[LE] Where to install Modder's Resources?

[fieldarchy]

Hey guys,

I have installed Creation Kit for SSE and I wanted to add resources to it from other mods I either already have downloaded or resources packs downloaded from other modders.

Currently, when I open Creation Kit and click on Data I get the Skyrim, Update, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn content listed in there but none of the info from the various mods I have installed in my game.

I have tried googling for help but I can't seem to find a video or post that addresses my specific question which is where (in my game files) should I be loading plugins, textures and meshes so they are an option in my Creation Kit?

I currently use Mod Organizer 2 to install mods for my game. I am assuming this has something to do with mods not showing up in my CK but before I start to move things around, I thought I'd ask for some advice. I'm a bit confused and hoping someone can help me out. I want to try to create a player home.

TIA

[greyday01]

The way I do it if I want to use some meshes and textures from Whoever in my mods to make folders in Data with this structure:

Data / textures / MyMod / Whoever and Data / meshes / MyMod / Whoever and put the meshes and textures from Whoever into the Whoever folders.

If you want to add objects using those meshes and textures in your mod, in the CK duplicate and rename an object of the appropriate type in the CK and edit the data path to point to the mesh you added. You will probably need to edit the new path to the texture also. You might need Nifskope to edit the texture path of the Nif first.

 

To turn this into a mod use something make a folder on your desktop named Data and copy MyMod.esp and the meshes and texture folders with their subfolders into it then package it as a zip or rar file. You can leave out the Data Folder and just Zip the esp, meshes and textures if you want.

[NexusComa]

2 guesses ...

 

Do you have both loadorder.txt and plugins.txt in .. C:\Users\ YourCompName \AppData\Local\Skyrim ?

plugins.txt should be the same as loadorder.txt without the Skyrim.esm on the top.

 

or

 

Are your mod.esp and .bsa files in the root of the Data folder (as in in the Data folder and not in a sub folder of the Data folder)?

Edited December 19, 2018 by NexusComa

[fieldarchy]

2 guesses ...

 

Do you have both loadorder.txt and plugins.txt in .. C:\Users\ YourCompName \AppData\Local\Skyrim ?

plugins.txt should be the same as loadorder.txt without the Skyrim.esm on the top.

 

or

 

Are your mod.esp and .bsa files in the root of the Data folder (as in in the Data folder and not in a sub folder of the Data folder)?

My mod.esp are located in the folders that Mod Organizer 2 created. The path is D:\Game Mods\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\mods

 

The path for Skyrim is D:\Games\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition

 

Do I need to reset where my mod files are going?

 

I have been installing mods for a while but I am new to figuring out how to create mods. There is content I'd like to create, but I am fumbling around trying to work out how to do things. Any advice is appreciated.

[agerweb]

If your playing Skyrim then what MO2 doing is fine; but I would reccomend when making mods you do it manually ie you place your esp in the data folder in your actual path for skyrim in which case the Textures and Meshes go in that folder as suggested by grayday01. And when your testing your Mod you run it directly from there.

 

You can and people do use mod managers for there development, but they are not really designed as development environments and it if you have problems or bugs in your mod (which you will) then the mod manager configuration just becomes another thing to check.

[fieldarchy]

If your playing Skyrim then what MO2 doing is fine; but I would reccomend when making mods you do it manually ie you place your esp in the data folder in your actual path for skyrim in which case the Textures and Meshes go in that folder as suggested by grayday01. And when your testing your Mod you run it directly from there.

 

You can and people do use mod managers for there development, but they are not really designed as development environments and it if you have problems or bugs in your mod (which you will) then the mod manager configuration just becomes another thing to check.

Excellent info. Thank you. This is some of what I have been needing to find out.

 

So should I move my mod files and where MO2 is downloading my mods into my Skyrim folder then if I want to use resources from them? Such as Elianora's resource packs?

 

So for instance if I want to use resources from Skyrim, Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Elianora's Pack, all the .esps need to be in the same folder in order for CK to load them up?

[agerweb]

Skyrim and the DLC esm/esps are by default in the Data Folder.

 

Yes you need the resource packs you are using in your Data/Meshes and Data/Textures folder. I would also suggest you have another folder somwhere else on your harddrive with a Meshes Folder and a Textures Folder in it where you keep a duplicate of the resources you are using as you go along; this makes it easier to package your mod for eventual release. If you don't do this you end up with the job of trying to work out which of the resources in you Data folder you actually need and which you don't.

 

So:

 

If you have:

 

Data\Meshes\SomeStuff\etc

etc

Data\Textures\SomeStuff\etc

etc

 

You should have

 

Somewhereelse\Meshes\SomeStuff\etc

etc

Somewhereelse\Textures\SomeStuff\etc

etc

 

also I would have:

 

Somewhereelse\MyModLatestVersion.esp

and

Somewhereelse\Backup\MyModEarlierVerionDec18.esp

Somewhereelse\Backup\MyModEarlierVersionJan19.esp

etc

(the frequency of you backups depends on your personal paranoia!)

[fieldarchy]

Skyrim and the DLC esm/esps are by default in the Data Folder.

 

Yes you need the resource packs you are using in your Data/Meshes and Data/Textures folder. I would also suggest you have another folder somwhere else on your harddrive with a Meshes Folder and a Textures Folder in it where you keep a duplicate of the resources you are using as you go along; this makes it easier to package your mod for eventual release. If you don't do this you end up with the job of trying to work out which of the resources in you Data folder you actually need and which you don't.

 

So:

 

If you have:

 

Data\Meshes\SomeStuff\etc

etc

Data\Textures\SomeStuff\etc

etc

 

You should have

 

Somewhereelse\Meshes\SomeStuff\etc

etc

Somewhereelse\Textures\SomeStuff\etc

etc

 

also I would have:

 

Somewhereelse\MyModLatestVersion.esp

and

Somewhereelse\Backup\MyModEarlierVerionDec18.esp

Somewhereelse\Backup\MyModEarlierVersionJan19.esp

etc

(the frequency of you backups depends on your personal paranoia!)

 

 

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate it.