Modding Armor for CHSBHC BBP tutorial for 3ds max

[stabilobossyellow]

The purpose of this tutorial is to help even people that have not used 3ds max before import, mod mesh, merge mesh, export, then get the mesh working in Skyrim by using 3ds max

 

Just wanted to say thanks for this tutorial and all the subsequent advice given by all posters.

 

Great job, everyone, much appreciated by us nobbies (that's like noobies but even more thick :facepalm: )

 

Kudos.

[DizzasterJuice]

Thanks for the tutorial, Cherry! I have a tip, in exchange for an answer to a question!

 

In regards to morphing _0 to _1, I found a fairly neat way of doing it (in 2012, at least). Add both _0 and _1 to the scene, and select _0. Add the "Morph" modifier, and select _1 as the morph target. Select _1, right click and hide the object. Select _0 again, and there's a list of channels for that modifier, and the first should now be 0%. If you turn it up to 100%, it should do exactly as Skyrim does with the weight slider. Turn it back down to 0% after briefly testing that it works.

 

Now import the armour model. Edit the mesh so that it fits snug against the body. When done, deselect the selection mode (e.g. vertex selection of Editable Mesh) so that it doesn't interfere with the next steps. Add the "Skin Wrap" modifier, and select _0 for its target (add button, click body). At this point, it may think for a while to process things. Select _0 again, and the morph modifier, sliding it up to 100%. Now toggle back to the armour - you should find that things have changed, though it may not look right. Tweak the falloff, distance influence, and if needed check Blend to Base Mesh. Your armour should now scale appropriately with the body! Should be able to export at 0% and 100% accordingly with very little extra effort.

 

And now for my question - admittedly I have no desire to really modify existing armour, only to create new. How does your tutorial change if you don't have an original armour NIF? I'd like to create my own models, textures, and ideally specular maps too (no idea how the latter are handled). That said, I'm hoping the CK has stuff to handle this when it comes out.

 

This is excellent thank you for sharing this I will have to try it.

I used to make morph targets for facial expressions on my characters (Not skyrim related)

 

To make new armor you need to somehow replace an existing or create a new. Problem is if you create brand new one im not sure what the Dismember modifier would be nor the extra file to include it into game.

Yeah, this is the morpher method I was talking about on page 3 of this thread...Thanx for details and explanation Frozzled.

[captinjoehenry]

i have clicked on edit mesh it dosent show up. also the # and types of bones are diffrent from each diffrent skin i have 2012 3ds max hope some of this helps

[whiterabbit0]

i have clicked on edit mesh it dosent show up. also the # and types of bones are diffrent from each diffrent skin i have 2012 3ds max hope some of this helps

 

 

If you have different types of Bones on your screen you're accidentally importing other skeletons other than cherry's. Make sure when you're importing your NIF files from the Skyrim BSA extraction that you're NOT importing the skeleton or cameras.

 

I'd have to see what exactly you're doing but when you start with a blank MAX file, first you open Cherry's skeleton, that's the ONLY skeleton you want, and it's your first operation, then you load everything else in.

Edited January 26, 2012 by whiterabbit0

[captinjoehenry]

ok here is what i do (i do not know how to show screenshots sorry) i open CHSBHC-V2.3-Physics-Bone-T-Pose then i import the body mesh i turn off skeleton and camras then. next i import the amor. both of these i discheck skeloton and camres i then make a smooth modifirer for both the body and the armor next i set the smooth modifirer to 2 then i delete the skin on the armor then i copy the skin from the CHSBHC body into the armor after that i click on the skin modifirer highlight the edit button i click on a bone and there is no color change on the body. also even though i dont import any other skeloton other than the CHSBHC one each skin has a diffrent set of bones. Edited January 26, 2012 by captinjoehenry

[CherryHotaling]

 

This is excellent thank you for sharing this I will have to try it.

I used to make morph targets for facial expressions on my characters (Not skyrim related)

 

To make new armor you need to somehow replace an existing or create a new. Problem is if you create brand new one im not sure what the Dismember modifier would be nor the extra file to include it into game.

 

You can always add a new BSDismemberment Modifier right in max, and select all polygons. set it to "Torso" Then once the model is imported into NIFSkope, you need to manually edit the Properties of the BSDismemberment for your character from "Torso" to "32" which is the Skyrim ID# for Torso.

 

 

 

Also, yes this is how I have been doing my model editing, I create two morph targets for _0 & _1, then take a 3rd copy that is default, apply the morph modifier to it, then add in the breast weighting & the smooth modifier. Then on export I simply change the sliders and export each state with the appropriate body. IF YOU DO THINGS THIS WAY IT IS 100% IMPORTANT THAT YOU DELETE THE MORPH MODIFIER IN NIFSKOPE. The model will not change once it's been exported, but as DizzasterJuice explained when he originally put forward this idea, it will crash your skyrim on-load if it's in the final NIF. My logic for doing it this way is I have fewer situations where I load things into the game and I get a vertex explosion when using the weight slider due to the _0 and _1 model vertex weight being different.

 

@Frozzled

If you're interested in doing your own brand new content, you will have to create some UV Maps as well as associated Texture DDS files. I'm personally still unclear how to apply NiAlpha settings in Nifskope, so I can't really advise you on that. But all of these elements are important. If you're in the business of making a new armor though, I would recommend you at least put together a polygon model. (just build it up on one of the body models) and then we'll have something to at least go off of / reference to help you with the rest.

Standalone armor insertion has been enabled by kind of a makeshift CK that the nexus community has cooked up, so even pre-CK you can create new content, it's just a lot of tedium.

 

This is awesome thank you. I am unsure about the Alpha as well.

[Frozzled]

You can always add a new BSDismemberment Modifier right in max, and select all polygons. set it to "Torso" Then once the model is imported into NIFSkope, you need to manually edit the Properties of the BSDismemberment for your character from "Torso" to "32" which is the Skyrim ID# for Torso.

 

What is it that the BSDismemberment modifier actually does? Just part splitting? Related - if you happen to have a list of IDs for the various different components, that might be useful (not for me at the moment, but for anyone else reading this thread).

 

Also, yes this is how I have been doing my model editing, I create two morph targets for _0 & _1, then take a 3rd copy that is default, apply the morph modifier to it, then add in the breast weighting & the smooth modifier. Then on export I simply change the sliders and export each state with the appropriate body. IF YOU DO THINGS THIS WAY IT IS 100% IMPORTANT THAT YOU DELETE THE MORPH MODIFIER IN NIFSKOPE. The model will not change once it's been exported, but as DizzasterJuice explained when he originally put forward this idea, it will crash your skyrim on-load if it's in the final NIF. My logic for doing it this way is I have fewer situations where I load things into the game and I get a vertex explosion when using the weight slider due to the _0 and _1 model vertex weight being different.

 

What do you mean by a 3rd default copy? I'm assuming you mean either a 50% morph or the default character mesh (but if the latter, it'd have a different vertex count making a direct morph impossible I presume), but unsure!

 

@Frozzled

If you're interested in doing your own brand new content, you will have to create some UV Maps as well as associated Texture DDS files. I'm personally still unclear how to apply NiAlpha settings in Nifskope, so I can't really advise you on that. But all of these elements are important. If you're in the business of making a new armor though, I would recommend you at least put together a polygon model. (just build it up on one of the body models) and then we'll have something to at least go off of / reference to help you with the rest.

Standalone armor insertion has been enabled by kind of a makeshift CK that the nexus community has cooked up, so even pre-CK you can create new content, it's just a lot of tedium.

 

Creating the model and UV map hasn't been an issue (using a mixture of ZBrush and Lightwave), though I am having difficulties with the actual texturing. Do you have any recommendations for ways to texture by brushing on the model itself? Worst case would be drawing on the texture file itself, but I can imagine that being hell for seams, so would rather not if I can avoid it.

[Frozzled]

Yeah, this is the morpher method I was talking about on page 3 of this thread...Thanx for details and explanation Frozzled.

 

My apologies if I belittled your post in any way! When I first read it, it went over my head - I then discovered the technique on my own, only realising that it was the same after re-reading it.

[cchoay]

When I try to import the femalebody_0.nif at the start, I get this error message: No appropriate import module found.

 

It is then followed by a 'improper file format' error

 

What am I doing wrongly?

Edited January 28, 2012 by cchoay

[Frozzled]

When I try to import the femalebody_0.nif at the start, I get this error message: No appropriate import module found.

 

It is then followed by a 'improper file format' error

 

What am I doing wrongly?

 

Have you installed the NifTools plugin linked on the first post? (http://www.mediafire.com/?d2gjf3vvbys74xi)