Landscape Specularity in Skyrim

[steveowashere]

I've been searching for a way to make Skyrim's landscape texture have specularity. Normally in Skyrim specularity is controlled via alpha layer of the normal map. However, this is not the case for landscape textures for whatever reason. I've been searching all over the place in an attempt to figure out how it can be done.

I know that ENBseries has the ability to change specularity of objects based on weather conditions, so I thought I would ask here for some insight on how a specular map could be applied to landscape textures.

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong topic, it didn't really seem to fit in anywhere else.

[ENBSeries]

As i remember, landscape can't have specular at all, shaders don't have it.

[steveowashere]

Ah I see, I thought as much.

Any way to change them? I know with normal meshes you can change the shader type but I assume it's not as simple in this case.

[ENBSeries]

Specular information is missing and no way to get it, because it simply not assigned. So even changing shaders will do nothing on practice.

[steveowashere]

I see, thanks for the response. It seems there are few mods that work around this issue. Namely Enhanced Wetness and Puddles which adds 'wet' looking landscapes where they should be. That was my main reason for wanting Landscape specularity.

I also suspect that in Skyrim: RE we might get the same texture set up that Fallout 4 has now, which would mean support of specular maps.

I'd also like to bring up a different topic: Since V 0.265 landscape parallax has been possible by using the alpha of the diffuse as a height map. Although this is somewhat problematic on some textures that require transparency. There are been fixes like this but they nearly double the amount of required Vram. Would a possible solution to this just be to use a separate texture map, Like Dirt01_p.dds for a height map? Sorry if this is an odd question, I just thought I would ask regardless.

[ENBSeries]

No. There is no way to use extra textures for heightmap, there are no free texture samplers in shaders for that.

[Pritster5]

Well, what do you know! Skyrim Special Edition added specularity to landscape textures by having a specular texture inside the alpha channel of the normal map! Sweet! Now we can have super cool landscape materials.