Need a little help making a mod

[mcchuggernaut]

I'll try to keep this short:

 

I am trying to add a custom texture for Balor's Oathblade, instead of it using the default "akaviri" texture that all blades swords and Dragonbane use. I know this can be done, (see the mod "Unique uniques") but I don't know how. Somehow I need to tell the weapon "Balor's Oathblade" to look for it's texture files in a different place than it is looking now. Is this value in "scripts.pex"?

 

I just need to know what file controls this, and I assume, extract it and modify it's texture path? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I cannot find any tutorial videos that cover this.

 

Thanks!

[ScrollThief84]

This is a good tutorial and should explain what you would need: http://www.creationkit.com/Retexture_Tutorial

[myztikrice]

It's a bit hidden in the CK, but if you load Skyrim.esm in TES5Edit and open the weapon's entry under Weapons, copy that entry as a new record into a new ESP. and then you can change the directory it looks for its textures directly to ones that contain yours.

Edited February 5, 2014 by myztikrice

[mcchuggernaut]

This is a good tutorial and should explain what you would need: http://www.creationkit.com/Retexture_Tutorial

Thanks for the reply, this has really been frustrating me. The tutorial you suggested I look at shows you how to make your own custom weapon, but all I want to do is to change the mesh and texture that Bolar's Oathblade uses. Right now, when I look at the sword in the creation kit (found it by loading up the "Bloated Man's Grotto" world space where it spawns in-game) it has the editor id "dunBloatedMansKatana" and the model path "weapons\akaviri\BladesSword.nif". In fact, everything in the "akaviri" subgroup under the "weapons" directory uses that model, which is why they all look identical in the game. If I want to make a weapon look different, then I would need it to use another .nif file as it's model, right? Does this mean I would basically need to create an entirely new weapon from scratch and just use the same stats as the Oathblade to make a weapon that was exactly like it with a different mesh and texture? This seems a lot more complicated than it should be...

[mcchuggernaut]

It's a bit hidden in the CK, but if you load Skyrim.esm in TES5Edit and open the weapon's entry under Weapons, copy that entry as a new record into a new ESP. and then you can change the directory it looks for its textures directly to ones that contain yours.

 

So I need the program TES5Edit? Can you be a bit more specific about how this is done? You sound like you know how, but I am not familiar with making ESPs myself and haven't a great grasp of the concept yet. This sounds promising though!

[ScrollThief84]

This way won't use TES5Edit.

 

To change the mesh you'll need (if the game already has a mesh you want) to unpack the mesh bsa with a bsa unpacker: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/4804/? Then find the mesh you want and extract it. Also open up the textures bsa and do the same for it's textures.

 

Then extract it to a custom named folder (usually the name of your sword) and place your folder in skyrim's data, meshes folder.

 

Mine looks like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\Meshes\Weapons

 

After that open up CK and point the sword to look for your new folder and mesh file. Save your esp, done.

 

For new textures, that tutorial should help.

 

Hope that helps... :confused:

[mcchuggernaut]

This way won't use TES5Edit.

 

To change the mesh you'll need (if the game already has a mesh you want) to unpack the mesh bsa with a bsa unpacker: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/4804/? Then find the mesh you want and extract it. Also open up the textures bsa and do the same for it's textures.

 

Then extract it to a custom named folder (usually the name of your sword) and place your folder in skyrim's data, meshes folder.

 

Mine looks like this: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\Meshes\Weapons

 

After that open up CK and point the mesh to look for your new folder and mesh file. Save your esp, done.

 

For new textures, that tutorial should help.

 

Hope that helps... :confused:

I have a .bsa unpacker and have a set of meshes and textures I want the sword to use. The problem is I can't just replace the mesh and texture files easily like that because there are several weapons that use the exact same base mesh and texture files. If I change those meshes and textures it will change all the weapons in the "akiviri" directory that use the "bladesword.nif" and I am trying to only do one individually. I'm thinking I may need a whole new .nif file, but if there is any kind of work-around for this it would be much easier.

Edited February 6, 2014 by mcchuggernaut

[ScrollThief84]

"The problem is I can't just replace the mesh and texture files easily like that because there are several weapons that use the exact same base mesh and texture files."

 

If your just changing the bloated katana, it will only effect that.

[mcchuggernaut]

"The problem is I can't just replace the mesh and texture files easily like that because there are several weapons that use the exact same base mesh and texture files."

 

If your just changing the bloated katana, it will only effect that.

I really appreciate your help, but I'm still a little lost and feel like I am on the verge of breaking my install. If I provided you with a set of extracted meshes and textures, would you be willing and able to whip up a .bsa for me that uses them for Bolar's Oathblade? I could then break it apart and see what you did, and hopefully understand and figure out how to do it myself in the future. I know this is a lot to ask, and I apologize but I seem to be getting nowhere...

 

I could send you a link to get the files privately or in my next post if you agree, but please don't feel obligated and I will understand if you aren't willing to do that. Thank you for all the help either way!

[ScrollThief84]

Yea sure send me a link. :laugh: