LE Skyrim mod request: woodcutter's axe grip

[thumbincubation]

No worries. Nifskope is not an easy thing to learn, at least not for me.

 

So, for #1, from my experience, if you've selected the main BSDadeNode and changed the Y axis below, the whole thing should move, including the axe itself, collision and blood effect, etc.

 

If you move the BSFadeNode a certain distance, but then moved the other objects again separately, you may find they're all spaced out from each other. I'd either move all separately, or all at once (using the BSFadeNode)

 

2. If you want a standalone, it is good to change the name to something unique. At that point, it doesn't really matter where in the Meshes folder it goes, as long as you tell the game where to look for it, using CK. If you want a replacer, to change all the axes in the game, then it needs to have the vanilla name and the exact same filepath. I don't have any experience with Apply, so I can't give a good answer there.

 

3. If you hit save and got an axeo1, you can do a few things.

 

a. Keep it that way, for the time being, and just use it as a replacer while you test.

b. Right-click the .nif file and "rename" to something unique. Or copy it and paste it into a different folder, then change the name, so you have a backup.

c. Open it again in nifskope and just "save as," which will give you one with your new name, plus the original.

 

Then you can make sure it's in the proper destination file. The vanilla file path is only necessary for replacers. If you do that, no creation kit needed.

Otherwise, if you want, you can have ....meshes > mynewaxe > axeo1 or axeo2 or whatever, but then you go into ck and start assigning models. I find it much easier to test with replacers.

 

4. It sounds like you're on the right track with assigning in the ck, but (and blame bethesda for this) though the axe mesh is stored in the archive under clutter, the form you need for CK is a weapon form, not a clutter (static) form. If I'm reading this right, you have two statics, and you may see the axe laying on the ground at your feet, rather than being wielded.

 

Best bet, for this, is to right-click and dup the existing 1stPersonAxe and Axe01, so you're just pasting your new model and name into the existing framework, helping you avoid errors.

 

5. New "Meshes" folder is only necessary if there isn't already one. If you're planning a replacer, you may need to create several new folders, in order to get the same file path the vanilla axe comes from. If you're doing standalone, which it seems you are, it can be as simple as Meshes > my new axe > axe02.nif

 

The textures folder may be one of a few things.

a. Nonexistent, if you're only changing shape or position. The game will apply the same vanilla texture path to it, so you won't even need to have one (for this mod...other mods may still necessitate one)

b. The exact same path as is called for in the mesh, if you're using a new texture that will apply to all axes. Find the texture file path by clicking on the NiTriShape and expanding all the way down to the lightingshaderproperty, and you should see the filepath at the bottom.

c. Totally different, as you see fit, if you're doing standalone, but this will require to go into the BSLightingShaderProperty as above, and manually tell it to find your new texture, in its new filepath. Then the game will go where you sent it for that particular mesh, but will leave any other meshes alone, with their vanilla textures.

 

The big thing with this is there's always a hiccup or hangup. It's a tedious thing and just the slightest variance will make it not work. I've had to go back and totally redo things, two and three times, before.

 

(Try to find a set of initials, pin code, or something that doesn't appear in the CK, and preface all your items with that. That way, when you want to work on a mod, you can type that into the search box and see all of your changes at once.)

[dipsauce13]

No worries. Nifskope is not an easy thing to learn, at least not for me.

 

So, for #1, from my experience, if you've selected the main BSDadeNode and changed the Y axis below, the whole thing should move, including the axe itself, collision and blood effect, etc.

 

If you move the BSFadeNode a certain distance, but then moved the other objects again separately, you may find they're all spaced out from each other. I'd either move all separately, or all at once (using the BSFadeNode)

 

2. If you want a standalone, it is good to change the name to something unique. At that point, it doesn't really matter where in the Meshes folder it goes, as long as you tell the game where to look for it, using CK. If you want a replacer, to change all the axes in the game, then it needs to have the vanilla name and the exact same filepath. I don't have any experience with Apply, so I can't give a good answer there.

 

3. If you hit save and got an axeo1, you can do a few things.

 

a. Keep it that way, for the time being, and just use it as a replacer while you test.

b. Right-click the .nif file and "rename" to something unique. Or copy it and paste it into a different folder, then change the name, so you have a backup.

c. Open it again in nifskope and just "save as," which will give you one with your new name, plus the original.

 

Then you can make sure it's in the proper destination file. The vanilla file path is only necessary for replacers. If you do that, no creation kit needed.

Otherwise, if you want, you can have ....meshes > mynewaxe > axeo1 or axeo2 or whatever, but then you go into ck and start assigning models. I find it much easier to test with replacers.

 

4. It sounds like you're on the right track with assigning in the ck, but (and blame bethesda for this) though the axe mesh is stored in the archive under clutter, the form you need for CK is a weapon form, not a clutter (static) form. If I'm reading this right, you have two statics, and you may see the axe laying on the ground at your feet, rather than being wielded.

 

Best bet, for this, is to right-click and dup the existing 1stPersonAxe and Axe01, so you're just pasting your new model and name into the existing framework, helping you avoid errors.

 

5. New "Meshes" folder is only necessary if there isn't already one. If you're planning a replacer, you may need to create several new folders, in order to get the same file path the vanilla axe comes from. If you're doing standalone, which it seems you are, it can be as simple as Meshes > my new axe > axe02.nif

 

The textures folder may be one of a few things.

a. Nonexistent, if you're only changing shape or position. The game will apply the same vanilla texture path to it, so you won't even need to have one (for this mod...other mods may still necessitate one)

b. The exact same path as is called for in the mesh, if you're using a new texture that will apply to all axes. Find the texture file path by clicking on the NiTriShape and expanding all the way down to the lightingshaderproperty, and you should see the filepath at the bottom.

c. Totally different, as you see fit, if you're doing standalone, but this will require to go into the BSLightingShaderProperty as above, and manually tell it to find your new texture, in its new filepath. Then the game will go where you sent it for that particular mesh, but will leave any other meshes alone, with their vanilla textures.

 

The big thing with this is there's always a hiccup or hangup. It's a tedious thing and just the slightest variance will make it not work. I've had to go back and totally redo things, two and three times, before.

 

(Try to find a set of initials, pin code, or something that doesn't appear in the CK, and preface all your items with that. That way, when you want to work on a mod, you can type that into the search box and see all of your changes at once.)

good news, i figured out all the lengthy discussion method leading to a somewhat superb result, turns out i was not doing it right, my only problem was that when i extracted the mesh i have an additional folder named 'meshes' inside the 'Meshes' folder. i have a link to my current result as i have no idea how to put it into this post, the link is right below this passages.

 

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=920102782

 

i tried rotating it using nifskope but it shows this result (i rotated it because after i put the nif in the newly created axe and 1stperson static object it was inverted). forgive me for the brightness of the picture as i do not possess the apt to edit brightness from the picture.

[thumbincubation]

Awesome. Glad you got it working. If the y axis did your grip height, the X or Z should rotate the axe the right way. Easiest way to do that is open up the file and change one to what you think is as close to the exact opposite as possible. If the axe doesn't flip directly over, close the mesh without saving, open it up and do the other axis. If it flips the right direction but not enough, you can just add to or subtract from the one you had success with. Once you get it there, just save the mesh with the same name, and it should automatically apply in game.

[dipsauce13]

Awesome. Glad you got it working. If the y axis did your grip height, the X or Z should rotate the axe the right way. Easiest way to do that is open up the file and change one to what you think is as close to the exact opposite as possible. If the axe doesn't flip directly over, close the mesh without saving, open it up and do the other axis. If it flips the right direction but not enough, you can just add to or subtract from the one you had success with. Once you get it there, just save the mesh with the same name, and it should automatically apply in game.

this is amazing, because of you i was able to pull this off, thank you very much. if it is not too much of a bother i also want to ask you about another thing. after i moved the y axis up to change the grip i found myself a bit annoyed on how it is sheathed, apparently the changes i made also changed how it is sheathed. are there any ways to change how it is sheathed without changing the axe itself when equipped? (in case you are wondering i already rotated the position of the axe, now it is facing forward) i did a little research and i found out that changing how it is sheathed would require re meshing skeleton.nif, then another question would be if i did change the sheathing position will it also change other weapons position?

[thumbincubation]

No worries. I'm glad you got it made up the way you wanted. As far as the sheathing, you're getting into a realm I know almost nothing about. I can tell you how to put a war axe ring on it, but not much beyond that, and I believe the ring would just ride higher with it. It looks really large to me, though. Did you change the scale, by chance?

[dipsauce13]

No worries. I'm glad you got it made up the way you wanted. As far as the sheathing, you're getting into a realm I know almost nothing about. I can tell you how to put a war axe ring on it, but not much beyond that, and I believe the ring would just ride higher with it. It looks really large to me, though. Did you change the scale, by chance?

that is unfortunate, nonetheless you have been a great help, perhaps i am on my own afterwards, or i might open up a new topic (who knows really). i suppose i might be interested in putting a ring on it, how would you do it? oh and i did not change the scale, it is pretty big but i did not change the scale. are there any concerns you wish to inform me? (now that you have pointed it out i am a bit concerned myself...)

[thumbincubation]

I'm not sure why, but it does look bigger. Try equipping a regular, non-modded axe and see if it changes. If the vanilla is smaller, you may have inadvertently changed the scale. It should be underneath translation and rotation.

 

You can also right-click the BSFadeNode and Transform > edit, but I remember having problems with that method before, which is what got me changing it the other way. On oldrim weapons, you should also see a "Scale Vertices" option, which I don't see for SSE weapons. That would allow you to do things like make the weapon longer, without it becoming thicker at the same time, as it would with just scale.

[dipsauce13]

I'm not sure why, but it does look bigger. Try equipping a regular, non-modded axe and see if it changes. If the vanilla is smaller, you may have inadvertently changed the scale. It should be underneath translation and rotation.

 

You can also right-click the BSFadeNode and Transform > edit, but I remember having problems with that method before, which is what got me changing it the other way. On oldrim weapons, you should also see a "Scale Vertices" option, which I don't see for SSE weapons. That would allow you to do things like make the weapon longer, without it becoming thicker at the same time, as it would with just scale.

I have two pictures that i can show you to indicate both the modded and the vanilla axes are on the same scale. the image shown is a testing of DSR mod positioning, just to see whether it can ease the clipping i had in the previous picture (despite the fact that it kind of did, i am still not satisfied). currently i am looking for a way to edit skeleton.nif to allow one handed axes (perhaps 1h maces too so that it will be easier) to be sheathed the way dual swords would (crossing each other in the back, i assume you can imagine how), do you have any suggestions on how i can do that?

 

for further comparison i will attach another picture to clearly show the scale (in case you are interested) in the next post.

[thumbincubation]

Ok, that looks more normal. The other pic may have just been position or something, idk.

 

I regret I have no idea how to edit skeletons. I'm sorry.

[dipsauce13]

Ok, that looks more normal. The other pic may have just been position or something, idk.

 

I regret I have no idea how to edit skeletons. I'm sorry.

ah that is unfortunate, i thank you for your help. i wish you luck on your endeavors and good day.