4096 vs 2048, DXT5 vs DXT1, Optimizer vs DDSopt

[LeetMiniWheat]

I'm trying to maximize quality on 2GB VRAM but I have a few questions.

 

1. Is there really a big difference between 4096 and 2048 res textures?

 

2. Optimizer-Textures and DDSopt (I assume) compresses DXT5 down to DXT1. Is this a noticeable quality change? I saw the comparison image on optimizer's nexus page and the DXT1 looked more blocky. I'm tempted to tell Optimizer to do DXT5 instead unless this isn't noticeable in-game.

 

3. What's the difference between Optimizer Textures and DDSopt?

 

4. Also, what about BSA's? Optimizer seemed to crash when the BSA checkbox was used.

 

It seems to run ok without any optimization but I do max out the VRAM around 2030MB. I was getting some freezes/lockups fixed by tweaking INI settings with MadWizard25's tweaks. (though i had to edit by hand because wrye bash was screwing up the ini files)

[Kelmych]

Hm... I dunno if it's my browser or something but I see only three pics of options under "Optimizing STEP mods".

Those figures are screenshots of the Constraints menu choices when optimizing with DDSopt. Sorting the textures is done in the previous subsection. Read the previous section, "Organizing the Mod Textures for Selective Optimization". That's where the choice of separating the exterior textures is discussed. There are no screenshots of this since it is just a single entry of a Y or N.

Normals seem to be a fair bit larger then color maps, at least in SRO. Is there data on Vram use of the various quality options? More specifically on 4 gb Vram, since the release of the 290 and 760 4gb this setup seems to become more popular.

SRO itself doesn't need any texture optimization with DDSopt. The SRO version recommended by STEP already includes reduced size normal maps for exterior textures.

The only data on VRAM use is what is provided by STEP forum users, and to date there have only been a small set of benchmark examples provided. I haven't seen any results from users with 3-4Gb VRAM except those from z929669; perhaps now that more users are getting these cards there will be more benchmark results posted. Prior to the availability of the Sheson memory patch and ENBoost it wasn't possible to make effective use of all the VRAM on a graphics card, so the only directly relevant VRAM benchmark results for high capacity graphic cards would be those provided since these became available. We would, of course, appreciate benchmark data that you create. The STEP guide discusses the benchmark test (the cart ride to Helgen at the beginning of the game) that STEP recommends.

[Spock]

Thank you for your informative posts!

 

Sorry for not being clear on what I meant with the pictures. I did mean the constraint tabs for different options that have been there last time I consulted the guide. The values seem to have changed, last time I used the guide 1kx1k was the recommended colormap size, I remember there have been more pics about the constrains tab with different recommended options.

 

When I finally get a working r9 290 and reinstalled extended I will do some benchmarks.

As far as textures go: Doesn't the optimized SRO download contain 1k color maps for exteriors? I thought I could use the batch to sort the full 2k download and copy over the color maps.

What baseline STEP mods' HQ options would you choose first if you could go a little higher? Or what mods would you recommend not choosing a higher resolution with? My thoughts so far: landscape textures, SMIM and beast races profit from 2k. Indoor textures for clutter, caves and furniture can probably go 2k as well. Mods touching smaller items like jewels, HD misc, food etc. should probably be left alone.

Do you know what folder door textures are in? I'd like to go 2k/2k on them because you see them up close so much.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Spock

[Kelmych]

Thank you for your informative posts!

 

Sorry for not being clear on what I meant with the pictures. I did mean the constraint tabs for different options that have been there last time I consulted the guide. The values seem to have changed, last time I used the guide 1kx1k was the recommended colormap size, I remember there have been more pics about the constrains tab with different recommended options.

There were comments that the guide should be simplified, and since there were very few differences between the Constraints tab parameters for the different texture categories (the resolution limit values are often the only difference, except for som differences with body textures) a single screenshot is provided that covers most of the choices and the resolution limit values are discussed in the steps. You'll see comments about 1Kx1K in the text in the "Optimize the Vanilla Textures section" step 8, and for "Optimizing the Mod Textures" see steps 9, 16, and 19.

 

When I finally get a working r9 290 and reinstalled extended I will do some benchmarks.

As far as textures go: Doesn't the optimized SRO download contain 1k color maps for exteriors? I thought I could use the batch to sort the full 2k download and copy over the color maps.

With a high VRAM card you do this. The recommended STEP SRO version has some exterior color map  textures at 2Kx2K and some at 1Kx1K.

What baseline STEP mods' HQ options would you choose first if you could go a little higher? Or what mods would you recommend not choosing a higher resolution with? My thoughts so far: landscape textures, SMIM and beast races profit from 2k. Indoor textures for clutter, caves and furniture can probably go 2k as well. Mods touching smaller items like jewels, HD misc, food etc. should probably be left alone.

If you have a 4Gb VRAM graphics card you can probably use 2Kx2K for almost everything (I don't have one so I'm not certain). You might want to make body textures and model space normal maps a little smaller than 2Kx2K especially for the uncompressed textures since they can use a lot of VRAM.

Do you know what folder door textures are in? I'd like to go 2k/2k on them because you see them up close so much.

I'm not sure where doors are stored; I expect they are not just in one folder.

[Spock]

Thanks again for your detailed post! I really need to test this and maybe get together with someone who is optimizing his texture sizes for 4gb vram as well.