Difference between SCOL and Blender model?

[SnakeSlippers]

Whats the difference between making a model in blender or slapping together some stuff in the GECK and making a SCOL? Any major differences?

[jcdenton2012]

When you create a SCOL (static collection) in the GECK, you are using existing mesh and texture pathways already in the GECK to create a custom nif. However, in doing so, every single piece of that SCOL has its own unique texture pathway and interlocked mesh which rather than being a 'flattened' piece, instead is actually a composite nif. This means that faces you don't see in regards to the nif still take up memory. This is why a custom nif and SCOL take up way different amounts of memory since a custom nif created in Blender can have its faces flattened into a single mesh rather than be a composite mesh composed of numerous interlocking meshes.

 

Technically, you can port a SCOL into Blender and flatten its faces... but I have no idea how to work that type of magic.

 

This is also why I haven't released the stuff that I built for London since the SCOLs take up sooo much space.

[SnakeSlippers]

Gotcha. I figured as much. So Im better off making a scol putting it in blender some how and bring it back. I want to take up the least amount of space possible.

[SnakeSlippers]

Ok one more question. So if i was to make say a field of 20 trees. Or a row of bushes, the different amount of space that takes up would be like this than?

 

Just placed in GECK > SCOL > All together in Blender?

[mindboggles]

That's pretty much how it goes, a few things you might want to be aware of. Most of the SCOL meshes I've seen have a rats nest of collision going on, collision is expensive and in blender you can even dedicate primitive geometry shapes to generate it from so that it's really optimized. Once you've got your mesh and collision exported you can then delete the primitive shapes from the nif in Nifskope.

 

You can run into trouble if your nifs are too big in the game, because of their size they can sometimes pick up too many light sources and the renderer won't be able to handle it properly.

[SnakeSlippers]

Aaaaand you lost me lol So if I was to make a big field of trees but as one nif, will you still be able to walk through it like your walking through a forest or will you get stopped at the fron by a invisible wall?

[KiCHo666]

If we are talking about static collision meshes, it's not that expensive. In mod, Collision Meshes, I used highly detailed collisions for statics and haven't seen any fps drop, even on my very old laptop.

On topic....

No, if you create SCOL from static meshes that each have their own collision mesh, you'll be fine as collision meshes will be preserved.
You could, however, import it in Blender and delete stuff you don't need or see in-game to save some performance.