Create custom meshes or just use retextured assets?

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

Good evening everybody!

 

I am currently working on a custom worldspace (a "small" island) that will have a huge underground city under it.

Basically like a Vault, but not from VaultTec (and without the messed up experiments ... for the most part).

 

The question that I have is this:

 

Should I use "retextured" versions of the "vanilla" Fallout 4 vault - interior - parts OR should I create custom interior meshes "from scratch"?

 

I have played around a bit with the Vault interior pieces, just to "get a feel" from them and it seems like I would have to create some custom meshes anyway to implement what I want to do ...

If I make stuff myself, it will probably look "bad", but at least it would look "consistently bad" ...

 

 

 

Yes, I know that making an entire "parts kit" from scratch would be lots of work, but I have lots of time ....

 

I know that there isn't a "technically correct" answer and the most likely answer to this will be "It depends ...", but anyway ...

[pepperman35]

I suppose one could make the argument that vaults as we known them in the game came from Vault-Tec. So if you are going for a totally new look I reckon new pieces are the only way to go. A "parts kit" would directly support your mod but you could also do a stand-alone mod with the new pieces buildable via workshop mode. Of course that would also add to the work load.

[Zorkaz]

If you create a non-vault tec vault you could start with the submarine tileset, maybe mixed with BOS stuff

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

If you create a non-vault tec vault you could start with the submarine tileset, maybe mixed with BOS stuff

Interesting .....

I wouldn't have thought of that .....

 

Thanks for that suggestion ...

[MissingMeshTV]

Zorkaz, on 11 Jul 2020 - 06:18 AM, said:

If you create a non-vault tec vault you could start with the submarine tileset, maybe mixed with BOS stuff

 

I'm rather fond of using the Hi-Tech kit and doing material swaps using those from the Prydwen set. I find the Prydwen set itself is rather limited in the number of pieces it has, which limits what you can actually do with them. But that of course, depends on what you want to do.

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

Yes, the Hi-Tech interior parts are kind of like the "standard" "dungeon" interior set of FO4 (like the NordicRuin stuff in Skyrim ...), so I might use those ...

[thousande]

If you feel the kit fit your needs, nothing wrong re-use the vault interior kit.

If you can afford it (time and energy), create new ones or do material swap on one of the other interior kits like RedRocketTV suggested.

Or a bit of both. Create new pieces that is required.

 

If you start of from scratch, I suggest start out inspecting one of the existing kits.

Try re-use the width/height/depth dimensions and how the pivot point is positioned.

That way things may not look too off in-game and the kit may play nice with other kits which opens up for possibilities.

You could also release a stand alone settlement set later.

 

Figure out the dimensions and start out with creating a couple of pieces with a dummy material.

Eg. a straight piece and a turn/corner piece, then import the pieces to CK and test in a test cell.

The point is to get the shape and pivot point right first so snapping/rotate etc. works from the start.

Figure out the door(s) dimensions early. You may want to re-use the standard dimensions for single and double doors.

 

Also, pay attention to the naming conventions used in the form IDs. If the kit grows, a predictable naming may helps when actually utilizing the pieces.

Eg. when selecting a reference - Alt+mouse scroll for browsing.

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

Thanks for that long reply!

 

I already know very well what the "dimensions" of the interior pieces are (144 x 144 inch or 256 x 256 CK units) and how to make them "fit together nicely" when using "snap to grid" in the CK.

I already have planned out what parts I need (a lot) and since i have a very specific look in mind for some parts of the interior ( "rounded ceiling", don't know how to better describe it), I will at least make some of the parts myself.

 

I will probably not release those "custom parts" as a "settlement buildable objects" - kind of mod, because the parts will not have any "exterior" (they will be used only for interior spaces, kind of like the "high tech" interior parts).

That saves me the pain of adding "snap points".

 

Also, yes, I will use the "standard" door sizes of the vanilla game, so 54 inch (96 CK units) wide, 94,5 inch (168 CK units) high, because I don't want to "remake" all of the doors to fit my "cusotm stuff".

 

I already messed around a bit with importing custom "modular interior parts", as one could guess from all of this ....