First-time custom weapon mod issues

[PyroJesus]

Hey guys. I'm new to the modding scene; the only other work I've done is a fix for someone else's mod, and thought getting the kinks ironed out of that had taught me enough to make my own. Seems I spoke too soon.

 

I'm now trying to make my first custom weapon. It's not exactly original; it's just a re-skinned and re-statted sniper rifle. What I've done so far is, I've made the modified sniper rifle textures, copied the sniper rifle's .NIF files, opened them in NIFskope, and changed the filepaths and names that the .NIF is using to match those of the textures I want to use. This doesn't work. I presume some of you have just read that and laughed at my ignorance. I wouldn't blame you.

 

I've also tried using the vanilla sniper rifle .NIF for it, and created a new texture set in the GECK to use as an alternate texture. Once I've applied it to the weapon in its edit screen, however, the preview image appears to have adopted the normal map as a texture. I'm going out on a limb and assuming that's not right.

 

That's my case, and I've tried damn near everything I can think of. If anybody can set me straight by telling me what I'm doing wrong and telling me how to do it right, I'd be so very, very grateful.

 

Thanks!

[pkleiss]

Both methods you described should work if done properly.

 

If you copy a vanilla nif and change the texture paths for ALL BSShaderTextureSet Nodes, then all you should have to do is point the model on the weapons page to this new nif. For weapons, however, there is also a 1stPerson static model that needs to be made and its model needs to point to the new nif as well. Then your weapons data page needs this new 1stPerson object to be selected in the associated drop down box on the weapon's page.

 

For the texture set method, You have to include the .dds files that you haven't changed as well as the one you have. If you make a re-tex, then you have a new (diffuse) .dds file, but the nif will also have a normal map texture (_n.dds). You have to use a slot in the texture set and point to this file as well. If you did not make a new normal map, then you will have to extract the original one from the BSA so that you can select it in the chooser. If your weapon (or any object) uses additional textures (like _m.dds or _e.dds or _g.dds) these too will have to be extracted from the BSA and added to a slot in the Geck Texture Set object. One caveat is that the order that textures appear in Nifskope IS NOT the same as the order in the Geck Texture Set object. But for just the diffuse and normal it is.

[ric36]

I would suggest that you use the texture set method. Extract the bsa file somewhere and snag the sniperrifle_n.dds file which will be in this path: textures\weapons\2handrifle.

Create that file path in your data folder and copy the extracted file there. Place your custom texture file under the game data\textures folder somewhere that makes sense (textures\weapons\MyCustomSniperRifle or something similar).

 

Open the texture set for 1stPersonSniperRifleTexture and change the Editor ID to MyCustomSniperRifleTexture or something similar. Click on the diffuse map and in the Texture browser below that, select your custom texture. Click on the normal/gloss map and in the texture browser select the vanilla normal map taken from the archive in steps above. Click OK. Click Yes to create a new form.

 

Open the sniper rifle. I would recommend that you set the 1st person drop down list to None. Click the Edit button for Model and for each line in the model under new texture, double click and select your texture set. Job done. Then change that stats. If you want to change the default one, then just save that as is. If you want to make a new sniper rifle, then change the Editor ID and say yes to create a new form.

 

That is the easiest way to do what you want IMO.

 

Regards

Ric36

[PyroJesus]

To both of you,

 

Thank you so much. I don't know where I was going wrong, but after following both your instructions, I've finally got it working. Thank you again, I'm so very grateful for your help. Kudos for all!