How do you create a loading screen replacer?

[agmoyer955]

All I want to do is draw images that can be selected randomly (if not too difficult) to replace the default loading screen art for the base game and DLCs. There are mods out there that do similar to this but it's best if I do it myself. I just need to know how. I tried looking up guides but I only found 3 videos from 2015 but they are only to replace one image and one was for NV using geck.

 

The tools I have so far are gimp, nifskope, creation kit and fo4edit. If there are anymore I'd need then let me know.

 

If anyone can explain the steps or an actual up to date guide for this that would be great. Thanks.

[thousande]

I haven't done this myself but as far as I know the loading screen in Fallout 4 is a an object pointing to a Nif/3d mesh.

You create and configure a new loading screen form and the game will do the rest.

 

Not sure if there are 2d loading screens in Fo4, but you may work around it with e.g. a 3d plane and LoadScreen configuration.

 

Eg. A bitmap image/material on a plane and use the no rotate/transform configuration in the LoadingScreen form.

 

A basic understanding of how nifs and materials work in Fo4 is required.

You then need a a static nif with a proper uv unwrapped mesh that can show the image (3d material/texture).

Physics and collisions are not needed for loading screen art( ref. existing loading screen nif/meshes)

 

I guess you could come a long way with any 3d application and OutfitStudio or try finding an existing 3d plane/nif that fits your requirements.

 

Once you have the nif you need to create a new LoadingScreen form in Creation Kit or fo4edit.

Also, by looking at the docs it seems like you can to some extent control when the screen is shown using condition functions / checking various states in the current game.

Eg. Only show this loading screen if some quest stage is larger than some stage index etc. etc.

 

 

Loading Screen

https://www.creationkit.com/fallout4/index.php?title=LoadScreen

 

Conditions General

https://www.creationkit.com/fallout4/index.php?title=Conditions

 

Condition Functions

The Fo4 page is mostly undocumented, but most functions from Skyrim are more or less available. You may have to try figure out what works here :wink:

 

Fo4: https://www.creationkit.com/fallout4/index.php?title=Condition_Functions

Skyrim: https://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Condition_Functions

 

Hope this helps.

 

Edit: links

[agmoyer955]

Thanks, from what I found is FO4Edit is used to create the esp and I found there is a section controlling rotation and zoom section giving min and max rotation and zoom numbers. I Imagine if set them to zero it wouldn't rotate or zoom in and out. taking a png and making into a nif from what I've been reading isn't direct, you have to convert it to a couple others files before it can become a nif.

 

After checking couple others mods and comparing to the default records it's really simple. I just need to figure out what option I select when right clicking the default record "loading screen"

• Deep copy as override into....
• Deep copy as override (with overwriting) into....
• Copy as new record into...
• Copy Idle Animation into...

I have no idea what to choose with this first step. After getting past that it's simply change the default options to yours from what I can see.

[thousande]

It depends.

 

Ask yourself: Do I want to override an existing LoadingScreen or create a new unique LoadingScreen?

 

Copy as New Record Into.. is the same as creating a new unique record (Labeled Duplicate in CK)

 

https://tes5edit.github.io/docs/10-fo3edit-faq.html#Differencebetweencopyasoverrideanddeepcopyasoverride

 

 

Yes, I guess you are onto something with the transform values (see the linked documentation earlier in the thread).

The creationkit.com may be a bit lacking sometimes so you may have to try out stuff to see what works ;)

 

Creation Engine/Fallout 4 uses the DDS format for almost anything bitmap related.

You have to export your image to DDS.

There is a DDS read/export plugin for gimp, but I am not sure if it has been updated to the latest greatest version of gimp.

All I can say is that it works with gimp 2.10

 

https://code.google.com/archive/p/gimp-dds/

 

Else there are other export tools. I think Paint.net have built-in support for DDS

 

The texture/bitmap then needs to be applied to a 3d model. E.g a simple plane geometry.

I guess this goes far into 3d modeling etc. and how the nif format which is another topic ;)

There are information out there, but it is mix of old and new versions, Fallout and Skyrim etc. etc. which may be confusing at first.

 

I guess you should first try create a new mod with a new or an override LoadingScreen

E.g. Duplicate an existing LoadingScreen and only change the loading screen text.

Save and try it out.

[agmoyer955]

The biggest obstacle right now is figuring out if the .dds even works. If I can figure that out I then need find out how to use outfitstudio to add it to the obj file and then export for nifskope to see if it works and finally go to FO4Edit to try and create an esp.

[Indarello]

Background of the default loading screen is a basicly rectangle with texture, so you can open it with nifskope and modify it, I think there could be some way to get random and set texture based on this random value, or something like this, if you cant find this mesh I can check full path and send you Edited November 20, 2021 by Indarello