What programs do I need to start modding?

[MrThe]

I need information on programs and guides to the programs to get me started on modding Fallout 4 and eventually Skyrim special edition. I was able get some basic information about modding but I'm completely new to modding on PC. I have some programs that I was able to get i.e(Fallout 4 Creation Kit, Fallout 4 Edit, Material Editor, blender, NifSkope, and LOOT) but the trouble I'm having is that most information I was able get from my research is outdated/irrelevant to what I'm looking for. I know there are some guides for creation kit and blender but I'm having very difficult time understanding what programs are needed to create your own mod's custom assets instead of using the items already in the creation kit. An example I like to give is that I currently have an idea for a weapon and npc follower for fallout 4 but I don't know how to get the idea into the game to test it to posting it to this website (and Bethesda.net for Xbox use if people really wanted it on fallout 4). I also only have a vague idea on what restrictions there is to modding.I would be very appreciative to anyone that would help get me started. I understand that people have better things to do and might not want to teach me the basics of creating custom mods. I'm also grateful to anyone that takes the time out of there day to read this and respond.

[langnao]

What do u wamna mod? Based on what you said, it seems like u wanna create new assets? U listed Blender, yes u need a 3D program to create your asset and then its just bringing into the game. Since its your first mod, u probably want to start simple or small.

[MrThe]

I mostly just want to get the programs to start creating custom assets and putting them into the fallout 4 game(which I don't know how to do). I'll start with changing one aspect at a time (like the gun's reload animation , model, sounds ,or textures). I'll probably do it this as way teaching my self towards getting used to the programs to start with. As with uploading into fallout 4 to test it/ uploading to a site for others to test i'm having trouble understanding how to do that. Also I'm trying to find a program that will allow me to edit and create my own textures. I tried using gimp to do this but because they've updated the program recently I don't think anyone has created a plugin or I don't know where I could find the plugin to use with gimp. I think the plugin allows the program to import (I think they're called dds files) into the fallout 4 game for when it comes to textures. I'll start making attempting bigger mods once I get a hang on everything that's new for making mods. I'm working on getting the basics down with in a years time before I start on something big with a really good voice actor that can do a lot of different characters voices. I don't want to reveal what it is though to the modding community yet but I've talk with some random people about the idea and people seem interested in it.

[deadbeeftffn]

First of all you need the creation kit from bethesda. You should have Fo4Edit too.

Also you may want to install a 3d-Editor like 3DSMax (2013) or Blender in combination with bodyslide and NifSkope.

If you want to create your own 3D-assets, NifSkope is a must have anyway.

For sound you can use any sound editor capable of handling wav format.

You can use GIMP or Photoshop or Paint.NET (to some extend) or any other paint program for graphics.

Also, material editors, DDS converters and an editor like Notepad++ or Atom may be usefull.

Actually this are the basics. There are some other programs which may be usefull for special purposes, though.

[Zzyxzz]

For text editor, go for vsCode and get the Papyrus extension from the marketplace