Persistent "Gray Face" Problem

[Bobbetyrules]

Hi all,

 

I'm having issues with the eponymous "gray face" problem, specifically in regards to mods that edit the mage follower Brelyna. Every mod that visually edits her as an NPC unfailingly leads to the gray face, including mods I've downloaded off of Nexus.

 

The solution of properly exporting the facegen tint & morph (via Actor>selection ctrl + F4 in the CK) does not fix the problem, and in fact appears to have been the original cause of it. At least, I first noticed it after trying to edit the character on my own through the CK: all I was doing was changing the HeadPart for hair, and after that I exported with ctrl+F4 as I had been instructed by numerous sources on the internet. It was then that I started getting the gray face. I've since managed to fix it by replacing the 0001C196.dds file with one that I generated -- which seems to work as a fix ONLY insofar as I have no mod that visually edits Brelyna as an NPC. As soon as I have something, such as the Immersive College of Winterhold mod, installed near the top of my load order, I unfailingly get the damned gray face. Even if I create a simple mod (like before) and ensure that I export the face gen.

 

However, my diagnosis might not be totally correct, as it seems to be functioning OK with the Ethereal Elven Overhaul mod (which I'm not entirely sure whether it edits Brelyna as an NPC directly or not). But so long as that mod is lower on my load order than mods that edit the NPC it seems to be fine. That is, of course, after I replaced the gray face that was caused by using ctrl+F4 in the CK, at which point there was always the gray face no matter what. I've tested it, and if I go into the CK and use the export function with Brelyna selected it directly appears to cause the gray face issue, even though that's supposed to be the fix for it.

 

Could anyone please help me figure out why this NPC is suddenly uneditable?

 

Thanks

[Bobbetyrules]

Does nobody have any idea what could be up?

 

Here's my load order, if it helps.

 

0 0 Skyrim.esm

1 1 Update.esm

2 2 RaceCompatibility.esm

3 3 ApachiiHair.esm

4 4 Natural Characters and Companions.esm

5 5 SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esm

6 6 RSkyrimChildren.esm

7 7 Campfire.esm

8 8 ETaC - RESOURCES.esm

9 9 SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp

10 a Frostfall.esp

11 b RealShelter.esp

12 c RaceMenu.esp

13 d HighResTexturePack01.esp

14 e HighResTexturePack03.esp

15 f HighResTexturePack02.esp

16 10 HighResTexturePackFix.esp

17 11 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ammo.esp

18 12 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Books.esp

19 13 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Food (Reduced Weight).esp

20 14 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ingredients.esp

21 15 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Miscellaneous.esp

22 16 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Potions (Half Weight).esp

23 17 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Soul Gems (Ranked).esp

24 18 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Spells.esp

25 19 Immersive Weapons.esp

26 1a SMIM-FarmhouseFlickeringFix.esp

27 1b SMIM-ShackRoofFixes.esp

28 1c SMIM-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp

29 1d Unlimited_Rings.esp

30 1e alternativeCityAccess_1.2.esp

31 1f notched.esp

32 20 DoomstoneClasses.esp

33 21 BetterRiften.esp

34 22 ETaC - Darkwater Crossing.esp

35 23 ETaC - Dragon Bridge.esp

36 24 ETaC - Falkreath.esp

37 25 ETaC - Ivarstead.esp

38 26 ETaC - Karthwasten.esp

39 27 ETaC - Kynesgrove.esp

40 28 ETaC - Morthal.esp

41 29 ETaC - Riverwood.esp

42 2a ETaC - Rorikstead.esp

43 2b ETaC - Winterhold.esp

44 2c ETaC - Dragon Bridge South.esp

45 2d Immersive Orc Strongholds.esp

46 2e Immersive Whiterun.esp

47 2f Immersive Stonehills.esp

48 30 Immersive Shors Stone.esp

49 31 RealShelter_ETAC13.esp

50 32 ETaC - Dawnstar.esp

51 33 RSChildren_V.esp

52 34 Racial Traits Improved.esp

53 35 flexibleperktrees.esp

54 36 RichMerchants.esp

55 37 LovelyHairstyles.esp

56 38 SoS - The Wilds.esp

57 39 SoS - The Dungeons.esp

58 3a SoS - Civilization.esp

59 3b SkyUI.esp

60 3c OMageReplacerPack.esp

61 3d Facelight.esp

62 3e Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp

63 3f Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp

64 40 WATER.esp

65 41 RealisticWaterTwo.esp

66 42 Unique Region Names.esp

67 43 Pupetteer Master.esp

68 44 CollegeOfWinterholdImmersive.esp

69 45 CollegeDaysWinterhold.esp

70 46 CWINPCApachiiSkyHair.esp

71 47 marriagemod - alpha v3.esp

72 48 SofiaFollower.esp

73 49 Imp's More Complex Needs.esp

74 4a RaceMenuPlugin.esp

75 4b KS Hairdos - HDT.esp

76 4c KS Hairdo's.esp

77 4d TheEyesOfBeauty.esp

78 4e Further Dark Dungeons for ENB.esp

79 4f Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp

80 50 GreenWaterFix_Compatible.esp

81 51 whisperingdoorfix.esp

82 52 Craftable and Placeable Havok-enabled Bedrolls .esp

83 53 ethereal_elven_overhaul.esp

84 54 1nivWICCloaks.esp

85 55 chargenexport.esp

86 56 RSPatch.esp

 

[Gearhog]

Naturally, no one replied to this.

I'm having the same exact issue. After installing WICO for SSE, I immediately had a grey face for a majority of the NPCs. Loaded last on the list, aside from RSChildren (as advised). That isn't the issue, however. I went in, and exported every single facegen file for every single NPC, wasting A LOT of time in doing so.

Now I'm having the issue with completely different NPCs. Uthgerd is the main one I have noticed.

Literally no NPC replacements loaded. No facegen data. Nothing. I have loaded earlier saves to far before the problem occured, yet the problem persists. I'm at a complete and utter loss. Other than to completely redo all the NPCs in-game, I have no idea what to do. And that may just make things worst, for all I know!

[ReDragon2013]

You wrote:

I'm having the same exact issue. After installing WICO for SSE, I immediately had a grey face for a majority of the NPCs.

 

Mod: WICO - Windsong Immersive Character Overhaul by Windsong
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2136/?

Did you ever read the sticky post with headline [ Dark Face Issue ]?

Ok.. What is happen with grey faces?
If you click on the files section, you'll see behind of each downloadable version an icon like a magnifying glass.

Click on this icon to see what is the archive structure. Folder no. 11 is called "Main - core Files".
This folder has some bsa-files inside. Each of this is an archive similiar to zip or 7z, but in new ba2-file format
which is different in Skyrim SE to older Skyrim.

In case current version of NexusModManager has trouble to read this archive format, you could have grey face bug.

Another explanation and more likely could be as follow:

Let us assume inside these bsa-archives are facegen data, path like that:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Data\meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\WICO - Immersive Character.esp"

and you built handmade facegen data, path like that:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Data\meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\Skyrim.esm"

Who will win the race of facegen data?
It's always the last loaded file.

- It depends on the mod load order (.esm/.esp) if the last file is inside the bsa-archive

- or if exists the file on your Skyrim installation drive.

But keep in mind if you change any facegen data of NPC you have to make sure
- the right mesh files *.NIF -- 000918E2.nif
- the right texture file *.DDS -- 000918E2.dds
have to be loaded for that modified NPC.

In case mesh and texture do not fit with modification, you'll see grey or black face for that NPC.

In good old Skyrim there is a folder structure like that (X is any drive number, you installed Skyrim):

for meshes

"X:\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\Skyrim.esm" <- vanilla path
"X:\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\myMod.esp" <- mod path like mod name

for textures

"X:\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\textures\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceTint\Skyrim.esm" <- vanilla facegen textures path
"X:\Steam\SteamApps\common\skyrim\Data\textures\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceTint\myMod.esp" <- mod path like meshes above

No solution, but an explanation to think about facegen issue.

Edited November 6, 2016 by ReDragon2013