any tips for a first time modder?

[XxRoronoaZoroxX]

so I recently started trying my hand at modding and I'm not sure where to start. I have a basic understanding of the GECK and Nifskope what other programs would you guys recommend? Basically all I want is to make some armor and weapons nothing to extravagant. also any recommended tutorials? I know i can use google but i figured I'd get better results here. Any help would be greatly appreciated if this is in the wrong place i apologize I've never posted here before.

[PeterMartyr]

Sublime

Edited September 14, 2016 by PeterMartyr

[uhmattbravo]

GIMP is handy for textures. You may need modeling software if you are looking to make (new) armor. I use Blender because it's free but some others seem happy with 3dsMax. And Audacity can help with audio editing.

[madmongo]

I tend to use Paint.Net more than GIMP just because I think it's easier to use for most stuff. That all comes down to personal preference though. Both programs work fine.

 

I'm another Blender user, for the same reason (it's free). Blender Noob to Pro is an excellent resource. If you want to use Blender, there's a compelte package with Blender 2.49 with all of the nif import and export scripts all packaged together with versions that all work together. If it's not under FNV it might be under FO3, but it's somewhere here on the nexus. 2.49 is an older version but the last I heard the folks that were trying to get the nif scripts working with newer versions only had them partially working.

 

Another vote for Audacity. One tip - when you want to save your file you don't save your file. You export it. Saving it saves the Auadicity stuff not the audio that you are working on. That part is a little un-intuitive, but the rest of it is easy to figure out.

 

I've found that the easiest ways to make weapons is to start with a simlar weapon and then edit out the parts you don't want and add in your new parts. That makes it easier to get all of the bits in place with the right names so that you can easily make a functional weapon.

 

When making armor, I start with a body mesh and work from there. That way I already have the armature (skeleton) and I have the body mesh that I can wrap my new armor pieces around so that I get the proportions and fitting right.

 

The GECK powerup is useful, IMHO. Instead of scripts failing silently it will tell you what it thinks is wrong with them, which isn't always what actually is wrong with them, but it will usually at least point you in the right direction. You can also disable the broken spell checker. On the negative side, it adds a bunch of annoying error warnings that you usually don't care about.

[dubiousintent]

The Blender package (from the Oblivion mods section) and tutorial madmongo mentioned, along with other tools and their descriptions, are linked under "Utilities" on the TESTG site. The glossary on that site will also help you with the many new terms you are going to need to get familiar with.

 

-Dubious-