No outline of object when in Workshop (so can't create it)

[PJMail]

I have a recipe to create an NPC (in this case the Classic Vertibird). I can placeatme the NPC and it displays fine, but when trying to construct it via a recipe in Workshop mode only a small object shows highlighted (I think it is the forward gun). If I get that to go green and create it, the NPC is invisible but if I fast travel away and come back it is there.

 

I know that "no outline" happens if you try and construct an item with no physics, and NPC's have no physics (it is all in the skeleton.nif, not the NPC's mesh) - but other NPC's in the game can be constructed fine via a recipe.

 

Also when this same Classic Vertibird mesh is used as a replacement (overwrites) the standard vertibird mesh you can create it fine with a recipe! The only difference with my recipe is the location of the mesh and skeleton files (on a new race as it is not a replacer). Does the game expect skeleton.nif files to be in certain directory structure under meshes?

 

To make it stranger, if you create one of these with the 'broken' recipe (and fast travel away and back so the object appears) the workshop recipe now works fine (with the green/red outline now showing the whole object).

 

It is as if one of these NPC's must exist in the game before you can create one via recipe. Or the workshop doesn't know the base NPC has collision until one is rendered by the game.

 

I am confused.

[PJMail]

Further testing shows that Workshop recipes won't work properly for creation of NPCs unless an instance of that NPC's ActorBase has already been rendered somewhere in the game. Ie. do "placeatme NPCactorbase" and now Workshop creation of NPC via recipe using this NPCactorbase suddenly works.

 

Leave that 'placedatme' NPC (or create one via Workbench that now works), save and restart game - Workbench crafting of NPC still works.

Delete all instances of that created NPC, save and restart the game and Workshop creation of NPC via recipe fails again.

 

By fail I mean no red/green outline of NPC in Workshop.

 

Crazy...

[SKKmods]

The game will randomly crash if you try to place actors in workshop mode. Two faffy workarounds:

 

(1) Vertibird Wold Travel places static mesh activators which when activated disables self and places a live actor then enables self when the live actor despawns/dies.

 

(2) Workshop Constuctible Target dummy recipe places a proxy object which places an actor and then scriptson both objects handle workshop move and actor death/destroy events. https://youtu.be/cdRyZn0MyQA?t=23

[PJMail]

Thanks SKK - niston also suggested the static mesh/proxy object solution but I was trying to get the direct route to work first...

It seems to work for everyone else but me (think Machinegun Turrets in the base game, or the plethora of mods out there that allow you to create vehicles).

 

All these 'just work' and create NPC's via the Workbench - I can't see why mine is different.

I have a mesh on the NPC that has the correct skin nodes, a skeleton on the race that matches up, the CK shows the resulting actor has collision, and I know it works as the attach points on the skeleton work (and I can placeatme a working NPC)...

 

But I think something in the skin mesh is making the Workshop process barf so it can't find the collision on the skeleton (so renders nothing) - unless the game has already rendered one... Which is crazy as surely it is the same rendering system as the rest of the game (which works fine).

 

I know of no tools to check this (except proper animation tools - lets not go there).

 

Crazy annoying.

[PJMail]

The other reason I want it to work with a normal recipe is so I get the option to 'scrap' or 'store' the resulting placed NPC.

If I use a proxy to place it then I can only create a 'scrap' recipe for it.

[SKKmods]

You can infact move, scrap and store using a proxy with the right script setup on the objects.

 

Take a look at the proxy/actor scripts on Target Dummy for damage testing for a "how to".

 

Hint: the proxy detects OnWorkshopMode and switches the actor for itself, the workshop constructible object, when the player enters workshop mode. Simple !

 

ps yes some actors can be directly created/placed in workshop mode (turrets and mannequins) crashing seems to be related with an actors race ability to move.

[PJMail]

Crafty!

 

Anyway, I tried the proxy idea and I am back at square one.

I never actually tried a script based "placeatme" (only used the console version) - but the proxy.placeatme() actor is invisible...

Seems the mesh is broken somehow - shame - it was built by someone else...

Edited August 30, 2022 by PJMail

[LarannKiar]

Does the Vertibird NPC have Object Templates? If it has, remove them and try to place it again.

Edited August 30, 2022 by LarannKiar

[PJMail]

Does the Vertibird NPC have Object Templates? If it has, remove them and try to place it again.

It does but removing them made no difference.

What I am trying to do is very simple - I am using the assets of the "Classic Vertibird Replacer" and instead of it being a replacer I duplicated the vertibird NPC and Vertibird race and pointed these at the skeleton and mesh of the Classic vertibird (and obviously duplicated anything else required - like bodydata, skin armor, object template items etc). Now I can 'placeatme' (console) one of these new Vertibirds and it is fine - however if I placeatme via script, or use a workshop recipe to create one, they are invisible. If I create (an invisible) one via placeatme script - then fast travel away and back (or just save and restart) - the Vertibird is there and fine!!!! Once one exists the Workshop recipe works as expected and placeatme (script) also works!!!!

 

Note that when the same assets are used to replace the existing Vertibird assets, placeatme (or a Workshop recipe) work first time!

Edited August 31, 2022 by PJMail