Looking for tutorials or detailed instructions...

[Kahnadah]

Hi all. I am looking for some help with applying a colour from one mod onto the item in another mod. I would like to use the shiny black leather/pvc look from one boot mod on other boots/shoes mods I have. This would be for my own use, and I would have no plans to share it. I can't find anything comprehendable explaining how to do this! If someone could point me to a detailed set of instructions I would very much appreciate it. Preferably, I'd like one that explains it like I'm five years old. I have NEVER tried anything like this at all, so the more details the better!

 

Thanks!

[Seijin8]

56 minutes ago, Kahnadah said:

Hi all. I am looking for some help with applying a colour from one mod onto the item in another mod. I would like to use the shiny black leather/pvc look from one boot mod on other boots/shoes mods I have. This would be for my own use, and I would have no plans to share it. I can't find anything comprehendable explaining how to do this! If someone could point me to a detailed set of instructions I would very much appreciate it. Preferably, I'd like one that explains it like I'm five years old. I have NEVER tried anything like this at all, so the more details the better!

 

Thanks!

Programs potentially needed (all are free):

GIMP (will also need the .dds plugin; you could use Photoshop if you have it, but that isn't free)

Nifskope

xEdit (for Skyrim, that's TESVEdit)

Creation Kit

 

Next:

Learn how to use these programs.

There is no easy mode for figuring things out.  Experiment and read tutorials.  You may be able to get away with just using GIMP for this, but the results are likely to be sub-par.

 

Most important things to know:

All worn (non-weapon) gear in Skyrim is called "armor".  A nipple ring is still "armor" as far as the game is concerned.  So is a naked body.

 

Armors have four components you may need to address:

1. Armor entry in the esp (CK or TESVEdit to work with this) -- this is the thing that shows up in your inventory.  It references the...
2. Armature/Armor Addon entry in the esp (CK or TESVEdit) -- this is the *pointer* for the thing that shows up on the body.  It points to the...
3. Mesh (a .nif file, modified with nifskope) -- the object that shows up on the body.  The mesh is covered in...
4. Textures (referenced in the nif file, modified using GIMP or Photoshop) these are .dds files and whatever program you are using will need a plugin to use them.  Textures have a couple of subtypes: 

• Diffuse (the normal "colorized" image used to give the mesh its base appearance, sometimes shown as _d.dds)
• Normal map (usually listed as _msn.dds, or _n.dds) which gives the mesh finer detail of how light should behave around it, and in most armors also controls how reflective the armor is
• Depending on the armor, you may also have specular maps (_s.dds), environment maps (_m.dds), or cubemaps (usually found in a cubemap directory)

Find tutorials on retexturing.

 

In some cases, it is as simple as changing the color of the diffuse texture with GIMP and then you're done.  Other times, you may want to maintain both textures (or multiple textures), in which case you could copy the mesh and have it point to different textures (generally the sloppiest but quickest way), or you could create a Texture Set (better way, but also a separate topic).

 

Other times, just changing the color doesn't do the job.  Maybe the item reflects a different color, or the way light behaves on it still makes it look wrong.  In that case, you may have to adjust the normal maps, specular maps, or change the mesh itself (nifskope, adjusting the BSLightingShaderProperty).

 

There is no one size fits all explanation for this because not all armors are made the same way.  For some folks, just swapping the color is good enough.  For others, the reflective properties have to match, too.  For others still, exact color tones on translucent parts have to interact correctly.  I have no way of knowing what objects you are trying to adjust, or what quality you are willing to settle for.

[Kahnadah]

Thanks! This is EXACTLY what I wanted! I'll get experimenting!