EDITING .UTI FILES IN DRAGON AGE

[LemmingoftheGDA]

EDITING .UTI FILES IN DRAGON AGE

I can change properties of any item and make virtually any item look like another.


Here are the tools I use:

pyGFF http://social.bioware.com/project/1936/

GDApp http://social.bioware.com/project/755/

tlkedit http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=other.detail&id=669


So first I want to understand item properties. I install the above software. I open the pyGFF folder, double click editor, select FILE, select EXPORT, go to something like C/program files/dragon age/packages/core/data/2DA.erf and put a little check mark next to itemprps.gda and export to, say, my desktop.

I double click GDApp and open the itemprps.gda file and check out all the wonderful properties for items. I just keep that open.


So let’s say I want to modify Felon’s Coat. Where is the Felon’s Coat? That’s what wikis are for: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/The_Felon%27s_Coat

So Felon’s Coat is gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti

I again go to the pyGFF folder, double click editor, select FILE, select EXPORT, and go to something like C/program files/dragon age/packages/core/data/designeritems.erf and put a little check mark next to gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti and export it to, say, my desktop.


Now I open the tlkedit folder and double click TLKEDIT, I selct FILE, OPEN, and open the gen_im_arm_cht_lgt_fel.uti file.


Here are some of the things to know:

BaseItem refers to the type of item it is (i.e. light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, etc.).
ModelVariation refers to what the item looks like.
TintOverride is the color override feature available. You can change this to 0 in order to recolor an item via the Universal Dye Kit. Unique mod items sometimes can not be recolored.

BaseItem is all important in DAO, not so much in DA2. I can replace any armor ModelVariation in DA2 with any other. Thus changing how it looks. In DAO the BaseItem is all important that’s why brand new armors are CLOTHING because otherwise they would look like the base light armor, heavy armor, etc.

So now I go ahead and expand the PropertiesList, and there are my lovely properties that I can cross reference to in my itemprps.gda file I have opened with GDApp. To add a whole new property I would highlight the PropertiesList, go to EDIT, and Add A New Structure.

I would go ahead and add, subtract, or edit properties, save, then put the .uti file into my override folder and SHAZAM! I’m modding baby!

FOR .UTI OVERRIDES THE OVERRIDE MUST BE IN YOUR OVERRIDE FOLDER BEFORE YOU GET THE ITEM! THE GAME PERMANENTLY SAVES ITEMS RECEIVED. One can use that add item mod or the Vigil Vendor mod to add items during the game.


So for mods in .ERF form I can use the pyGFF editor to export .UTI files from the mod just like I export from the game files. Same thing.

For Dragon Age 2 it is itemproperties.gda and to gain super simple access to all the wonderful base and DLC items a smart bastard would use this here: http://dragonage2.nexusmods.com/mods/3268//?

For mods I’m going to usually find their .ERF files in Documents - Bioware - Dragon Age - AddIns OR Documents - Bioware - Dragon Age - packages - core - data. All DAZIPs usually do is install files into the AddIns folder. I can download a DAZIP file, install it, but also then unzip the DAZIP file and go into it and find .ERF files and export .UTI files from the .ERF file using pyGFF to then edit and put into your override folder.

The item properties file for Awakening is itemprps_gxa.gda found in something like C\Program Files\Dragon Age\packages\core_ep1\data\2DA.erf. There you also find the designeritems.erf for Awakening.

 

Rune slots for DAO are found in the VarTable (ITEM_RUNE_ENABLED). Rune slots for DA2 is an item property (8000).

 

Big ole list of .UTI item IDs for Dragon age is here: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Item_ID_codes_%28Origins%29

Big ole list of .UTI item IDs for Dragon Age 2 is here: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Item_ID_codes_%28Dragon_Age_II%29

So I did and example of editing item properties. This is universal and easy to understand. Let’s do something way more exciting and way more advanced this time. Let’s do some real modding magic………

Let’s say I want to make the one handed sword VIGILANCE look like the SILVER BLADE from the Witcher 1 mod. I think that’s about as advanced an .UTI edit as you can get. First you have to have the RAPTURES WITCHER mod installed (and, of course, Awakening).

So first I have to pull all the right .UTI files for editing. I open up my pyGFF folder, double click EDITOR. Select FILE, select EXPORT, go to something like Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\packages\core\data\the_witcher_package.erf, put a little check mark next to witcher_lsw_b.uti and export to my desktop. I open this file using tlkedit and see that the ModelVariation is 191.

I open up my pyGFF folder again, double click EDITOR, select FILE and EXPORT and go to something like C\Program Files\Dragon Age\packages\core_ep1\data\designeritems.erf and put a little check mark next to vgk100im_drgnbn_lngswd_01.uti THRU vgk100im_drgnbn_lngswd_08.uti (SELECT ALL 8 OF THEM) and export all 8 of the files to my desktop. Now using tlkedit I open up all 8 of the vigilance longsword models, change their ModelVariation to 191, save each, and then put them into a new folder I named “Vigilance Overrides”, then put that folder into my override folder. I can make Vigilance look like the Witcher Steel Blade by changing the ModelVariations to 190. I can make Vigilance look like the new sword model from the Witcher 2 mod or JoJo’s swords by following these same steps. You just have to find the .ERF file for these mods. I told you how to do that. Again, the BaseItem is all important for DAO. So you want to change longswords to longswords, greatswords to greatswords, etc.

So now you’re becoming a modding god. When you understand what I have written above you realize there is only one big ass problem. That is indentifying what .UTI file represents what. The trick is using your INVENTORY and pyGFF. Make a new character. Put an item into your inventory (backpack). Save the game as “1”. ALT TAB or exit the game. Open the EDITOR in pyGFF, select FILE, select OPEN, go to something like Documents\Bioware\Dragon Age\Characters\(NAME)\Saves\Slot 1\1.das. Expand the SAVEGAME_PARTYLIST, expand the SAVEGAME_BACKPACK and there you see the .UTI IDs. Taaafreakingdaaa.

Edited September 5, 2013 by LemmingoftheGDA

[Rukido]

Thank you so much for this! I was pulling my hair out trying to find out how to change the variant ID of an item because I have too many armors installed and some use the same variant ID.

 

Changed 'em up the .uti files with Tlkedit and dropped them in the override. Works perfect now!

 

Cheers!

[DwainDibley]

Another good DAO tool: Download NWN2GFF v1.2.2

 

You can edit UTC's and UTI's with it.

 

I use it as my default editor for those two...

[ladyvoldything]

I'm gonna necro this four-year-old thread to ask a question:

 

is it possible to change an items BaseItem? If I wanted to change a unique light armor (Battledress of the Provocateur) to have, say, the model of some armor from a Witcher mod, is that possible?

[valerie1972]

Open the Witcher mod's GDA file in GDApp and note the ID for the item you want the Battledress to look like.

 

Open the UTI file for Battledress of the Provocateur with TlkEdit 2 and change the entry for ModelVariation to the ID from the Witcher mod.

 

This only works for changing items for the same type: clothing to clothing, light armor to light armor, etc. If you want to change something from clothing to heavy armor, that's more involved.

[Jninja98]

I'm trying to make a couple of conversions. Can anyone help?

 

What I want to do is change all instances of Dwarven heavy armor, Dwarven Guard armor, and pretty much all metal dwarven armor to match the Dwarven massive armor. I also want to change the Golem Shell armor to match tmp7704's Grey Warden armor. Anyone able to explain it to me?

[theskymoves]

I would suggest that rather than trying to change multiple items all at once, instead pick one single item to change, and then work through the tutorial to change it.... Lemmings's explanation really is the best available guide for editing item appearance without the toolset.

 

I can provide current download locations for the tools, since the links above are all dead:

 

pyGFF

GDApp

tlkedit2 (this may be a Nexus download of the same utility, but the description doesn't make the version clear: tlkedit)

[Jninja98]

Well I really want to change the Shielded Dwarven Armor to match the Massive Dwarven armor. How do I go about that? Since one is medium armor and the other is massive, I know it requires more effort.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, I figured it out. Now I just need to figure out how to export the Dace Family armor from Golems of Amgarrak so I can edit that one.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Jninja98

[Jninja98]

Anyone know how to edit the item's material so that when I acquire it, it's the material I want regardless of level?

[Elynda]

Does anyone know how to change class restriction on a clothing item added to the game by a mod? I know how to change it on a .uti file in the toolset from a game file, but modded item uti files don't look the same and I'm not sure what variable to change. Example, an item has a mage restriction which I want to remove.