Retexture - Part 6 : Mountains and Rocks

Retexture

 - Part 6 -

Mountains and Rocks

1) Introduction

Hi dear visitors,

I'm glad and honored to upload this article.
As you probably know, I like to retex my game and I tried a lot of various textures.
In this article, we will watch together "Mountains and Rocks".
The article is long but the goal is always a true feedback, an honest feedback. I tried all mods, so I know the true result in game. It's not just a simple modlist nor a simple comment like you can find on forums all over the web.
On Skyrim Scandal , we make it different!
Also, be sure that I have no relationship with any modders. Of course I know some of them but no bootlicking on the blog! All you can find here is a free speech!

Images are mainly in the middle of the article. So, when you are reading, they can load freely. But, I believe you'll need some seconds to load the page entirely.
During this article, I recommend you a small fresh beer or a hot coffee. Depends of your taste. Some music can be good too.

2) Experience

Mountains are majestic and very important in Skyrim. They are part of the nordic spirit. You can see them everywhere around you!!!
So, they must be improved...with taste and logic. Vanilla mountains are really......ugly and low resolution. Poor lods too.
Skyrim SE did not made a better job with mountains. They looks like plastic. Hopefully, mods exist.

But this article is for Oldrim 😉, as usual.

Between mountains and me, It's love and hate😊
As you probably know, my actual modded Skyrim doesn't allow me to use one of the best mountains mod available. I'm speaking about "Majestic mountains" of course.
So, I needed to find solutions to improve my mountains without this mod. You can consider this article as an alternative.
This article focuses on mountains/rocks textures, meshes, details and lods. Performances too. The goal is not to kill your FPS. Keep that in mind.

I hope you are going to have pleasure to read this article. I hope it interesting, constructive and maybe you'll discover new stuff.

All the article is made with a Ugridstoload=5.

3) Parallax or not?

Before starting the retex process, you must make a choice. Do you want a parallax effect on your mountains? Some mods are "parallax ready", some mods are not parallax. Parallax creates a visual effect of rotation on textures. Textures and relief "move" according to the camera movement to create an illusion of dimension. This effect is activated with edited parallax meshes and with an aditional texture called p.dds (ex: mountainslab01_p.dds).
This is your choice.
However, you must know that this effect cost FPS. And the cost is important with mountains. The parallax is interesting to use in interiors (FPS friendly), but parallax is risky with mountains. They are huge, massive and the impact is heavy. You can use parallax if you already have a very smooth Skyrim and if your FPS are very solid. Indeed, parallax has not interest if your FPS are low. The effect and the "sensation" only makes sense if your game is close to 60fps.
If not, do not use this effect.
Personally, I don't use this effect for mountains. I prefer to focus on quality meshes and textures.

4) Majestic Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/86292/

Well, I believe we can consider this mod as one of the best mountains mod ever. I tried it several times and I really enjoyed the visual but my game just crashes with it. Just my own experience. Don't ask me where is the problem! I don't know. I have never found a solution.
So, if your actual Skyrim allows you to use this mod, then, go for it. The mod has its own meshes, textures and Lods. A moss shader too. The mod isn't parallax.
The strong point of the mod are Lods. They react very well to lighting and sky lighting. Well, It's immersive and your mountains will be imposing and strong.
I recommend this mod. It's an all in one. Easy to install. Instant result!

However, the mod is not perfect and it has 3 major problems:

     a) The mod has very high resolution textures. You don't have choice! 4096*8192 pixels for the main diffuse texture and 4096*4096 for normal maps. It's heavy and demanding of course. So, are you ready to pay the price? Do you have the good GPU?

     b) Textures are brownish. The brown color is not always the best choice in Skyrim and the logic may be broken sometimes. What are the color of forts? Grey! What are the color of nordic ruins? Grey
Of course you can change your fort and ruin textures to a brownish tint, but this askes a very long work to match everything.

     c) The mod has its own meshes.......and these meshes are low poly. So, you'll still have square edges😆

So, the mod is perfect for those who accept the whole concept and if you are ready to edit your game according to this mod. If you select this choice, no need to read the following of this article.

If you want liberty and a more personal touch, then , maybe the following is for you.............😋

5) Extra Smooth Agence de Modele High Poly Mesh Mod https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/79813

Ok, now it's time to speak seriously 😁 Now it's time to build your own game.
This underrated mod provides the best meshes for mountains and rocks. The mod contains high poly meshes for all the game. Meshes are 4, 5, 6 times better (sometime 10 times or 20 times...really!). No textures in this mod. No need to install the mod entirely. Just extract the mod in an independant folder and search for:

- data/meshes/landscape/mountains
This folder contains mountain meshes for all the game. High poly! Goodbye square edges!!

- data/meshes/landscape/rocks
This folder contains rocks meshes for all the game. High poly! Welcome UNPB rocks!

Create your own compressed file to install it with your favorite manager or simply drag and drop in your data folder. The mod overwrite all your actual poor meshes (SMIM, ELFX, etc....)
Yes, do it! You want real mountains, isn't it?

Example: Nifskope Comparison between low meshes and High poly meshes (with size)

Mountainpeak02  407kb to 1640kb

Rockpilem02 166kb to 276kb

As you can see, the difference is huge. Shapes are deffinitly better and it's simply smoother. Combined with a good texture, you obtain a very good result. It's better compared to Majestic mountains.
These meshes don't cost a lot of FPS. Just do some tries. They are not parallax. If you feel FPS drops, just replace less important meshes with your old low poly meshes...one per one.

I must credit someone who make me discover these meshes. I thank GAMEART for this discovery https://www.nexusmods.com/users/20586639
Sharing is improving! Always!....and kudo for him!

These meshes are the base of your mountains/rocks. Better shapes, better UV tweak. This is the solution for rocks and close mountains. This mod transforms your game.

6) Optional - Be smart with Moss shaders https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/86292/

"What are you doing Marmotte? It's the link of Majestic mountains!!!!!"
Yes, it is😂
We'll not use the mod.......but it's good to rob a part of the mod, it's allowed! And we will use this moss shader.....only. Majestic mountains provides a green moss shader. And this shader is very well made and nicely integrated. The moss shader is a full standalone mod and it can be applied on every type of mountains/rocks. We just need to extract the good content.

extract:
MajesticMountains_moss.esp
meshes/shadertests/tundramossshader.nif
textures/shadertests/moss.dds

That's all. Create your own mod and create folders with corresponding names. Now, you'll have moss on your high lopy meshes.

extra optional: the original moss is green and low resolution (682kb). If you have the desire, you can of course retex the moss.dds to obtain a high resolution moss.
Where? You can find a very good moss texture in Northfire's photoreal Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/74389
Search for this new HD moss texture (5.33mb) and paste in your textures/shardertests folder.

Some very good mosses can be found in Tamriel reloaded Mountains too https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58960
But you need to rename it "moss.dds".

Moss shader

The thing is that  the moss allows you to mask some tiny seams on mountains and to mask imperfection too.
Well, in all cases, I strongly recommend moss. It doesn't conflict with anything. Just a beautification of the game.

7) The core: Textures

Here we are!! Mountains and rocks textures!!!! finally!

Mountain textures are localized here:
Skyrim/data/textures/landscapes/mountains
In this folder you'll find the 2 main textures for Mountains and Rocks (diffuse, normal map and maybe an optional parallax)

So, now, it's your turn to do your own choice. I list all important textures you can find for Skyrim....and with images. You can compare. Each time, I add a small commentary about the texture (pros ++ and cons --). I only showcase the best and/or the most interesting. You'll find 11 mountain textures mod (3/4 images per mod) with pros and cons.

Let's go!

Mountain or Molehill https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37989
2K, no parallax, by Gamwich. I love them. They are not flat. Textures have cavities and provide a very nice relief. Combined with high poly meshes, the result is really good. The main grey color has some brownish touches.
++ no esp
++++Textures are very performant (n.dds = 1.33mb)
+ almost seamless
+ nice result with the snow shader
- textures can become blury in to a close-up

Sushi Mountains http://www.mediafire.com/file/jphtzwnabhr6p2e/4K+Mountains+Sushi.rar
4K, no parallax. Well, I'll be honest, I only showcase them because of the "popular demand". A lot of people use them and everybody always speak about Sushi Mountains on various forums.
I find it really flat and way much bright. A lack of originality too. They don't fit to Skyrim in my opinion. I found a link to share, so now you can test them in game. You are the judge...
+ performant 4K (main dds = 10.6mb)
++ no esp
- not interesting with the snow shader
-- no originality
--- a lack of relief/ flat

Skyland https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/80157
4K, no parallax. A bit better than Sushi 😉The mineral aspect is a bit better here. I'm still feeling a lack of personality and a repetion in the UVmap. Almost no seams....which is a very good point.
-- repetitive
- no interesting with the snow shader
++ no esp
+++ seamless
++ good wet effect
--hidden in the Skyland pack

Northfire's Photoreal Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/74389
 2K textures, parallax. Well, this mod is unique. For those who like brownish mountains. They are very mineral. The mod comes with its own lods. That's a very strong point. An optional moss too.
The mod use the "Tamriel Reloaded technic". The esp allows more color diversity with specific textures to specific places. You can replace its low poly meshes with my high poly meshes...and you'll still have texture diversity....but you'll lose the parallax.
++++ texture diversity
++++ unique lods
++ a true spirit
+ unique parallax if using original meshes
++ ESP compatible high poly meshes
- brown (limited use)
-- some seams
--- The 2K is unfortunatly blurry

AmidianBorn Landscape https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37865
2K, parallax with original meshes. Great work. This 2K is better compared to other 4K textures.
Textures have relief and cavities. It's vivid and fits perfectly to the spirit of the game. Combined with high poly meshes, the mod is just wonderful. A great deal!
+++ stylish and natural
+++ original
+ a very good 2K
- the wet effect is not really important
+ Cabal120's touch
-- hidden in the Amidian pack

4K parallax mountains by Pfuscher https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/57260
4K, parallax with original meshes. Nice mountain textures and the 4K is very performant. Textures are dark but they have relief. These textures fit better with a cinematic ENB but not with a realist ENB. Unfortunatly, textures are a bit repetitive, it's my feeling. Not enough natural too.
++ performant 4K
-- a bit repetitive
++ very good normal maps
+ vivid
-- some seams

Tamriel Reloaded Mountains& Rocks https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58960/
1K, 2K or 4K. Parallax with original meshes. A fantastic mod. A bit old but always very precise. This mod is criticized a lot on various blogs or sites but I still think it has a lot of qualities. Textures are really natural and realist on a 4K resolution. In close-up, textures are incredibly clean. The esp provides a high variety of textures all over Skyrim (grey, beige). It's compatible with high poly meshes. Normal maps are just perfect. 2 negative points : the mod is not seamless and sometimes we can notice a repetition in the medium distance.
++++ 3 resolutions available (1K, 2K, 4K)
+ efficient with all ENBs
---  4K + parallax = enormous FPS cost
++ very good in close-up....we want to sit down on rocks.
+++ included some nice mosses for the tundra. Can be combined with Majestic mountains moss.
+++ Unique
-- seams even with high poly meshes
--- ugly result with the snow shader/ in snowy landscapes

Noble mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/45807
A mix between 2K and 4K. No parallax. A charming mod :) Mountains are not the speciality of Noble Skyrim but they are really decent. Perfectly integrated into Skyrim, they are simple and natural. These textures break hard angles of meshes. So, with high poly meshes , the result is just superb. Textures have cavities. The result is great on close-up and on long distances views. Very well balanced.
+++ originality
++ the mix 2K/4K is performant
-- a bit repetitive sometime
- good for mountains, less good for small rocks
-- hidden in the Noble pack

Serious HD retextures https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2146
4K, No parallax. I showcase the mod by popular demand 😊A lot of people use these mountains texture and the mod is frequently mentioned in various website....it's serious...
I'm not agree. The 4K is blurry and sometime I feel textures....transparent. Textures are repetitive and the stone doesn't looks like stone :) It's seriously flat even with the high poly meshes.
I don't understand the hype. But well, now it's seriously here. Test and try it. As usual, you are the final serious judge!
--- flat and......transparent
-- seams
- too bright
++ interesting result on wet rocks
--- other 2K mods are better than these serious 4K

Granite Markarth https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/63949
2K/1K. Parallax available. These textures are totally hidden in the mod. They are really performant (like Mountain or Molehill) with 1K normal maps. The mod has also a perfect integration to the game. Textures make sense. They have cavities and relief. You should not experience seams or hard corners.
Granite Markarth is definitly the hidden gem for mountains and rocks. They have absolutly no weak points for a 2K/1K mod. And the mod has its own lod textures..... If you want more, maybe it's time to play The Witcher 3.
+++ ultra light/ performant/ FPS friendly
++ no seams
+++ perfectly integrated to ruins and forts
++ nice result with the moss shader
+ size does not always matter 😊
- medium result on wet rocks

Vivid Landscapes: Rocking stones and Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/38004
or here https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49344

1K/ 2K/ 4K, parallax available with vivid meshes included. Textures are really dark but they fit perfectly to the entire world. Textures have some little plants paste on stones. It's original and a good idea. The full version 4K + parallax cost FPS, especially when watching in certain direction. Vivid isn't a light mod in a 4K resolution. You'll have almost no seams, mainly because rocks are dark. To see details, you must watch closely the texture. Well, a very decent mod, probably better with bright ENB with low shadows and low adaptation.
-- very demanding textures
- a bit dark
++ plants on rocks
- not enough variations
++ the Vivid Lanscapes style

6) Not in this article

HTZ mountains - no link
4K. I still have the mod in my hard drive. Some of the heaviest textures available for Skyrim. They are extremely brownish and vivid. I really like the style. But these textures create important seams on rocks. So, interesting, but not the best deal. And I did not find available links so the promotion is limited.

Y.A.L.O https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/78745/
Not really good. Very flat and a lack of identity. You can definitly find a better one.

Photogrammetry Rocks https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/90426
The mod itself is very interesting, very inviting. You can test it of course. Meshes are insanely heavy. So, be sure to have a good computer to run these realist rocks. So, a high cost. In game, I have been very disapointed with textures. They are unfortunatly blurry and this breaks the mod...in my humble opinion.
Sometimes, rocks seem......out of place too.

SRO https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-realistic-overhaul
Too much pixelated unfortunatly.

AOF detailled mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/4805
Too much vanilla style 

One Mountain -To rule them all https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58666
By Gamwich. I already showcase "Mountain or Molehill" by Gamwich. I just find it better.

Obsidian Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31984
Too much exclusive.

Better rocks and mountains - UV Tweak https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2906 
Very interesting mod with the UV tweak. However, the high poly mod above made this mod obsolete and outdated.

Superior Rock Textures https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37256 
Hummmmmm......no!

Brown mountains and rocks https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23870 
Too much seams. 

7) Optional - Mountains and terrain transitions

This part is totaly optional. Only for those who want a good global result.

When you have chosen you favorite mountain/rock texture, it's important to choose carefully another specific terrain texture.

This texture is: Rocks01.dds and Rocks01_n.dds 
It's located here: data/textures/landscape
Generally, you can find this texture at the foot or base of mountains. You can also find it around rocks.
So, It's important to have a texture which match to your mountains. Simply to remove as much as possible the transition between mountain meshes and terrain meshes.
A perfect result isn't possible but a precise selection can really clean junctions and create an enjoyable final result.
Do not hesitate to watch my first article about "Terrain retex" to catch some ideas.
https://skyrimscandal.blogspot.com/2017/10/retexture-part-1-terrain.html

Of course, choose brown Rocks01.dds if your mountains are brownish.
Choose grey Rocks01.dds if your mountains are grey...ishhh.

My favorite mods for this texture are:
- Vivid landscapes
- Amidian Landscape 
 

Example in my game: rocks and terrain

They have a good transparency and they are multi purpose for a lot of mountains. And the terrain texture looks like rocks. It's logical.

8) LODS

     a) Ok, you have choosen your meshes, your favorite textures, maybe some moss and you have cleaned the terrain transition. Good, I'm proud of you.

Now the final step is to build your LODS. Of course Lods are optional. It's not a requirement.

You can use Dyndolod https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59721
or you can use TES5LodGen https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/62698

Both do the job very well. Dyndolod is very popular and efficient...however, do not underestimate TES5Lodgen. TES5LodGen is really fast and is able to generate incredible lods too. TES5LodGen is also very light: no esp and no scripts.
Dyndolod has scripts and an esp.

Your choice my friend 😁 I'll not help you to chose between them. I repeat, both are good.

     b) Before you generate your lods, you must of course have new textures for your lods (thumbnails). Better than vanilla lods. Something more vibrant and sharped.

Again, all depends of your mountain textures.
- If you chose grey mountains (like Vivid mountains), search for grey mountain lod textures.
- If you chose Brown mountain (like Northfire mountains), search for brown mountainlod textures.

Indeed, your LOD generator will use your lod thumbnails to create lod textures.

Where to download mountain LODS?

Grey lod textures

Granite Markarth https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/63949

or

 Mountain or Molehill https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37989

Brown lod textures

Northfire's photoreal Mountains https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/74389

------------------------------------

Where are Mountain Lods?

Mountains Lods are in data/textures/lod

Here is my Lod folder. You can clearly see mountains textures.

Names should be - mountainslablod

                             - mountainpeak01lod

                             - mrkcliff01lod, 02, 03...

                             - mtncliff01lod, 02, 03....

                             - mtnpeak02lod

                             - mtnridge01lod, 02, 03

                             - mtnpeak02lod

You can also add some normal maps too. I forget to do that. I need to add them 😋

So, now you have lod textures in your lod folder. You can generate you lods with Dyndolod or Tes5LodGen.

9) Conclusion

In this article, you can clearly read the 2 main solutions to create new and better mountains.

- If you select "majestic mountains", it's simple and an all in one (meshes, textures, lods). Just follow instructions one the Nexus page. The result is great.

- If you decide to choose the more personal way, select high poly meshes, then your own mountain textures, then maybe some moss and a more personal rocks01.dds, then your own lod mountains.

My method gives a good result and your lods will be fully covered. You'll have great high poly mountains which is a really big added value. This solution allows to select your own mountain textures too. Infact, you can choose the mountain you like.

The added value of my method is that you can select performance textures which is really important for mountains.

Indeed, mountains are demanding and the personal build allow to control your game.

10) Thank you

Yes, Thank you for reading. It's an huge article. I took some time to write it.

I hope you found it interesting, maybe with new mods or technics.

As usual, If I made a mistake, do not hesitate to tell me and bring me the right answer.

If you think I missed something (a mod, a step), tell me.

If you are a modder and if you want I include your mod here, just tell me and i'll try your mod. If I obtain good results, I'll certainly put it here.

Writting a big article like this one is not the easiest thing for me. There are probably several english mistakes. I do my best.

Your reaction are of course very welcome. This help to improve.

If you think this article can help peoples, do not hesitate to share this page.

I'm going to finish this article with a proverb I like a lot.

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” (Sir Edmund Hillary)

Thank you

MARMOTTE