Having Issues Learning to Gloss Things

[DeltaD36]

Alright, I've tried following GIMP tutorials, using NifSkope as suggested in threads here, and I've used simple GlossMax. All of them with no success becuase of some sort of error or because of my own stupidity.

 

NIFSkope us registering all .dds files as '.nif' files which it apprently cannot open! Dispite its name sake! Now I've tried glossing the face meshs and setting the Specular and Diffuse all the way up, and putting Glossiness to 100, and nothing happens after I save it and exit. It changes settings, but nothing noticaeable happens.

 

I'm not sure if it did it and I was expecting it to look like a GlossMax file or what, I don't know.

 

Now I tried to use a Gimp tutorial to make the same result, but when I tried to install the .dds plugin and it didn't want to install. Maybe it DOES work and it just can't find the .ds file becuase NIFSkope renamed their extensions to '.nif's. By double clicking on the dds plugin and it brings up an error saying 'libgimp2.02', or something or other, isn't detected, and I'd have to reinstall it, which I did, so that the plugin could execute properly, which it still isn't doing.

 

I suppose I'm asking how I can gloss things, starting from the bottom, by telling me everything I need, to explaining the steps I need to take to make it work. I suppose I'm also asking if I could supply the face files so that someone can gloss them for me, which is lazy, but I feel like I need to ask.

 

I don't mean to come across as an demanding asshole, but not a lot of stuff has gone right recently so I apologize if that's exactly what I sound like. Thanks in advance.

[gregathit]

Nifskope is ONLY to be used to open .nif files. Now it can open other files as well but that is its main function.

 

Nifskope will NOT open DDS files!

 

Gimp will open .dds files but will NOT open .nif files.

 

You must use the proper program to open the proper file.

 

Need need two things:

1. Glossmax: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/41213

2. Everything: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/41223

 

Follow the instructions listed on the descriptions page of the Everything plugin and you should be set.

[DeltaD36]

Nifskope is ONLY to be used to open .nif files. Now it can open other files as well but that is its main function.

 

Nifskope will NOT open DDS files!

 

Gimp will open .dds files but will NOT open .nif files.

 

You must use the proper program to open the proper file.

 

Need need two things:

1. Glossmax: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/41213

2. Everything: http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/41223

 

Follow the instructions listed on the descriptions page of the Everything plugin and you should be set.

 

Alright... IThink I got the gist of it. But when it says to put ".nif" at the end of the input box.. what does that mean? I put it in the textbox that shows the directory, (With "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\oblivion\data\Meshes\characters\" being in said box) and it didn't do anything. :/

 

What input box is it talking about?

[gregathit]

6.At the end of the input box type in ".nif".

 

TYPE ".nif"

 

This way it will search for all files that have the .nif extension

[DeltaD36]

6.At the end of the input box type in ".nif".

 

TYPE ".nif"

 

This way it will search for all files that have the .nif extension

 

So at the end of "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\oblivion\data\Meshes\characters\" I type '.nif'?

 

If so, than it's doing nothing. All the elections dissapear after I type in '.nif' at the end.

 

So I'm either misinterperating this or something is wrong.

[gregathit]

5.Select the meshes folder you want to modify, right click the mouse choose "Search Everything".

 

Ok, for step 5 (above) did you select the meshes folder (characters in this case) and then "right click" that folder and choose search everything?

[DeltaD36]

5.Select the meshes folder you want to modify' date=' right click the mouse choose "Search Everything".

 

Ok, for step 5 (above) did you select the meshes folder (characters in this case) and then "right click" that folder and choose search everything?

[/quote']

 

Yes. I did exactly that.

 

Not sure what I'm doing wrong. Even doing everything right I still have a habit of getting SOMETHING wrong. xD

[DeltaD36]

Any idea?

[DeltaD36]

Okay okay I got all the .Nif's a I need! I figured it out. now when I dragged it, though, it just started skipping EVERYTHING. Is it supposed to be doing that?

 

Carried on with it anyways. After it was finished, 3000+ files where skipped and only 129 where glossed. None of which where race faces. :/

[movomo]

Okay okay I got all the .Nif's a I need! I figured it out. now when I dragged it' date=' though, it just started skipping EVERYTHING. Is it supposed to be doing that?

 

Carried on with it anyways. After it was finished, 3000+ files where skipped and only 129 where glossed. None of which where race faces. :/

[/quote']

 

Because that's the way GlossMax works. Its original purpose is glossing 'skin's, by skin we mean the body, hands, feet, that is all. no heads.

 

It distinguishes what to touch from what to leave alone by its NiMaterialProperty name. If the material's name is 'skin', means it uses the character's race's corresponding body skin texture.

 

But heads are different. head uses the different texture from the body, they are set in the esm or esp. They don't even use 'skin' as material name (because if it is set as skin it uses the body texture instead of facial texture). So GlossMax does no good for faces. You have to do by hand.

[mem4ob4]

Okay okay I got all the .Nif's a I need! I figured it out. now when I dragged it' date=' though, it just started skipping EVERYTHING. Is it supposed to be doing that?

 

Carried on with it anyways. After it was finished, 3000+ files where skipped and only 129 where glossed. None of which where race faces. :/

[/quote']

 

One method for the faces- NexusLink

(thanks to Shugotenshi in This thread.)

That is editing the nif mesh. If you want to edit the texture, I would recomend Adobe photoshop and the instructions by Jerbsinator at the start of that post.

If you are working with a vanilla race, gerra6 Post will help to find them.

 

Mem

[DeltaD36]

Okay okay I got all the .Nif's a I need! I figured it out. now when I dragged it' date=' though, it just started skipping EVERYTHING. Is it supposed to be doing that?

 

Carried on with it anyways. After it was finished, 3000+ files where skipped and only 129 where glossed. None of which where race faces. :/

[/quote']

 

Because that's the way GlossMax works. Its original purpose is glossing 'skin's, by skin we mean the body, hands, feet, that is all. no heads.

 

It distinguishes what to touch from what to leave alone by its NiMaterialProperty name. If the material's name is 'skin', means it uses the character's race's corresponding body skin texture.

 

But heads are different. head uses the different texture from the body, they are set in the esm or esp. They don't even use 'skin' as material name (because if it is set as skin it uses the body texture instead of facial texture). So GlossMax does no good for faces. You have to do by hand.

 

I tried doing that as stated in the OP. To no avail, I either have bad luck, or suck at it. xD

[movomo]

Well if you have succesfully changed the glossiness value to 100 & you still can confirm it after reloading the file, what are you hesitating? You're done.

 

If changing the value seems to have no noticeable effect in game, try setting even higher value like 1000. (don't go over 10000) or go some darker place and see if it gets more glossy. Just do some experiments.

[DeltaD36]

To be clear, we're talking about changing the Head glossiness via NIFSkope, yes? x_x

 

I suppose that is easy enough. I successfully changed the Chocolate Elves face to Glossy. I'm actually thinking this morning so I ave an idea of what my problem is.

 

I've been trying to gloss heads for races that I don't know where the head.nif files for them are.

 

Specifically, I'm trying to gloss the heads of the races:

 

. Lop-Eared Moonshadow Elf

. LoversImmoral Gaurd Lop-Ear Chocolate Elf

. The Kaleen Race

 

No idea where the head files for the first two are, but I have an idea where the Kaleen one is.

 

You guys wouldn't happen to know where the first two are, you would?

 

By the way, you said to set the Glossiness to 1000? Please explain how to do this. I can only get NIFSkope to set it to 100.

[movomo]

Open up the nif file.

Expand the tree, til you can see a node named NiMaterialProperty. Click it.

Below in the block details window you'll see its glossiness value, it's right below of emissive color. Double click the value and type whatever value you want. and save.

[DeltaD36]

I see "Material", but no NiMaterialProperty.

 

I' going to assume that anything with the Paint Pallette icon next to it is what I'm looking for?

[Ark of Truth]

You can change the glossiness of a mesh using NifSkope..

[movomo]

You should be able to see something similar to this.

[DeltaD36]

You should be able to see something similar to this.

 

Ah. I think I get it. ^^

 

This is the way I understand in my weird logic:

 

- Open all trees until I find a Paint Pallette icon with a name like 'material', 'skin', Etc. Than go to the bottom menu, and look for "Glosiness", which I can then set to any value. Save file, than exit.

 

Is this correct?

[movomo]

Specifically, inside of the head NiTriShapes block.

Scene Root -> NiTrishapes -> NiMaterialProperty -> Glossiness

 

But I have no idea why you cannot see its property name.

[DeltaD36]

Update: Was testing this on the Kaleen race and started to see a GLossy Surface. It's weird that it isn't the same definate color as the body, though. I thought the head color would get a darker shade with the Gloss on, like a body done with Gloss Max.

[movomo]

Glossiness property isn't the only one that handles the glossiness. It's also related to the skin texture's specular map, and Nif's specular color. You need all three to achieve similar skin tones, which I don't think you can break even compared to putting such great effort in. So I just leave them alone.

[DeltaD36]

Alright than. Now I've acomplished Glossing the Lop-Ear Moonshadow elf head and Kaleen head. Now I just need to figure out where the ehad for the Lop-Ear Chocolate Elf is...