¶ PGPatcher (aka ParallaxGen)
Welcome to the official Community Shaders User Wiki.
This page outlines the purpose behind PGPatcher and how to install and use it.
This wiki is powered by the Nexus Mods documentation system and maintained by the community.
For more advanced information, see the GitHub Developer Wiki.
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¶ What is PGPatcher?
To quote the author:
PGPatcher is a dynamic patcher primarily responsible for managing how meshes in your load order are configured for various materials in Skyrim. In basic terms, as a user you can install whatever retexture mods you want (whether that be vanilla, parallax, complex material, or PBR), and then let PGPatcher patch your meshes and plugins to make it all work in-game. You no longer should install prepatched meshes nor auto parallax as PGPatcher will take care of that for you. In addition, mixing and matching different shader types is supported. PGPatcher is capable of applying different shaders to the same mesh, and also handle alternate texture records which might need different shaders/properties through a comprehensive mesh permutation system. On top of these things, PGPatcher provides some optional convenience patchers, such as an automated fixed mesh lighting patcher, autoconversion from parallax to complex material, and a lot more.
In summary, parallax mods used to ship with pre-patched meshes that allow parallax or other effects to work properly. With PGPatcher, mod authors no longer need to ship pre-patched meshes with your texture mod. This reduces download sizes and the potential for conflicts with other mods. Instead, you patch your own meshes, ensuring that your meshes will always have the correct effects applied to them. This means you no longer need mods like Auto Parallax.
If you prefer to read the official PGPatcher wiki instead, click here.
¶ Installation
This guide is written under the assumption that you have a basic understanding of Windows file systems and how to use your mod manager.
- Install Community Shaders
- If you are using Skyrim 1.6.659 or older (e.g., 1.5.97), install BEES
- Install PGPatcher with your mod manager
After that, you technically have PGPatcher installed, but we need to configure it for your mod list. PGPatcher is installed into the Data\PGPatcher folder in your Skyrim install. You can launch PGPatcher.exe directly or add it as a tool in your mod manager.
Now launch PGPatcher. Your game location should already be filled in. Make sure you select the correct game Type.
¶ MO2 Instructions
We need to figure out where your MO2 instance is for your mod list. One way to do this is to click the Instance Manager in MO2, then seeing the Location associated with your current mod list.
With PGPatcher open, select MO2 under the Mod Manager section. Now copy the Path we just found into the Mod Manager > MO2 Options > Instance Location field in PGPatcher. At any point, you can click Save Config to make sure these settings are saved.
Now, we need to create a new empty mod in MO2, and call it PGPatcher Output. You can right click that mod and click Open in Explorer to determine the file path for that new mod. We need to copy that path, and paste it under the Output > Location field in PGPatcher. Click Save Config again.
You are now ready to start patching.
¶ Vortex Instructions
We need to figure out where we are going to put the PGPatcher output. You must locate your Vortex staging folder. This is where your mods are installed on your disk. You can locate this by going to Game Settings > Mods on Vortex, then checking the Mod Staging Folder path. You can quickly open this path by clicking the orange text below the input field. In there you should see folders for all of the mods you have installed with Vortex. If not, you are looking in the wrong place.
Within the staging folder, you should create a new folder, name it PGPatcher_Output. This will be the output folder for PGPatcher.
With PGPatcher open, select Vortex under the Mod Manager section. Now copy the path of the staging folder we identified just now and paste it under the Output > Location field in PGPatcher. At any point, you can click Save Config to make sure these settings are saved.
Now restart Vortex. It may warn you that you added a new mod folder, click Apply Changes. You should now see a disabled PGPatcher_Output mod. You are now ready to start patching.
¶ Patching
- Install the texture mods you want to use.
- Run BodySlide if you need to.
- Disable DynDOLOD and TexGen outputs.
- Disable previous PGPatcher output
- Launch PGPatcher. If you are using CS, do not click any options that say
ENB Only. If you installed PBR textures, make sureTrue PBRis checked. Optionally check any other patches. - Click
Start Patchingin PGPatcher.
Wait for a few minutes for PGPatcher to do its thing. After PGPatcher is complete, there are a couple of things you may want to do.
- In some cases, you need to re-run TexGen and DynDOLOD. To save time, you can save your previous output's Occlusion plugin so you can skip re-generating it.
- After that's complete, re-enable all of your outputs.
¶ Tool Order
If you use any of the below tools, you should run them in the following order:
- BodySlide
- PGPatcher
- TexGen
- DynDOLOD
¶ When to Patch
You only need to run PGPatcher in the following cases:
- Installed/removed a texture or mesh replacer that was patched or needs patching
- Installed mods adding new meshes to the game, such as location overhauls, new lands, new items, etc.
- After you run BodySlide, assuming you have armors that require patching
¶ Contributing
Get involved via the GitHub Repository and Discord Server.