UGridsToLoad

uGridstoLoad

This page is to address the uGridsToLoad ini setting found in Bethesda's Creation Kit (CK); Fallout 3 (FO3), Fallout: New Vegas (FNV); Fallout 4 (FO4); Skyrim (SK) and Oblivion (OB)

uGridsToLoad = X

This variable can be found in the CK by going to File > Preferences > Render Window Tab. You can also be found by going to the CreationKit.ini.

This variable affects the radius rendered by the CK and, for the game ini, it affect around the character in which the engine loads the objects, NPCs, and landscape with the highest level of detail.

This variable does not exist in most of the game .ini files and must be inserted at the end of the [General] section.

CK NOTE

This setting has a significant impact on both render window Load times and performance. It is advised that changes made to this value be an odd number (eg 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11). On the FO4 CK this is not require; but strongly advised regardless.

GAME NOTE

The resulting improvement in image quality is very seductive, but it is advise you to test the uGridsToLoad values ​​in different areas. In particular, areas where you have the lowest FPS or areas with lots of buildings, NPCs and objects to load.

The default value of uGridsToLoad is 5, this allows a good mix of performance and render distance in the CK and your game.

In the CK, this setting can be changed on the FLY; but, may refuse to show the update the render window if you have an area loaded; this can be resolved by reloading the render window. In older versions of the CK changing this while you had cells loaded would case the CK to crash more often than not.

For games, this setting should be change outside the game. If you are having issues with loading times or game play FPS, you can set the uGridsToLoad value to 3 but do not go lower as this will case the game to be very unstable, especially when moving quickly. Also uGrids lower than 5 look ugly and distracting as thing are ALWAYS popping into existence as you are moving.

While it is technically possible to change this setting in-game, using console commands, it should avoided at all costs. Example reasons for doing this in game include trying to make an old save work with a lower uGrid setting, using an interior space and only after resting long enough to allow exterior cell resets to take place.  

Note: uGridsToLoad values ​​are directly tied to the games other ini settings such as uExteriorCellBuffer, uInteriorCellBuffer and iPreloadSizeLimit values.

Fallout4.ini

[General]
uGridsToLoad=5 (not present in Skyrim.ini)
uExterior Cell Buffer=36 (also in Skyrim.ini)

Fallout4Prefs.ini

[General]
uGridsToLoad=5 (not present in Skyrim.ini)

Fallout4Custom.ini when you use the console command 'saveini'

[General]
iPreloadSizeLimitDefault=26214400  (25MB)
iPreloadSizeLimit=419430400 (400MB)
uExterior Cell Buffer=47 (Not sure what it set that value)
uInterior Cell Buffer=3

--- uGridsToLoad values and visual aid File:UGridsToLoadExample.png

Try using the following formulas to help you calculate the right numbers for each

uGridsToLoad = X+1

(Odd numbers only: 1/3/5/9/11/etc)

uExteriorCellBuffer = (X^2)*4 

(X of cell loaded in player view,including center, x4 (The exterior cells are broken in to 4 subgrids). This can be see in the CK by pressing the show grid hotkey)

uInteriorCellBuffer = X 

(X of cells loaded in player view, including center) iPreloadSizeLimitDefault= X*X PreloadSizeLimitDefault is the min Memory the game will allocate to loading cells; defaults is 5 MB per cell times 5 cells = 26214400 (25MB)

iPreloadSizeLimit = [X*4]^2

PreloadSizeLimit is the max memory the game allocate to loading cell; defaults is 5MB times 4 sub-cells, squared = 419430400 (400MB)

If you have a lot of Memory to spare; you can also try

X*(1024^3) or (X*1024*1024*1024) 

This would be about 1GB of memory per UGRID; so UGIRD 7 would be 7GB of memory or 7516192768