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Guest Workshop: Retexturing Oblivion: Part 02 By: DarkRider


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Retexturing Oblivion Part 02

A Basic Retexturing Workshop for Novices

By: DarkRider (03/22/09)

Section 03: The Basic Normal Map

Normal maps can be very technical, and I won’t begin to confuse you by going too into depth in this lesson, but we’re going to cover how to create a basic and certainly passable normal map. Now, there’s a shortcut here that many beginners will want to make use of. When you retexture something like our blanket, where the color is changed but not the depth, you can simply use the vanilla normal map you unpacked with your texture. All you have to do is go into the textures\clutter\upperclass folder on your desktop, and rename blanket06_n.dds to match your new texture name.

blanket06_n.dds --> aaTestBlueBlanket_n.dds

You will be able to use this shortcut in the majority of your retextures. The exception would be things like signs, for example, where you change the name. The new name has a different depth than the old name, so you would need a new normal map, otherwise the old name will ghost under the new one!

Since this is a tutorial and we have a new texture open yet, let’s go ahead and make a basic custom Normal Map. Start by clicking “Layer” then scroll down to Transparency and click “Add Alpha Channel”

Step14.jpg

Next, you need to add a color to the Alpha Channel you just made. Click “Layer” again and scroll down to Transparency and click “Color to Alpha”

Step15.jpg

A Color to Alpha box will open. Where it says “From:” you’ll see a white bar, click it and select black on the color picker window and click OK.

Step16.jpg

Your texture will change to an alpha/transparent version of the blanket. Once you’ve reached that point, it’s time to transform it to a normal map. On the image, click “Filters” scroll down to map, and click normal map.

Step17.jpg

The proper settings should already be in place, so all you need to do is verify your Filter is set at “4 sample” and click ok. Your texture will be transformed into a normal map for you!

Step18.jpg

Time to Save!

Just like with the texture, click File then Save As

Step19.jpg

In the Name slot type the name for your normal map. Remember it MUST be the same as the texture but with _n.dds at the end. I named mine aaTestBlueBlanket_n.dds. Click save and you will get the “Save as DDS” box. This time you need to choose a different compression level. Textures with alpha channels, like normal maps, need to be saved as DXT3 or DXT5. Click Generate Mipmaps and OK to finish saving your new normal map!

Step20.jpg

That’s it! You’ve completed your texture and now your normal map, time to close up GIMP and re-open BSA Commander!

Section 04: Unpacking the Mesh!

When you have mastered BSA Commander you can of course, pull your textures then your meshes without closing BSA Commander, but to make your first unpack easier in the tutorial we just did textures. Before we can see our texture in game though, we need to unpack the mesh, so with BSA Commander re-opened, click open and navigate to your data folder to open the BSA file called “Oblivion-Meshes”

Step21.jpg

Like before, you will click “Uncheck All” and the category “Name” to alphabetize the list. Then scroll through to find your mesh. The one we want is called: meshes\furniture\upperclass\upperdoublebed02.nif

Step22.jpg

The rest of the steps are identical to Part 01 of this tutorial, refer back if you get lost. Click unpack, choose the desktop as the destination, and click unpack again to send the mesh to your desktop.

Section 05: Putting it All Together in NifSkope!

Okay Learner, we are more than halfway there! It’s time to apply the texture to the mesh using NifSkope, but before we can cue up NifSkope, we need to put the files in the right folders. Oblivion only reads folders that are in the Oblivion Data Folder. Let’s start by moving our mesh!

Open your Oblivion Data folder and double click on Meshes to open the meshes folder. Right click and choose New>Folder to make a new folder and give it your ID as its name (mine is “Darkrder”). Every mod you make will have its own folder inside this folder named for you! Inside your name folder you need to create another new folder for your mod. I called mine TutorialMod.

Step23.jpg

Inside every mod folder is a bunch of folders, one for each of the common categories used in Oblivion such as Clutter, Furniture, Armor, Weapons, etc.

Step24.jpg

Go to your desktop where you unpacked your mesh and rename the mesh to aaTestDoubleBed. Now copy and paste it into the new “furniture” folder you just made in your mod folder under:

Oblivion\Data\Meshes\YourName\YourModName\furniture\

Step25.jpg

Now that your mesh is in place, you need to do the same thing in the textures folder. In Oblivion\Data\Textures you will create a folder with your name, inside that a folder for your mod, and inside that a group of category folders. Copy/Paste your texture and normal map into the furniture category folder!

Step26.jpg

With your textures and meshes in place, it’s time to cue up NifSkope!

With NifSkope open, click Load and navigate to the mesh you just stashed in your Data\Meshes\YourName\YourModName\furniture folder! Then click open to open the .nif.

Step27.jpg

Your mesh will now appear in the window and in the Block List you will see a branch with a small arrow beside it called a NiNode.

Step28.jpg

Click on the arrow to expand a tree of mesh properties.

The texture information is always located on a branch called NiTriStrips or NiTriShapes, This is called the “Texture Property”. As you can see, our bed has not one but 4 texture properties, so how do you know what to change? You can open each branch by clicking the arrows beside the, but the fastest way is to click the part of the model you want to change (in this case the blanket) and the NiTriStrip for that part will highlight in blue.

Step29.jpg

Click the arrow next to the highlighted branch to expand another tree. Then click the arrow next to the NiTexturingProperty to reveal a purple flower. Click the flower and navigate to the texture you stashed in Data\Textures\YourName\YourModName\furniture.

Smarty Says: You want to select the texture not the normal map. The game will detect the normal map automatically as long as they have the same name; you don’t need to select it.

Step30.jpg

You will see the texture appear on the bed!

Now, you may have noticed that part of the model is still white, and you may be wondering “What about those textures? I don’t want a white bed!”

Well, if a model has multiple textures (4 in this case) but you only change one, then there’s no need to unpack and add the other three textures. As long as you leave their texture property trees in tact the way they were when you unpacked the mesh, then the game will use those textures directly from the BSA without you having to do any extra work or clutter up your data folder with duplicate textures!

So, all that’s left in NifSkope is to save! Click the SaveAs button. A Choose File box will open and the name of your mesh will already be on the File Name slot. Go ahead and leave it, then click save. A message box will pop up saying that file already exists and would you like to replace it, say yes. That way the old mesh without the texture is replaced by the one you just added the texture to. When that’s done, go ahead and close NifSkope!

Step31.jpg

Almost there now! You have unpacked archives, retextured an image, made a basic normal map, and applied it to your model! Well done!

Section 06: Finishing Up in the CS!

Now that your model is in place and retextured with your snazzy new texture, it’s time to add it to a mod so you can see it in game! Now, this tutorial is NOT designed to teach you all you need to know about the CS, how it works, and why. All you will learn here are the basics of adding a furniture model. Other models follow the same basic steps, but with some obvious differences. There are plenty of tutorials out there to help you if you get confused with different objects and help is always available in the TESA Study Hall!

For this part of the tutorial, we will add the new bed model to the Wawnet Inn! To finish up, you need to cue up the CS!

When it’s open, click File then Data so you can load your data into the CS:

Step32.jpg

In the Data box, check the box next to Oblivion.esm only and click OK.

Step33.jpg

Like with the BSA Commander, the Oblivion CS might take a few moments to load, be patient. When it is loaded, begin by clicking save to create a new .esp (mod) file. Under “File Name” name your mod “TutorialMod” and click Save.

Step34.jpg

With your .esp saved, time to add the new model. In the Object Window under “World Objects” click “Furniture” to fill the list pane with furniture objects. In the list pane Right-click>New

Step35.jpg

A furniture window will open. Next to ID you will type in a unique ID for your object. This is not the name you see in game, this is just its editor ID (the name it will have in the Construction set). Call it “aaTestDoubleBed”. Then where it says “Name” type Double Bed. This IS the name you will see in game when you get close to it. Click the button marked “Add NIF File” and navigate to your model in the data folder. Double Click on the model or click Open to add it to the window. Then Click OK.

Step36.jpg

Now, when you click ok, the CS will issue you a warning that the furniture has now markers. Click the “Yes to All” button.

Now, go back to the list pane in the object window and find “aaTestDoubleBed” in the list. Double click to reopen the furniture window for your bed. You will see the bed model has appeared in the window in all its glory. Under “Active Markers” you can choose the marker(s) that allow the player and NPCs to sleep on the bed. Check the box next to Sleep 1 and click OK.

Step37.jpg

Now you have added your model to the CS, click the disk icon on the header to save. Now there’s just one thing left, to add the bed to the game itself! In the “Cell View” window, the default worldspace is “Interiors”. That’s exactly what we want. Scroll down the list and find WawnetInnTavern and double click to open the interior in the Render Window.

Step38.jpg

Smarty Says: For more help navigating the Render Window, CLICK HERE for a list of keyboard and mouse controls under “Part I: Creating an Interior”!

Click once on the house visible in the distance, but be very careful not to move it. Zoom in on the bed in the first bedroom at the top of the stairs. Click on the existing single bed and click delete to erase it. Now, drag “aaTestDoubleBed” from the list pane and drop it in the Render Window. Use ctrl+z to gently lower the bed flush with the ground. Once it’s in place, save again, and close the CS.

Step39.jpg

You’re now ready to close the CS and go in game to see your bed! Run the Oblivion launcher and under “Data Files” check the box next to your new mod to load it when you start your game. Head to the Wawnet Inn near the Imperial City to see the new bed you retextured!

Step40.jpg

ALL FINISHED!

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the basic retexturing tutorial! You should be very proud of what you’ve accomplished and you now have the skills to expand and further explore texturing!

For Additional Tutorials on Retexturing, Check Out These:

Better Retextures

The Retex guide

Creating Detailed Normal Maps

Texturing 101

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! Please post a reply and let me know if you have found it useful! If you encounter trouble navigating the CS, be sure to visit the Construction Set Class or post your questions in the Study Hall! If you encounter any issues or have questions specific to this tutorial, feel free to post them here!

Happy Modding! :wave:

DarkRider

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Woot!! Thank you Rider for that FANTASTIC beginner's tutorial! Finally I think I might actually have a hope at learning to texture!! :wave:

My gal Red is enjoying her lovely new blue bed in the Wawnet Inn. :) I feel like jumping up and down, pointing at it and saying "Look! I did it all by myself!" LOL

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  • 6 months later...

Just wanted to post my gratitude DarkRider. Because of your well-written and illustrated tutorial, I was able to resolve an issue with creature textures not appearing. (I posted about this in the Modding General forum and you replied to me there.)

It turned out that the textures needed to have two things done:

1. No alpha channel in the base texture.

2. Add a normal map.

I have never re-textured anything for Oblivion before this (indeed I didn't even know the basics of Nifskope), but your clear, concise directions got me through things in a very short time.

Thank you - you are an excellent teacher!

unworthy.gif

:P

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  • 4 months later...

I just went through DR's tutorial and it appears somewhere along the line something went wrong.

Here's the final bed.

The silver part is a little pinkish? I used Photoshop (with the Nvidia photoshop plugins for .dds and normalmap) instead of Gimp, but I did set the hue/saturation settings exactly the same, and it did look perfect. I think it went wrong somewhere during the alpha channel part, I'm not exactly sure the transparency was set properly.

Can anyone step me through that part again, but for Photoshop? Or point me toward any texturing tutorial with photoshop?

I appreciate any help I can get.

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After a long day of searching I've finally found a tutorial specific to Photoshop and retexturing, turning my test mod failure into success!

New results are here.

It was my own fault, trying to follow the tutorial word for word, but using Photoshop instead of Gimp. Well, two different programs with two different personalities are not going to produce the same results. I found a happy solution by playing with the Hue/Saturation settings on my own. FYI, the part in the tutorial that says to adjust Yellow saturation down to -100 works BUT you also have to adjust Yellow hue down all the way (-180 is mine) to get the silvery results and not the pinkish results I originally had.

There are other differences as well but it would make for a lengthy post. If there's interest I could write up a guest workshop unless GIMP is the preferred tool of choice for this modding school.

Thanks for trying to help, DR! :shrug:

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  • 1 month later...

Smarty Says: For more help navigating the Render Window, CLICK HERE for a list of keyboard and mouse controls under “Part Two: Let’s Get Modding!â€!

Uh, when I click on the "CLICK HERE" hyperlink, I get this:

[#10342] We could not determine which forum this topic is in.

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Since this is a tutorial and we have a new texture open yet, let’s go ahead and make a basic custom Normal Map. Start by clicking “Layer†then scroll down to Transparency and click “Add Alpha Channelâ€

Step14.jpg

My "Add Alpha Channel" selection is grayed out, blocking me from using it, what do I do?

addalphagray.jpg

Edited by freewaydog
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If it's greyed out, that means you didn't flatten the image like you were supposed to and already have an alpha channel and likely mipmaps too from the original image. Be sure you follow the steps carefully or you're just going to confuse yourself and end up with more questions.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Hey Dark

Great tutorial. Using the steps above would it be pretty easy to change the colour of the bow you created for the Archers lodge mod? Are there any major things I should look out for?

Hope you are all doing well!

Witty :thumbup:

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