You need to preserve the alpha test coverage when exporting so that the needles don’t look thin and disappear. I used a value of 0.95.
Tips for Mod Authors 1. I recommend you use GIMP, which natively supports DDS files, to edit, colorize, resize, and generate mip maps. 2. The mip map algorithm is critical. When exporting, select "preserve alpha test coverage" and set the "alpha test threshold" to a value of 0.9 or higher. This is necessary so that thin blades of grass do not fade to transparency as you move away from the grass. This also very significantly improves performance by decreasing overdraw. 3. Use Cathedral Asset Optimizer to compress files to BC7.
Heres a quick bandaid fix for pine shrubs looking thin from afar. Run the textures through Cathedral Asset Optimizer, untick generate mipmaps, tick downsizing, select "by fixed size", set resolution to 1024x1024, click run. Downsized textures doesnt look too bad imo due to the darker textures.
These don't work for me for whatever reason. I like the darker color, but in-game they look thin and weak and the pine textures don't load in until I'm about 10 - 15 away, so they just look like bare twigs until then.
There's nothing overriding them either. Am I meant to merge the two files together?
Best way to address this would be to get permissions (If required) from HLT author and substitute Cathedral shrub branch for HTL three branch. Then to export it using proper tool.
If you stay on the just recoloring route remember to not necessarily recolor the stems.
Paint.NET (at least with the default functionality) does not export the mipmaps in a correct format/ratio for them to properly display in-game. I've done exactly the thing you did and I'be got the same results. That is the reason the shrubs look thin. I've heard of a nVidia... something editor that can generate proper mipmaps as it is supposedly better suited specifically for gaming applications. There could be other options as well but I don't personally know any.
I noticed when using grass lighting these shrubs stay dark while everything around them lightens up. What would one have to do to edit them to enable lighting for that?
Hey there! first of all, thank you for making this. I do appreciate the darker look and covering ash shrubs.
However, it seems that doing the regular mipmapping doesn't work well with these textures. In fact, it makes the branches almost invisible when you're further away. Here's an example, which I've tried both in-game and in Nifskope, but will only show Nifskope out of convenience.
Spoiler:
Show
With your mod, when zoomed out, they become
Here's what it looks like with Jacopo's original textures. See how it doesn't make the branches disappear at a distance.
My best bet is to ask Jacopo himself. He's done some magic with mipmap before, in Cathedral Snow, to reduce tiling, so perhaps he can give you some insight?
Hi there! I love this mod, thank you for making it! I was wondering though; would you be able to make a brighter version? I don't use ENB, and I find the shrubs to be pretty dark compared to the rest of my flora.
22 comments
Tips for Mod Authors
1. I recommend you use GIMP, which natively supports DDS files, to edit, colorize, resize, and generate mip maps.
2. The mip map algorithm is critical. When exporting, select "preserve alpha test coverage" and set the "alpha test threshold" to a value of 0.9 or higher. This is necessary so that thin blades of grass do not fade to transparency as you move away from the grass. This also very significantly improves performance by decreasing overdraw.
3. Use Cathedral Asset Optimizer to compress files to BC7.
There's nothing overriding them either. Am I meant to merge the two files together?
Help is appreciated
Best way to address this would be to get permissions (If required) from HLT author and substitute Cathedral shrub branch for HTL three branch. Then to export it using proper tool.
If you stay on the just recoloring route remember to not necessarily recolor the stems.
Paint.NET (at least with the default functionality) does not export the mipmaps in a correct format/ratio for them to properly display in-game. I've done exactly the thing you did and I'be got the same results. That is the reason the shrubs look thin. I've heard of a nVidia... something editor that can generate proper mipmaps as it is supposedly better suited specifically for gaming applications. There could be other options as well but I don't personally know any.
However, it seems that doing the regular mipmapping doesn't work well with these textures. In fact, it makes the branches almost invisible when you're further away. Here's an example, which I've tried both in-game and in Nifskope, but will only show Nifskope out of convenience.
With your mod, when zoomed out, they become
Here's what it looks like with Jacopo's original textures. See how it doesn't make the branches disappear at a distance.
just safe it as dds and activate midmaps