Using VRAM instead of Memory (RAM) To Avoid Memory Crashes (DXVK)

Source Filmmaker★ 4 · 37 ratings1.6k views131 favorites2 min readby BuildABlockUpdated Dec 5, 2025View on Steam ↗

IMPORTANT NOTE

This guide is the same as DXVK. The DXVK also uses this d3d9.dll file

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3441094380
This will is just like that guide but with more information and what it does

Also, You need vulkan 1.3 or higher for your GPU
https://vulkan.gpuinfo.org/

Why do I want VRAM to use Memory (RAM) instead?

The reason is because when Source Filmmaker crashes when Memory (RAM) reaches around 3000 MB of RAM.

But, what if I want to use VRAM instead of Memory (RAM)?
Is there a limit for VRAM?

No, there is no limit for VRAM

I'm using a GTX 1060 6GB since its enough VRAM for SFM (You can have more VRAM if you want I just use GTX 1060 6GB because its enough in my opinion you can have more)

If you are using the -shadowmapres command, read this

-shadowmapres _____ changes (-shadowmapres "____" is any number like 6000 or 8192)

-shadowmapres uses a lot of VRAM

Shadowmapres is the value that puts it under the vram limit for graphics card that has lots of VRAM like a RTX 3060 This will change depending on your computers setup, so the number is different for everyone

Users should open task manager, with their dedicated gpu memory open then test different shadowmap values until it’s below the ceiling, and not spilling over into shared memory.

What is this D3D9.dll thing?

This .dll script called D3D9.dll that helps to use VRAM instead of RAM (Memory)

This method helps prevent crashing issues in Source Filmmaker, especially when scenes get heavy with models, particles, or lighting. (Especially during rendering because the memory can change per frame it renders)