Making a critter static

[EinarrTheRed]

Need some advice / instructions on how to take the butterfly, moth and torchbug nifs and make static objects from them.  What I am wanting to do is have static display versions of each that I can use for a little display piece in a mod project.  I tried just taking the critter nif and making a static reference but they're still animated (they more or less stay in one spot so it does sort of work for a display but not what I had in mind).

 

Anyone able to help?

[t.ara]

hi;-)

you can do this by using CK only. You have to copy the target (butterfly-file) to a newly created static file and store this with your mod.

If that would fail, you can edit them inside of 3d software...after that export again, you have a static object.

Or take their dead versions and turn them around for 180 degrees. If you want their wings, you maybe have to edit the dead-versions so far.

[EinarrTheRed]

Thanks for replying

 

I tried doing it in CK.  But the result was not exactly what I expect.  Example:

 

I looked up the MothBlue critter and got this nif 'Critters\Moths\CritterMothBlue.nif'

I made a new static reference, gave it a unique name and pasted that nif into it.

 

That gets me a blue butterfly that is sorta static, except the wings are still animated.  Now this might be useful for something else later (always good to discover stuff), but its not what I wanted, I wanted a blue butter fly that doesn't move as if pinned to a collectors display board.

 

Sounds like I need to edit it in 3D software.  That's an issue for me because I've not yet learned how to do that (too many irons in the fire and way too little time).  The only 3D software I have is Blender 3D and while I can get a nif into Blender I've no idea how to get it back into Skyrim.  Lupine was trying to explain to me how to do that but I just haven't had time to follow up on his instructions. ?

 

I could do the wings, that's easy, but its not exactly what I wanted.

 

An just incase you're curious this is for a alchemy display in a player home I'm working on.  Just one of those lil touches I wanted to include to make it look nicer.

[t.ara]

14 hours ago, EinarrTheRed said:

Thanks for replying

 

I tried doing it in CK.  But the result was not exactly what I expect.  Example:

 

I looked up the MothBlue critter and got this nif 'Critters\Moths\CritterMothBlue.nif'

I made a new static reference, gave it a unique name and pasted that nif into it.

 

That gets me a blue butterfly that is sorta static, except the wings are still animated.  Now this might be useful for something else later (always good to discover stuff), but its not what I wanted, I wanted a blue butter fly that doesn't move as if pinned to a collectors display board.

 

Sounds like I need to edit it in 3D software.  That's an issue for me because I've not yet learned how to do that (too many irons in the fire and way too little time).  The only 3D software I have is Blender 3D and while I can get a nif into Blender I've no idea how to get it back into Skyrim.  Lupine was trying to explain to me how to do that but I just haven't had time to follow up on his instructions. ?

 

I could do the wings, that's easy, but its not exactly what I wanted.

 

An just incase you're curious this is for a alchemy display in a player home I'm working on.  Just one of those lil touches I wanted to include to make it look nicer.

what about the dead versions?

[EinarrTheRed]

The dead versions are just the wings, not the complete critter.  There are dead versions of the dragonflies and I've already made those into static versions.  I just need static nifs for the two butterlfies, the lunar moth and the torchbug.

 

This is what I'm up to, this is a screen cap from in CK showing the little display board I'm making.  In CK the meshes are not animated but when I load in game the wings on the butterflies and moths animate and the torchbug hovers about in one spot.  While an interesting effect is not quite what I had in mind.  I want it too look like a collectors display with the various examples of insects pinned to the board.  I might add some text to it later.

 

I'm surprised someone hasn't made this as part of a modding resource file somewhere.  I guess I'll look around and see if someone has (I don't know of one and I've downloaded quite a few) unless you could make it for me.  I don't have time right now to learn how to export from Blender to Skyrim (eventually I want too, but right now I've got scripts to learn, a city to build, some orc caves to finish, a bandit camp to build and a couple other projects plus RL ?)

[SmedleyDButler]

I have definitely seen such a thing as a mod somewhere, possibly in several mods. They might not be up as resources, but it's absolutely been done.

 

Immersive College of Winterhold has TONS of scientific displays, so that might be one place to look.

[EinarrTheRed]

Thanks for the tip, I'll investigate ASAP

 

Went through the listed resources in the credits.  The good news is, found a few resource packs I'd missed that I can use so there's that (including a really nice alchemy glassware pack).  The bad news is, no butterflies.  There are a couple that have them already built into displays but that's not what I'm wanting.  I want the individual insect that I can place in my own display.

 

If you've seen my HF Dungeon Addon, specifically how I did the Arrow Ammo Rack, I'm wanting to do something similar with my Alchemy ingredients in this project.  As you put stuff in the Ingredients storage chest, corresponding items appear around the alchemy crafting area.  So if you collect all the insects, the display will fill in as you do so.  Same with various other items.  Just a lil touch I wanted to add to make it the area more interesting and a bit nicer.