Custom skinned NPCs fade out when on fire, why?

[montky]

@blahblahdeeblahblah

its all good, it's just a conjecture though, as we're still trying to find the true root cause of

this weird 'ghosting when on fire' effect.

It's one of those things that, once you notice it, you can't un-notice it.

this has quite a few folks stumped though.

 

thanks for trying with the giant purple, blue or orange blobs;

in scenarios I've tried recreating so far, they also partially or entirely faded out,

and that's on multiple installs.

I won't be able to test or hear back from high end installs till next week though.

 

 

 

I'll keep trying looking at different textures and maps,

along with under different light sources and lighting conditions.

I think the effect applies a decal, as well as a point lightsource behind it.

if not, it still applies some effect which is interacting with local lightsources...

 

in the meantime, have a look at tilarta's thread on specular glow and extra map creation,

and at madcat221's "what do map channels do?"

 

I've been trying different patterns on each of the maps to see what components do what behavior...

ishihara, demoivre, leibniz, fresnel, escher etc, it'd be great if I could make the texture map be a pseudo-random walk fractal,

that I could pause once it starts doing weird effects in game hehe.

 

we can try different patterns, and I want to see if that is at all what is causing the different textured things to fade while on fire.

we'll be able to match the maps and then test those more focused...

I'm suspecting that, there's an issue with the maps somewhere,

maybe it's not referencing it, maybe one of the maps isn't made properly...

 

It could also be memory-culling or something, for Hi-End installs and huge 16K or 4K maps etc,

that, when you're on fire after a period of time, maybe that's what's causing it?

 

what I do know is, it's danged weird and annoying,

and it will probably be something simple hehe.

 

 

[BlahBlahDEEBlahBlah]

For reference:

 

 

Looked at a few more other peoples skins (dogs, mostly), a few more things mentioned here, and at this point I honestly cannot see this as being anything other than a broken way I'm making these.
In other words, clearly I'm not doing it right.

[steve40]

That's definitely some sort of visual effect that is being applied that is causing that alpha fade, not a mesh or texture issue.

Edited March 28, 2017 by steve40

[BlahBlahDEEBlahBlah]

That's definitely some sort of visual effect that is being applied that is causing that alpha fade, not a mesh or texture issue.

I'd be so happy if it was. Most recently I did tests (on a whim/just to try anything) with race body settings for show blood and blood spray, decals, impact material/data sets, individual actor for "doesn't bleed"...other similar stuff I can't even remember now (which, actually, isn't all that surprising).

It's all full coverage effects (Mirelurk Queen Spit is the same as fire).

 

So if it's not a nif/mesh/material issue, I just can't find what else it could be, Creation Kit wise.

Regardless, that still leaves it as a step I'm missing somewhere along the process.

 

I'd agree with you, Steve, if I wasn't seemingly the only person whom every times has accidentally skipped the checkbox, option, setting that going to allow this (heck, even a whole group of settings or objects I'm willing to accept I missed).

Every other skin mod I download doesn't have the issue.

Even my Giddy Dog-Horse, which is a simple skin/armor for the vicious dog race, does this. Literally just a skin replacement (armor and armor addon).

On a straight 1 to 1 comparison (because it's so simple), it seems no different (mesh sloppiness aside) in the Creation Kit than other dog skin mods.

Use a another custom dog skin for a simple 1 to 1 comparison in Creation Kit, and I'm not spotting anything different.

 

Anyways, that's why I keep coming back to thinking it's a mesh issue.

I'm perfectly happy to find the answer in something I missed in the CK (and goodness knows I'd be the first person to admit that I sometimes can't see my nose though it's attached to my face)...but there doesn't seem to be anything missing there (while, on the other hand, I know my mesh work is poor and novice-like, so seems more likely to be the issue).

 

...just grumpy. =(

[BlahBlahDEEBlahBlah]

Another week and still nothing I can figure out.

 

On a long shot, I checked for a way to provide burn/fire immunity to them (though that wouldn't help with the Queen Spit that also causes it) a few different ways (including the underarmor anti thing that I can't remember the name of).

Immunity worked fine...but the effects themselves still caused the temporary invisibility. =/

 

Checked "burning", but nothing.

 

Went back again and did another 1to1 comparison of my Giddy Armor (Dog/DogMeat armor) with darklynxxx 's DogMetal armors and esp, did a few tests, but no luck again.

This person's works fine, mine still does not.

 

Would it be at all possible for someone to please take a few moments to look at some examples in the APC Turrets mod, and see if they can spot anything?

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/22652/?

(The APC and Tank turrets all do it, so they are the easiest to check)

Far from the only ones that have the issue, but it's far smaller than downloading the entire Small Addition mod.

 

I will, of course, continue trying to find what I've missed, but I'd really appreciate a direct look from a fresh few pairs of eyes, if at all possible.

I'm missing something, I just know it.

 

Thank you.

 

P.S. I apologize for continuing to bring this up, but I do hope to eventually find an answer, so please forgive.

[BlahBlahDEEBlahBlah]

Recently I took another look at this (felt an urge for self-applied pain I guess, heh).

4 things stuck out as new possibilities.

-The way I name my my 0 node (I always just stick with Scene Root). Fooled around with a test but maybe I've still not got the right idea about that.

-DummyFXSkin.nif. I remember something about this...something I saw...somewhere. Something about being referenced in the actor nif.

-The above and also in general with the bodypartdata object's part data entries. Again, I vaguely remember the DummyFXSkin...something that I missed linking in the bodypartdata maybe? Something about the bodypartdata object's part data entries regardless.

-Some random string somewhere that I overlooked.

 

 

...MER!!

[razealim]

Any solution for this? having the same issue.

[BlahBlahDEEBlahBlah]

Hey, that's no good. =(

Yeah, never was entirely sure what I started doing differently, but it *did* clear up eventually. =/

Double check your Wet material, and materials overall, that was a possible culprit I recall.

 

Worst comes to worse, pm me and I'll see if I can figure it out. =)
Or, DM me over on Discord (seems to a bit easier over there) at BlahBlahMidForever#7052.