Better 'Skill Based Muscle' Normalmaps 3.0

This is a set of normalmaps ONLY, to replace those in the wonderful mod Skill Based Muscle (SBM)!

SBM swaps to up to 10 different normalmaps and morphs bodies according to expertise in configurable skills! Morphing amplitude is configurable, and more morphs can be added with .ini tweaks. Works for both player and NPCs. Compatible with Racial Skin Variance (check compatibility section for required steps!).

The assets are transformative content of other users' original work, used with permission. These normalmaps were modified, after which "in-between" steps were created with a GIMP plugin that lets you animate still images or smoothly morph between two images. Sorry for the bad gif quality!

MADE AN OOPSIE WITH THE 2 GIFS SAYING "Stages 1-5". ITS SUPPOSED TO SAY "Stages 5-10"!!! Too lazy to fix

REQUIREMENTS

• Skill Based Muscle - and its requirements & whatever optional mods you want (check their mod page for tips and notes)
  • SKSE
  • SkyUI
  • RaceMenu
  • PapyrusUtil SE
  • SPID if you want NPC support
• Optionally use my SBM .json BetterSBMv3.json so your character grows nicely along my changing normalmaps, as demonstrated in a GIF above! It uses great new sliders from Mimir Ebonic Body (mostly to make the butt a bit nicer at higher muscle stages), but is totally optional. Works well without the extra sliders.
  • Insert .json into SKSE\plugins\SkillBasedMuscle and select it in the MCM
• Recommended if you want separate boob growth: Body Builder SE! An amazing mod with good synergy if using my updated scripts! The ones I've created focus (nearly) solely on the breasts, as SBM cannot grow your body part by part according to specific skills. The attached scripts make it so all mage skills (+ speechcraft) enlarge breasts.
  • In Body Builder MCM: I'd recommend turning OFF weight gain, especially for NPCs (there would be no actual weight gain, only visual growth, but the scripts make the growth really ugly, and I haven't bothered to redo them). I HIGHLY recommend playing around with the other MCM options to see what it does to your character. A mod that lets you set levels to anything you like is useful.
  • Body Builder SE 3BAv2 - Boobs only scripts.7z download & install as any other mod

COMPATIBILITY

• Technically speaking anything, but keep in mind:
  • Created with BnP - Female Skin in mind. Other skin mods will have different head & hand normalmaps, and as such you will see seams.
    • Ask and you shall receive patches for other skin mods (maybe, if I have the time)
  • To work with Racial Skin Variance, select "RSV - Vanilla" in it's FOMOD, then delete the _DISTR that comes with Skill Based Muscle. This stops RSV from touching the player and SBM from touching NPCs!
  • PNS (Pregnancy Normalmap Swapper) will compete with SBM to apply a normalmap to the player, so while nothing breaks, you will not see the effect of both mods at the same time, just the winning mod. In general, I would stay away from PNS, as it >will< break your saves if you remove it. Afaik there is a known fix for it somewhere on the interwebs!

MY REQUEST TO YOU

• Please recommend your favourite muscular normalmaps (with screenshots preferably), so that I could some day make an even better version of this mod!
• Screenshots of your characters!

READ

• Study the SBM description to know more about customisation, i.e. adding your own morph sliders or creating your own normalmaps.
• This mod also has 3BA Puffy Vagina integrated in every normalmap. Simple preference of mine, would be a huge hassle to remove atm.
• YOU WILL LIKELY HAVE NECK SEAMS ON INITIAL CHARACTER CREATION. CONFIGURE MCM TO START SBM.

• If you're creating your own/editing these normalmaps keep in mind
  • These files are BC7 compressed (except for a few in 3.0 as my compressor plugin broke) - you will need an image editor that can handle such files. Photoshop and paint.net should be able to handle these out of the box. I use GIMP, which needs a plugin. You need to jump through a bunch of hoops to make it work in GIMP.
  • When troubleshooting seams in game, SBM will not do anything until configured in the MCM. Until then, it will show you the standard normalmap that comes with your winning skin mod. This, again, means that you will have neck & wrist seams while you're initially creating your character.

Credits:

PepperoniB01 for normals

M4MK203 for normals

and of course

@jjabrams420 for creating a must have, Skill Based Muscle