how to create activator with existing model?

[davidlallen]

I want to make a console that the user can interact with. I have written the script, based on the "broken EDE" you find in Primm. But, I want to use the existing console02 model; "broken EDE" is a creature. I think I want an "activator". So I click "new" in the activator section of the object window and I get a dialog to enter the information. This is fine. But ... there is no way to enter the model. The field is grey and does not accept typing. The "edit" button eventually brings me to a file select dialog. But the model I want, "clutter/consoles/console01.nif", is packed and is not available in the file select browser. Please see attached screenshot.

 

Is an activator the right way to do this? If so how do I enter the name of an existing model?

[WastelandAssassin]

very simply put, have you unpacked your BSA archives??

you see, the game comes with BSA archives, instead of the standard folder structure (it saves a lot of space, and works really good)

 

so if you can't find the model, you probably need to unpack your BSA meshes folder, and then you will find the model you want (the GECK can't search for files through the BSA archives)

 

hope this helps :)

[FutureVisions]

Extract the console01 nif with a BSA unpacker ( Fomm can do this). Open the geck and create a new activator. Open it and go to the object path, select edit, and select your unpacked nif (it will have to be inside the data\meshes folder). And there you go,

[davidlallen]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look up FOMM to find out how to unpack the archives. For GECK, there is a special NV version which must be used; is the same true for FOMM?

 

I found a hack anyway; I created a temporary zero length file with the right pathname. Then I used the file browser I mentioned, so that the filename would get in there. Then before running the game, I deleted the temporary file. Worked fine. If I have to do this only occasionally, that may be less painful than having thousands of unpacked archive files around.

[WastelandAssassin]

the latest version of FOMM works for both FO3 and FO:NV, so you only need one program

of course, if you have an older version of FOMM (one from before NV came out) than you will need to get the new version

you can find the same program either in the FO3 nexus, or the FO:NV nexus

[Stungravy]

I'm trying to do something something similar to this. I want to make new weapons and projectiles that use the same models as ones that are already in the game. I don't want to make my mod larger than necessary though so I'm thinking I'll do the same thing.

 

I created a temporary zero length file with the right pathname. Then I used the file browser I mentioned, so that the filename would get in there. Then before running the game, I deleted the temporary file. Worked fine.

 

Does anyone know if this might cause any problems?

[davidlallen]

I created a temporary zero length file with the right pathname. Then I used the file browser I mentioned, so that the filename would get in there. Then before running the game, I deleted the temporary file. Worked fine.

 

Does anyone know if this might cause any problems?

As long as I remember to delete the temporary file, it works fine for me. The only purpose is to allow me to use the file browser to enter the filename. The actual data is packed inside the bsa file.

 

Probably what most people do, is unpack the bsa into your data directory. Then all the files are actually there, and you don't need to worry about these temporary files.

Edited December 11, 2010 by davidlallen