I got some strange, but all I wanted was some regular transparency.

[Belthan]

After further investigation, NiAlphaProperty was a red herring - it is completely superfluous in FO4 (unlike FO3 & FNV where it was absolutely required to enable transparency). If the alpha channel in the dds and the alpha settings in the BGSM or BGEM are correct, you can remove NiAlphaProperty from the NIF and you will still get transparency.

 

The good news is that you can get partial transparency by using BSEffectShaderProperty instead of BSLightingShaderProperty.

 

1) Create a dds file with desired transparency

2) Create a BGEM file, or copy one like Materials\Clothes\Mobsters\Glasses.BGEM and tweak it to your liking (most importantly, on the Effect tab, set the Base Texture to your partially transparent dds file).

3) In NifSkope, if your object has a NiAlphaProperty, remove it.

4) Insert a BSEffectShaderProperty.

5) In the new BSEffectShaderProperty, change Name to your BGEM file (e.g. Materials\Belthan\LBD.BGEM).

6) In BSSubIndexTriShape->BS Properties change the first entry to the index of your new BSEffectShaderProperty, and change the second entry to None.

7) Remove Branch on the now-unused BSLightingShaderProperty

 

The bad news is that the Effect tab doesn't allow you to specify a specular map, and since you are linking to the BGEM from a BSEffectShaderProperty the specular map on the Material tab has no effect. This is fine for visors and such, but it sucks for things like lace and sheer cloth. I might be able to work around it with a subtle environment map to simulate the missing specular map, but geez... it's like they thought the only partially transparent material in the universe is glass. I mean, either allow a Material to render a partially transparent alpha channel without a binary black/white threshold (which you could do in freaking Oblivion, for crying out loud), or allow a specular map on an effect. It's not rocket science. And if anybody does figure out how to achieve partial transparency with a material, I'll apologize for the rant :smile:

[BlandSauce]

Just another bit of info to maybe help.

It seems that under BSLightingShaderProperty, SLSF1_Decal flag set in Shader Flags 1 affects alpha blending somehow. On some wall signs, I was having problems getting alpha blending to work right, and noticed that flag set on some armor. I added it to my signs, and the transparency started working just like I wanted. And it works with specular map.

 

The problem for me is they're invisible in the build menu, but for armor, that should be fine.

[jeffglobal]

@Nitzy, BlandSauce, Belthan,

 

Well, ty guys. I will try your suggestions.

 

I've seen the cool sunglasses introduced in the last couple of days, and now goggles with transparency...it's like ppl are making fun of me man! I can tell they are not laughing NEXT to me...I have to look at those guys mods and techniques too...

 

I HAVE to learn Outfit Studio for real because that's how everyone is boning these days [right swipe], and getting new meshes in game too. For example, I wanted to make the Raide04 asset different by having the harness not cover the CBBE chest but "support" it.

 

 

 

1. First problem: The "fitted" body, that had to go, cause it had no stomach where I was putting part of the harness, and her pants were way to high. So I took the original CBBE body I think slim, combined it with just the harness and exported them together just as a mesh.
2. I imported it into ZBrush, as a mesh, and saw I couldn't mask the body or freeze it cause I'm too ignorant yet, but did my best to modify it and exported it as an obj.
3. Then I imported it as a New Project in Outfit Designer. I think I may have batch processed the vanilla outfits first, idr.
4. I selected as a template the vanilla to CBBE body. Named it NewRaider or something.
5. Now, I corrected it some, and then I remembered it has no bones...Idk why I didn't have to adjust the size, like some tutorials did, from 1200 to 2 or something and magically they got the helmet perfect...idr.
6. ...then I got stuck, cause I don't know how to rebone and I know ppl said just copy over a bone set, but not so easy if you're starting with zero knowledge of everything (5 weeks into modding)
7. 
   

How exactly do you copy a bone set with a new project? Add another body that's boned and do what?

 

 

 

I've achieved boning my own asset! yay.

 

I've been learning ZBrush for the last couple of days, and I'm at a point I can see what I want to do, but can't do it yet. It's harder right now, with a super charlie horse hobbled body from snow shoveling WITH a snow blower...in NYC. I forgot how sensitive your mind is to your body's pain and I forgot my old work injuries are still there even if they didn't hurt until you used them...

--------------------------------------------------

It looks like, except for the Plasma rifle's ammo, with all it's impressive time/distance/material controllers, [and breast physics with the bone tree, maybe, I'm learning rigging now too] all I have to learn for now with nifskopiness, and the game is:

 

• Add some BS, for the material file bgsm/bgem. Find a working one to use as a template. Make sure the Trishape points to it. Add the 3 texture maps in the BSTexture whatever 10 line list in the right place for non transparency related textures.
• Learn how to use Outfit Studio to bone my mesh I import (the program seems WAY easier to use than nifskope for sure, thumbs up Ousnius),
• learn how to make a standalone asset (have that tutorial, but only for vanilla assets),
• make it craftable (many mods to look at in FOEdit).
• learn how to make an FOmod with logic trees...

 

Now, as a declared adherent to "I don't know, what I don't know," but now I know I don't know, am I missing anything?

 

ZBrush is very bizarre and DEEEEP, but, I'll just go for finding the hole and smelling around a bit. I've decided all programs from now on should have the identical interface, and ways of doing things, or they have to send cookies and coffee until the WTF are you doing? That's a mesh or what are you painting with? omfg. 2.5 dimensions, come on. Only artists can believe in 2.5 dimensions.

 

Ty for any direction and for your prior responses.

Edited January 26, 2016 by jeffglobal

[jeffglobal]

 

 

After further investigation, NiAlphaProperty was a red herring - it is completely superfluous in FO4 (unlike FO3 & FNV where it was absolutely required to enable transparency). If the alpha channel in the dds and the alpha settings in the BGSM or BGEM are correct, you can remove NiAlphaProperty from the NIF and you will still get transparency.

 

The good news is that you can get partial transparency by using BSEffectShaderProperty instead of BSLightingShaderProperty.

 

1) Create a dds file with desired transparency

2) Create a BGEM file, or copy one like Materials\Clothes\Mobsters\Glasses.BGEM and tweak it to your liking (most importantly, on the Effect tab, set the Base Texture to your partially transparent dds file).

3) In NifSkope, if your object has a NiAlphaProperty, remove it.

4) Insert a BSEffectShaderProperty.

5) In the new BSEffectShaderProperty, change Name to your BGEM file (e.g. Materials\Belthan\LBD.BGEM).

6) In BSSubIndexTriShape->BS Properties change the first entry to the index of your new BSEffectShaderProperty, and change the second entry to None.

7) Remove Branch on the now-unused BSLightingShaderProperty

 

The bad news is that the Effect tab doesn't allow you to specify a specular map, and since you are linking to the BGEM from a BSEffectShaderProperty the specular map on the Material tab has no effect. This is fine for visors and such, but it sucks for things like lace and sheer cloth. I might be able to work around it with a subtle environment map to simulate the missing specular map, but geez... it's like they thought the only partially transparent material in the universe is glass. I mean, either allow a Material to render a partially transparent alpha channel without a binary black/white threshold (which you could do in freaking Oblivion, for crying out loud), or allow a specular map on an effect. It's not rocket science. And if anybody does figure out how to achieve partial transparency with a material, I'll apologize for the rant :smile:

 

 

The commonwealth shorts guy got alpha transparency for a mesh top, http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/7898/? just using the alpha of the _d.dds file and a bgsm file with a 127 and alpha test clicked on. Simple construction, really cool effect.

 

I don't understand what you refer to as the alpha in the _d.dds file, if using the bgEm file, cause I think it just uses other maps all together...like the visor bgEm file, refers to maps completely different from the rest of the helmet for the VTSecurityHelmet (or something like that). I'll look at the mobsters glasses material file.

 

ty.

[jeffglobal]

 

 

I usually cheat with the bones and use outfit studio. I load up a working nif as a reference eg helmet, then I export the desired objects from nifscope and import their shapes into the scene in outfit studio. Using outfit studio you can copy across the bone weights. It works maybe seven out of ten times and sometimes has some really weird effects.

 

[edit]

You would still need to add bgsm and texture references.

 

 

Ok, so I started with a reference helmet like the army helmet. I imported my bowl helmet as an fbx and I sized it to the reference helmet.

 

Strangely, a few times, copying the bones from the reference mesh did not work, and then it did, WTF!

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jyijn3180tz2gj2/Nobones2.jpg?dl=0

 

Holy crap, I got it in game and it works! I ran around and it didn't do anything but stay on her head...

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l3xlas1gtvv2ocy/Fallout4%202016-01-25%2021-49-08-88.jpg?dl=0

 

Ugly as hell, but that's easy to change...first fast and dirty, then pretty.

 

 

TYVM.

Edited January 26, 2016 by jeffglobal

[Belthan]

The gaps in the commonwealth shorts mesh top are completely transparent and the strands are completely opaque, which means they're probably still constrained by materials treating the alpha channel as binary. Works fine for fairly broad mesh and fishnet, but not for sheer fabric like chiffon.

 

The butterfly cutout in my Little Black Dress Is supposed to be filled with black chiffon, which is partially see-through. The alpha channel in the _d.dds file is 70% for the cutout and opaque everywhere else. When the NIF has a BSLightingShaderProperty and a proper BGSM file, the cutout looks like an empty gap. With the same _d.dds file, a NIF with a BSEffectShaderProperty, and a proper BGEM file, the cutout is partially transparent (not quite as dark as it should be, but that's easy to fix). However, the BGEM file ignores the specular map (_s.dds), so it uses an environment map with an environment mask (_m.dds) instead. It's better than being completely matte black, but it looks like crap compared to the BGSM version, which does use the specular map (plus the lack of a specular map means it doesn't look shiny when wet). Maybe a picture is worth a thousand words:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By98Y3-7IeHYcTJHLWozRkNTR3M/view?usp=sharing

[jeffglobal]

I reviewed the VTSecurityHelmet.nif and realized what they did differently than you. They separated the partially transparent part of the mesh and used a bgem with Standard Alpha Blending (how idk) -128 test reference, no alpha test tick mark to that TriShape. They also used in that separat tree an NiAlphaProperty too! Standard flag of 4333 and threshold 128. The BS Properties in the TriShape has the bgem and then the NiAlpha pointers.

 

So if you separate that part into another Trishape, and use the transparency crap only on that, you can use the standard BSShaderTextureSet for the rest of the mesh with the standard maps as done with that game asset.

 

What do you think? I'm just gonna put a hole in my UN helmet today and be happy if it works.

[Belthan]

Yeah, same thing with the mobster glasses. That's "Plan B" if I can't get acceptable results with a single mesh. Unfortunately, that would require completely reworking the mesh because the "cutout" currently doesn't correspond with any vertices (it's all done with the texture). And editing meshes with the new NIF format is a major hassle compared to the old FO3/FNV format. And I have at least a dozen other outfits with the same issue. [sigh]

[jeffglobal]

 

 

Yeah, same thing with the mobster glasses. That's "Plan B" if I can't get acceptable results with a single mesh. Unfortunately, that would require completely reworking the mesh because the "cutout" currently doesn't correspond with any vertices (it's all done with the texture). And editing meshes with the new NIF format is a major hassle compared to the old FO3/FNV format. And I have at least a dozen other outfits with the same issue. [sigh]

 

 

No, I think it's a "single" mesh, just with two trishapes. I think a trishape is just a mesh subobject, but I'm a little confused right now, because ZBrush subobjects are handled way differently than 3ds Max's. Like a knife blade and handle are two objects in the same mesh. Idk

 

Ok, then, I'll make shorts with a semi-transparent heart cut out on her right buttock, with my method tomorrow, if all goes well...

Edited January 27, 2016 by jeffglobal

[Belthan]

Yes, you're right; that's what I meant but I was sloppy with my terminology. The dress and trim are already separate BSSubIndexTriShape blocks and separating the cutout from the dress wouldn't be difficult, just time-consuming (at least in Blender).