[SKY] How to export modified Skyrim nifs back from Blender?

[Tamira]

There is this fine tutorial "Importing Assets into Blender" by Insanity Sorrow but sadly it stops when you have imported nifs from Skyrim to Blender and does not tell you how to export them back to Skyrim as a working nif.

 

I must say first that I am a Blender Noob, I only know how to hit the import and export button and how to delete some vertices, that's all.

 

So this is what I tried. As an example I took the candlehorntable01.nif, imported it to blender and now tried to remove the stand to separate the horn which I actually managed to do.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BZDmdfgD4lO7v79fFCIeLtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Then I exported this object as a Fallout 3 Nif with the default settings:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vzHk5fLmouPlOhy8LgyvudMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

I restored the Skyrim settings in the Nif and copied the NiTriShape to an existing Skyrim Nif, then added a BSLightingShaderProperty, but the mesh is not textured, obviously there is the UV map missing:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/043_4uRyDlcK2emHzL_u-NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

o. k. this did not work. So I went back to Blender and exported the modified mesh as a 3ds file and imported that file in NifSkope into an existing Skyrim Nif, then added a BSLightingShaderProperty and voila: The mesh is textured, no UV is missing:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jmMLlK-VEQ7LUKzTHv3pkdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

 

So it seems as if I did not use the correct settings when I exported it as a Fallout nif. Can someone tell me what I missed?

 

 

 

[InsanitySorrow]

Exporting back out is actually quite simple, I haven't got around to updating the last part of that tutorial.

 

When exporting as a Fallout 3 NIF you use the default export settings, but before then you need to make sure a material has been applied and poiting to a texture. That's why the NIF isn't being textured, there is no texture data in the NIF.

[Tamira]

Exporting back out is actually quite simple, I haven't got around to updating the last part of that tutorial.

 

When exporting as a Fallout 3 NIF you use the default export settings, but before then you need to make sure a material has been applied and poiting to a texture. That's why the NIF isn't being textured, there is no texture data in the NIF.

o. k. Then I have to wait for the second part as I have no clue how to apply a material and point it to a texture

Meanwhile the 3ds method works quite well for me, though when I have a Nif with several NiTriShapes, I have to export each NiTriShape separately.

[Hanaisse]

The original Blender2Oblivion class has all that basic information you need to know about setting a material to each object and applying a texture. It also has a lot of great basic how to get around in Blender information. Look for the download links here.

 

I highly recommend you go through it, and keep the Skyrim export as F03 process as opposed to the longer process of exporting as 3DS.

 

[Tamira]

Thank you Hana.

I looked up the tutorial you linked and went to the part that deals with the export, but I must confess that this was confusing me. I googled and found two other tutorials (with pictures) for Skyrim which were much more easy to understand for someone who is not familiar with the confusing user surface of Blender. Finally I managed to add a texture to my mesh.

But to be honest: I think that the workaround with 3ds is not longer than the process with adding material/texture.