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Starting Out


Chadric
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Greetings. I'm hoping that this marks the start of a very long and productive modding career, and this thread I hope to use to get up and running ASAP with any queries I may have.

 

As a beginner I want to start with something small but very important, which is a new banner I have planned for all my future mods. It's the banner that'll represent my character within TES world, so I hope it'll eventually be seen everywhere my character goes. But before I can start I need to know how to set everything up. I play via Mod Organiser, so do I need everything routed through that? I already have the Creation Kit working through MO, but what else? I've also got GIMP, 3D Max and Paint.NET installed, so do I need to route those through MO as well?

 

Another really important question is how to make something like my banner standalone? Everything I hope to make in the future will NOT replace ANY vanilla items.

 

Lastly, there are some replacer mods out there which I'd really like to make into standalones. At the moment they're simply languishing on my hard drive. In order to make them into standalones do I need to install them onto MO first, or can I simply use the CK to pluck them off my hard drive without having to install them onto MO?

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Welcome to TESALLIANCE! Here is a welcome smiley and some cookies for your virtual amusement ! :dance::cookie4u: :cookie4u: :cookie4u:

I'm new to skyrim but not modding. If you are talking about re-texturing a banner and reusing a vanilla nif\model here is how I do it. I rename the nif\model file and place it in my mod directory. Then I point the nif to my new texture within the same mod directory. Then in CK, I plop down a vanilla object. Right click on the object and edit base model. I navigate to my model within my mod directory and make sure to give it a unique name within the CK. It will automatically import the model into the CK under a new directory with my mod's name which will allow you to choose it again whenever you like from the object window of CK for further instances in the game world.

As far as your other question about the MO, I can not say since I do not use that program.

I hope that helps, good luck and welcome again to the coolest TES sight on the web!

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You should head on into The Enclave section. The Skyrim School - Graphic Artistry classes should help you on your way. Lesson 1 and 2 are texture replacers but Lesson 3 is creating a new object and getting it in the game. :good:

As for MO, that only supports mods, not the tools. So, no, you don't need to route the tools through it. You will need to manage your new meshes and textures for your banner through it.

Another tip for creating mods; create your own folders to organize and manage your work. For example, I have a Data\Meshes\Hana folder (and a Data\Textures\Hana folder) that I use to keep all my stuff together, with sub-folders for each project within it.

When you reach the point of creating your new model in the CK, remember that banners are under World Objects > MovableStatic. The easiest way to make your own object is to use an existing object. Take, for example, the ArkayBanner01 record, open it, and just give it a new ID. Click the Edit button beside Model. This will open a new Model Data box. Click the Edit button here and browse to your new model. Click OK out of it then click OK in the object record box. It will ask if you want to create a new form. Say yes.

 

Now you have your own object to place anywhere you want. The same procedure can be used for any modder resources out there, just make sure you create the correct object type (static, moveablestatic, furniture, etc).

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Thanks for the help. It sure looks mind-boggling at the moment, what with all the lingo, but I remember starting to use the mods seemed the same way to begin with. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to it though. Best thing for me would be instructional vids, like Gopher does for using mods. With some trial and error I should get used to it, just like I do most things. Once I get over the first few hurdles I can normally do some pretty amazing stuff via experimentation.

 

Just looked at the guide in the link. Yes, step-by-step instructions look right up my street! If I can get used to this I have many, many neat ideas for mods, most of which would be modular and designed to fit into one massive DLC type mod I have planned for two years now.

Edited by Chadric
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Well I'm sure that thanks was directed mostly to Hanaisse for their wonderfully instructional post, but I'll say you are welcome nonetheless! Keep working at the CK, and I'm sure you'll be creating your own awesome world in no time.

And don't worry about the time, games like this have a monster following due impart to their mod-ability, so your mod will still be relevant no matter when you finish it. So relax, take your time and study up so you can finally make the mods you are dreaming of!

Cheers, and good modding! :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all! I was directed to THIS lesson by someone. At the mo I'm at Part Seven. It says to use what I learnt in the CT turorial, but to save time I decided to avoid that for now, 'cause it deals mainly with building a house, which I'm not interested in at the mo. I'm more interested in modding outfits, so can someone give me some instruction on how to get the ArmorSteelCuirassB file? I found the armor section under "items", but when I click on it it's empty, as are all sections. Could it be because I've got the CK running through Mod Organizer? Also, as I don't want to replace anything in the game wouldn't it be advisable to make a copy of the file in question using FO3Archive first and put it on my desktop to modify?

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Also, as I don't want to replace anything in the game wouldn't it be advisable to make a copy of the file in question using FO3Archive first and put it on my desktop to modify?

Best practice is to unpack the bsa file with FO3 Archive and make a copy of the file like you said. Rename the file that you copied when you go to add it back in the CK so there are no conflicts.

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Sounds like you need to unpack that file to use it. I usually just unpack everything but...then again I`ve got storage to spare. :rofl:

 

Oh yes, I've got plenty of room on my hard drive. It's just I missed out the CK beginners tutorials 'cause the house building thing doesn't interest me at this time, so there was a gap in my understanding of how to continue with the costume tutorial.

 

Best practice is to unpack the bsa file with FO3 Archive and make a copy of the file like you said. Rename the file that you copied when you go to add it back in the CK so there are no conflicts.

 

From what I can tell the "FO3 Archive" program is a vital tool for modding, right? I'm guessing that 99% of mods have needed this tool, because you have to copy and extract all original items from the game before you can moddify them? I always thought it looked dodgy to modify the original item whilst it's in its Skyrim data folder. Instead you simply make a duplicate of the item, that is unless you're making something totally from scratch via 3DMax. But even then I guess it's easier to rip an item from the game, say a helmet, strip it right down to a bare shell, then build something totally new on that.

Edited by Chadric
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From what I can tell the "FO3 Archive" program is a vital tool for modding, right? I'm guessing that 99% of mods have needed this tool, because you have to copy and extract all original items from the game before you can moddify them? I always thought it looked dodgy to modify the original item whilst it's in its Skyrim data folder. Instead you simply make a duplicate of the item, that is unless you're making something totally from scratch via 3DMax. But even then I guess it's easier to rip an item from the game, say a helmet, strip it right down to a bare shell, then build something totally new on that.

 

The reason for extracting the file from the bsa before modifying it, is because if you change the original file in the game and don't rename it to something different is because while you are seeing the changes you made to it in your mod, everywhere else in the game that uses that item will also show your changes. In the case of your armor if you are trying to make it a unique piece of armor for your mod, every NPC that uses that item will also be wearing it. And don't forget that not everyone who uses your mod would want every instance of that armor piece changed in the game including when they are wearing it in a new game.

 

Best practice is to create new folders under \data\meshes and \data\textures with your name (that you use when modding :) ) the name of your specific mod and then any folders that are associated with your mod. Organizing the folders there can sometimes be done when there are a lot of different areas to match the original folders. This way when you extract them you can follow the general path from where they came from when adding them back after they have been renamed. Example : E:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim\Data\Meshes\Arion\Arie Farm\Farmhouse

 

Hope this helps :pints:

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What Arion said. And, by all means, read the "How To: Package Your Mod" tutorial here RIGHT NOW. Especially the section on folder structure. If I had read this before getting started with my first mod, it could have saved me a world of grief down the line when it came time to package it for distribution. You may someday decide to do additional mods, and starting off the first one on the right foot will leave you in a position to make that decision without unnecessary pain in revising folder hierarchies.

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I've hit a snag. I'm now on THIS tutorial. It was seemingly pretty easy until I got to this point:

 

"Now save it as DDS texture, call it UVTest, open Nifskope and apply your texture, you should now see something like this"
 

I've saved the DDS texture in a folder on my tesktop, but how do I find and apply it with Nifskope? I've looked and I can't seem to find it. And yep, I've looked in my desktop folder and the DDS is in there.

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Further down in the tutorial is a description of how to change the texture in NifSkope;

 

-- Expand the NiTriShape block

-- Expand the BSLightingShaderProperties block

-- Highlight BSShaderTextureSet block. Down in the Block Details, expand the line Textures. You'll see 9 lines of pretty purple flowers. This is where you point to your texture.

-- Click on the first purple flower in the list (not on the original Textures line) and a browse window will open. Find your texture.

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*Phew!* Done it. Simps when you know how! :D From what I can remember it's the exact same process as I went through for putting the chainmail on the armour in lesson 2? If so it should make things a lot easier in the future, 'cause all I'll have to do is remember the procedure for each and every retexturing.

 

BTW: I'm finding these lessons are teaching me one hell of a lot about PS, especially since I'm struggling with my out of date CS2. :thumbup:

 

UPDATE: I've just found that this link is obsolete:

 

Download and install these Dirt Brushes - http://www.obsidiand...op-gimp-brushes

Edited by Chadric
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  • 3 weeks later...

I intend to make my first mod, a new outfit that I can craft at the forge by combining and altering two mods that're already in existence. I've downloaded one of them to my desktop, THIS Dragon Priest mod, but all I can see is a plugin and a mesh folder. There's no texture folder at all. One of the things I want to do is recolor some of the textures, but how can I if there's no texture folder?

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Yeah, I thought of that, but the modder in question seems to have made it wearable by both men and women (which is vital for me, as some of my priests will be female) and vanilla Dragon Priests were all male. But I thought of a way I might be able to get at the textures from the mod, by uploading it to Mod Organizer then downloading the textures from the mod via FO3 Archive. Should work. I can't see why not? I'll let you know how things go. If all goes well I can see it becoming quite something when it's finished, a modernised 4E Dragon Priest outfit! :cool:

Edited by Chadric
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I've looked at the mod. It (both male and female armors) use vanilla textures;

 

- textures\actors\dragon priest\dragonpriest.dds (and _n.dds). Same with the "hood".

 

The mask uses several vanilla textures;

 

- textures\actors\dragon priest\dragonpriest.dds

- textures\armor\dragonpriesthelm\dragonpriesthelmultra.dds

- textures\armor\dragonpriesthelm\dragonpriesthoodultra.dds

(and of course, associated _n.dds files)

 

So you'll need to open Skyrim - Textures.bsa in F03 Archive to pull them out.

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