Some issues concerning modding for FO3 (and Bethesda games generally)

[syphilitica69]

Hey folks! As some of you may (or may not) know, I'm aiming to create a DLC-sized mod for Fallout 3. The process is unfortunately running into some serious challenges, those of which I shall describe below.

 

Firstly, I was hoping to introduce some custom assets to this mod. When I say "custom assets", I don't mean the tried-and-true (and done to death, IMHO) custom weapon and armor models, though there will be some of those in there. I'm talking custom creature models and animations. Specifically, those for several new classes of robots and other nasty in-game surprises. Truth be told, these haven't been done anywhere near as often as the weapon and armor assets- and when they have been done, they usually entail the importation of assets from other Bethesda titles rather than the introduction of anything new. This is disheartening in and of itself.

 

My second gripe is the lack of tools necessary to create such assets with any degree of ease, even if doing so were possible. Specifically, I'm referring to the 800-pound gorilla in the room simply known as "Blender". I understand the urge for software designers to create something novel, something that's never been done before. And the designers of Blender certainly succeeded in that particular task. Unfortunately, due to things such as over-reliance on the keyboard, non-standard keybindings, and many others beside, Blender is a tool that one would have had to be using 3D modelling software literally from the day they were born in order to have a chance of using it properly. Needless to say that despite my intellect, I am not one of those lucky few. I don't know- maybe I'm turned off by Blender's interface. I also admit that I prefer not to use a keyboard when you can do the same task with the click of a mouse. I guess in that regard I have no room to gripe.

 

Anyhow, my second point aside (after all, I picked up the finer points of 3DS Max without too many issues. Blender shouldn't be any more of a challenge), are there any online resources where I could learn how to use Blender to design custom creature assets for Fallout 3 and other Bethesda games? This would be a great help to me, provided it's possible to do this. Anyhow, thank you all! -Syphilitica69

Edited April 12, 2020 by syphilitica69