[LE] I could use some help retexturing a races face.

[Ube21]

I'm not exactly the best when it comes to modifying my Skyrim, so some help in this department would be much appreciated. You see, I have an orc_msn file, and I am looking to replace the current orc face with it, but I can't seem to figure out how. Can anyone lend me a hand? Thanks!

[Algabar]

Basically, you can just copy the face to the right location in your Skyrim textures folders. This will tell the game to use your new texture instead of the one stored in Skyrim's bsa archives.

 

The general procedure step by step:

1. Go to Skyrim/data/textures/actors/character.

2. If it isn't already there, create a folder named "orcmale" (or "orcfemale", if it's a female face texture).

3. Copy your file into said folder. Name it "maleheadorc_msn.dds" (for male texture) or "femaleheadorc_msn.dds" (for female face texture).

 

If you and I didn't make any typos, that should do the trick. Carefully avoid spelling mistakes - folders and files must use the exact same names as in the Skyrim.bsa - otherwise the game won't recognize them.

 

WARNING: If you already got files by the name of "maleheadorc_msn" or "femaleheadorc_msn", either try to deinstall the texture mods that created these files first OR - better solution - add your new texture as a new mod to the mod manager you're using. If using a mod manager, copying something manually into your Skyrim/data folder might break the integrity of your mod manager profile - especially if you remove those files later on.

 

Edit: Be aware, that textures with the suffix "_msn" are normalmaps. Put simply, they control surface detail like wrinkles, skin details, scars and so on. If you only replace the normal map, but not the other head textures, faces might look weird. You might also get discoloration issues and/or clearly visible neck seams.

Edited May 12, 2017 by Algabar

[Ube21]

I appreciate your help, but I attempted both of those things and neither of them worked. I double-checked and had zero typos. Do you have any other recommendations? Again, thank you very much.