Squirm

I'm attempting to educate myself on the process for successfully exporting from 3D studio Max to Fallout 3. Unfortunately, I'm always getting a bad result and can't see where I'm going wrong. Please could someone examine the process I'm following and correct me? I'm using Max 8 service pack 3 with the latest version of the Niftools plug in, and Nifskope 1.0.21 revision 4886. I took an existing nif that I know works in the game, JoeFoxx's Magneto Lazerpistol from his Fallout Classic Weapons mod, with the idea of importing it into Max, then exporting it as a nif again. These are the settings I used for importing the nif into Max: http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/1948/fallhelp1.th.jpg It appears to have imported correctly. Here is the mesh and its textures rendered in Max: http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/4026/fallhelp2.th.jpg These are the settings I used to export it out into a new nif: http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1002/fallhelp3.th.jpg I then opened the new nif in Nifksope (on the left in the picture below) and another nif that I knew worked in another instance of Nifskope (on the right), so I could block paste the niTriStrips data from the exported nif to the working nif. This one was the Wattz 1000 laser pistol, I was essentially attempting to replace the mesh data for the pistol with the Magneto's. Copying: http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7945/fallhelp4.th.jpg Pasting: http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5676/fallhelp5.th.jpg I then edited the paths for the BSShaderTextureSet, softcoding the diffuse, normal and glow map textures to the Magento pistol's in the appropriate Fallout directory: http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/338/fallhelp6.th.jpg From Nifskope, I saved the edited .nif mesh as TESTEXPORT.nif into the appropriate Fallout directory: http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5453/fallhelp7.th.jpg But when changing the mesh path for an existing or new weapon form to the location of the new nif, it's all black in the preview: http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3128/fallhelp8.th.jpg I tried adding a new texture set for the three .dds files (which all appeared correctly in the texture set preview pane) and applying that to the mesh: http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3990/fallhelp9.th.jpg Still all-black: http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4054/fallhelp10.th.jpg This is what I think I should be seeing. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Well, I tried that at first, as that's how I retextured the robots in this mod. I kept getting a corrupt nif out, though. It turns out that the latest beta of Nifskope has fixed all of the trouble I was having. :thumbsup: Thank you very much in taking the time to respond to me anyway, jaysus (isn't today your birthday..?)

Alright, I'll take you up on that offer, Jaysus. I'm trying to follow your retexturing in Nifskope tutorial for a hand-held object, reproduced below. I'm finding it really, really difficult, though, without reference to the accompanying pictures, which were hosted on a site that has since been suspended: --------------------- if you are creating an item you hold in your hand (guns, knifes, beermugs) do that instead: - go to the nitristrips/shape you want to texture and "branch-"delete its BSShaderPPLightProperty http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex2.jpg - save the file and reopen it - this is utterly important!!! - create a new BSShaderPPLightProperty rightclick - block - insert - see the pics http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex3.jpg http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex4.jpg - create a BSShadertextureset same as above - link both to the scene http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex5.jpg http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex5b.jpg - you can now change the textures under the BSShaderTextureSet which is a child of BSShaderPPLightProperty http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex6.jpg save and done http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/6.jpg ---------------------- I'm trying to retexture the Laser Pistol. I have a copy of the .nif file that I'm working on, and new .dds textures for the new pistol already prepared. This includes its texture, normal map, its first-person texture and its first person normal map. I open the .nif file in Nifskope. This is made up of several parts - the casing (the NiTriStrips entry for which is labelled simply, "LaserPistol"), the trigger ("LPTrigger"), a power cell within the pistol ("LPSmallEnergyCell") and a side latch that pops open where the power cell is reloaded ("LPSideLatch"). In the render window, I left-click on the casing, as that is the part I have new textures for. In the block list window on the left, the NiTriStrips entry for the casing, labelled "LaserPistol", becomes highlighted. I right-click the BSShaderPPLightProperty entry that is just below the case's highlighted NiTriStrips entry, and browse the menu to Block -> Remove Branch. At this point, I save the .nif file, close Nifskope, reopen Nifskope and load the .nif file back into it. As expected, the casing is now completely white and extureless. So far so good. Here's where it all gets a bit vague. Without the pictures as guides, I'm finding the rest of the directions difficult to comprehend properly, and have only managed to make broken .nif files that won't load into the GECK or even into Nifskope. Please let me know what I am doing wrong and how to correct it. The next step reads, "create a new BSShaderPPLightProperty rightclick - block - insert - see the pics http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex3.jpg http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex4.jpg - create a BSShadertextureset same as above" I'm right-clicking on the NiTriStrips entry for the casing (labelled, "Laser Pistol") and browse the menu to Block -> Insert and choosing Bethesda -> BSShaderPPLightProperty Then I'm doing exactly the same for BSShadertextureset; that is, right-clicking the casing NiTriStrips entry, and browsing the menu to Block -> Insert -> Bethesda -> BSShadertextureset The next step reads, "- link both to the scene http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex5.jpg http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex5b.jpg" No idea what I'm supposed to be doing here. I've tried comparing the original laser pistol nif file's entries to the new ones and completing what seems missing, but nothing's yielded a usable file yet. The final step seems simple enough. "- you can now change the textures under the BSShaderTextureSet which is a child of BSShaderPPLightProperty http://home.arcor.de/jaysus/tutorial/tex6.jpg" The six entries with a pink flower appear to correspond with texture file paths, the first being the diffuse .dds, the second the normal map, the third an optional glow map, etcetera. I just need to be able to get to this point. Please halp.