, my bad.

Edited April 15, 2021 by ledzepiv

[dubiousintent]

Thanks for the image, and the clarification. Do I have your permission to upload and use that image on the wiki? (It's assumed under the terms of the forum but I prefer to ask.) I will attribute it to you unless you prefer otherwise.

 

-Dubious-