How to Recompile shaders ?

[HYDRA_assassin]

How do I recompile shaders in this game ? I don't see any option for it in the settings...

[TasmańskiZwierz]

They are auto-recompilling each time save is loaded or fast travel between locations of very different art style happens.

[Viper]

Install a different driver and it willl do it automatically.

[𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔲𝔰 𝔄𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔰]

[Nvidia]
1. open control panel, disable shader cache,reboot
2. disk c > users > [username] > locallow > nvidia > [don't remember folder name] > dxcache > delete everything here
3. right click on disk c > disk cleanup > select directx shader cache > ok
4. enable shader cache in control panel, reboot
Now open the game, it will recompile main shaders at first launch and finish compiling while you're playing.Better do NOT close the game until it finishes compiling.You can check it by using any 3rd party monitoring software like RTSS.When your CPU stops hitting close 70-90% and stays at low usage for a while it's safe to say all main shaders are cached at this point

[Emperor J]

Originally posted by 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔲𝔰 𝔄𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔰:

[Nvidia]
1. open control panel, disable shader cache,reboot
2. disk c > users > [username] > locallow > nvidia > [don't remember folder name] > dxcache > delete everything here
3. right click on disk c > disk cleanup > select directx shader cache > ok
4. enable shader cache in control panel, reboot
Now open the game, it will recompile main shaders at first launch and finish compiling while you're playing.Better do NOT close the game until it finishes compiling.You can check it by using any 3rd party monitoring software like RTSS.When your CPU stops hitting close 70-90% and stays at low usage for a while it's safe to say all main shaders are cached at this point

Thanks a lot, this worked miracles. It used to load 10 minutes at startup and now it's less than 30 seconds. I have the install on a HDD. Also make sure you have enough space on your C drive for the shaders. When I check the folder "\AppData\LocalLow\NVIDIA\PerDriverVersion\DXCache" now, it says it uses 360 MB.

I am using the latest driver from Nvidia: 552.12. Shader Cache Size is on Driver Default.

[Yakumo]

Copy and paste these lines into Explorer's address bar or WinKey+r run dialog to jump to the folder

For Nvidia the DirectX shader cache location changed a little while ago with the newest drivers :

%AppData%\..\LocalLow\NVIDIA\PerDriverVersion\DXCache

For AMD try

%localappdata%\AMD\DxcCache

You can safely delete any files in there while the game is not running, they will be regenerated as needed when you start applications. If any individual files are in use as an application is currently using them you won't be able to delete those files, just skip them.

[joridiculous]

run DiskCleanup and select the cache option. %windir%\system32\cleanmgr.exe (you dont need to enter the whole path)

[Yakumo]

Originally posted by joridiculous:

run DiskCleanup and select the cache option. %windir%\system32\cleanmgr.exe (you dont need to enter the whole path)

That doesn't handle nvidia's relocated shader directory as listed above. It only clears
%localappData%\D3DSCache
which is used for very little these days.

[joridiculous]

Originally posted by Yakumo:

Originally posted by joridiculous:

run DiskCleanup and select the cache option. %windir%\system32\cleanmgr.exe (you dont need to enter the whole path)

That doesn't handle nvidia's relocated shader directory as listed above.

And deleting "nivida shaders" want delete DirectX sharders.

[Yakumo]

Originally posted by joridiculous:

Originally posted by Yakumo:

That doesn't handle nvidia's relocated shader directory as listed above.

And deleting "nivida shaders" want delete DirectX sharders.

You're not correct, the folders I gave are for the DirectX shader caches actually used by the respective companies drivers mentioned for games and applications. You can see the folders fill up as you start new games, and the games having to rebuild their cache after you clear the folder.

You were too quick to reply for me to get my edit in before you saw my post, but the Windows Disc Clean tool only clears %localappData%\D3DSCache , which is barely used for anything any more, though 128k of files are created there on starting Forbidden West, wiping that folder does not cause the game to rebuild the 134MB+ shader cache the game uses that is located in the nvidia folder mentioned earlier.

[joridiculous]

Originally posted by Yakumo:

Originally posted by joridiculous:

And deleting "nivida shaders" want delete DirectX sharders.

You're not correct, the folders I gave are for the DirectX shader caches actually used by the respective companies drivers mentioned for games and applications. You can see the folders fill up as you start new games, and the games having to rebuild their cache after you clear the folder.
You were too quick to reply for me to get my edit in before you saw my post, but the Windows Disc Clean tool only clears %localappData%\D3DSCache , which is barely used for anything any more.

Of Course it only cleans the DirectX shader cache
anyway, its pretty pointless deleting the shader cache. If there are hash invalidation, new files will be created or old ones replaced.

[𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔲𝔰 𝔄𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔰]

Originally posted by Emperor J:

Originally posted by 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔲𝔰 𝔄𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔰:

[Nvidia]
1. open control panel, disable shader cache,reboot
2. disk c > users > [username] > locallow > nvidia > [don't remember folder name] > dxcache > delete everything here
3. right click on disk c > disk cleanup > select directx shader cache > ok
4. enable shader cache in control panel, reboot
Now open the game, it will recompile main shaders at first launch and finish compiling while you're playing.Better do NOT close the game until it finishes compiling.You can check it by using any 3rd party monitoring software like RTSS.When your CPU stops hitting close 70-90% and stays at low usage for a while it's safe to say all main shaders are cached at this point

Thanks a lot, this worked miracles. It used to load 10 minutes at startup and now it's less than 30 seconds. I have the install on a HDD. Also make sure you have enough space on your C drive for the shaders. When I check the folder "\AppData\LocalLow\NVIDIA\PerDriverVersion\DXCache" now, it says it uses 360 MB.

I am using the latest driver from Nvidia: 552.12. Shader Cache Size is on Driver Default.

Mine goes up to 400-500mb after a while.Set cache size to unlimited & forget about it if you have a lot of free space on c.HDD is a bad idea tbh.This game uses directstorage so it loads wayyyyyyy faster from an SSD plus (possibly) stutters less.Even my "low end" adata legend 710 loads almost instantly

[Yakumo]

The default shared cache size for Nvidia is 4GB (you can check it with Profile Inspector), even with lots of AAA games used over weeks without the cache being cleared I've never yet seen mine get very close to going over 1GB and it's been many years.
So basically don't worry about changing it.