[Help]Neck gap-grey face problem on edited NPC's

[Guest]

Hi, i am doing some trials with the CK and try to edit the appearence of vanilla NPC's (beautification and modded hair).I get rather good results exept for the fact that i get the grey face texture bug.I solve this by exporting the facegendata (hitting the ALT+F4 and saving to the newly created esp).Though, although the grey face bug is solved, i get a neck gap.I know that the body weight is changed after i make any changes on the NPC appearence but before i save anything, i change it back to the vanilla values.What am i doing wrong?

[Ark of Truth]

Neck gaps are common like that you will just have to live with it.

[Guest]

seriusly??

[Ark of Truth]

Yeah seriously, that your get a necklace gap concealer.

[sbire]

pls show us a screenshot. i have a solution, maybe. but i've to see what you mean.

[Guest]

Unfortunately, it seems that my Skyrim instalation has gone F.U.B.A.R. and i cannot take screenshots (i have my ini file edited for it) and i am going to nedd to reinstall.What to you have in mind sbire?Also, how can extract the facegendata into a folder?Are the data placed by the creation kit automaticaly when i press ctrl+f4 at the appropriate Skyrim meshe and texture directory? or are they being saved inside the esp i am editing?

[sbire]

the gray face bug at ck edited npcs can be solved by exporting the facgendata via highlighting the npc and pressing alt+f4.

 

neck gap ... if you mean a little distance betwen body and head.. this could be solved by using setnpcweight 100 via console or ck. sometimes npcs have that issue with custom bodys. in my case it's jenassa in several outfits. i've fixed this by using weight 100.

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

the gray face bug at ck edited npcs can be solved by exporting the facgendata via highlighting the npc and pressing alt+f4.

 

neck gap ... if you mean a little distance betwen body and head.. this could be solved by using setnpcweight 100 via console or ck. sometimes npcs have that issue with custom bodys. in my case it's jenassa in several outfits. i've fixed this by using weight 100.

 

What sbire said.

 

EXCEPT - pres CTRL+F4 to export!

 

Many/most NPC's do not respond well to having their weight altered in the CK. It is always best to leave it as it was. The "setnpcweight" command can be used in-game to set an npc's weight to what you would like, and to "weld" the gap shut (ie: open the console, click on the NPC to target them, and then type the command). However, it can sometimes remove any tintmask (read: makeup, etc.) alterations you made. If this occurs, save the game and exit, go back to your CK, load the relevant Data files, and re-export the character's facegendata (ie: just find their name in the "Actors" list, click on it once to highlight it, and press CTRL+F4).

[sbire]

damn ctrl + f4 -> thx FDITD i'm gettin' old

[Guest]

@FastestDogInTheDistrict and sbire.Thanks for the replies.Unfortunatelly a am aware of all that you mentioned.In CK, if i try to edit a vanilla NPC, then the body weights alter by their own.This is easily fixed via ck interface.After i change them back (the weights) at their vanilla values, then, i export the facegendata by hitting ctrl+f4 and i save to a newly created esp.When i load the new esp i see the changes in game but with a neck gap (visible distance between neck and body).If i use the console command 'setnpcweight ...',the neck gap dissapears and i lose the tint mask.The case is that this method (console command) is not a permanent fix because when i change cells the neck gap reapears.If in CK i do not export the savegendata (with fixed weights at their vanilla values) then i get the dark face bug.Again with console command, the fix is temporary (dark face returs after i change cells).

Anyway, all these were known to me because before i posted i did a small google search, but found nothing.That's why i posted the question here because i know to mod like shit and LL is full of experienced modders

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

... this may seem silly, but have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling the CK? This is known to fix some problems.

 

It certainly does seem weird that weights are altering on their own - I'd definitely be interested to learn what exactly is causing this.

[panthaman42]

I am having similar issues. And I also can mod as well as...well I can't mod at all. I'm was trying to fix the neck gap problem and I think I have made things much worse. The NPC skin textures are SO BAD now!

 

I had previously installed XCE - Xenius Character Enhancement with Steam. And later installed CBBE. I saw the gray faces problem and occasionally the neck gap. I finally decided to try and fix it.

 

I turned off XCE and removed the files.

I then installed the FacePack that comes with CBBE.

 

When I go into an area I see frequent neck gaps.

 

 

 

 

The neck gaps have been there for a long time now but that terrible skin tone is a new problem.

 

When I modify the NPC using console command SETNPCWEIGHT it fixes the gap, temporarily, but the face completely changes.

 

 

 

 

So what I hear you saying is that using SETNPCWEIGHT causes face skin textures to get lost. I guess this makes sense to me.

 

As you can see in both pictures the body skin tone is completely ugly. I don't know what I did to cause this and I'd like some advice before I make it worse trying to fix it.

 

Am I really going to have to go into the creation kit and edit EVERY SINGLE female NPC in the game to fix some of these problems?

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

That Ysolda looks as if you're raising the weight value. It really is best to leave NPC's bodyweight alone - when it is changed it usually seems to result in a gap at the neck seam. If you're unsure of what an NPC's weight normally would be, check it in the CK with only Skyrim.esm loaded. Then, when you go to do your edit, don't alter that weight value - if your .npc file you're using to import the facegen changes the weight value, then change it back before exporting and saving.

 

Re: the skin. Yeh, that does look pretty bad! Are you perhaps attempting to use a mish-mash of manually installed (?) skin & body mods? Some kind of NPC overhaul mod which monkeys around with the weights as well maybe? If you are - junk 'em. The results you're getting in those pics don't seem to be worth their use. If you're using the CBBE face, try using the full CBBE body pack - it comes with its own textures. Install via NMM - it should just automatically overwrite any bodgy meshes & textures you've got lurking around.

 

I've never known seams to spontaneously appear absent of any action by the player and/or their mods, so something is definitely up.

[panthaman42]

Well that was surprisingly easy to fix.

 

About the skin tone, as I mentioned I had XCE installed. I removed it and then installed the CBBE face pack. I think my error was that I didn't install all of the CBEE textures.

 

To fix it I just re-installed the CBBE textures and meshes. That fixed the skin tone. There is just the barest hint of a neck seam and I can only see it while really looking for it.

 

The neck gap I fixed by setting Ysolda's weight down to 10. I saved game. Exited. Reloaded and the gap was still gone so saving her at a lower weight solved the gap.

 

Thanks so much for the help. I guess I won't be modifying any NPC weight with the console anymore.

 

So is there a way to modify an NPC weight that doesn't cause the gap?

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

Well that was surprisingly easy to fix.

 

About the skin tone' date=' as I mentioned I had XCE installed. I removed it and then installed the CBBE face pack. I think my error was that I didn't install all of the CBEE textures.

 

To fix it I just re-installed the CBBE textures and meshes. That fixed the skin tone. There is just the barest hint of a neck seam and I can only see it while really looking for it.

 

The neck gap I fixed by setting Ysolda's weight down to 10. I saved game. Exited. Reloaded and the gap was still gone so saving her at a lower weight solved the gap.

 

Thanks so much for the help. I guess I won't be modifying any NPC weight with the console anymore.[/quote']

 

Bingo. Happy to help!

 

 

So is there a way to modify an NPC weight that doesn't cause the gap?

 

Not in any way which doesn't have annoying side-effects and/or needs to be periodically re-applied or fiddled with, no, not in my experience.

[Night~Sky]

I actually found myself straddled with "GFB" that I couldn't resolve by simply exporting facegen data for the first time...ever, just recently.

 

I decided to try out "Realistic Body System" because my Skyrim needed more random fat chicks popping up everywhere, except that it GFB'd quite literally every NPC in Skyrim. I eventually fixed it, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a fight to the end. I still haven't managed to completely iron out the slight neck gaps you get with it, though.

 

The key really is to just keep at it. Sounds cheesy but it's true. If you fight Skyrim long enough, it eventually bends over.

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

I actually found myself straddled with "GFB" that I couldn't resolve by simply exporting facegen data for the first time...ever, just recently.

 

I decided to try out "Realistic Body System" because my Skyrim needed more random fat chicks popping up everywhere, except that it GFB'd quite literally every NPC in Skyrim. I eventually fixed it, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a fight to the end. I still haven't managed to completely iron out the slight neck gaps you get with it, though.

 

The key really is to just keep at it. Sounds cheesy but it's true. If you fight Skyrim long enough, it eventually bends over.

 

 

I have no idea what a GFB is, but your avatar rocks, Night~Sky!

[Slammer64]

I think FastestDogInTheDistrict that GFB=Grey Faced Bug 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

I think FastestDogInTheDistrict that GFB=Grey Faced Bug 

 

 

Ahhh - gottit. Yep, the grey face bug can also be caused by the load order where two or more incorrectly ordered mods affect the same NPC/S - it's annoying.

[medic975]

I'm currently trying to resolve my own grey face bug as well. It's a major pain. Mine happened when I installed these two mods and the Luxury Suite Mods. 

 

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/30034

 

 

 

Has a custom face to match the body could be the problem. However, no esp to load to fix in CK.

 

and 

 

 

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/23965

 

 

 

Which has mention of GFB in it's comments. If only I had read those first.

 

 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

I'm currently trying to resolve my own grey face bug as well. It's a major pain. Mine happened when I installed these two mods and the Luxury Suite Mods. 

 

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/30034

 

 

 

Has a custom face to match the body could be the problem. However, no esp to load to fix in CK.

 

and 

 

 

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/23965

 

 

 

Which has mention of GFB in it's comments. If only I had read those first.

 

The first mod - the skin/face textures - shouldn't cause a grey-face bug on its own, and does not need to be edited.

 

The second mod you linked is basically a facegen overhaul mod for some NPC's and is probably the source of the problem. What the author is talking about there - "face gen extraction" - is his term for exactly the process described in my post/s above. Follow that to fix your problem, an' ye cannae go wrong! 

[medic975]

Thanks, Fastest. I did do a lot of what you suggest and it fixed it for everyone except for 2 people in Whiterun. Avinnici(?) smith woman. She looks like a hills have eye person right now and The hot merchant who has all the guys hitting on her. Camilla I think. I'm just going to try and fix it in the CK or find a mod which changes them since they all seem to be immune to the problems I see with the NPCs.

[grizzly87]

Hi, I know this is quite old thread but maybe someone find it useful...

Neck gap can be resolved in CK by setting weight to 100 then export face textures (Ctrl + F4) and finally set weight to custom value and save esp file.

So if you are editing existing NPC, check their weight value before exporting face textures.

 

Edit: I just noticed that height and weight values in CK are different from values in game. Maybe CK doesnt save them at all.

[TheEricKelly1972]

i'm having the grey face Ysolda bug on a vanilla non modded Ysolda. the game is modded, but she hasn't been. any clues?