Mesh Issues

[madmongo]

as you already know, it has to do with export functions missing a script ,a very special script that was removed from the networks By Bethesda a while ago.

there was one hosted here too, a very long time ago..I might be wrong but By Lhammod? or another great modder was hosting it on the Oblivion sections.

 

some one in corporate threw a fit about that. all people involved with the source code went nut's and removed any thing of value for us to use.

 

that *.nif script from the source code is not available for free. it is however with in commercial software, which no one here will buy.

 

I own it.

 

 

Actually, I don't know.

 

The problem with hairs that I mentioned, as I understand it, is just due to the way Blender works in that it doesn't preserve polygon order. If that's not the issue, then please enlighten me.

 

I'm not aware of anything missing in the 2.49b nif scripts. I can import and export statics, clutter items, clothing and armor, pretty much anything except hairs (and then only ones that have transparency), and it all works fine.

 

What am I not understanding here? What doesn't work in 2.49b?

 

I'm not trying to be difficult here, but you seem to understand something that I don't, and I'm trying to learn.

[madmongo]

For the OP, I don't use newer versions of Blender, so I can't help you with specifics there.

 

When I create something like a building in 2.49b, I create the mesh first of all. Then I UV map it, add a material, add a texture to the material, then assign that texture to a dds file (which then loads into Blender). Depending on what I am making, I might either re-arrange the UV map to match the texture, or I might re-arrange the texture (using Paint.Net or GIMP) to match the UV map. I tend to let Blender take a first shot at it using a smart unwrap to generate the UV, and if I need to change it from there, I then edit each part of the mesh manually from that.

 

Once that is done, I create a collision mesh. If the original mesh is fairly simple, I will just duplicate it and convert that into a collision mesh. If the original mesh is complex, all of that complex collision will slow down the game considerably, so instead I make a simple mesh, then convert that to a collision mesh.

 

Once I have all that, I just make sure to select all (because otherwise it will only export what is selected), then export as a nif.

 

For static objects and clutter objects, that's all there is to it. For armor and clothing or creature skins, you need to go into nifskope and set all of the shader flags properly because Blender and the nif tools don't do that correctly. For furniture, you need to go into nifskope and add the furniture nodes manually.

 

The exact details of where the buttons are and the layout of the panels is a bit different in newer versions of Blender, but the work flow should be the same. Have you done all of these steps?

[ElfyPers0n]

I just deleted the cube, camera, and light in the Blender startup file so the scene was empty and I worked from there. Why?

 

EDIT: In your screencap it shows the filepaths that I set to Documents\NVDATA\textures\xx\yy.dds, etc. but don't the filepaths all get shortened to the textures\xx\yy.dds bit anyway after export? And would there still be an issue if I used filepaths in the actual data folder?

Edited December 31, 2016 by ElfyPers0n

[ElfyPers0n]

For the OP, I don't use newer versions of Blender, so I can't help you with specifics there.

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When I create something like a building in 2.49b, I create the mesh first of all. Then I UV map it, add a material, add a texture to the material, then assign that texture to a dds file (which then loads into Blender). Depending on what I am making, I might either re-arrange the UV map to match the texture, or I might re-arrange the texture (using Paint.Net or GIMP) to match the UV map. I tend to let Blender take a first shot at it using a smart unwrap to generate the UV, and if I need to change it from there, I then edit each part of the mesh manually from that.

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Once that is done, I create a collision mesh. If the original mesh is fairly simple, I will just duplicate it and convert that into a collision mesh. If the original mesh is complex, all of that complex collision will slow down the game considerably, so instead I make a simple mesh, then convert that to a collision mesh.

Â

Once I have all that, I just make sure to select all (because otherwise it will only export what is selected), then export as a nif.

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For static objects and clutter objects, that's all there is to it. For armor and clothing or creature skins, you need to go into nifskope and set all of the shader flags properly because Blender and the nif tools don't do that correctly. For furniture, you need to go into nifskope and add the furniture nodes manually.

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The exact details of where the buttons are and the layout of the panels is a bit different in newer versions of Blender, but the work flow should be the same. Have you done all of these steps?

Yes, I've done all of this. It's just a question of whether I did it right.

[ElfyPers0n]

Edit: Accidentally double posted, sorry Edited December 31, 2016 by ElfyPers0n

[Purr4me]

To (madmongo) pick a hair, or start a new thread about hair and direct me there. we can discuss it. what I have to show you could be simple? or might not be known.

 

For Fo3, in the birthday party, you will usually see something on heads that is not.

TO (ElfyPers0n)

The work I mentioned is typed out as above user posted but there's a lot more involved. Because you used a startup template and deleted data, that templates deletes are kept with in that file. at the top of Blender, you select New. and import a base model to use.

 

as in a hair mod, there is a base model used..of which I have seen Only Bethesda use, modders don't seem to do that.

The geck has built in tools set to deal with statics, you can rebuild them even if it's from scratch. But you need texture to outline the template with within the correct path.

 

In the root of the game folder, you need to have a folder called source, not in the Data folder, but where the executable is located. This is where you start and stop all works. For those that do not understand how windows works lol, that desktop and operating system writes to all files it controls.

 

This was discovered long ago with windows 2k. Nasty system. C:\Users is part of that ,IE explorer is part of that, UAC is part of that, permissions is part of that.

 

If I boot into a win 2k system 32 bit or 64 bit and make a simple Doc file. and send it to you...you could not even open it.

any picture made on it, same thing. any games data, same thing.

 

ask your self why all these programs require .NET of a version to be installed in order for IT to even work?

IF you build mods and have set up your system to the highest standards you can afford? no body can run your stuff.

 

A saved game that is created in high rez will not load in low rez. I am talking about in game settings.

Blender and nifscope as well as the geck all use these things. Hell, even xedit uses graphics settings.

 

But the path you see in my shot other than inspections of the file, Blender shows the results, the end file names.

The path if I used it in any of my games would show the games folders path's.

 

EDIT: In your screen cap it shows the file paths that I set to Documents\NVDATA\textures\xx\yy.dds, etc. but don't the file paths all get shortened to the textures\xx\yy.dds bit anyway after export? And would there still be an issue if I used file paths in the actual data folder?

Follow Blenders online tut for the game in question.

[madmongo]

I'm not asking about hair in this thread (I may ask in another thread at some point but I'm not going to be making hairs any time soon). I am responding specifically to your comment in this thread that editing a table mesh couldn't be done in 2.49b because it lacked the resources. Hair is the only thing I've found that can't be properly edited in 2.49b.

 

So my question to you, relevant to this thread, is what are you saying doesn't work in 2.49b that required you to use a later version of Blender to edit the table mesh? Because as far as I know, everything related to that works.

[madmongo]

For the OP, I went back through this thread and read it a bit more carefully, and JoKelly's comment on the first page really stood out to me.

 

It's my understanding that no matter how you create the mesh, you need to export it as a nif using 2.49b as that's something that doesn't work in the later nif tools. If that's the case, then that part is the same for me as for you because you have to use the version of Blender that I use to do it.

 

JoKelly's comment was that it was missing the BSX flag and the BHK rigid body, so this may be as simple as you didn't check the proper export options when exporting as a nif. Exporting the nif incorrectly can do everything from making your mesh not work right to crashing the GECK and the game.

 

When you export as a nif, it will come up with an options screen. In the middle it will say Collision Options and under that you want to click on the buttons for whatever type of mesh you are creating. Since you are making a building, you want to click on Static, then under that you want to click on Wood. Make sure that when you created your collision mesh, you added a string value to it it called it HAV_MAT_WOOD. Clicking on those two buttons will default most of the other settings to something that will work fine for your building. But, very importantly, to the right of that, you need to make sure Use BSFadeNode Root is selected. You want that selected for statics and clutter objects, and you want it NOT selected for armor and skin meshes. Pretty much everything else on that screen should work with the default settings.

[Purr4me]

I'm not asking about hair in this thread (I may ask in another thread at some point but I'm not going to be making hairs any time soon). I am responding specifically to your comment in this thread that editing a table mesh couldn't be done in 2.49b because it lacked the resources. Hair is the only thing I've found that can't be properly edited in 2.49b.

 

So my question to you, relevant to this thread, is what are you saying doesn't work in 2.49b that required you to use a later version of Blender to edit the table mesh? Because as far as I know, everything related to that works.

inspect it with any thing you wish (https://mega.nz/#!Cc4AkLoa!bA9wkMR8buAHivv38XCLNVvQLecYyxrf58hT82YDuuE)

I'd like to see what come of it?

 

(https://s26.postimg.org/wirll9xft/table_static.jpg)

Edited December 31, 2016 by Purr4me

[madmongo]

I get an error on the first link. Is that the nif?

 

I don't need the table. I can easily do that myself. I just still don't understand why you say that can't be done with 2.49b because I can do it with 2.49b. What am I not understanding?