Seamless Texture Help

[dubiousintent]

Thanks for the permission (now posted as "Tip: Model Lighting"), and the NifSkope link.

 

Didn't have that NifSkope version (linked now) but did have v1.0.22, which is bundled in the Blender v2.49b package with other compatible components. Do you know if v 1.1.3 is fully compatible with v1.0.22? Compatibility of components is the primary reason for recommending the older bundle package.

 

-Dubious-

[SnakeSlippers]

Well didn't this thread explode since I last checked lol

 

You guys went into deep water here out of my reach for now. But I would like to post a pic and the steps I take on how I edit the texture on the tracks.

I call it my temp texture change, since I don't use Gimp to change textures, I change around whats in the game already.

 

And the vanilla game I dont think you would find a seamless texture anywhere. Each spot is a mix of anywhere between 1-7 or 8 textures.

But then I delete all the ground texture and replace it with a seamless one and use the same for the tracks and it does this.

 

I see you guys are already figuring it out but just want to post anyway. And its not only rail road tracks. It does the same thing for tree stumps and you change the dirt texture, pile of trash. Etc.

 

https://imgur.com/5Cdzsvx

 

Top 2 pics are Vanilla in GECK, with lighting on/off

Bottom 2 pics are the snow texture I used on the ground and rails, with lighting on/off

 

And the steps I take to do it incase anyone was wondering is

Double click on object

Edit base

Edit model

Model data window pops up

Double click on one of the parts listed in the window

Change texture from texture set

And I didn't even think about removing the sand part from the rails, that might actually be very helpful. Damn and I was sitting here removing parts from models like crazy to fit my needs but I don't think to do the same to the rails.

Edited December 25, 2017 by SnakeSlippers

[EPDGaffney]

Dubious:

I had no idea that upload of Blender included an older version of Nifskope. Could have saved me a right headache some weeks back. I personally haven't actually switched from the newer version of Nifskope since I got the older one. Not for any real reason, just that it works now and I haven't needed to (I needed the older one to help someone else with a Skyrim mod, so that went to their computer, not mine). But Pixelhate uses the one I linked here and I think he knows his stuff, so I'd say yes, I trust its compatibility.

 

I use Blender Portable from the Oblivion Nexus, which has all the stuff you need already installed in terms of scripts. There seem to be some great additions in the one you're talking about, but you need to install a lot of stuff, whereas Blender Portable simply runs as is and is quite convenient. Wih this, this older version of Nifskope is theoretically all I'd need if I had to use .obj files, which I think is necessary for Skyrim.

 

I edited my comment to be clearer about what I meant by '5%', in case anyone reads it and says, 'But 5% of 0 is 0.' It's now:

(that is, 0% is pitch black, and bringing the RGB values all up by 5% of the maximum value available, 255, is termed 5%, in this case about 13)

 

OP:

Seeing it that clearly, I'm back to thinking it's not really UVs so much as the gloss and specular data I mentioned, which again is part of the model. Your textures are just accentuating the differences more than it was in vanilla, probably because of your normal map's alpha channel.

[Deleted1205226User]

Regarding the OP problem:
I believe that Landscape Textures specularity is handled slightly differently in game than for object. (This is speculation on Specular) There's also a setting, in GECK, to check/uncheck specular for Landscape Textures, I've yet to understand why.

Regarding V 1.1.3 (revision36efdd) of Nifskope:
This version is totally compatible with the bundle
Actually, I recommend that version to work with FO3 and FNV. (Along with the XML version 0.7.0.0)
It is, in my opinion, the most stable and complete version prior V2 and the XML have differentiated color for Collision, which is essential when working with them.
Both V1.1.3 and V2 can be installed but cannot run at the same time.

Since I never use the obj import/export function, I don't know if it works.

[EPDGaffney]

I can't find any landscape models in the folders. I don't think I'm missing them, as it's generated in the editor, bt is there some way to edit the way the textures work similar to the way you can edit it on a .nif in Nifskope?

 

I've not used the .obj functions extensively, but they seemed to work in my brief tests.

[dubiousintent]

@pixelhate and @EPDGaffney: Thanks for the additional info. Updated the "Programs and Tools" section of the "GECK" guide.

 

And now back to the topic at hand ...

 

-Dubious-

[madmongo]

I can confirm that NifSkope 1.1.3 works perfectly with Blender 2.49b and all of the nif scripts, etc. since that's what I use. For most of it, there's not much difference between 1.0.22 and 1.1.3. The one place I really notice the difference is in the shader flags, especially flags that are used by creatures and armor skins. Some of these fields are marked as unknown fields in 1.0.22 but are properly identified in 1.1.3. NifSkope 1.0.22 is usable, but it's easier to make sure you are setting the right flags with 1.1.3.

 

I have never tried exporting or importing obj from NifSkope. Any time I want to export or import to a different format I do it from Blender. I have Blender 2.49b and 2.79 installed on my system but I really only use 2.79 to import file formats that 2.49b doesn't recognize.

 

EPDGaffney, what are you calling "landscape models"? Landscape is heightmapped. Nifs are created for LOD but not for the landscape itself. I'm a little confused on what you are looking for and what overall you are trying to accomplish.

[EPDGaffney]

I'm looking for a way to edit the way the landscape handles gloss and specularity and environment mapping and stuff like that that you can do on a .nif. I've never done landscapes in this engine, so I wasn't sure if it eventually ended up as a .nif file after the editor generates it. Mainly asking so that OP can look at the values on the terrain if so inclined, to see about matching its lighting to other models.

[SnakeSlippers]

I figured it was probably something to do with the spec map or along those lines. Just didn't get into it yet. Just dove into actually modding so I'm still working on things. But those textures not matching the same texture of the ground always bugged the crap out of me.

[madmongo]

Terrain is stored as a height map. Each cell is divided into quads, and each quad can have several textures mixed onto it. This all ends up stored in your esp or esm. There are no nifs generated, except for those used by LOD.

 

To create a terrain texture, you start with a regular dds texture file, and first define a Texture Set for it, and then add an entry in Land Textures for it. In all honesty, I have never tried to add a specular map to a landscape texture. There's a check box in the texture set for it, but I have no idea what that will do for a landscape texture. Under land textures there is also a Texture Specular Exponent that I have no idea what it does.

 

You might try experimenting with those.