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lordbean's POP reducer settings

By lordbean

Tired of seeing pop-ins happening right in your face? Frustrated that other solutions reduce your framerate to unplayable numbers? Try these settings out.

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Created by

lordbean
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Category: Modding or Configuration

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

17 Feb, 2020 @ 9:45am

18 Nov, 2021 @ 8:49am

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Guide Index

Overview

Introduction

How to apply the settings

clipmaps-high.json

Lower-impact option

Comments

Introduction

Like a lot of other people, I've been sometimes really bothered by how obvious LOD changes (or "pop-ins") are in Subnautica. Being the persistent type, I've fine-tuned the clipmap settings to minimize the visual appearance of pop-ins without also destroying the game's framerate. Included at the bottom are two options: the first aggressively minimizes the pop-in effect but has a mild performance cost; the second reduces pop-in effect somewhat without particularly affecting performance.

DISCLAIMER: These settings don't eliminate pop-ins altogether; that's impossible without making the game run like garbage. What they DO accomplish is a much better job than the default settings at making transitions less jarringly obvious.

If you move the game's install folder using Steam or verify the integrity of the installed files, Steam will detect that one file failed to verify and replace the changes with the defaults. You'll need to apply them again.

How to apply the settings

The file you're going to need to edit is in the game's folder. Navigate to this path:

steamapps\common\Subnautica\Subnautica_Data\StreamingAssets\SNUnmanagedData

Open the file called "clipmaps-high.json". If Windows asks what to open it with, tell it notepad, it's a plain text file. Next, delete everything in the file (hit select all, and then press backspace). Finally, copy the file as presented in one of the next two sections into the notepad window, and save it. Re-launch the game to apply.

clipmaps-high.json

{ "chunkMeshRes":18, "numSlices":18, "maxWorkspaces":18, "maxMeshQueue":36, "maxThreads":3, "vertexBucketStride":300, "triangleBucketStride":175, "levels": [ { "chunksPerSide":9, "chunksVertically":9, "colliders":true, "downsamples":0, "maxBlockTypes":45, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":true, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.01, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.5, "maxVerts":2000, "maxTris":2000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":8, "chunksVertically":8, "colliders":false, "downsamples":0, "maxBlockTypes":20, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.05, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.333, "maxVerts":4000, "maxTris":4000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":7, "chunksVertically":7, "colliders":false, "downsamples":1, "maxBlockTypes":10, "meshOverlap":1, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.5, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.25, "maxVerts":6000, "maxTris":6000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":6, "chunksVertically":6, "colliders":false, "downsamples":2, "ignoreMeshes":false, "meshOverlap":0, "maxBlockTypes":5, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":false, "highPriority":false, "fadeMeshes":true, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":1.0, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.2, "maxVerts":8000, "maxTris":8000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":12, "chunksVertically":3, "colliders":false, "downsamples":4, "ignoreMeshes":true, "maxBlockTypes":4, "grass":false, "entities":false, "debug":false, "castShadows":false, "highPriority":false, "fadeMeshes":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":true, "simplify": { "maxError":5.0, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":1.0, "maxVerts":0, "maxTris":0 } } ] }

Lower-impact option

{ "chunkMeshRes":20, "numSlices":20, "maxWorkspaces":10, "maxMeshQueue":32, "maxThreads":4, "vertexBucketStride":300, "triangleBucketStride":175, "levels": [ { "chunksPerSide":6, "chunksVertically":6, "colliders":true, "downsamples":0, "maxBlockTypes":45, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":true, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.01, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.4, "maxVerts":5000, "maxTris":5000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":6, "chunksVertically":6, "colliders":false, "downsamples":0, "maxBlockTypes":20, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.05, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.4, "maxVerts":5000, "maxTris":5000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":5, "chunksVertically":5, "colliders":false, "downsamples":1, "maxBlockTypes":10, "meshOverlap":1, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":true, "highPriority":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":0.5, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.4, "maxVerts":5000, "maxTris":5000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":5, "chunksVertically":5, "colliders":false, "downsamples":2, "ignoreMeshes":false, "meshOverlap":0, "maxBlockTypes":5, "grass":true, "entities":true, "debug":false, "castShadows":false, "highPriority":false, "fadeMeshes":true, "visual": { "useLowMesh":false, "simplify": { "maxError":1.0, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.4, "maxVerts":5000, "maxTris":5000 } }, { "chunksPerSide":10, "chunksVertically":3, "colliders":false, "downsamples":4, "ignoreMeshes":true, "maxBlockTypes":4, "grass":false, "entities":false, "debug":false, "castShadows":false, "highPriority":false, "fadeMeshes":false, "visual": { "useLowMesh":true, "simplify": { "maxError":5.0, "antiSliverWeight":0.0005 } }, "grassSettings": { "reduction":0.4, "maxVerts":5000, "maxTris":5000 } } ] }

10 Comments

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Space Hairdresser 18 Jul, 2021 @ 4:06am

Thanks for posting this, but it doesn't address my main issue, flares popping in not being visible from a distance like flares should. Any idea of how to address this? I know it'll be tied to lighting and would have an even greater performance hit if it was possible, but I want to see if it can be done first of all.

I feel like it's a major mess up by the developers.

Lucifer69 16 Jan, 2021 @ 7:07pm

Have you tried changing "maxThreads" to the actual number of threads your CPU supports?

I only say this since my R9 3950X and GTX 1080 ti get far better performance than when it's limited to just 3 or 4 threads (even the default for me is "maxThreads":16). Aside from that, I don't mind a loss of 20 fps if the amount of pop in is so minimal I don't see it unless I don't blink.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to test some config tweaks. I'll play with it a bit more to fine tune it for my end.

Sharcc 12 May, 2020 @ 2:22pm

Might just b my PC, but I can run the base game at the highest allowed graphics settings in 1080p at like, constant 80 fps.

BZ runs at like 30 fps (Shaky) at lowest graphics.

lordbean [author] 12 May, 2020 @ 3:43am

Sharcc is correct, at least for the time being. BZ is in an early alpha state, and last I checked, there are memory leaks present in BZ which do not exist in Subnautica. (Use the F1 screen to watch the total allocated heap for each game if you're curious. BZ's will creep to much higher numbers in a long session)

Sharcc 10 May, 2020 @ 11:16am

Bad news NewYears, yes BZ has better pop-in issues but BZ does NOT run better, it runs worse if anything.

lordbean [author] 4 May, 2020 @ 6:54pm

The irony is that Below Zero runs the same engine configured the same way - the reason why most people find the pop-ins better in that game is because the biomes are based on far tighter spaces. The original has plenty of wide-open spaces (to support the Cyclops) and as a result LOD transitions are very obvious.

NewYears1978 4 May, 2020 @ 7:46am

I couldn't use the second either..it was playable but didn't notice enough difference to warrant the FPS drop. Especially with how this game seems to drop frames the longer you have on your save file. Shame..but oh well, I am nearing the end then I will play Below Zero which I understand is someone better as far as performance and pop in.

lordbean [author] 3 May, 2020 @ 11:38am

Yeah, the first one has a reasonably large performance impact. It still leaves the game playable on my rig (Ryzen 2600X, GF 1660 Ti) but the framerate definitely drops.

NewYears1978 3 May, 2020 @ 12:49am

Dang that first one cut my FPS from 165 to 50. No bueno. That's on a power rig lol.

Will try second one.

Luigeburger 27 Apr, 2020 @ 9:57pm

Nifty & handy.
You clearly know your stuff.

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