Floating Feathers, Argh !

[brokefoot]

Long story short (well, as short as possible)...

 

I took the feathers from the forsworn staff and wanted to make them a circlet replacer. So I followed the steps for importing/skinning/exporting using 3ds Max 2012. I've done this many times before, but for some unknown reason - the skinning doesn't follow in-game. They just float in mid-air behind or to the side of the character head. In the picture, this is how the mesh lines up when viewed in Nifskope. I understand WHY this is happening (I think). It is because the skin modifier didn't export properly ? Dunno, but before I export from 3ds Max - I check my weights by loading a female run animation. This tells me the mesh is doing its thing correctly. And when I view the skin modifier envelope - everything is red hot, as it should be - all weighted to NPC Head bone.

 

I have contacted 2 experts on the matter. I'm not necessarily looking for someone to mod my game for me, just would like to see if someone has success with it and also HOW they did it different from my process. And also I'd like to review the working file for comparison of my broken one.

 

I've been skinning the feathers to either a helmet or head mesh. Both work fine in 3ds as far as weighting the feathers accordingly.

 

And yes, I've checked my import export settings/checkboxes against 3 different recommended sources - so we're good there (I think).

 

Also, I've just been using my test mesh as a replacer for circlets - so be sure to update the exported nif's biped slot to 42. But you already knew that ! :)

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?8qxxaz6trbb8jpr

 

http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/images/3575696-1356828705.jpg

 

The picture shows Dandelion wearing my test mesh. It lines up with the head just fine ONLY because I have now replaced the female idle animation with the vanilla "staticpose" animation. I did this animation replacement for my own sanity as I desperately want to see these feathers turn out right and can't stand watching them lag behind my character when she moves. Argh !!!

[brokefoot]

EDIT: Fixed it ! :) Well, actually Nightasy fixed it. Not sure what went wrong. He thinks it had something to do with the biped slot and the game only utilizing certain bones ? Dunno, for sure... but the feathers are working as a circlet replacer !!! :)

[Ghogiel]

Yep for some reason the skin modifier isn't being exported. Have you added a dismember modifier to the stack and added all the faces to one of the partitions?

 

What actually are your export settings?

 

Once it's exported properly, one thing that may have bit you in the ass looking at the nif would be the 'skinned' shader flag. Being skinned is actually flagged to be enabled on the mesh in the shader.

 

edit: My job here is done lol.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Ghogiel