Can't pick up custom objects

[KazFoxsen]

I change a NIF, use it as a new object, and place it in a cell. Once placed, I can no longer move it by clicking and dragging, and instead have to double click on its reference in the cell objects list and change the XYZs. Once loaded in the game, there is no option to pick the item up. How do I fix this?

 

Adding more vanilla items works fine, and altering textures and stats works fine (as in my Easter Frag Grenade mod), but not new NIFs. I've compared the reference menus for, say, a vanilla empty soda bottle, with my big test coin, and I don't see any differences.

 

I've already searched several times for an answer, tutorials don't mention this problem, and the only related thread I've found had zero responses.

[davidlallen]

You may have two different problems, one in geck, and one in game. In geck, are you sure there is no other object between the camera and your object? Sometimes there are large cubic triggers or lightbeams. When you click on your object, maybe some other object like this is selected. You can check by looking in the cell objects list to see if something is selected. If so, try zooming or rotating the view so no other object is in the way. If it is actually inside another object, move that object first and then put it back later.

 

In game, the problem is that your nif file does not have a bhkCollisionObject. Only nifs with this object get the "Activate" choice in game. If you have copied an original object which did not have one, you will have to add one. This is supposedly possible in nifskope but most people use blender. I have not done this on my own, I pick nifs which have them already. But if you search for bhkCollisionObject here and at the nifskope site, you will probably find instructions.

[Tefnacht]

Hello.

 

Another reason for the object not being selectable in the GECK (assuming it has a valid bhkCollisionObject of course) could be that the root node of the NIF file is not a BSFadeNode.

 

Armor models and animated objects use a “normal” NiNode as their root node. The GECK will accept such a model when placed into the world but you will not be able to “pick” it (select it). The FO3 GECK was nice enough to give a warning about this, the one for New Vegas doesn't bother.

 

Should this be the case, you can use NifSkope to convert the root node. Right click on it, select Block → Convert and choose Bethesda → BSFadeNode. Only the root node (the one at the very top with the index 0) needs to be a BSFadeNode.

 

Good luck.

[davidlallen]

Thanks for the additional info. Just to clarify, you do not need a bhkCollisionObject to manipulate the object in geck. Lots of static objects don't have one, and they can be selected fine. You only need this object for ones the player should "Activate" in game. Edited May 4, 2011 by davidlallen

[KazFoxsen]

Yes, collision is what they needed. Found a tutorial here: http://youtu.be/AD4uywa1-pE.

 

EDIT: If anyone has a problem with items floating after drop, I found this helpful thread: http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/263182-floating-weapons/page__p__2674517__hl__%2Bfloating+%2Bobject__fromsearch__1#entry2674517

Edited May 5, 2011 by KazFoxsen

[meowforpirates]

hey everyone! i actually want to know if i can do the opposite of the original problem. I've copied a quest object and removed the scripts and quest item status. But, I don't want the player to be able to pick up the object or knock it over (like a display piece). I basically want it glued in place. Can anyone give me ideas? I'm super new at this! Thanks!!

[madmongo]

It sounds like what you really want to do is create a static out of a usable item.

 

If this is a standard fallout item, it's model is going to be in one of the BSA files. The first thing you need to do is extract the model from the BSA file. You can do this with the BSA browser that comes with the Fallout Mod Manager. If it's a standard vanilla fallout item, then it will be in Fallout - Meshes.bsa. If it's from one of the DLCs, then it will be in that DLC's bsa file (Old World Blues - Main.bsa, for example, if it's from that DLC). If the item is in another mod, then the nif could be loose or it could be packed into a BSA file, however that mod author chose to do it. You may need to go into the GECK to see what the file name of the nif is, but the file names usually match up fairly closely to the item names in the GECK.

 

Now that you've got your nif extracted, you may want to put it somewhere where it is clear that this belongs to your mod, like in \meshes\MyModName\ (where obviously you create a folder with your actual mod name and not MyModName).

 

The final step is just to go into the GECK and make a static item and make its model be the nif that you just extracted.

 

If the nif was a usable item then it should already have collision and textures and everything that you need. All you need to do is make a static out of it then place it somewhere. Since it's a static, you won't be able to move it or pick it up in-game.

[meowforpirates]

It sounds like what you really want to do is create a static out of a usable item.

 

 

Thanks so much!! This was easier than I expected, haha!

[munnibhai]

 

Should this be the case, you can use NifSkope to convert the root node. Right click on it, select Block → Convert and choose Bethesda → BSFadeNode. Only the root node (the one at the very top with the index 0) needs to be a BSFadeNode.

 

Good luck.

 

for anyone having un-selectable custom objects even after having collision mesh, this solution works. tested :)

 

thanks