Do Your Part: Help out a New Modder!

[PhlegethontheLight]

Hi, everyone!

 

I know this has probably come up a thousand times on this and other forums, but I can't seem to find it anywhere in a format I can understand.

 

Can anyone provide me with a relatively simple way to attach a Skyrim character's animation skeleton to a model of my own design?

 

I'm new to this whole thing, (I just got the Creation Kit, my first modding engine ever, only about two weeks ago) and I've got lots of ideas I want to try out... about 90% of which will ABSOLUTELY require this procedure.

 

Please offer me any help you can... and have pity on me, a humble n00b, if you choose to do so and I can't immediately understand you.

 

Thanks!

[David Brasher]

It is said that 3-D animation is one of the hardest types of modding there is. If you look at the selection of mods available, you will see that there are not a lot of mods that add new creatures to the game. You have picked a rather ambitious project for your first mod. I have gotten the impression that people do that sort of work mostly in 3-D Max, with some work in Blender, NifSkope, and then the CK at the very end of the project. So it sounds like the CK is not the tool you need right now.

[doctorhr2]

In your position, I'd be using Max and NIfskope to examine how the animation works and how it is attached to the skeleton. Maybe even make an experimental mesh based on one already in game and see if you can succesfully replace it.

 

I'm in a similar position, being a new modder; but as David says, you have picked a rather ambitious place to start. Maybe you should take a couple of steps back and try getting a custom object with weight and collision in the game first? All modelling and texturing is good practise and it'll give you experience with swapping meshes in NIfskope.

Edited September 17, 2012 by doctorhr2