Alternative look of an armor for a specific NPC

[Dlovemods]

Hey,

Just curious. Is there a mod or a framework or a possibility to assign a custom shape/model to an armor (vanilla or modded) for a specific NPC? Like equiping a classic Iron Armor to any NPC would look the same, but equiping it on a specific NPC (like Lydia or Erik...) would show a different shape or even an entirely different model.
Or even any NPC equiping an armor would look normal but when the player equips any armors, it would have a custom shape/model.
Example: any NPC who equipped an Iron Armor would use the vanilla model of the Iron Armor, but if Erik wear an Iron Armor it use a custom model.

And I'm not talking about OBody NG here because I'm pretty sure it doesn't have this feature. It can do overall bodyshapes but not a specific shape/model for a specific armor for a specific NPC (or for the player).

[scorrp10]

Well, we already have race-specific models of hoods/helmets for Khajiit and Argonians.   So technically, if this NPC is of a custom race, you can add a custom model to an armor specifically for that race.    Problem is, if you want this NPC to be able to wear anything else, you would need to alter all the other ArmorAddons to include this custom race (or alter all Armors to include that race-specific ArmorAddon).   This solution would be a mess.

Another option would be to have some sort of script, probably attached to a permanent effect on the NPC, which would monitor for 'OnItemEquipped' events, and if applicable, immediately replace the equipped item with an alrernate one.   

[Dlovemods]

Aren't custom races easier to create since the release of the SKSE version of Race Compatibility aka RCS? Like if the NPC use a vanilla race: just create a duplicate of this race of this NPC ; make an RCS config to treat this race like it's vanilla equivalent ; specify in a plugin that this said armor on this new-indentical-race have a new model... no? Aren't other recent custom races do that?

And when you mean script, you mean a .pex file or a config file of a potential mod capable of detecting events like 'OnItemEquipped'?

Edited June 3 by Dlovemods

[Karna5]

2 hours ago, Dlovemods said:

a possibility to assign a custom shape/model to an armor (vanilla or modded)

This probably isn't what you had in mind, but I'll tell you what sometimes I do.

Requirements:

• SSEEdit or Creation Kit (I use the SSEEdit)
• Outfit Studio/BodySlide
• Some kind of Follower Framework so you can control the Outfits worn by a follower (I use NFF)

1. I open the outfit I want to alter in BodySlide then click the Outfit Studio button right of the outfit's name.

2. I Save As changing slightly the Display Name, Output File Name, Slider Set File and Shape Data File.

3. I change whatever I want, be it add Alpha Blend for transparency, add a zap slider, adjust mesh position, etc. If I repositioned a mesh, I conform sliders and repaint bone weights as applicable, but if I don't reposition anything that's not required.

4. Save the changes, close Outfit Studio and BodySlide, open BodySlide and build the new outfit to give it a mesh.

5. I open the Plugin with the outfit I want to change using SSEEdit.

6. I find the Armor Addon record and Copy As New Record into a new ESL plugin (I usually give it the same plugin name with _overrides after the plugin name so that it's easier to find my overrides plugin to activate later).

7. In the new Armor Addon record in my new plugin I keep everything the same but point the mesh to the NIF created by the new BodySlide project I made and built.

8. I find the Armor record and Copy As New Record into the new plugin.

9. In the new Armor record I point the addon to the new Armor Addon record I made. I also change the name of the new outfit (very important so you can find it in game correctly.)

10. If there's a constructible object record or whatnot for the Outfit I follow the same procedure if I feel like it, but it's not really necessary as there are many ways to spawn an outfit in game without crafting them. Console Command or the "Add Item Menu SSE Fixed" are probably the best.

11. I close SSEEdit and save the new plugin. Then I go to my Mod Manager and activate the new ESL plugin.

12. I start Skyrim SE, spawn the item and use the Follower Framework to control that NPC's outfit.

It's a lot easier than it sounds, especially after you do it once.

 

[Karna5]

Post Script: One might wonder why I go through all that instead of just changing the initial outfit itself. The reason is that sometimes I like to create mashups of different pieces from different mods, but I don't want to break the original mods.

For instance, let's say there's a chainmail corset I like a lot which covers the right nipple but has the left nipple bare. And let's say there's a pasties mod I like, but it covers both nipples and clips awkwardly with the covered right nipple.

I create a copy of the pasties and zap the right pasty only. Then I create the new outfit with a new ESL plugin, and I spawn the pasty for the left nipple only.

Then I have the NPC (or my own character) use the chainmail corset and the tailored pasties together.

[Dlovemods]

It wasn't what I want but after all that, I think the answer of my question is simply not possible, or at least yet. Except for the Armor Addon patching to a custom race that scorrp.10 said, which sounds... awfully not worth the time for the little edit I wanted to do even though I'm happy to learn a new thing. Maybe someone would make a script one day or a framework like Skypatcher, FormList Manipulator, OBody NG, OAR, or something like that for changing dynamicly the model of an existing (or modded) armor to an alternate one depending of the character wearing it.

And thank you Karna5 for your workflow. Even though the aim of my question was about avoiding the creation of an entirely new standalone armor like you do. But I think it's the closest way to make what I want, still long depending on how many variants I want the armor to have for only one NPC but shorter than patching every single Armor Addon.

Edited June 3 by Dlovemods