Questions about including DLC content in mods.

[ArtMurder]

I have a question. If I were to include say, a bunch of meshes and textures from Dragonborn in a mod for Skyrim, how would I have to go about doing it? Could I just upload the meshes/textures separate from the Dragonborn BSA, archive, or would I have to make it dependent on Dragonborn somehow? (I assume by pointing the textures/meshes to Dragonborn.BSA archive instead.)

 

Thanks!

[Lisnpuppy]

You have to make it dependent on Dragonborn.

[ArtMurder]

You have to make it dependent on Dragonborn.

Kinda over complicates things, but thanks anyways! I really needed to know this before starting work on my next mod, as I would have to take to totally different approaches.to make it dependent or not.

[Saratje]

I have a question. If I were to include say, a bunch of meshes and textures from Dragonborn in a mod for Skyrim, how would I have to go about doing it? Could I just upload the meshes/textures separate from the Dragonborn BSA, archive, or would I have to make it dependent on Dragonborn somehow? (I assume by pointing the textures/meshes to Dragonborn.BSA archive instead.)Thanks!

You may not include DLC meshes in BSA files, because people could extract those meshes and use them, without having bought the DLC. This would make it piracy, as people can technically download one of the many retextures out there, while using creation kit to reapply the original stats of the item.

 

Instead, use creation kit and open the Dragonborn ESM file. Add for example a new armour by duplicating an existing armour appearance. Now edit this duplicate and choose to browse for a mesh. You should now see the mesh in a preview window. Left of the preview are texture paths, which when double clicked will let you use a different texture. To create a new texture file for creation kit, go to the proper tab, create a new texture decal and givr it the right paths to your texture files. When done, select that texture data in the mesh preview window. This way, creation kit can apply retextures to mesh without needing an edited mesh. You won't even need to use NIFskope this way and you'll not overwrite the original mesh and its texture paths.

 

This trick is not well known, if at all and saves you a lot of large mesh files too. Maybe I'll make a tutorial for this. If makes editing meshes in NIFskope obsolete as long as the mesh is identical to an existing one.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Saratje

[ArtMurder]

 

 

I have a question. If I were to include say, a bunch of meshes and textures from Dragonborn in a mod for Skyrim, how would I have to go about doing it? Could I just upload the meshes/textures separate from the Dragonborn BSA, archive, or would I have to make it dependent on Dragonborn somehow? (I assume by pointing the textures/meshes to Dragonborn.BSA archive instead.)Thanks!

You may not include DLC meshes in BSA files, because people could extract those meshes and use them, without having bought the DLC. This would make it piracy, as people can technically download one of the many retextures out there, while using creation kit to reapply the original stats of the item.

 

Instead, use creation kit and open the Dragonborn ESM file. Add for example a new armour by duplicating an existing armour appearance. Now edit this duplicate and choose to browse for a mesh. You should now see the mesh in a preview window. Left of the preview are texture paths, which when double clicked will let you use a different texture. To create a new texture file for creation kit, go to the proper tab, create a new texture decal and givr it the right paths to your texture files. When done, select that texture data in the mesh preview window. This way, creation kit can apply retextures to mesh without needing an edited mesh. You won't even need to use NIFskope this way and you'll not overwrite the original mesh and its texture paths.

 

This trick is not well known, if at all and saves you a lot of large mesh files too. Maybe I'll make a tutorial for this. If makes editing meshes in NIFskope obsolete as long as the mesh is identical to an existing one.

 

 

I am intending to replace plants in skyrim with plants from Dragonborn. And I was talking about making the .esp direct TO the dragonborn.bsa, that would not be 'pirating' because I would not be including the dragonborn.bsa, just making it dependent on it, like the moderator said.

 

Also, what id it's a color edit of a dragonborn texture? Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to include that, as long as it relies on dragonborn for the mesh?

[Saratje]

That's all permitted. The only thing thats not permitted is putting an actual .NIF mesh with edited texture data in a .BSA package.