LE My method to access crafting menu without animations

[angryglock]

I'd like comments on the approach I used to access crafting menus without the animations before I include it in a public mod.

 

I put together a method to create a crafting activator that will allow the player to display the crafting menu (cooking in this case) without displaying the animation. It's for a non-standard cooking pot in a tight space. I could not find any direct posts on the web about a method but found a few disjointed threads and worked this out.

 

1. Create an unlinked cell and put a standard crafting pot in it.
2. Assign it a unique ID (simpleModsCraftingCooking01)
3. In the worldspace create an activator and assign a static mesh to it (a static pot)
4. Assign a script to that object to open the crafting menu from inside the worldspace. In this case a custom pot on a custom stove.

 

Since the crafting station is an unlinked cell the animation does not play but the crafting menu does open. Seems to work fine. The cooking sound loop does not play for some reason but the recipes are there and I can craft food. No errors are thrown in the logs.

 

Script:

 

Scriptname simpleModsASSRCookingScript extends ObjectReference
{Activates a hidden cooking station to allow access to cooking menu without cooking animation.}

ObjectReference Property simpleModsCraftingCooking01 Auto

Event OnActivate(ObjectReference akActionRef)

simpleModsCraftingCooking01.Activate(game.getPlayer())

EndEvent

I know that CCOR will let you use the smelter and the tanning rack without animations based on settings you choose. I don't know how he does that. I'm betting it's a better method than my method and that perhaps the lack of the animation is just a byproduct of what he had to do to let you earn xp from smelting and tanning. In other words it's not a feature it just something that happens. In my case it's a feature since my pot is not standard and my space is too limited to run the animation without ugly clipping.

 

Thanks for your time.

[Tamira]

My method to to access crafting menus without the animations is a lot simpler:

For instance for the crafting menu I edit the crafting furniture, i. e. the CraftingCookingPotSm and point to another model i. e. the Clutter\Common\CauldronEmpty02.nif.

That's all.

Works with the other crafting furniture too.

[Jokerine]

Wow, Tamira, that's a really cool tip. So you'd just make a copy of the furniture (like the smelter) and point it to a different mesh? I'm gonna have to remember it next time I fire up the CK :thumbsup:

[angryglock]

Why did I not try that? Thanks!

[IsharaMeradin]

Both methods are good. I've done both (not in anything released). It depends on the situation as to which may be best to use. If you want to access the station in multiple locations using a variety of static meshes, then the isolated cell method is preferred over making multiple furniture records each with a different mesh.

[angryglock]

Good point. Thanks. I'll keep both in my quiver.