Making custom content. Where to start?

[LaurellaBellaBean]

Hello, y'all. I would like to start making some things for Dragon Age: Origins and I don't know where to start. Let me explain my thinking a little. 

All of my experience in making custom content is with the Sims franchise.

(Shameless plug: my creator name is Lolabellesims and I'm on tumblr and The Sims Resource.)

Anyway, when you're a noob at making sims cc recoloring existing items is the best way to begin learning. From there, you can convert objects—objects that already have a mesh and textures— from other games, then learn to make objects in Blender (or some other 3D modeling software) and make textures, and then make CAS items. CAS items are complicated and not beginner-friendly.

That's the best process for sims things but what about DAO? Is there a similar process for people just starting out? What would be the best thing to start out with? Recoloring existing items?

At this point, I'm thinking about making tints. Specifically tints for hair. Is that a beginner-friendly project? If not, what is a beginner-friendly project? 

And where do I go to learn? Seems like most tutorials were on the BioWare Social Network site but that's gone now. I can't even access it through Wayback Machine because I get a language picker screen that I can't get past. 

I've been Googling for days looking for tutorials but I feel like I need to have a plan—a plan that's similar to learning to make Sims cc. I need to know where to start. And I need to know where the good tutorials are now that BioWare's site is gone. 

To summarize:

*Is there a process to learning to make DAO custom content?

*What is the process? What are the beginner projects? What are the intermediate projects? What are the advanced projects? That sort of thing.

*What is the best beginner projects? (I'm mostly interested in making hair tints, at the moment).

*Where in the holy hell of hells are the good tutorials? 

Edited June 22 by LaurellaBellaBean

[theskymoves]

The Dragon Age Toolset wiki has a tutorial on creating tints:  Overriding and creating tints tutorial

There's also TUTORIAL: How to create your own skin tints, eye tints, and hair tints in the Toolset; this tutorial on armor tints (Has some general information on the tinting system); and Creating TINTS for datoolkit.

Those are the only tint-specific things I have in my bookmarks.... I have quite a few other tutorials and bits of info bookmarked that I will post when I have more time. (I'm just headed out the door, right now.)

[LaurellaBellaBean]

Thank you muchly. You helped with my other question the other day regarding changing the requirements for custom content morphs. I've been able to see what exactly each morph requires and then I can use those files and only those files. Rather than installing the entire Pineappletree Vibrant Color mod, for example, I can just use the single tint file that the morph mod needs and I don't have to install all of Pineappletree's tint files, if that makes sense. 

As for my other question, is there a process similar to making Sims custom content that should be followed? As I stated before, the best process for learning to make Sims cc is to start with recolors, then working with static objects as static objects don't require weight paint, then making/converting CAS (Create a Sim) items. CAS items do require weight paint and they must work with the game's sliders so they're not good projects for a beginner.

When it comes to making DAO custom content what would be the easiest projects to learn? What would be intermediate projects? What are considered advanced projects? 

[LaurellaBellaBean]

Anyone? Just wondering if there's a process to learning to make DAO custom content? What's considered beginner projects? What are intermediate? What's considered advanced? 

[theskymoves]

I'd say typical beginner mods are things like face morphs, retexturing or recoloring items, adding new equippable items based on existing models, changing the equipped items on NPCS, altering stats and restrictions on items.

More advanced would be mods that add new models to the game (hairstyles, armor, weapons, statics), both new creations and ports from other games. And mods that alter gameplay mechanics, probably, though to be honest, they can also be very easy to make and very difficult, depending on what edits are made. Things like adding new spells/talents/classes would most likely fall in the intermediate-to-advanced realm. Cutscene mods are probably also intermediate-to-advanced.

More advanced still, IMO, would be things like expansion modules, and adding new maps to the game, or quests, or new companions and NPCs. Or making dramatic alterations to existing content like overhauling the combat system. Or a large scale overhaul of a romance. Or a UI overhaul.

And bug fixes can be either simple, easy mods, or complex.

But at the end of the day beginner/intermediate/advanced  really  depends on what skills someone brings to the modding table. And what things the modder feels can be added or changed in a game.

As an example, many modders convert or create hairstyle mods as their first project. And though I've been modding games for almost two decades, just the thought of doing any 3D modeling makes me queasy... it's not a skill I have any capacity for, at all. So it's a case-by-case thing, where best to start.

[SlyraksL]

On 6/22/2024 at 10:18 AM, theskymoves said:

The Dragon Age Toolset wiki has a tutorial on creating tints:  Overriding and creating tints tutorial

There's also TUTORIAL: How to create your own skin tints, eye tints, and hair tints in the Toolset; this tutorial on armor tints (Has some general information on the tinting system); and Creating TINTS for datoolkit.

Those are the only tint-specific things I have in my bookmarks.... I have quite a few other tutorials and bits of info bookmarked that I will post when I have more time. (I'm just headed out the door, right now.)

Hello, I'm a toolset begginer and just happened to come across this post. If possible, could you please post your bookmarked tutorials?