[WIPz] Honeybee Skeps Resource

[syscrusher]

A skep is a medieval beehive that looks like an inverted basket with a hole in the side. There were many different shapes and sizes; I have recreated the most common shape using Blender and GIMP to create meshes and textures, respectively. I have two different versions, one of which is a wicker weave and the other of which uses a corded ropelike reed weave. The second is more historically common, but the first is more like what people often expect when they think of a medieval beehive. Both types were actually used, though.

Modern beekeepers seldom use skeps, because you cannot inspect or harvest them without a lot of disruption (or outright destruction) to the bees. Since the mid-1800s beekeepers have used the modern Langstroth hive with its removable comb frames and modular construction.

The meshes are done and tested. I've set them up as containers with a quantity of the COBL "honey" ingredient (actually a potion) inside each. I'm going to add a script that does a small amount of poison damage, simulating a few bee stings, when the skep is opened. Also, I am going to put a microphone inside one of my own hives on a warm day soon, to capture an authentic honeybee buzzing sound effect that people can use as an ambient looping sound near the hives. There is a buzzing fly sound already in the vanilla game, but it's not much like the sound of honeybees in my opinion, so I'm going to make my own.

Photos of the project are in my Syscrusher's Resources album. Enjoy!

[washington]

I think that Old man on the mountain mod introduced some 'swarm' creature that is also in MMM iirc, maybe you could use it too.

I've seen beehives like this only on cartoons!

My uncle keeps bees in common boxes (of course). I tend to keep my distance from the bees 'cause I'm still a bit allergic to insects stings.

[donnato]

Hey now, this looks just great and I like the idea of making your own sound fx. Very nice thanks.

[syscrusher]

I think that Old man on the mountain mod introduced some 'swarm' creature that is also in MMM iirc, maybe you could use it too.

I've seen beehives like this only on cartoons!

My uncle keeps bees in common boxes (of course). I tend to keep my distance from the bees 'cause I'm still a bit allergic to insects stings.

I found that mod, after some searching, but I think it's a non-starter for legal reasons. Duke Patrick, the author, has a very strongly-worded statement in the README that if you use his bees (he calls them "Rumble Bees") you absolutely must keep them exactly as-is with full combat behavior. Nothing against his mod, because he was creating a monster to fight and not an immersion mod, but I can't use aggressive attack bees in an apiary setting. European and Middle Eastern honeybees, the types raised by most beekeepers and found in most temperate climates, are very non-aggressive unless provoked, and that's the feeling I want for my apiary resource.

Again, I'm not criticizing Patrick's mod at all -- he and I have different purposes in mind, so of course our bees will be different. Unfortunately, though, the legal constraint means I can't reuse his bees as a resource.

On a more positive note, though, I also realized that I have existing photographs of masses of bees that I can use for creating a texture of a branch-hanging bee swarm. This will be a really easy Blender mesh, and a fun addition to my resource set. Contrary to their dangerous-looking appearance, a hanging swarm of honeybees (that is, outside a hive, usually on a tree branch or other high object) is simply a part of a healthy bee colony that has split off from the others to go find a new home, often in a hollow tree in the woods. There will be a queen in the center of the swarm, with workers all around, and scout workers out flying around to look for a safe, dry place to live. Since these bees have no hive and no honey to defend at the moment, their instincts make them extremely passive, to the point where you can actually (gently) touch the swarm of bees without getting stung. (Don't try it if you're allergic, because although stings in this situation are extremely rare, it's possible to accidentally squash a bee and get stung.)

So I'm thinking about creating a swarm object that is scripted to be invisible (disabled) most of the time, but on a random day every couple of months it appears for just a day or two, simulating the natural swarms that happen from an apiary with many healthy colonies.

I think I'm going to end up creating a lot more resources here than just the skeps, but this has turned into a fun project that leverages my real-world hobby experience. :-)

Syscrusher

[washington]

Maybe you should send him a message and ask, I hardly believe he'd have anything against passive version that wonders around bee hive.

I know what do you mean by swarm hanging from a branch, I remember that happening.

I am allergic, bit that goes weaker as more as I get stinged. When I was a kid, my mom&dad used to take my to doctor because of mosquito bite. Last more situation was almost ten years ago when a wasp got on my sandwich and got me on my upper lip so I looked like Donald Duck and had to go to emergency.

Now days, my only fear are hornets as I don't know how would I react to them.

I suggest some glass honey jars.

[Arthmoor]

Looks cool, I know just the spot were I'd love to put these to use too. Having swarms would be even cooler.

[syscrusher]

Maybe you should send him a message and ask, I hardly believe he'd have anything against passive version that wonders around bee hive.

I know what do you mean by swarm hanging from a branch, I remember that happening.

I am allergic, bit that goes weaker as more as I get stinged. When I was a kid, my mom&dad used to take my to doctor because of mosquito bite. Last more situation was almost ten years ago when a wasp got on my sandwich and got me on my upper lip so I looked like Donald Duck and had to go to emergency.

Now days, my only fear are hornets as I don't know how would I react to them.

I suggest some glass honey jars.

I tried to find contact info for DukePatrick, but couldn't locate any. :-(

Great suggestion on the honey jars! I have already made an object called a "covered honey pot" using the vanilla covered pot mesh, since that is what they used historically, but I like the idea of also having glass jars. I also used a scaled-down version of the vanilla beer keg object to make a bulk honey keg container. In both of my objects, the player can open the container to obtain an appropriate quantity of the honey object from the COBL Salmo the Baker resource. I'm thinking of making an object with a filled chunk of honeycomb, as a Havoked item, if I have time. I have the photos for making the textures, but I haven't had time to fire up Blender to make the mesh yet. The image overlay feature in Blender is really useful for stuff like that.

I'll probably take your glass jar suggestion. Aside from being a good idea, it will be an excuse for me to learn how to do glass in Blender. :-)

[washington]

Yep, maybe not historically correct but nice looking and easily recognisable!

[syscrusher]

Yep, maybe not historically correct but nice looking and easily recognisable!

[ub3rman123]

I wonder if it'd be possible to make a swarm based on the wisp.. Do animated textured work on creatures?

[washington]

I tried to find contact info for DukePatrick, but couldn't locate any. :-(

--.

Isn't Duke Patrick = Spookyfx.com??

[syscrusher]

Isn't Duke Patrick = Spookyfx.com??

Yes, he is....but I couldn't find any email address published there.

[washington]

You have him on Bethesda forum!

http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/user/326946-spookyfxcom/

[syscrusher]

You have him on Bethesda forum!

http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/user/326946-spookyfxcom/

[Cliffworms]

Very cool project, syscrusher!

Those would look great in mods that add more to the village life, or simply more villages/houses.

For the sound effect, there's a very good one here at freesound.org:

Linkie

The sound quality is great. It's 2min long so you'd have to edit the best part to make it a loop. (And you can also hear a hen at one point)

When looking for sound effects, Freesound.org is great since most of the users who submit content are professional or semi-professional sound recorders equipped with great equipment.

All you have to do is mention the author that you're using his sound and pointing it to what project it's being used in.

[syscrusher]

Very cool project, syscrusher!

Those would look great in mods that add more to the village life, or simply more villages/houses.

For the sound effect, there's a very good one here at freesound.org:

Linkie

The sound quality is great. It's 2min long so you'd have to edit the best part to make it a loop. (And you can also hear a hen at one point)

When looking for sound effects, Freesound.org is great since most of the users who submit content are professional or semi-professional sound recorders equipped with great equipment.

All you have to do is mention the author that you're using his sound and pointing it to what project it's being used in.

Thanks for the link. There are several good samples in the related files as well. I'll download them all and see what I like for a looping sample. One recording has a really good consistency and level from a mic inside the hive, but it's perhaps a little bass-heavy and reverb-heavy (well, it's inside a wooden box!). I think I may start with that one and see if I can EQ it a little to make something that sounds a little more like the bees flying outside the box.

Definitely there will be one or more that will work here; it's just a matter of picking the right choice to sound most like the way bees sound when you are standing near the hive. Again, thanks for a useful link!

Syscrusher

[Deepfreeze]

I hope you're still working on this. I'm a beekeeper in real life so this would be a "must have" for me.

-Deep

[syscrusher]

Hi, Deep

Yes, this is still an active project. In fact, it's been accepted into the next version of TESA Clutter (I'm thrilled!). I haven't had any success with the animated bees yet, but the meshes and textures are release-ready. I don't know the date of the TESA Clutter release, but it's actively in-work by multiple people right now, so it should be reasonably soon. Because of that being the case, I am not planning to RELz this as a separate mod right now, but I'm willing to share it privately if you really need it right away.

Syscrusher