[LE] How to make a mesh into a gnd (ground) mesh.

[Stokes52]

Hi guys,

 

I've been looking around at various modding tutorials but I haven't found one yet that details exactly how to create a ground mesh for a piece of custom armor.

 

Another user created a lovely helmet mesh that I've gotten permission to use, but unfortunately he never created a ground mesh for it. As a result, the helmet looks like a vanilla helmet in the game world and inventory and only shows the custom mesh when it is physically being worn by an NPC or the player.

 

I would love a step by step tutorial on how to turn an armor mesh into a gnd mesh for use as an inventory item and game object.

 

For reference, I have attached the mesh in question: crestedhelmet.nif

 

[ghosu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXNZeN8AE3M&feature=youtu.be

 

In this video i create an orc helmet ground model replacing the vanilla ebony helmet ground model.

 

1. Download Nifskope (google)

2. Extract a template ground model .nif from Skyrim - Meshes.bsa using FO3 Archive Utility (if you have no idea how to do that you can use my attached template file i used in the video)

3. Open ground model and your armor .nifs in Nifskope, there is a white box in the clip that shows the keystrokes i used.

4. In Armor.nif select the NiTriShapeData of the mesh, copy (CTRL C), in the ground model .nif highlight NiTriShapeData / Data line (as shown in the video) and press CTRL V to paste/replace the mesh. Afterwards delete (CTRL DEL) the old NiTriShapeData that got kicked out of the block.

5. Adjust position using the translation/rotation values.

6. Copy the TextureSet block, same mehtod as 4. but highlighting BSLightingShaderProperties / Texture Set line when pasting - that will replace the texture paths, delete the old ones. Done, save the file in the folder of your mod (like \Skyrim\data\meshes\armor\MOD\GROUND.nif).

7. In creation kit check Skyrim.esm and the mod's file, set the mod file to active and load. Select the armor form of the modded helmet and set up the world model path to your new file. If you have no idea how to find the armor form used in the mod => when you load the mod file there is a button DETAILS that shows all edited/created forms of the mod...just look up the correct one and search it afterwards. Save & Done.

 

Ground Model template: http://www.putlocker.com/file/CB829F69A7EB20B7

Edited January 24, 2014 by ghosu

[Stokes52]

Thank you for your fantastic response, I really appreciate it! Your steps look pretty straightforward. I'll take a swing at it this weekend and come back if I have any questions.

 

Thanks again!

[ScrollThief84]

Hey this is very helpful but what if your mesh has more then one NiTriShape?

[ghosu]

Then you simply have to copy the NiTriShape block of the ground model mesh (CTRL C), click/mark 0 BSFadeNode and press CTRL V to paste it...rest is the same process as in the video just using another part of your armor.

Edited January 25, 2014 by ghosu

[ScrollThief84]

Yea, thanx! I actually figured it out. The one thing I had to change was where the meshes pointed too (they changed when I copied the block) and I also updated the children and changed the the flag to static. Now it works in game. Thanx!!

 

Nathan

[Deleted8058771User]

EDIT: Ok, fixed it again not long after posting :wallbash: Was a silly error. 'Has Vertex Colors' under 'NiTriShapeData' was still set to 'no'.

 

Sorry to bump up an older thread, but I've got a question relating to _gnd.nif files.

I just started with some basic modding and followed the video to make a _gnd.nif, but the item appears very dark. It has textures, but those are almost not visible. Any idea what's causing that?

Edited June 1, 2014 by Guest

[Mythos214]

Hi guys,

 

I've been looking around at various modding tutorials but I haven't found one yet that details exactly how to create a ground mesh for a piece of custom armor.

 

Another user created a lovely helmet mesh that I've gotten permission to use, but unfortunately he never created a ground mesh for it. As a result, the helmet looks like a vanilla helmet in the game world and inventory and only shows the custom mesh when it is physically being worn by an NPC or the player.

 

I would love a step by step tutorial on how to turn an armor mesh into a gnd mesh for use as an inventory item and game object.

 

For reference, I have attached the mesh in question: crestedhelmet.nif

 

 

Thanks for that, this was exactly what I was looking for.

[Darklocq]

Follow-up question: some meshes with multiple nodes have them way off in space, and maybe sideways (much like Facegen NIFs usually have the hair nowhere near the head, and often the eyes floating in space). They still render okay as worn gear. When merged following the above instructions, you can get one part of the imported NIF aligned where the original ground mesh was, but the other "out of place" part(s) won't be, and they may be extremely resistant to being moved around (often have their axes wrong, so that Z move sideways, etc). I had slightly more luck in Outfit Studio moving their positions, but in the end it just wasn't practical.

 

Is there a way to just sort of "re-set" it? In my case, I was doing a ground mesh for a helm that's actually an overlap of two pre-existing helms (to get to top and side horns from both). The one with the top horns worked fine, but the node with the side horns wasn't where it belonged, or at the right angle, and trying to rotate it swung it in a huge arc instead of rotating in place. Ideally, I could just turn the messed up one back into a regular helm at right angle, and move it like the first half, without trouble.

[spaz490]

vid by sun. using only outfit studio

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2gI-_nFchA

Edited April 3, 2021 by spaz490