BSA creating for skyrim

[QuickFox]

How do I make a Skyrim-compatible BSA file?

 

Im trying to port a few of my mods into the Steam Workshop, trouble is I cant seem to get all the files I need into a compatible BSA archive.

 

I tried using the CK archive creator, problem is it only packs the _1.nif files and leaves out the _0.nif, presumably because they arent referenced anywhere by the .esp I am using. This means that my armors dont show up in-game, instead they make the body part invisible :/

 

I also tried creating my own BSA files with FOMM, but it doesnt seem compatible with skyrim at all; its only able to unpack BSAs, any BSA I create results in the armor in question being replaced by a big red triangle with an exclamation point inside of it :(

 

Anyone know of a program or method I can use to create a BSA archive that can be loaded by skyrim, or a way to choose which files get loaded into the CK's BSA packer? currently it only adds files automatically, and while I can remove files from the list by highlighting and pressing delete key, I cant see a way to manually add files.

[QuickFox]

It just occurred to me as I was typing this... would it work if I created a dummy armature reference in the .esp that referenced the _0.nif files, to trick the CK into including them in the BSA file, then just editing my .esp file afterwards to remove the dummy references?

 

Also, is it just me or is the CK's .esp editor pretty lacklustre compared to SkyEdit? I really wish the CK had SkyEdit's 'highlight active entries' feature; about the only new feature I appreciate is the ability to edit ground/inventory models.

[QuickFox]

Okay, Ive figured it out all by myself... finally found BSAopt, got it to work.