[SKY] Any tips for working with super-modular architecture/statics?

[vaultguy]

I am asking because I so often run into issues and stupid mistakes that may be so bad it may require me to scrap hours of work because of some misjudgement I made much earlier...

 

Trying to create interiors right now using a hodgepodge of different styles of statics, from Solitude, Whiterun, Castle Dawnguard, etc etc. These statics are typically much more divided into smaller pieces than what you usually find among dungeon statics and the likes, they require much more precision in placement and I have to set my snap-to-grid to 16, or sometimes even at 8. Usually I end up with stupid errors down the line because I'm awful at measuring distances properly and may be off by just a few grids, then subsequent statics will be placed according to that inappropriate placement which can really ruin the symmetry.

As silly as it sounds, I actually made a pink 128x128 grid texture which I applied to a standard floor mesh for measuring. At least it's helping somewhat. You'd think they would have put a visualized grid feature in the CK, but if there actually is one I have never heard of it.

 

Hopefully there are some veteran house modders active here that can share some tips and techniques to avoid these headaches.

[DarkRider]

It's important that you start the first piece of your kit at an even spot, I recommend 0,0,0 to my students. If the first piece is off by a slight bit, even .01 off, that gap will expand with every piece you add and you'll end up with a rather large misalignment down the way. If you start on grid it's much easier to stay on grid.

[Arion]

What Rider says above is true. He has taught us in both the CS and CK Basics courses to always start your first piece at the coordinates of 0,0,0. I've tried the snap to grid and I can't ever get the hang of it so I use a little trick that works for me. I see where you even drew out a 128x128 grid.... Main thing you need is a calculator for the way I do it.

 

I start my first piece at 0,0,0.  and I check the size of the piece. (most are 512x512, but they do vary) and when I drag it into the render window I open the properties tab and I plug in the coordinates I want that piece to go.

 

Along the X axis your next piece would be 512,0,0. and the one above that would be 1024,0,0. If you are adding below your starting piece then it would be -512,0,0 and the one below that would be -1024,0,0.

 

When working on the Y axis the piece to the first piece to the right of your starter would be 0,512,0 and the one next one would be 0,1024,0. Then anything on the left side of your starter would be 0,-512,0 and the one beside that would be 0,-1024,0.

 

There are some pieces that are 256, 128, and I think some stairs have an incline or slope of 128....

 

If you are going to be putting columns in a room without column pieces you can set them at the junctions or pieces and setting hanging lamps I plce them the same way I do with the tile pieces and that will put the light in the middle of the tile.

 

Having a calculator comes in handy when you have really large rooms. If you are using graphing paper you could label your blocks from the center point with the coordinates and then it would only be a matter of looking on your sheet for a square and plugging those coordinates into the properties of the piec eyou are placing.

 

I rarely put a piece in place after the first one or two by butting them together. My eyes aren't what they used to be and this is the system that is easy on my eyes and it works for me.

 

If I can do a drawing of what you could do with graphing paper to see the coordinate layout I'll come back and attach it to this message.

 

 

Edited August 20, 2013 by Arion

[WillieSea]

I thought there was a way to 'snap to this piece'. I never use it.

 

I always used the coordinates that would display at the bottom of the CK toolbar when your placing objects. Before you look, don't bother. They removed it with Skyrim. I complained about it as a beta tester, but it was never added back in.

 

I always use a 4 on my snap to grid setting. And if I misalign a set, you can drag a box around them all, and use the CTRL key to add or remove pieces from the selection, then move them all at once.

 

I also test the layout in game before I ever place 'stuff'.

[vaultguy]

There is a snap to piece. Shift + Q, click the desired static and the snap offset will be set relative to its placement. I use it quite a bit for statics I have to adjust with the snap off initially.

 

I see what you mean with the graph paper. Couldn't I essentially make virtual graph paper with a grid floor texture spread out over the entire area? I'd just place it a teeny bit above the floor level to avoid Z fighting. The texture would need to be transparent too, of course... I made an alpha layer for my grid texture, but I don't know of any flat statics in Skyrim with transparency enabled. Is there maybe a way to enable it in NifSkope? This is what it looks like currently

 

 

The grid/graph paper alignment may not work well for my current project though due to the nature of the statics I'm using... Relying mainly on the arched ceilings from Solitude, which appear to be slightly bigger than 512 and they also rely on thin "TraCon" pieces to close the gaps between them. I think 4 of these grid pieces make up a 512 area as shown below

 

 

Sure would have loved to use alternative statics that are easier to work with, but there's really not many options out there for arched ceilings...

[Arion]

I've never really used graphing paper to plot out the coordinates of my pieces.. I pretty much can visualize that in my head..... I did that on paper so you could see the sequence of how pieces align to the grid.

 

One other thing.... I think you got confused about the grid I made and tried to apply it in your pictures above. Every square on your grid equals a place where I place a tile piece.

 

Just a quick look and if I looked at the right pieces the walls are 256 wide, your ached ceiling piece in the bottom is 256x256. And the connector pieces would drive me nuts. Its nice to have small pieces so you can customize your building but I don't think I have the patience to deal with those. My hat off to those that can work with them and make gorgous places