SOS Tool Running Guide - HerrSchtevie/Scrolls-of-Schtevie GitHub Wiki

This is the complete guide to running your tools on the Scrolls of Schtevie modlists.

This guide walks you through how to run all tools, but not all of them need to be run every time you make changes. Below is a summary of when and why each tool should be run:

• ⚠️ Disclaimer – Read This First
• 🗂️ Summary of Tools
• 🧵 Step 0: Run BodySlide
• 🕺 Step 0.5: Run Pandora
• ⚙️ Step 1: Run Synthesis
• 🔧 Step 1.5: VRAMr Output
• 🧱 Step 2: Run ParallaxGen
• 🌄 Step 3: Run xLODGen
• 🌾 Step 3.5: Grass Cache (Optional / Advanced)
• 🧵 Step 4: Run TexGen
• 🧠 Step 5: Run DynDOLOD
• ✅ Conclusion
• 📜 Final Reminder

This guide was originally assembled using Journals of Jyggalag as the reference list.
While the instructions apply across all Scrolls of Schtevie modlists, some screenshots, plugin orders, or plugin numbers may differ slightly between lists. The core process and steps remain the same.

Adding any mods to Scrolls of Schtevie Modlists falls under Rule 11:
You are modifying the list at your own risk.

While we’re happy to try and assist in the Discord, the team is not obligated to troubleshoot issues caused by your additions or changes.

The Scrolls of Schtevie Modlists are complete modlists.
By making alterations, you accept that:

• Everything this guide explains is not recommended unless you have prior modding experience or are willing to experiment and learn on your own.
• You are solely responsible for anything you break while making modifications.
• If you choose to alter the list, you accept that you may break your install, and it's up to you to fix it or re-install and start from scratch.

Proceed with caution. You have been warned.

• When to run: After adding or updating any armor or clothing mod (including replacers).
• What it does: Builds the 3D meshes for armors and clothing based on your chosen body type and preset.
  • In any SOS list, you must use the Zeroed Sliders preset so OBody can apply morphs correctly.
  • Ensures male armors match the HIMBO Body - SOS and female armors match the CBBE 3BBB Body Amazing.
• Without running BodySlide, newly added armors will appear invisible in-game.

• When to run: After adding or removing any animation mod — including locomotion, idle, combat, OAR animations, or MCO/DAR-based behavior changes.
• What it does: Compiles behavior data and animation bindings into a functioning output using OAR (Open Animation Replacer). Ensures animations play correctly in-game by linking conditions, behaviors, and transitions into a single cache.

• When to run: After adding gameplay mods, appearance overhauls, perk overhauls, combat mods, or other systems that use Synthesis patchers (really after adding/removing anything at all).
• What it does: Automatically generates compatibility patches for things like perks, spells, leveled lists, appearance, high-poly head, terrain, and more, depending on the patchers active for your profile.

• When to run: Before running ParallaxGen or xLODGen if you are using the Performance profile.
• What it does: Generates optimized texture atlases to reduce VRAM usage, improve performance, and lower stutter without sacrificing major visual fidelity.

• When to run: After adding or removing parallax-enabled textures or meshes (terrain, architecture, armor, clutter, etc.).
• What it does: Generates height data files used by parallax shaders to create a 3D illusion of depth on nearby surfaces like stone walls, roads, cliffs, or ground textures.

• When to run: After adding or removing worldspace-affecting mods (like new landmasses or city overhauls) or landscape textures.
• What it does: Generates the terrain LOD meshes and textures for worldspaces (LOD4, 8, 16, 32), allowing you to see distant terrain.

• When to run: Only if you have added or removed major landscape/worldspace mods or changed grass INI settings.
• What it does: Pre-generates grass placement data for consistent visuals and improved performance. Ensures grass matches the terrain in both nearby and distant views.

• When to run: After adding or removing any mod that affects landscape textures, tree models, lighting, weather, or object appearances that you want represented in LODs.
• What it does: Generates texture and normal map data used exclusively by DynDOLOD. TexGen must be run before DynDOLOD so distant objects have the correct lighting, shading, and texture data in the final LOD output.

• When to run: After running TexGen, and after any change to worldspace (like buildings, trees, city overhauls, or anything that modifies what’s visible in the distance).
• What it does: Creates the dynamic LODs for all objects in the game world — trees, cities, distant clutter — and ties it all together for smooth performance and visuals.

You’ll find detailed, step-by-step instructions for each tool below — including how to set them up properly for each profile and how to avoid common errors.

These tools build off one another in a specific sequence, and must be run in the order listed above for everything to function correctly.

If you’re unsure, just follow the guide step-by-step, top to bottom — it’s written in the exact order you should run each tool.

This step is required if you’ve added your own armor or clothing mods to JOJ.
If you don’t build them in BodySlide, they will appear invisible in-game.
If you haven’t added any custom armors, you can skip this step and move on.

• Launch BodySlide from the MO2 executable dropdown.

• In the bottom right, click Settings → Advanced.

• Set the Output Path to match the correct mod folder:

  • JOJ - BodySlide Output (default)
  • If you are following the SOS Rule 11 Guide, you should have created your own BodySlide Output folder to overwrite mine. Use that instead.

🔑 Important: If your output path is wrong, your armor will not show up in-game.

• In the top-right corner, remove any filters so all outfits are visible.

• For female armor: choose CBBE 3BBB Body Amazing for the Outfit/Body, and - Zeroed Sliders - for the Preset

• For male armor: choose HIMBO Body - SOS for the Outfit/Body, and HIMBO Zero for OBody for the Preset

• Why do we set the Preset to: - Zeroed Sliders - or HIMBO Zero for OBody

📝 This is essential for OBody to function correctly in any SOS list.
Do not use any other preset unless you know exactly what you’re doing and are choosing not to use OBody.

• Click the Choose Groups button (next to Outfit/Body selector). For this guide, I will be using the "Girl's Travel Outfit" as an example.

• Check the boxes for any new outfits you added.

• If you can’t find them, use Filter Outfits and type part of the armor’s name.

• Click Batch Build in the bottom left.
• In the pop-up window:
  • ✅ Make sure all the armors that you want to build are checked.
  • Make sure the meshes box and the Build Morphs boxes are checked in the bottom left.
  • Click Build.

Once finished, BodySlide will output meshes to your configured folder:

Custom - BodySlide Output

(or whatever you named your custom BodySlide output when following the Rule 11 guide).

Your custom armor mods should now appear properly in-game — no more invisible armors! 🎉

🔄 Don’t forget to refresh MO2 after running BodySlide so the new output is recognized properly.

That’s all there is to it — you’ve successfully built your custom armor and clothing into the game.
From here on, you only need to re-run BodySlide if you:

• Add new armor/clothing mods 🛡️
• Update an existing armor/clothing mod 🔄

Otherwise, you can safely move on to the next tool in the guide.
Your characters are now fully dressed and ready for adventure! 🗡️👗

This step is only required if you're adding or removing animation mods in JOJ — including OAR, MCO, DAR-based movement, combat, or idle animations.
If you haven’t changed any animations, you can skip this step and proceed directly to Step 1: Synthesis.

• In MO2, scroll down to the Outputs separator.
• Locate the mod:
  JOJ - Pandora Output
• Right-click > Open in Explorer
• Delete everything inside this folder.

• Launch Pandora Behavior Engine+ from the MO2 executable dropdown.

• In the top-left corner, check the box labeled Select All.

• Click the Run button at the bottom of the window.

By default, Pandora is configured to output to:

JOJ - Pandora Output

This is already set correctly for JOJ and does not need to be changed.
However, if you want to change the output location, you can do so by editing the executable settings in MO2 — though this is not recommended unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Once Pandora finishes generating the behavior data, you'll see a message at the bottom of the window that says:

"Launch finished in (X) seconds"

You're good to close Pandora at this point.

🔄 Don't forget to refresh MO2 after closing Pandora so the output is recognized properly.

Each Journals of Jyggalag profile uses a prebuilt Synthesis configuration.

• Lord's Vision – Full experience
• Performance – Lower fidelity, same content

1. Open Synthesis from the MO2 dropdown.

2. In the top-right corner, click the profile.

From the list, select the profile that matches your current MO2 profile:

• Lord's Vision
• Performance

3. Once you have selected your profile, click the left arrow at the top left of the screen to return to the main window, then click the Run button in the bottom-left corner.
   Synthesis will now execute all patchers relevant to your chosen profile.

4. When complete, you’ll see “Complete” in purple text at the top-left corner.

5. You can now close Synthesis.

If you receive a blocking error when launching or running Synthesis:

1. Wait. It's normal to see temporary blocking errors during app initialization. These should clear up in 2 minutes or less.
2. Close Synthesis and try again.
3. If the issue persists, it’s typically caused by Windows permissions and is not related to Synthesis or JOJ.

Recommended Fixes:

• Run MO2 as Administrator and try again.
• Reboot your PC to clear temp/cache files and try again.
• Ensure .Net 8 and .Net 9 are installed and updated, and .Net 10 is NOT installed.

This step is optional if you want to increase the overall performance of the list.
However, it is absolutely mandatory if your PC specs are below the recommended minimum listed in the Readme of whichever SOS list you are using.

VRAMr generates optimized texture atlases to reduce VRAM usage, improve performance, and lower stutter.
If your specs meet or exceed the recommended, you can skip this step, but it will still help with performance regardless.

• If you are going to run VRAMr, do so before running ParallaxGen

• The VRAMr Output mod must be disabled while running:

  • ❌ ParallaxGen
  • ❌ xLODGen
  • ❌ TexGen
  • ❌ DynDOLOD

• After all tools are finished, you may enable the VRAMr Output for normal gameplay.

✅ If you're not generating a custom VRAMr output, skip this step and move on to ParallaxGen.

• In MO2, make sure you have the correct JOJ profile selected before running VRAMr.
• From the MO2 executable dropdown, select VRAMr.
• Click Run.

• Choose option 2 to find your Skyrim location
• Then browse to the modlist folder and select the Stock Game folder within it. Click OK.

• When prompted, type P for Performance preset.
• This is the recommended setting for JOJ Performance.

• Choose a drive root (e.g., D:\ or E:\) with at least 260 GB of free space.
  • ⚠️ Must be the root of the drive, not a subdirectory.
  • Space is only required during processing; the final output will be 15–30 GB.

💡 Tip: If you’re low on space, consider temporarily deleting your Wabbajack Downloads folder.

• Point VRAMr to the profile directory of the JOJ profile you are running.

• Do not use your PC while VRAMr is running.
• Depending on your system, this may take several hours.
• Best practice: start it before bed and let it run overnight.
• Doing other tasks during the process can cause corrupted output.

• Once VRAMr completes, it will prompt:

  Press any key to close…

• Hit a key and the window will close.

• Navigate to the VRAMr folder on the drive you specified.

• Rename the dragndrop folder to:

  VRAMr Output
  

• Drag VRAMr Output into MO2.
• Place it in the Outputs section, just above JOJ - ParallaxGen Output.
• ✅ Check the box to enable it.

• If you are running the LOD tool stack after this, note that you should keep the VRAMr output disabled until you have finished with the rest of the tools.

• Only proceed to the rest of the guide if you have a specific reason to do so; it is not beneficial to rerun the full stack just because you ran VRAMr.

• Once all tools are done, return the MO2 application dropdown to:

  Journals of Jyggalag
  

• You’re ready to keep modding or jump into the game! 🎉

• If you encounter unexpected errors running VRAMr:

1. Open Windows Terminal Settings.
2. Ensure the Default Terminal Application is set to Windows Console Host.

If your VRAMr output is hundreds of GB instead of a couple dozen, it's very likely that a part of the optimization process was blocked by Windows Smart App Control. To disable this "helpful" "security" "feature":

• Press the Windows key and type Settings, then click Open.,
• Navigate to Privacy & security from the left-hand menu.,
• Under Security, click on Windows Security.,
• Select App & browser control in the Windows Security window.,
• Click on Smart App Control settings under the Smart App Control section.,
• Choose Off to disable Smart App Control.,
• Confirm the action by selecting Yes, I’m sure in the pop-up menu.

That’s it — you’ve successfully optimized textures for better performance.

From here, you only need to re-run VRAMr if you:

• Update the list after a major update is published
• Add a large number of new texture-heavy mods 🖼️
• Need to lower VRAM usage on a system below minimum specs 🖥️

Otherwise, you can safely move on to the next tool in the stack.
Your game should now run smoother, with fewer stutters and lower VRAM load. 🚀

⚠️ Before you run ParallaxGen, follow these steps carefully.

In Mod Organizer 2, scroll to the bottom of the left panel and locate the Outputs separator.
Disable the following mods:

• JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile)
• JOJ - xLODGen Output (Your Profile)
• JOJ - TexGen Output (Your Profile)
• JOJ - DynDOLOD Output (Your Profile)

✅ Keep JOJ - TexGen Output (Your Profile) and JOJ - DynDOLOD Output (Your Profile) disabled even after the ParallaxGen step is complete.

1. Delete the contents of the existing output mod folder:

• In MO2, right-click on JOJ - ParallaxGen Output (Your Profile) and choose Open in Explorer
• Delete all files inside this folder

1. Open ParallaxGen.
2. In the Profile dropdown, make sure the profile you're currently using is selected.
3. Depending on your profile:
   • For Lord's Vision (ENB-enabled):
     ✅ Check the box "Fix Mesh Lighting (ENB ONLY)" in the top right.
   • For Performance (no ENB):
     ❌ Leave this box unchecked.
4. In the Output field, choose a destination folder.

   📁 It’s recommended to create a folder like Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\ParallaxGen Output on the same drive as your installation to keep things organized.

5. ⚠️ Do not check the box for "Zip Output".
   While it won’t break anything, it will make it more difficult to manually copy the generated files later.
6. Click Start Patching.
7. Let the process run until complete.

8. You will see the following steps as PG runs. When you get the popup asking for Set Mod Priority, just click "Okay".

💬 Note: You may see warnings — that’s perfectly fine. As long as ParallaxGen finishes without a critical error, you're good to go.

Once ParallaxGen finishes, you must manually move the generated files into the correct mod folder.

1. Navigate to wherever you told ParallaxGen to Output the data:

Your Drive:\Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs if you're following along exactly

2. Inside, you’ll find these files

• Cut and paste the contents of the output folder into the folder below:

  Journals of Jyggalag\mods\JOJ - ParallaxGen Output (Your Profile)
  

3. Back in MO2, click the Refresh button so it detects the new files

4. Enable the JOJ - ParallaxGen Output (Your Profile) mod in the left panel

In the right-side Plugins tab of MO2:

• Scroll to the bottom under the Outputs section
• Find and move these plugins under Your Profile - Synthesis Patchers:
• ParallaxGen.esp
• PG_1.esp

You're now ready to move on to the next tool!

⚠️ This tool must be configured correctly for all four LOD levels (LOD4, LOD8, LOD16, LOD32).

📸 I’ve included two screenshots for each LOD level below — one for Lord’s Vision and one for Performance. Please double-check the title above each image to ensure you're using the correct settings for the profile you're configuring.

By default, xLODGen will save its output to:

YourDrive:\Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs

This is already pre-configured in MO2 > Modify Executables, but you can change it if needed.

In Mod Organizer 2, scroll to the Outputs separator and enable:

• xLODGen Resource - SSE Terrain Tamriel

This is required for proper terrain LOD generation.

Check all worldspaces in the left panel (right-click > Select All)

• Lord's Vision

• Performance

• Lord's Vision

• Performance

• Lord's Vision

• Performance

• Lord's Vision

• Performance

• Once the desired settings are configured for all four LOD levels, click Generate and allow the tool to run.

After the LOD levels have been generated, your files will be located in:

Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\xLODGen Output\

1. Navigate to the following folder:

   Journals of Jyggalag\mods\JOJ - xLODGen Output (Your Profile)
   

2. Delete everything inside this folder to ensure no remnant files remain

3. Now open:

   Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\xLODGen Output\
   

4. Locate the meshes and textures folders (these should be the only files present)

5. Copy both folders into the JOJ - xLODGen Output (Your Profile) mod folder

6. Back in MO2, click the Refresh button so the changes take effect

You MUST disable the xLODGen Resource - SSE Terrain Tamriel mod after generating your LODs.
Leaving it enabled will cause broken or ugly terrain in-game.

At this point, you should reenable JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile). You will need it enabled for either of the next tasks in this process.

✅ That’s it! You’re now ready to move on to TexGen if you are not regenerating Grass Cache.

This step is optional — JOJ includes pre-generated grass caches for both supported profiles.
You may simply use the included JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile) mod without any extra work.

However, you should regenerate your own grass cache if:

• You’ve added or removed large worldspace/landscape mods (e.g., major quest or new land mods)
• You’ve made significant terrain edits or changed grass INI settings

• Navigate to:

  JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile)
  

• Delete only the grass folder.

• ❌ Do not delete the SKSE folder unless you want to regenerate a fresh INI file.

The provided INI is pre-configured — stick with it unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

• Leave the mod enabled in MO2.

To reduce crashing during the caching process (crashes are still expected):

• Disable:
• TrueHUD - HUD Additions (UI Foundations separator)
• Auto Parallax (SKSE & Core DLL Mods separator)
• Discord Rich Presence (Mod Tools & Resources separator)

1. Open xEdit from MO2.
2. On the Module Selection popup, just click OK to load everything.

• Loading may take several minutes (mine ~2–3 minutes, your mileage may vary depending on hardware).

• Wait until you see:

  Background Loader: finished
  

3. Once loaded:

• Click one plugin in the left panel
• Press Ctrl+A to select all plugins
• Right-click > Apply Script...

4. Search for “grass” and select:

   List worldspaces with grass
   

5. Run the script. A popup for debug files will appear, just click "OK".

Another popup with text will then appear.

• Copy all of the text (Ctrl+A > Ctrl+C).
• Paste into a Notepad file as a backup.
• Click "OK" to close the popup > Close xEdit

1. Open:

   JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile) > SKSE > Plugins > GrassControl.ini
   

(Or double-click the mod in MO2 and use the INI Files tab)

2. Find the line:

   Only-pregenerate-world-spaces =
   

3. Paste the text you copied from xEdit into this line (usually around line 79).

4. Save and close the INI file.

• Enable the mod:

  No Grass in Objects
  

(Located in the Outputs separator, above JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile))

1. In MO2, go to:
   Tools > Tool Plugins > Precache Grass
2. Click Yes on the popup.

• Once you’ve confirmed that the modlist boots and the Grass Cache process has started, the best thing you can do is walk away from your PC.
• While the process runs, expect:
  • A flashing screen (this is normal)
  • The game to crash repeatedly — this is also normal
  • Each time it crashes, the process will automatically restart and continue from where it left off
• On a fast, modern PC this usually takes a little over an hour. On slower systems it can take longer, but it should not drag on indefinitely.

⚠️ Troubleshooting:

• If it has been running for several hours with no sign of completion, you likely skipped or misread a step above.
• If you must start over:
  • First delete the partially generated grass folder found in your Overwrite directory
  • Then carefully repeat the steps from the beginning

• When complete:
• A popup will confirm Grass generation finished successfully! → click OK

• The game will close automatically
• MO2 will display another popup → click OK

• The new cache will be in:

  Overwrite > grass
  

• Cut (not copy) the entire grass folder and paste it into:

  JOJ - Grass Cache (Your Profile)
  

1. Re-enable the following mods in MO2:

• TrueHUD - HUD Additions
• Auto Parallax
• Discord Rich Presence

2. Disable:

• No Grass in Objects

3. In the Plugins tab:

• Move TrueHUD.esl into the Master Plugins group
• Place it between:

  SimpleChildren.esp
  SmoothCam.esl
  

You have successfully generated a fresh Grass Cache!
This is often considered the most tedious tool run, but it ensures stable and consistent grass visuals across all worldspaces.

✅ Once finished (or skipped), you’re ready to move on to TexGen.

⚠️ Important for Performance Users:
If you are using the Performance profile and have generated your own VRAMr Output, you must disable it before running TexGen.
Keep it disabled until after DynDOLOD has finished running (the next step).

🧹 Clean Slate Reminder:
Just like with ParallaxGen, you must delete your previous TexGen outputs before generating new ones.

1. In MO2, scroll down to the Outputs separator
2. Double-click JOJ - TexGen Output (Your Profile) and choose Open in Explorer
3. Inside the folder, delete the textures folder completely

1. Launch TexGen from the MO2 dropdown menu
2. Allow it to load completely
3. Make sure your settings match the image below:

4. Click Start to begin the process

Once TexGen completes, it will display a message and a button to exit:

• Click "Exit TexGen"
• DO NOT change the output path — leave it set to the default

1. At the top of the TexGen window, you’ll see the output path
   (Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\TexGen Output)

2. Open that folder, and copy the textures folder from it

3. Paste it into:

Journals of Jyggalag\mods\JOJ - TexGen Output (Your Profile)

4. Back in MO2, click Refresh. Re-enable JOJ - TexGen Output on the left.

✅ TexGen is now complete! You're ready for the final step: DynDOLOD.

Just like with ParallaxGen and TexGen, you must delete the old output before running DynDOLOD.

1. In MO2, scroll to the Outputs separator
2. Double-click JOJ - DynDOLOD Output and choose Open in Explorer
3. Delete all files inside the folder

1. Launch DynDOLOD from the MO2 dropdown menu
2. Allow it to fully load

📁 Output Location Notice:
The output path for DynDOLOD is set inside the initial DynDOLOD window, at the top of the interface.
By default, it should point to:
Journals of Jyggalag\tools\DynDOLOD\DynDOLOD_Output\
You may change this path if needed before starting generation.

It is recommended to change your Output location to this so all of your Outputs go in the same place. This isn't required, but it helps keep all your output files organized in one place.:
Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\DynDOLOD Output\

3. Click Advanced >>>

4. In the Worldspaces list in the top-left pane, make sure everything is checked
   (Right-click > Select All)

5. Double-check that your Output Path is set to:
   Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\DynDOLOD Output\

6. In the top-right corner, select your quality preset based on your profile:

   • Lord’s Vision → Click High
     If you're using Lord’s Vision, you must also set the following:

     • ✅ Check the Grass LOD box
     • Density: 100%
     • Mode: 1
       

   • Performance → Click Medium
     

7. Click OK to start the DynDOLOD tool run.
   ⏳ Be patient — this generally takes at least an hour, sometimes two depending on your PC specs.

8. Once it completes, click Save and Exit

Once DynDOLOD completes, the output files will be located at:

Journals of Jyggalag - Outputs\DynDOLOD Output if you followed the above recommended steps.

1. Open that folder and copy everything inside
2. Paste all files into:

Journals of Jyggalag\mods\JOJ - DynDOLOD Output (Your Profile)

5. Back in MO2, click Refresh. Re-enable the Dyndolod output mod.

Once you’ve copied the generated DynDOLOD files to the correct folder and enabled the JOJ - DynDOLOD Output mod in MO2, you’ll see three new plugins in the right-side Plugins tab:

• DynDOLOD.esm (near the top under Master Plugins)

• DynDOLOD.esp
• Occlusion.esp

Make sure all three are enabled, then drag them into the correct plugin groups:

• Move DynDOLOD.esm into the Master Plugins plugin group
• Move DynDOLOD.esp and Occlusion.esp into the Outputs plugin group
• Ensure that DynDOLOD.esp and Occlusion.esp are the final two entries at the very bottom of your load order.

⚠️ Important for Performance Users:
If you are using the Performance profiles and have a VRAMr Output, you must re-enable it.

You’ve now finished running all 9 major tools for your Scrolls of Schtevie Modlist:

• BodySlide
• Pandora
• Synthesis
• VRAMr
• ParallaxGen
• xLODGen
• Grass Cache
• TexGen
• DynDOLOD

If you’ve followed each step carefully, your modlist is now fully rebuilt with accurate terrain, texture, parallax, LOD, and worldspace data.

DISCLAIMER – RULE 11

Adding any mods to Journals of Jyggalag falls under Rule 11:

You are modifying the list at your own risk.

While we’re happy to try and assist in the Discord, the team is not obligated to troubleshoot problems caused by your personal additions or changes.

You are responsible for everything you add or modify after the Wabbajack install is complete.

Thank you for using Journals of Jyggalag. May your LODs be crisp and your crashes few. 🧠✨

Herr Schtevie