[Guide] How to customize Vilja's face

[Dubhorizon]

Requirements:

 

Vilja http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/26393/?

Vilja's "Custom Face" from the optionals of the same page. Choose the one for the bodytype you use.

Racemenu http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/29624/?

Apachii Hair Main http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/10168/?

NPC Nif Merge http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/10168/?

Gimp 2 http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Gimp 2 dds plugin http://registry.gimp.org/node/70

 

Description:

 

Vilja is probably the most popular follower mod there is and there's no surprise. She adds more life to Skyrim than mods that add 200+ npcs. Now me and probably others have always wanted to customize everything about her. For her hair there is The hairstyler mod and for her body there is Vilja Customizer. But what of her face? Well I don't know of any mod but I know of a way that doesn't require CK or TES5edit. It also doesn't require any skill in modding and can be done not only to Vilja but to any other custom follower too. The process looks long at first, but if you do it once, you're already used to it.

 

 

FOLLOW THE STEPS AND PICTURES TO THE LETTER.

1. Make a character, do exactly what picture 1 says and press done, unequip all items.
   Bring up the console and type "showracemenu" to bring up Racemenu again.
   Press F5 to save your preset, in case you need to go back to editing the face.
   Press the letter Z to export the head.
   You will see the screen message saying "head exported".
   The head you exported will be in Data/SKSE/Plugins/CharGen (MO users look at picture). It will be stored as two different files. NIF and DDS.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Follow the picture 2 to use NPC Nif Merge. This way you will overwrite Vilja's head mesh(.nif). It's location is shown in picture 2
   Navigate to Meshes/actors/character/facegendata/FaceGeom/empcompvilja.esp and change the 00000d67.nif using Nif Merge as the picture shows.

 

 

3. Follow the picture 3 to use Gimp2. Textures overwrite (.dds). Drag drop the file in Gimp and use Export As.. (NOT Save as).
   Navigate to Textures/actors/character/facegendata/facetint/empcompvilja.esp and overwrite the 00000d67.dds

 

 

 

 

 

4. Check her in-game. If she has a neck seam follow the next picture to replace her face textures with the ones you have installed.
    If she has a neck gap you set the bodyweight wrong and somewhere in the world a panda is sad. Start over. If neckseam, no worries.

 

 

5. Check her again in game! Have fun. Remember, this guide applies to all custom made followers not just Vilja.

 

 

6. You have now customized the custom face for vilja and facial animations. Customizception! Also, since there is no esp change, you will be able to use it even after Vilja get's an update.
 

!!!Important! Just like mentioned on Vilja page, do not activate the optional before meeting her and making sure you can access her inventory!!!

 

 

 

 

Knowledge gained +9000 by these guides that you must definately check out:

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25673/?

http://hubpages.com/hub/Hot-to-Turn-Your-Skyrim-Character-into-a-Follower

http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Adding_a_Follower_NPC_to_Skyrim#Making_your_follower_standalone

 

[YamiJustin]

Amazing work! Could you upload the Vilja files you have (your custom face), so I could use it? I'd love to be able to use this face, its nice. 

[Dubhorizon]

This particular face wasn't turned into a mod unfortunately. I did make 3 faces for Vilja though and Emma was kind enough to include them at Vilja's nexus page. So If you visit Vilja mod page, scroll down until you find a file called "Three new faces by dubhorizon"

[zzz72w3r]

This is very precise and easy to follow and I was able to replace a face successfully for the first time, thank you. 

 

Can you do a tutorial of using one custom standalone follower's complete appearance to replace another one?  I want to replace the look of Alicia Painslut with another custom follower with her standalone outfit/hair/eye/brow in tact.  I don't mind Test5edit or CK as long as the steps are as dummy proof as this.

[Dubhorizon]

Technically I know how to go about it, but I haven't yet done a complete head transplant yet. I'm planning to though and when I do, I'll share it with you all.

[zzz72w3r]

Question: I replaced a vanilla NPC (Valerica) head with one from Seranaholic.  The face came up looking right but I got a neckseam.  The only thing I replaced is the nif and use game's face textures.  Console command setnpcweight 100 on Valerica fixed the neckseam but also brought back the original face and changed the actual weight.  What else can I do?

 

Thanks

[eifrag]

unrelated to the OP but I found this here custom face for vilja

 

http://devillord.tistory.com/256

 

but the amount of work translating everything back to english will be laborious, 

I learned that after translating cerwiden back to english

 

sorry for sabotage

[Dubhorizon]

Question: I replaced a vanilla NPC (Valerica) head with one from Seranaholic.  The face came up looking right but I got a neckseam.  The only thing I replaced is the nif and use game's face textures.  Console command setnpcweight 100 on Valerica fixed the neckseam but also brought back the original face and changed the actual weight.  What else can I do?

 

Thanks

 

You need to open the Seranaholic esp on ck and look at Valerica's weight. Then open Dawnguard.esp and set Valerica's weight to the one she has in Seranaholic.esp. Then apply the face.

[zzz72w3r]

 

Question: I replaced a vanilla NPC (Valerica) head with one from Seranaholic.  The face came up looking right but I got a neckseam.  The only thing I replaced is the nif and use game's face textures.  Console command setnpcweight 100 on Valerica fixed the neckseam but also brought back the original face and changed the actual weight.  What else can I do?

 

Thanks

 

You need to open the Seranaholic esp on ck and look at Valerica's weight. Then open Dawnguard.esp and set Valerica's weight to the one she has in Seranaholic.esp. Then apply the face.

 

 

Not working.  This is what I have done:

 

1. Use nifskope to copy facegen nif from Seranaholic to Valerica. 

2. Use NMM to place the nif to Skyrim (so I can always uninstall and recover the original)

Neckseam but Valerica got Seranaholic's face

3. Check Seranaholic.esp, her weight is 40, Valerica is 20.

4. Open CK to set Valerica weight to 40, Ctrl F4, save esp

5. Start Skyrim, Valerica got her face back

6. Use NMM to replace nif again

Neckseam

7. Open CK to set Valerica weight to 100, Ctrl F4, save esp

8. Use NMM to replace nif

Neckseam

[Dubhorizon]

wait, if Valerica's weight is 20 in the Seranaholic.esp you should change it to 20 in dawnguard.esp as well, not to 40.

[zzz72w3r]

wait, if Valerica's weight is 20 in the Seranaholic.esp you should change it to 20 in dawnguard.esp as well, not to 40.

 

I created a Valerica.esp and the only thing this esp does is changing her weight to 20 which is what Seranaholic.esp has.  Nada.  CK, Ctrl F4, reload.  Still neck gap.

 

I also looked into Serana with Seranaholic.esp in game and she has same face as my Valerica.esp but she has no neck gap.  They are both 20 weight.  Is there a way to check weight in game so I know the esp is working?  If I use setnpcweight Valerica just reverts back to her old face. 

 

[zzz72w3r]

Something funky is going on, instead of using an esp I edited dawnguard.esm to set Valerica's weight identical to Seranaholic (probably not a good idea).  Double check they are both weight 20 and there is still a neck gap.  This is driving me nuts.

 

EDIT: SOLVED!!!

 

The problem is Live Another Life - Alternate Start (well, not really but I am blaming someone besides me).  A new game is needed the new weight to take effect but the prison cell where you do character creation is not a fresh start.  Once I start the "new" game for real, no more gap with the esp matching weight where the new head originated.  Yeah.

 

[Dubhorizon]

Something funky is going on, instead of using an esp I edited dawnguard.esm to set Valerica's weight identical to Seranaholic (probably not a good idea).  Double check they are both weight 20 and there is still a neck gap.  This is driving me nuts.

 

EDIT: SOLVED!!!

 

The problem is Live Another Life - Alternate Start (well, not really but I am blaming someone besides me).  A new game is needed the new weight to take effect but the prison cell where you do character creation is not a fresh start.  Once I start the "new" game for real, no more gap with the esp matching weight where the new head originated.  Yeah.

 

Nice!

[Tacoface23]

Hello, I was just wondering if it was possible to not only replace Vilja's face,but replace her character mesh for another one completely? Say I have a character from a past save that I would like to replace her. I use Familiar Faces but of course it is only for Vanilla voices.

[Dubhorizon]

You mean you want to give her an entirely new mesh as in..... a new Emviljahead.nif?

or you mean you want to give her different hairstyle, eyebrows etc?

 

Vilja takes whatever head all other females, including your character, get. So whatever head you used for making that character with Familiar Faces, is the one that Vilja uses.

[haarhus13]

thanks a lot man, it took me multiple guide's just to put the face of tania into Vilja but only this one works.

[DanielL1976]

sorry got drag from the ages but im getting a neck gap wend the caracther his naked the weight his right etc i follow all tutorials and have done this before whit no issues a cant seam get it!

 

 

 

trying to replace Danica BTW

[Dubhorizon]

This danica you are trying to replace. How did she get that hairstyle? Was it another mod or you did it yourself? The weight I mentioned above was for Vilja only. Danica has a different weight.

[DanielL1976]

Hair stile his from Hellosanta´s hair pack

i check the weight on CK before any rhing else her weight his 50

i did all by my self  face tattoo come from Raven warpaint pack

body i use img for the net!

[DanielL1976]

ok solved more or less problem was whit the standalone body/bodyarmor reverted to stock body armor problem solved

its strange since i have made outher NPC whit standalone bodys before!

[Dubhorizon]

have you included both body nifs? Femalebody_0 and femalebody_1? Glad you got it sorted.

[DanielL1976]

yes i did just some thing strange i decide to not worry and use the general body maybe i retry later to add the body!

[dayn101]

Thank you so much for your amazing tutorial. I downloaded all the relevant programs, and started on the path to change Vilja to my liking.

 

But I have a really odd problem. I cant seem to overcome.

When I click on your "Spoiler" buttons, and any of the JPEGs, a white box appears, with a spinning circle, as if loading.

But just keeps loading.. and shows no picture, to help me know what to do.

 

Any help is really appreciated. I have searched Google for ages, with no luck.

 

[TTRJN]

Thank you so much for your amazing tutorial. I downloaded all the relevant programs, and started on the path to change Vilja to my liking.

 

But I have a really odd problem. I cant seem to overcome.

When I click on your "Spoiler" buttons, and any of the JPEGs, a white box appears, with a spinning circle, as if loading.

But just keeps loading.. and shows no picture, to help me know what to do.

 

Any help is really appreciated. I have searched Google for ages, with no luck.

 

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