Custom Hair, Custom Race, Custom NPC and the CK

[HeadsExplode]

Well I finally got my follower made and imported into the game and standing around. But her hair isn't correct, not what I selected in the ~showracemenu I made her in, before exporting her .npc file. Everything else is as it's supposed to be. But she has the Apachii replacement of HairFemaleNord08 and when I select it and click the dropdown box all I get is "DEFAULT." How do I go about getting ApachiiHair29 onto her so I can be done with all this?

 

I tried the Skyrim NPC Editor but it just creates mod files that CTD me after trying to load the game.

 

Is there a way to just edit a file somewhere and tell it where to find the mesh for the hair that I want, or something? I've looked all over for solutions to get the Apachii Hair into the Creation Kit's actor editor and am running out of options.

Edited February 1, 2013 by HeadsExplode

[HeadsExplode]

An update:

So I got the hair on her in the Creation Kit.

 

I've seen a lot of people with this problem so I'll just share how I got the hair on her, as it's pretty simple but seems pretty overlooked.

When you have your CharGenParts tab open, instead of trying to get something from that useless "DEFAULT" box, use your ObjectWindow to go to Character>Headpart>Female>Headpart, then find the hair you want, in my case ApachiiHair29. Just click and drag it to the HeadPart window next to the preview pane and it'll replace it, you'll see it on your preview model.

 

BUT NOW I GOT A NEW PROBLEM!

 

My game CTD's when I try and enter the cell(Sleeping Giant Inn, Riverwood) which she is in. I could enter before, when her hair was incorrect and talk to her and everything, but now I can't even get through the door.

This makes me feel like there's a leftover file somewhere but I don't have a clue what it is?

 

Suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[HeadsExplode]

Another update(I'm doing it this way to serve as bumps too, so if I should edit them all together just let me know).

 

I went back into the Creation Kit to look in on things and it turns out my NPC keeps turning back into "foxrace" and won't stay as the custom race I chose anytime I save.

If anything, this feels like it might be the problem. If the character was created in ~showracemenu as the custom race, but is now being put in the game as a "foxrace" I would assume that would cause issues.

So now my task is to find a way to make my NPC's race stay as what I want it to be, which isn't being straight forward in the slightest.

 

I'm starting to go grey because of this. Help. Please.

 

EDIT:

I got it! Finally!

For completeness' sake, here's what I was missing in the equation as far as I could tell:

My follower's mod .esp file didn't have the customrace.esp file as a Master originally, which must be why it kept changing back to Foxrace. I was able to remedy this with Wryebash by right-clicking my mod then going to "Add Master..." and selecting the custom race .esp. I just have to load it in the loader before my follower's .esp and i'm golden.

 

I'm so glad I finally got this entire thing sorted out. First time doing anything in the creation kit ever. Once problems started springing up, I couldn't find any answers for nearly any of them. So much trial and error and guesswork.

I should put this effort into my schoolwork.

 

Anyhow, sorry for spamming the forum. Feel free to delete this topic unless it could serve people in the similar situation some help.

 

Time to actually play the game.

Edited February 1, 2013 by HeadsExplode

[kwbudburt]

thanks for the "hair" fix! I have been battling the CK for days just simply trying to put an Apachii hair onto a vanilla NPC (Lydia) for days. The lack of detailed "how to's" by modders is quite frustrating.

[AzureFreak]

I agree, thank you for posting your findings. I've been googling like crazy how to get a custom hair to stick with a custom race in the CK and have been losing hair over how frustrating it is.

[thebeast505]

Wow thx! Now I know how to do it!

[OfficialBurrn]

i actually love you right now, i have had all of your problems, i tried editing a custom lunari npc, but the good ones are all unp, and i got stuck with the hair on the cbbe ones

[OfficialBurrn]

I found that i had to copy my race.esp to a master file, and then set that master file as the master of my follower mod, just for anybody having trouble with just setting the .esp as a master

[padmaus]

I made my custom npcs using vanilla races, but with Apachii Hairs, Battle-Hardened Warpaints, and I also have Coverwomen installed (Im not sure if this one is working on my NPC) and of course, CK gives them vanilla hairs and lame vanilla warpaints which look totally wrong. I looked in my Headparts in the Object Window, but none of the Apachii hairs show up--only vanilla... and i have no idea where to begin with fixing the warpaints. Do i need the Apachii Hairs for NPCs mod installed? Are these things even possible?

 

Edit: I tried loading the hairs and warpaints into CK, but it doesnt allow multiple master files to be open

 

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Edit #2: Ok, well firstly, i realized that the face-coloring issue wasn't only a problem with the warpaints, but with the makeup for coverwomen as well. that explains why my follower has clown eye makeup and a green forehead. still working on that.

Secondly, i found some helpful tutorials which i will link here in case anyone is having similar issues with adding a custom hair. might as well save you some time.

 

For Adding a Custom Hair to a Custom NPC:

http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Adding_a_Follower_NPC_to_Skyrim#Using_a_custom_hair_for_your_NPC (i used method #2, since i'm not planning on posting my follower online and i dont feel like messing with Wrye Bash)

 

For Changing the Color of a Custom Hair for a Custom NPC:

http://www.creationkit.com/ColorForm

 

CK seems so overwhelmingly complicated at first, but once you run through a few tutorials it gets much easier to understand. to all other novice modders out there, Don't Give Up!! :smile: and dont forget to SAVE OFTEN! i will now continue working on the skin color issue...

 

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Yay! ok, i fixed the crazy makeup problem. All you have to do is go into NMM and disable all mods that alter face textures (such as Coverwomen and BH Warpaints), then open CK with your follower set as the Active File, double-click their file in the Actors tab in the Object Window to open the Editor, click on the Character Gen Parts tab and import your .npc file again (it will look super ugly in the preview, but don't worry) then click OK, save, Export the Character Data (select your NPC in the Object Window and press CTRL+F4) and save again. Then Re-enable all the mods you disabled earlier, load your game in Skyrim, and your follower should be looking as pretty as you made them to!

 

Gah, I am not the greatest at explaining, so here is the post by Cennick that helped me out:

 

 

 

In regards to the Tattoos and makeup ending up on the forhead in the creation kit
I believe I have found a workaround that is simple. It worked really well for me.

sorry if this seems confusing. been good with figuring things out but a horrible teacher
Don't let the ammount of steps confuse you its really quite simple just trying to make it easy to follow i guess.

1. create your NPC through either the Showracemenucommand or via coc photobooth mod (whichever you prefer
2. When finished export using the SPF command. Exit skyrim to revert changes unless you wish you character to stay that way.
3. Disable all mods that Edit facial Textures. (Such as, Tattoos, Bella's better Females, Coverwomen)
4. Open creation kit, and either edit the NPC you wish to edit or mod, or completely new character, and begin customizing them as usual.
Under the Character Gen Parts Click the tab in the upper right hand side that says Import and choose the .npc file you just made from skyrim
(It will look strange and not right mostly because you just disabled all of the mods that made it pretty so don't get stressed)
5. After you finished editing the character's Stats, AI, inventory(all that good stuff) Save the File.
6. to be safe close Creation Kit and open it your character as the active file. Again just to be safe open your character to see if its all there then save it.
click on your actor in the object window and press CTRL + F4. Click OK and exit the Creation Kit.
7. Go test it in game to make sure all the textures are right.(No pale or dark faces, and all of the features are correct for example) once verified
Re enable all of the mods you disabled in step 3 and start Skyrim back up. You character should have all correct textures.

I hope this helps. Like I said it worked out for me pretty well.

 

link to original post: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/587550-creation-kit-npc-facial-textures-help/page-6

Edited June 7, 2013 by padmaus

[SeRidicaLup]

Ok here's the deal. I made a custom character Using J-U-I-C-E ;s tutorial and watched a many on youtube. Darkhorse was my favorite. I'm new to ck so it was hard for me (I'm getting old too)lol. I followed the instructions to a "T". She did't mention however, and neither did any of the videos I watched, that if you have a custom Mod Like Apachii hair Special eyes etc. you have to do things differently. So....I make my npc with vanilla hair and none of the cool tattoos and "brown" eyes that look pink to me. Place him in the world and he's got a black face.

 

Yes...I did the ctrl f4 properly

So now...I hear about the mod npc editor. I download that and give it a whirl, Worked great on my npc's features, hair, etc excpt still can't get those dang tattoos on his body or face. Just vanilla ones on face. I go to speak to my npc in game and he looks fantastic! Just the guy I wanted to marry. TeeHeeHee He acts like he is so happy to see me. He asks when we're going, I'm right behind you. Well that didn;'t sound right, I didn't click on him yet! So I go to talk to him and he thinks he is already following me when I didn't ask him to. I use EFF and that window comes up too it's like he is by himself in a group without my bunnymeister who is grouped with me. I think, hey he is following me looks good, why not take him for a spin around the world? RIGHT?

 

Guess what! He doesn't come with me. He thinks we are grouped but his body doesn't follow me anywhere. I even travel to another town and console him to me and he comes says all his "I've got your back" spewls, then turns around and leaves and goes back to where I placed him in the ck. (Typical real life man. Not what I was wanting in my dream skyrim world)

 

I go back to him and dismiss him. He says ok ill be around if you need me. BUT His dialogue still acts like he is a follower and there is no choice to ask hi to follow me. I look in my npc editor and find out that it won't let mekeep the currentfollowerfaction to -1 which it has to be.

 

Ain't that the way it always is gals, the guys got the looks, but doesn't work they way he should. The one that works, is FUUUGLY!

 

ok I'll stop trying to be funny. Everyone probably stopped reading by now anyway. Back to my problem. So the next day after working on that follower for over 20 hours straight, I decide to start all over again in ck and do him again. I delete all the files with his name and name the new guy [name]follower. By this time I have found out how to get the hair I wanted into the ck so that is working. I got the eyes working and brows on him. Thetattos defaulted back to vanilla but I figure for my first custom npc, I'll deal with it later. I put him in the game but don't save yet. I realize I forgot to add another thing to his face. I go back and fix that (now you know, I have already clicked ctr F4 before I put him in his cell. He is still sitting there in the cell in ck when I change his face again. I hit ctr F4 again. Go back to placing him and save everything. A prompt comes up for me to name my project which I didn't remember it doing before . So I do. I name it my follower's id.

 

I go into game and he's got the great hair, body looks great, but his head is grey, his eyes are not what I saved (pinkish brown) and even his vanilla tats are gone along with the scars. He's being nice, but not lovey dovey like the first one was. I check his relationship rank and it is acquaintance. I set up our relationship to be lover. That's what it still says in the ck file. But at least he follows me now no problem with that.

 

Is anyone gonna read this post? LOL I sure could use some help. I tried the setnpcweight, but all that did was make his body shrink and or his head grow real big. It's like the two are not attached. Also when I go back into the ck to try to edit hi there, the eyes and brows keep reverting back to default.