Creation Kit: Is it possible to create a new item by cloning an existing item and changing it's look?

[IntentionalBlank]

Noob here (to modding and forums) so if I did something wrong (posted in the wrong area?) please let me know how to correct.

 

I use a circlet helms mod to get armor bonuses without ugly helms, which suits most of my needs (I have amazingly managed to fix one or two set bonus issues with it by blindly stumbling around the Creation Kit before.) However, it doesn't have every outfit (specifically, a Fur Circlet as an alternative to Fur Helmet.) What I'd like to do in the Creation Kit seems simple, but I've never actually modded before, so I don't know what to do and I'm a little scared of breaking something in my game.

 

I'd like to create a clone/copy of Fur Helmet with identical stats, replace the look of it (or do I have to do something else so the game knows its a light armor circlet and not a light armor helmet?) with a circlet (any of the default circlet's looks will do,) and make it a new light armor circlet. This should insure that it gets the set bonus for the armor yet not muck up my look. Is this simple enough for me to do on my own, or should I head over to the mod request forum? Also, it'd be nice to set the crafting recipe as requiring one Fur Helmet, but a no recipe add with console command method will suffice.

 

I would love a Step-By-Step explanation, but any help would certainly be appreciated.

[GreyFox77]

Since you said you've done a thing or two already in the Creation Kit, I'm assuming you already have your own .ESP file.

 

So here we go:

1. Open up this ESP/the Creation Kit

2. Go the ArmorAddon, find the Circlet01AA etc.

3. Pick the Circlet you're going to use to make this Fur set Circlet.

4. Open the Circlet you're going to use and change the ID (upperleft) to (example:) FurCircletAA

5. The prompt will ask you if you want to create a new Form. Click YES. This will leave the original Circlet unaltered.

- now we're going to link a copy of the Fur Helmet Armor to the Circlet ArmorAddon!

6. Go to the Armor section, find ArmorBanditHelmet

7. Open it, change the ID to (example:) ArmorFurCirclet

8. Press OK, and again at the prompt press YES.

9. Open the new ArmorFurCirclet

10. On the bottom you'll see the Models list which has BanditHelmetAA, right-click it and press Delete

11. Right-click in the same (now empty) field, and press New, find your new FurCircletAA

12. In the middle of this Armor dialog there is a Biped Object list. Your new ArmorFurCirclet will have 31 - Hair and 42 - Circlet highlighted blue. Click 31 - Hair to unselect it, that should leave only 42 - Circlet

 

That's it, you now have a cloned Fur Helmet which is actually a Circlet.

[SnippyChris]

This was very helpful thanks Fox!

[GreyFox77]

Well glad to help, I just forgot to mention this:

 

This process needs to be slightly altered if you're doing Khajiit and/or Argonian helmet meshes, since they have seperate ArmorAddon entries.

[SnippyChris]

Hey GreyFox quick question Can this be done: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/2183464-requesttrue-bosmer-armor/?view=findpost&p=19131754

[IntentionalBlank]

Actually, no, I don't have my own .esp. All I've done before in the Creation Kit was:

 

Load up CircletHelms.esp, open up ArmorCircletIron, delete keyword ArmorJewelry, and add keyword ArmorHelmet. This made the heavy armor set bonus for wearing all iron armor apply to the circlet just the same as the helmet it can swapped for (and, by extension, count as a helmet for Eisen Plate Armor, which uses the Iron category. The end result is my shiny new profile pic.) That's my sole experience with the Kit.

 

Back on topic, how do I create an .esp to use... or can I just piggyback on the CircletHelms.esp? Either way, thanks for replying!

[GreyFox77]

can I just piggyback on the CircletHelms.esp?

 

Yup, that sounds like a good idea, preventing having an additional .esp while at it. :)

[IntentionalBlank]

GreyFox77,

 

I got to step 10, but hit a snag at step 11. Namely, I can't find FurCircletAA.

 

I've tried a variety of filters and have skimmed the entire list, but FurCircletAA simply does not appear to be a valid choice. I've tried saving and quitting, then loading the .esp back up, but still nothing. I also checked show all and deleted the Khajit(?) and Argonian(?) bandit helmet meshes before trying to add FurCircletAA. I can find ClothesCirclet07 (Jade and Sapphire Circlet) just fine (which is the circlet I copied.) I've noticed that the zero in the count column has an asterisk next to it, is that important?

[GreyFox77]

GreyFox77,

 

I got to step 10, but hit a snag at step 11. Namely, I can't find FurCircletAA.

 

I've tried a variety of filters and have skimmed the entire list, but FurCircletAA simply does not appear to be a valid choice. I've tried saving and quitting, then loading the .esp back up, but still nothing. I also checked show all and deleted the Khajit(?) and Argonian(?) bandit helmet meshes before trying to add FurCircletAA. I can find ClothesCirclet07 (Jade and Sapphire Circlet) just fine (which is the circlet I copied.) I've noticed that the zero in the count column has an asterisk next to it, is that important?

 

Asterisks are fine, they denote references/entries that are modified/made by the ESP you currently have opened

 

And maybe something got mixed up? In step 2-5 you should make the FurCircletAA

So step 2-5 is ArmorAddon

once that is made it should appear on the list

Step 6-12 is Armor and linking it to ArmorAddon

[IntentionalBlank]

Whoops, I failed to notice the difference between armor, and armor addon. (The same item is split up into multiple tabs!? No wait, items are separated into parts. oooooooooh....) I deleted the FurCircletAA in armor and redid it in armor addon, which made it appear properly in the models window (I also went ahead and did the same thing for FurCircletArgonianAA and FurCircletKhajiitAA, so it should work for all player races, right?)

 

So I saved and quit, (ran LOOT to be safe) and fired up the game. In Dev Console, I searched 'help "fur circlet"', 'help fur', and 'help circlet', but I could not find the Fur Circlet I had made. I went to a blacksmith to see if it was in the forge options, only to remember that Fur Armor is not craftable.

 

 

tl;dr

I've (theoretically) made the circlet now, but I can't find it in game. Is there some way to set it so the Dev Console will find it as fur circlet?

 

EDIT: I figured it out, I needed to change the name of the FurCirclet to, well, Fur Circlet. I've gotten it in-game, but I've run into two more problems, one major: I can't improve the Fur Circlet at the workbench. What else do I need to do to get it to be improvable like the helmet is?

Also, the inventory preview for the circlet is still the fur helmet. How do I change it so the preview shows the Jade and Sapphire Circlet (ClothesCirclet07?) I suspect I have to change the World Model from Armor\Bandit\HelmetGO.nif to Armor\Circlets\Circlet7_GO.nif, but when I Edit the file name, I can't find Armor\Circlets, let alone Circlet7_GO.nif. I can't even find the original mesh of HelmetGO.nif in Armor\Bandit, just body .nifs. Are some folders and/or .nifs hidden or something?

Edited October 12, 2014 by gimme_mods