New Vegas LODGen Questions

[Mackintoke]

Now I've made it to Vegas, I'm starting to really notice Object fade in. Big skyway segments will pop in out of nowhere. Immersive breaking.

 

So I looked into it, and learned of LODGen. I've got Mod Manager 2, and it's got the LODGen thing integrated into it. So I tried it out, and it was taking a long time to process, so I went to sleep. The next day I check it, it took like 37 minutes to process (I have a lot of mods) but then I didn't know what to do after that, didn't know how to use it, and then I ended up getting a few more mods.

 

How do I fix the object pop in problem? Will LODGen fix it? I've since finalized my mod list, so I want to do the LODGen thing again, but what do I do after it finishes processing everything?

[dubiousintent]

LODGen generates "_far.nif" and related files. It should be placing the output files it generataes in a separate folder where you have it installed. Those files need to be copied into the game "Data" Mesh and Textures folders (which are detailed on the FNVLODGen description page) overwriting any that already exist. So you should backup the existing files in those folders before replacing them.

 

Any time you add or remove any VWD/LOD files you should re-run FNVLODGen again.

 

You might want to read the "View While Distant/Level of Detail (VWD/LOD)" article to get a broader view of what is going on.

 

-Dubious-

[Mackintoke]

Alriiiiiiiight, thanks for the tips!

 

*EDIT:* Hey where are the trees LOD files? FNVLODGen says I gotta install them separately? I ticked the box for Generate LOD Trees. Figure I might as well go all in.

Edited April 6, 2021 by Mackintoke

[dubiousintent]

There are sections with the locations for "terrain", "object", and "trees" on the description page. You just overlooked it.

 

-Dubious-

[Mackintoke]

OK cool thanks for help. I've got a new issue though - the power lines LOD are funky, not the small utility poles, just the big ones. Here's a picture:

 

Aww, file too big to attach. Imma upload it to mediafire:

 

https://www.mediafire.com/view/s7suq1urqn9k7yl/Uh_oh.png/file#

 

I'm looking into some LOD mods and s#*!, but I was wondering if you knew a quick fix. I got object distance set to 10, and I turned HDR on so I can witness the glorious night lights.

 

Right after I first did the FNVLODGen, I had HDR turned off, and I was wandering that same area, and didn't notice this odd LOD texture issue.

 

But I really wanted those night lights, and in this current playthru, I had JUST made it to the strip. Prior to making it to the strip and doing FNVLODGen stuff, I had HDR, Bloom, all them effects turned off for performance gains.

 

I didn't even realize I was missing out on some spectacular lighting effects with HDR turned off this whole time lol.

 

What do I do to fix this odd LOD issue with these power lines?

Edited April 10, 2021 by Mackintoke

[dubiousintent]

That looks to me as if the wrong texture has been applied to the mesh, which makes it a "graphics problem". (The "lines" portion of a "power line tower" are usually too small to be displayed at a distance.) A "quick fix" is unlikely as some investigation is required. The "quickest" solution is probably going to be to re-install your VWD/LOD files so your intended "winners" which overwrite earlier files are installed last. (That can get complicated as different mods affect different things.) Read on.

 

Please see the "Issue - Find the source mod-index of an object in-game" and "Issue - Fix a missing or solid color texture problem" (same problem) entries under the "Solutions to Mesh -Red Kite- icon or Texture -solid or off color- problems" section of the "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" article. Once you have identified the source mod, check that you have all the files installed and that particular "NIF" mesh file(s) has not been overwritten by another mod. Only once you are sure you have all the required files should you rebuild the VWD/LOD files.

 

AFAIK, HDR/Bloom settings are "effects" applied as the video is displayed and should not matter when rebuilding the files, but the xLODGEN team would be the ones to ask if you still have issues.

 

Below is my standard explanation about texture/mesh issues:

 

Because "Texture/Mesh" replacement mods replace vanilla versions of those files, you absolutely have to toggle "ArchiveInvalidation (AI)" off-and-then-on again after installing or removing one of them so it recognizes that there are loose files (added by the mod) which have to be used in place of the vanilla files in the BSA files or are no longer there and the BSA files should be used instead. That failure to toggle is the most common reason behind most "texture problems". This is usually evidenced by red "!" icon for missing meshes, and solid colors for missing textures, or "messed up" textures. This "ArchiveInvalidation" mechanism is incorporated in all the currently used mod managers, so there is no need to (and problems arise if you do) install older mods to provide that capability. ONLY USE ONE METHOD of AI, especially if you have multiple mod managers installed. Otherwise they will conflict, as they use their own "arbitrarily chosen" names for the AI BSA files. (There is not a standardized name used among them all.) Please see the 'ArchiveInvalidation (by Manager)' section of the "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article, and also see the 'Checklist Item #15 & 16' entries in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide.

The usual reasons why a texture is not found or ends up displaying as a solid color such as black (other than failing to toggle AI) are:

1. It was packaged in such a way in the archive that when it was unpacked into the "Data" folder it got placed where the engine isn't looking for it. You can manually drag the folders to the correct locations, or repackage the archive to avoid that problem against the next time you need to install it.

In the case of (for example) "Weapon Retexture Project" (WRP) v1.95, the package has a "non-standard" folder structure. (Not an uncommon mistake by mod authors, so learn from this.) The game (to include most mod managers like NMM, MO, and FOMM) is expecting the top level folder of an archive package to be standardized; with folder names such as "Textures" or "Meshes" (etc.), or ESM/ESP/BSA files. It assumes they are being placed under the game "Data" folder. This example package starts with a "RLS" folder, which the game does not recognize, and so it places that as the "top level" under "Data". (Sometimes this is the author's name or initials, other times it's the mod name and version, but anything unexpected is treated the same way: as a new folder or file. Sometimes it's "Data" so you end up with "Data\Data" which is also unexpected.) Most likely when the files are "installed" but aren't found correctly, something similar to this is your problem. Unpack the mod archive (WRP in this instance) to some other location and then either rebuild the archive so the top level folders are "Textures" and "Meshes" (in other words, without the "RLS" folder from WRP at all), and then install with your mod manager, or manually drag those folders into the game "Data" folder.

The text file under the WRP "RLS" folder is a documentation file. If you want to keep similar in the package, just place it in the top level along with the "Meshes" and "Textures" folders. Recommend renaming such to "<mod_name>_ReadMe.txt" so you know which package they came from, and place them all in a "Docs" folder for easy access, but it's not a requirement. (Many authors act as if their mod's text file is the only one that might possibly exist in the same location or use the same common name (i.e. "Readme.txt"), so consequently only the last installed exists.)

2. The texture path embedded in the NIF mesh file is not valid as your game is not installed in the same path as the mod creator. This is the fault of the mod creator, but something you can fix yourself. Please see the wiki article "How to fix hard-coded texture paths in NIF files" for the procedure to locate the texture file entry within NifSkope. (The path needs to be "relative" instead of "absolute"/"hard-coded" in order to be found on various installation locations, which is what that article covers.)

3. The "garments" (clothing and armor, etc,) are not using the same "UV Map" (AKA "texture coordinates") as the body replacement. If the texture coordinates are not compatible with the underlying "body type", the UV Map can throw off the engine. Your problem might be due to an update to the body replacer rendering it incompatible with the "garment" from the mod used.

For further, please see the 'Solutions to Graphics problems' and 'Solutions to Mesh (Red "!" icon) or Texture (solid color) problems' sections of the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" article.

-Dubious-

[Mackintoke]

Thank you for all your time. I really appreciate it. I'll shall investigate like a mofoe! Actually, maybe I should wander around the game a bit more to see if I spot any other LOD texture problems.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Mackintoke

[dubiousintent]

Glad to help. (I empathize with frustrated gamers.) Do let me know what eventually resolves that "power tower" texture.

 

-Dubious-

[dubiousintent]

I was just reminded of the existence of the mod "FNV NMC-Beuno LOD Texture Patch". Whether or not you are using that particular combination of VWD/LOD mods, that is (I believe) fundamentally the same issue, so at least read over the description.

 

-Dubious-

[Mackintoke]

Once again I just wanna say thank you for all your assistance. Real life has thrown me different interests, so I haven't continued this yet. But you've sent me in the right direction, and that's all I need. Once I scout out in-game and confirm or deny that those electrical lines are the only objects not rendering properly from a distance then I'll hunt around and re-do the LODGen.

 

The first time I did the LODGen I noticed the difference - now objects don;t suddenly appear out of thin air! I can see the skyway segments from afar! YAAAAY! I also learned about the game's lighting options - before this thread, the whole time I was playing the game, I had lighting effects turned off, so during my venture up to the Vegas, I never noticed any of the strip's bright lights!

 

It's been a good learning experience, thank you.