Modding advice.

[ramare]

_{(Yeah, if you saw a thread similar to this one in the general Oblivion talk, disregard it.)}

 

I want to make mods, to skip all of the reasons, and other little morsels.

At least one person spits out one mod for Oblivion every day, so it must be easy when you get the hang of it.

The way I see it, you need four things, to make a mod: An idea, the will to make it happen, the skill to make it happen good, and the tools to make it.

I have two of the above four bits. I have the idea for a mod, and the will to make it. What I don't have, however, is the skill, and the tools.

The way I see it, you get the skill by two main things: Tutorials and advice from fellow modders, and hands-on experience. I can't get hands-on experience if I don't have the tools, and the tutorials would be useless in that case, so what I really need in this stage of development is the tools. I need something that can make new meshes/models, that can hopefully also allow me to easily texture the model I have made. Perhaps this wonder-tool will also be free, and dispense turkey clubs. All jokes aside, I really do need something that can make models, and textures. And if the construction set can do this, I'm going to need an encyclopedia on how to use it; because that crab is complicated.

 

I'm sure you're wondering what I want to make, that's so important. I bet you're also thinking that it's simple to make, and, therefore, has been. Well, it is, smart guy, but I have also searched far and wide for it, across the Nexus files, Nexus forums, hell, even Google.

 

And again, since I kinda avoided the question, what do I want to make?

Neko necklaces. You know, those little black/red neck bands with the single, cute golden bell, that're kind of the signature thing for cats and nekomimis the world over.

Yes, I searched the Nexus for something that fetishistic, and got nothing. I'm as surprised as you are.

But thinking about it, making it myself would give me a sense of achievement, and my own actual mod, plus, it seems somewhat simple. Just a textured, black, neck-band, a small cloth anchor point, and a golden bell. Hell, I even think that if it turns out right, I'll just use the texture, color, and reflection map from my custom gold coins, with permission and/or credits, from the original author, of course.

I also have a reference picture I plan to use, if anyone needs a reference picture.

So, again, modding tools, sage advice, and hand-holding are all greatly appreciated.

 

Oh, and, since the line "my custom gold coins" may be a little confusing, and misleading, I was talking about the replacer I use for my septims, this one (Linkage: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1826)

[bben46]

Start by learning to use the construction kit. If you don't already have it, it is available FREE here: http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_utilities.htm

 

Then look at the WIKI for a simple tutorial: http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Main_Page

 

You will make mistakes, this is how you get experience.

Nothing gets into the game without going through the CS so you must know how to use it first.

 

After mastering it, there are many free tools such as GIMP, Blender, Nifskope and others for making models that can be used by the CS. Pick one and learn it. Don't try to learn a bunch of tools all at once or you will confuse yourself.

 

Looking forward to seeing your mods posted here.

[ramare]

Start by learning to use the construction kit. If you don't already have it, it is available FREE here: http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_utilities.htm

 

Then look at the WIKI for a simple tutorial: http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Main_Page

 

You will make mistakes, this is how you get experience.

Nothing gets into the game without going through the CS so you must know how to use it first.

 

After mastering it, there are many free tools such as GIMP, Blender, Nifskope and others for making models that can be used by the CS. Pick one and learn it. Don't try to learn a bunch of tools all at once or you will confuse yourself.

 

Looking forward to seeing your mods posted here.

Well I'll be darned, a moderator replied. I almost feel kind of special.

Now on to the seriousness. I know a bit about how to use the construction set, but what I need is something to make models. The programs you mentioned; which one would be best for a rookie? Do any of them have the ability to texture models created? To be sure that you don't need to modify the model, to make it work as planned?

I need a few more answers. Although any and all help is still greatly appreciated, because I've tried running blind with mod tools, with just a couple bits my friend told me, and what the manual told me. Needless to say, it didn't turn out well.

 

Edit: I looked up Nifskope, and at a glance, it looks like it fills my texturing niche, but I still need to get a modeling tool.

 

Edit 2: Oh my. I looked up Blender, and it looks like it's a full-blown tool...Not for modding, but for professional animated movie work, and that really scares me.

 

Edit 3: Well, looked up GIMP. It seems to be for touch-up work. If I learn how to use them all to a better end product, they seem to be the perfect trinity.

 

Edit 4: Eh...I loaded up Blender, and it looks so complicated I'd need to take a college course to be able to make a simple ring shape...Well, hopefully I can get a basic understanding by the middle of the day, through a crash-course of tutorials, screwing around with it, and _hopefully some advice from the modding community. Nothin' teaches yah better than the random people who utilize it.

[Revan97111]

someone could help me to finsh this....

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NX3BBGF4

[LHammonds]

Don't let Blender's features scare you away. The amount that Blender can do had me scared for quite some time....until I introduced it to my very young nephew and watched him learn how to create awesome-looking models of swords in just a few days. I felt like a dolt for not trying so I picked it up and was determined to give it a fair try...guess what? It really pays off to learn how to make your own models. I can be even more fun that playing Oblivion! And the best part is that you can (if you want) sell your models as an independent modeller.

 

The 1st thing you do with Blender is to get started with the basics of navigating around the system...knowing what you need and what you don't need helps when going through tutorials (such as avoiding anything about how to setup cameras and lighting for the purpose of creating renders...or ignoring anything to do with the game engine.

 

Once you learn how to move around in the different panels and get a feel for where most things can be found, then you start going through the tutorials for creating models and UV maps (forget about animation at this point).

 

It is also important to avoid working on the models you are wanting to create for Oblivion...at least not at 1st. Stick to the throw-away models in the tutorials.

 

When jumping into modding for games and you don't have any proficient skills in the use of the Construction Set, texturing or modeling tools, don't bit off more than you can chew. Keep your 1st mods simple. Create a texture replacer 1st...that lets you see how you can create or modify an existing texture and you don't need to use the construction set for that. Then get a bit more involved by using the construction set to add a new item to the game using that texture so it is a unique item and does not replace anything...this also requires that you know how to change texture paths in existing NIF files, place NIF and DDS files into your own project folders and then packaging the NIF, DDS, ESP (and hopefully a readme file) into an archive for distribution. Once you get all these steps down, go for something a bit larger that includes a slightly modified model....then one with a brand new model....etc.

 

By the time you start working on your main, big idea, you will have the tools and skill to implement it far better than if you tried working on just that project the entire time. Also, releasing mods as you learn the skills gives you a chance to get feedback about how you are doing while you are learning...who knows...you might run across great nuggets of wisdom that will vastly improve that mod as well as all future mods you make.

 

LHammonds