New Playable Skyrim 'Character' (NOT Armour) Model Rigging Tutorial ?

[ShenmueScrolls]

I have extensively searched the internet for a clear 'step by step' explanation and I have wasted hours watching Unscripted, Unedited, UnVoiced Videos On Youtube

 

What do I want?

 

I want to import a completely 'new body' character model

 

Much Like this Goku Character

 

Nearly all tutorials videos talk about creating new armour and adding them ontop the existing body and skeleton meshes.

Nightasy is probabally the clearest and easiest to follow, and its possible if I keep watching his videos I will eventually be able to put 2+2 together, but its also frustrating.

 

I took a look at the Goku Model

 

http://s23.postimg.org/le2v3q6e3/lost02.jpg

 

I was surpised on import to see it in the T-pose and not the ususal relaxed T-pose. When I then imported the standard skeleton it moved.

It has 13 Meshes I understand the meshes have the skin modifier and they are rigged to each reigon of the body, I only have 2 meshes

 

The Goku model also came with an esp file and requires the console command

Press ~ to open console command, than type:
help Goku and you'll see a list with items codes:
player.additem 2DAAAAA1 1 Goku Playermodel

For now I'm happy to follow this process (later will require a complete overhaul of the 'race' selection menu)

 

 

I've added the modifiers , but now I need to edit the envelopes and attach the bones to the mesh , but I also want to do it in the T-pose. I know the basic principles of rigging but instead of creating new bones this is selecting the bone to the mesh and I dont understand how to do that.

 

http://s11.postimg.org/pne5npe5v/lost01.jpg

 

Eventually I may change the Base Male body and turn the clothes into armour , but for now I just want to be able to import my character into skyrim.

Edited April 20, 2016 by ShenmueScrolls

[Terra Nova]

I'm not on my PC but I can tell you the concept of modeling a completely new body is the same as making armor. There are just different techniques involved. A very good tutorial on this is on digital tutors.com but its 30/mo. Look up nightasy tutorials on YouTube. Its voiced and the auther made the tut for similar reasons. Its about armor but the concept can be applied for making a body.

 

Egde loops when making a body is crucial in order to create proper deformation, especially around the shoulders, knees, and especially the hip areas.

[ShenmueScrolls]

I am currently going through Nightasy's tutorials , my current frustration is that he is importing armors Mesh and bodys Mesh that are already rigged to the bones..

 

I will continue watching but If anyone knows of anything more specific regarding adding bones to new plain editable mesh's I would be most grateful

[Deleted1308005User]

Mmm.. I can't remember where I found really good tutorial for this. It was about rigging armor, however as Nova said, it's the same process as if making armors.

(Body actually consists of armor addon parts, you just assign the body AA's at race window to that race.)

 

(I hope I explained myself clearly.)

 

I'll post the link to site if I find it.

[Terra Nova]

He has already made the body. He is having trouble linking the body with the skeleton, which is still the same process as rigging armor. Keep following the tutorial, there is a series where he rigs a freshly created top. Ignore the fact that he imported a BODY MESH that is already rigged.

 

However, I don't know how you change the pose.

 

Honestly if I knew how to do that(add bones like people have done for capes), I would gladly walk you through it.

[ShenmueScrolls]

Seems I'm clearly trying to run before I can crawl (and do something fairly unique and not what I want for my mod anyway)

Between 3dsMax, Nif Plugins & Nifskope my current failures to export could be the result of 1001 errors I'm making.

 

At this point I feel it would be simpler to turn the entire body into seperate individual Head,Body,Hand,Feet armours, instead of this player.item object

 

Eventually I would like to turn the Race Menu into a Charcter select Menu, and every NPC will be their own unique Face/Body Mesh. #TotalConversionProject

[KorinOo]

First what you need to understand is: character body (hands, torso, head) is actually an armor by Skyrim Editor definition. There is no difference between skinning a naked body + importing it to Skyrim and skinning an armor + import. And separating head, body, hand etc. wont help you ether.

 

What you can do in your situation is, with this straight T pose model, you can pose the skeleton (by using bone rotations) in straight T position to match your model pose and then try to skin (ether by hand or by "skin wrap"- just remember when you import another skeleton or body/armor model, do NOT reset/import animation!).

[ShenmueScrolls]

First what you need to understand is: character body (hands, torso, head) is actually an armor by Skyrim Editor definition. There is no difference between skinning a naked body + importing it to Skyrim and skinning an armor + import. And separating head, body, hand etc. wont help you ether.

 

What you can do in your situation is, with this straight T pose model, you can pose the skeleton (by using bone rotations) in straight T position to match your model pose and then try to skin (ether by hand or by "skin wrap"- just remember when you import another skeleton or body/armor model, do NOT reset/import animation!).

 

By doing them individually , I hope to copy the original 'skin' assignment (and also get a better idea of what bones need linking with what mesh)

I've seen Nightasy use skin wrap. (ironically he breezes through its use unlike everything else)

 

By 'Bone Rotations' I assume you mean 'Rotate Only' ? (as is the usual custom)

http://s4.postimg.org/4ue9anupp/T_pose.jpg

 

The T-pose fits really well, I'd just like to 'Move' a few bones for the Finger locations (However Its also possible that 'Moving' any bone (other than the pelvis/root during animations) will result in failure). I could change the mesh I'd just rather not have to distort my model.

 

Skin_wrap only takes data from the original seleted mesh , This base body doesnt contain data for hands/feet/head. hence my reason for wanting to do them individually..

 

getting closer , I shant sleep again untill it is done!

Edited January 22, 2015 by ShenmueScrolls

[ShenmueScrolls]

Not having much luck exporting the meshes following the tutorials

 

So I imported an original item , moved a single vertex and exported it back into skyrim and the entire mesh is replaced with an '!'

 

... so It seems my problem is really a NIF export issue (or a shader issue, but why should textures affect the mesh load??)

 

.. Im using the lastest version

 

The export is Totally different ... zzzz

With so many variables its difficult to know what to do differently

http://s7.postimg.org/wm0zqx4a3/issues.jpg

Edited January 22, 2015 by ShenmueScrolls

[KorinOo]

 

By doing them individually , I hope to copy the original 'skin' assignment (and also get a better idea of what bones need linking with what mesh)

I've seen Nightasy use skin wrap. (ironically he breezes through its use unlike everything else)

(...)

Skin_wrap only takes data from the original seleted mesh , This base body doesnt contain data for hands/feet/head. hence my reason for wanting to do them individually..

 

 

 

When you skin wrap you can select few objects as a source, so you can keep your mesh as one piece and skin all parts at the same time. Breaking the mesh into parts and skinning them separately may cause bugs/artifacts like seams and different vertex weights at connecting edges.

 

Also, your export options looks ok. Mesh on the left looks different because it has vertex colors turned on. You can turn them off NiTriShape->NiTriShapeData--> "Has Vertex Colors" in block details.

The big "!" mark may not instantly mean that something is wrong. SCK sometimes have a problem with loading new crated .nif's.

So, after you pick your .nif and got "!" simply click "OK" to create your object, then go to the Render Window and pres F5 on keyboard (it will freeze for few seconds, maybe a minute) to reload all assets, then check your new created object again if you still have the "!" mark. There is a high chance you will see your .nif correctly.