Hair Transparency Bug / Graphical Issue

[Icky46111]

http://imgur.com/a/lcRIP

 

The above album shows four pictures taken from my game for what I believe to be a graphics issue or bug. As you can see in the first two images, part of the hair at the middle of the top of the head seems almost completely transparent. Getting in closer, specifically on the second image, you can see that the hair is still there a bit, but still almost completely transparent. Other hairstyles seem to have this problem, as well.

 

I realized before taking these pictures that this was apparently tied to lighting, as in the third picture where the light source is out view, or in the fourth picture where there is no light, the hair appears just fine. Most light sources seem to do this.

 

I've had this problem since I got the game, since I mostly played in first person. I have no mods that modify hair, but I don't know if Coverwomen or Coverkhajiit modifies hair at all. I am guessing not since they make no mention of it. Neither Helmet Toggle nor Archmage of Winterhold HD Rextexture are not the problem either, as the problem was around before I started using that mod. As for the rest of my mods, here is a listing, though again, I think this is related to some graphical issue rather than a mod:

 

XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended

Fores New Idles in Skyrim

HDT Bresat & Butt Physics

The Dance of Death

Helmet Toggle

Exhaustion

Irish Flute Bard

Archmage of Winterhold HD Retexture

Better Archmages Robes

Realistic Ragdolls and Force

Immersive Lover's Comfort

Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition

Caliente's Vanilla Armor - Combined Pack

Caliente's Vanilla Armor - Soldier Pack

CoverKhajiits - male and female

CoverWomen

Vanilla Outfits Bodyslided w/ HDT-PE

Amazing Follower Tweaks

RS Children Overhaul

Khajiit Speak

HDT - PE

Racemenu

SkyUI

Enhanced Blood Textures

 

Again, I doubt any of these mods may be doing it, as I have noticed this problem for quite some time, and many of these mods came after I first noticed it. I'd like to hope it's a graphical problem. Anyone else having this problem and/or know a way to fix it?

 

Edit: After a bit of further testing, it does not seem to affect any of the other races aside from Khajiit, which I primarily play. Uninstalling Coverkhajiit did not fix it, so I'm guessing it's just somehow a problem us cats must deal with? Is there a fix out there?

Edited July 11, 2015 by Icky46111

[ruvuk]

No fix here, but a little info that you might find useful.

 

Your pix struck me as odd, and I wound up enhancing them to better see what was going on. I was more surprised than before. I got out copies of the khajiit male head mesh and the khajiit hair meshes. I'm guessing that you're using khajiitHair02. KhajiitHair02 is one of maybe 3 khajiit hair options that has no mesh covering the top midline of the head. (Pix below.)

 

It looks like the pointed midline part of the khajiit head is not showing in your character. Why that'd be the case I have no idea. But I do know that the character body textures are applied to the body and head meshes using shader types called "skin tint" and "face tint." I know very little about shaders, but, just from handling them, I've learned that these tint shaders can be semi-transparent, soft of like watercolors. I've also discovered that the different shader types can do very different things when the lighting parameters change (and I can't even guess how many of those there are that are actively applied in the game).

 

I've not yet played as a cat, but I've found that many of the hair options for the other races have missing sections--usually what I think of as the "fill" needed under the hair shape. I've always assumed that the fill was left out as part of Bethesda's effort to lighten the game's work load. Maybe this is the same sort of problem you're having?

 

Maybe you can find a khajiit hair mod with something that'd work for your character? I'd be tempted to ask the players who have done the best khajiit appearance mods if they have any suggestions for you; they must have encountered the transparent hair problem that you've got.

 

Hope I didn't tell you what you already knew. Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Icky46111]

Ah, actually, looking at that hair mesh you posted there, what you tell me makes perfect sense. Hard to see something that isn't completely there, after all. =P The emptier areas in that mesh are the parts I occasionally see through. I've been looking into some hair mods, anyway, so I'll see what that turns up.

 

You answered my question quite well, and I learned a few things about the game's engine and design as a result. Think I'll also check out Nifskope and toy around with that. Thanks for the help!

[ruvuk]

:smile: Happy to have helped. I'm usually the guy asking for help, so it's nice when I can contribute something.

[Icky46111]

Incidentally, where do you find those meshes so they can be viewed in nifskope? I looked in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim\Data\meshes and couldn't seem to find them. Then again, I have almost no idea how nifskope works XD

[ruvuk]

@ Icky: Nope, the meshes you want won't be found in your game's Data\Meshes folder. Not yet, anyway. If I understand this correctly, the game's default option is to use the meshes (and textures and everything else) found in it's own .bsa files. The game only uses a mesh from the Data\Meshes folder if the player has added such a mesh. (A mesh might be added by the player himself/herself, or it might be added via a mod the player's added.)

 

The game's "vanilla" meshes and textures are found in your Data folder in subdirectories named "Skyrim - Meshes.bsa" and "Skyrim - Textures.bsa," respectively. To see the contents, you'll need a little program that unpacks .bsa files. I use this one:

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/247

 

Important: Don't open the .bsa files found in your Data folder. Copy the .bsa file you want, paste it on your desktop, and open it there. I always add an empty folder alongside with a name that fits my own files and have the unpacking tool put the unpacked files there. Also, remember that these .bsa directories are HUGE, and it will take a good while to unpack everything.

 

After you've unpacked your copy of the Skyrim - Meshes.bsa directory, you'll find a zillion meshes. Go ahead and just enjoy wandering around looking at them. If you spend much time working with meshes, you'll learn that you can't be too familiar with the game's mesh directory. There's a lot to learn about how the game organizes all of those meshes.

 

All of the .bsa's that I've unpacked live in a folder named "sR bsa unpacked." (I delete the copy I made of the original "Skyrim - Meshes.bsa" directory; I can always make another copy from the untouched "Skyrim - Meshes.bsa" found in my Data folder.) Then I try to never damage my new unpacked folders. If I want to think about changing a vanilla mesh, I copy it from my "sR bsa unpacked" folder, paste it to my desktop, and play with it there. Afterwards, if I decide not to do anything with the mesh, I delete it--i.e., I don't return it to my "sR bsa unpacked" folder. Why all of this fuss about the unpacked folder? Because it's so tempting to just look at meshes and put them back afterwards. But it's also very easy to get interested in a mesh and start making changes. Sure, I can go back and unpack a copy of the vanilla "Skyrim - Meshes.bsa" all over again, . . . but that's a pain in the neck, just because it takes so long for the .bsa unpacker to do its work.

 

Hope this gets you started. :)