CK: How do I place an open book?

[DocClox]

I know it must be possible: how do I place a book so it lies open. Or a note so it's unfolded? I can get them half open sometimes if I pick them up and drop them a few times in the editor, but I can't seem to get one to lie fully open.

 

(Really all I want is a static note with "do not touch" written on it, but the textures are really weird when I try that, and I think it's because the note is closed. I wonder if I can find an unrolled sheet of paper in the editor...)

[Scrab]

Objects load in with their default model (Can I say it like that?) 

Meaning even if you get this thing open in the Editor, when its reloaded IG it might be closed again. What you can try is putting a book in some weird angle so that when its loaded IG it falls to the ground and opens that way but I assume "simply" making an opened version is easier :^) 

[DocClox]

Yeah, I thought about that.

 

What I really want is a note, and the nif for the static node is way over-complex and looks like it should unfold. I'm reluctant to make my own because it would just be a flat plane, or at least a very thin solid. Then again, maybe that's the way to go.

[karlpaws]

Book and note items are a little different than you are thinking, I think.  The part you read when you pick up the item and and read it is not normally visible when the item is laying on the ground no matter how you place it.  The book items you see in game, laying on a table or lectern, open, are different static items.

 

The book item and the note item have two parts, the outside with its own texture, mesh and such that can be edited (there are book cover mod mods that make them look nicer, put the book title on the spine, change the note texture to a more parchment or decorative look, etc).

 

For a simple "Do not touch" note, you're better off finding one of the sheets of paper that is laying flat (either with the charcoal lines on it or one of the map objects possibly) and edit that. If you can find the DDS file that goes with the item and open it in Paint.net or Photoshop, you could make the changes you want, export it as a new DDS and make your new "sign" in the CK to use that DDS.

 

Of course, an item like that you cannot pick up like a regular book, and it would be in the Misc section of the inventory, not books, but the player could still read it, like the various maps of the Forsworn camps, Delphine's dragon burial maps, Solsteim's Deathbrand armor spots, etc.

[DocClox]

3 hours ago, karlpaws said:

Of course, an item like that you cannot pick up like a regular book, and

 

See, that's what I want. I used a static note, so I'd expect it to just sit there. But the textures map differently in nifscope to the CK and differently again in-game.

 

I did eventually get something like what I wanted

 

 

The thing is, to get that it needs a texture like this:

 

 

If you use the whole teture it only show half, and you can see it wrapping round to the underside. And it needs to be mirrored, so I think what they wanted to do was to show the inside of the folded note as if the note was semi-transparent or something.

 

Anyway, this will do. I just need a static dagger now so I can stop it from falling over when the girl arrives. But that's a different problem

[karlpaws]

5 hours ago, DocClox said:

 

See, that's what I want. I used a static note, so I'd expect it to just sit there. But the textures map differently in nifscope to the CK and differently again in-game.

 

I did eventually get something like what I wanted

 

 

 

The thing is, to get that it needs a texture like this:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

If you use the whole teture it only show half, and you can see it wrapping round to the underside. And it needs to be mirrored, so I think what they wanted to do was to show the inside of the folded note as if the note was semi-transparent or something.

 

Anyway, this will do. I just need a static dagger now so I can stop it from falling over when the girl arrives. But that's a different problem

 

Ah, I don't think I knew about doing the cover reverse, though that might be more for notes and not books, which is what I've looked at a little more.  one of the things I've thought about doing, but haven't gotten around to really trying, is replacing some of the book covers with "naughty" covers, like a Penthouse or Hustler (or I guess what Fallout has) and not just putting the pictures inside.   Knowing that about notes (though I wonder if that is just for the static and not the pick up item?) will be useful... maybe... eventually.

 

Completely off topic, though tangential...

 

Do you think there is a way to use one of the soul gem mods that list the soul trapped NPC's name in the soul gem and "use" an item to "imprison" the soul into a manakin... ie clone an NPC actor like some slavery mods do or select by ID, transport to you, raise/enable/etc the NPC and strip them of AI packages to make them into a slave? Does something like that exist already?  I got to thinking that could be a somewhat safer way to deal with either making NPCs essential so you don't kill them accidentally or something.

[DocClox]

3 hours ago, karlpaws said:

Do you think there is a way to use one of the soul gem mods that list the soul trapped NPC's name in the soul gem and "use" an item to "imprison" the soul into a manakin... ie clone an NPC actor like some slavery mods do or select by ID, transport to you, raise/enable/etc the NPC and strip them of AI packages to make them into a slave? Does something like that exist already?  I got to thinking that could be a somewhat safer way to deal with either making NPCs essential so you don't kill them accidentally or something.

 

Hmm... I don't think soul gems keep the identity of the soul they trap. SO you'd need a modified soul trap spell, one that renames the gem to add the name of the deceased and keep a link to the actual actor or actorbase. StorageUtil worked for that for Jars in inventory although my testing has been a bit sketchy so far.

 

After that, you could use the gem to summon the ghost of the actor - I did that in SexLab Necromancy, way back when. Have a fresh manikin handy, the soul walks over to the manikin, you run a SFX to obscure what's happening, and while the player can't see very well, you remove the manikin and de-ghost the actor. I'd probably use PAHE to handle the slavery on account of "why reinvent the wheel".

 

And you wouldn't need to make them essential, because if they died you could use the gem to infuse a new manikin. You'd need a way to keep the soul gem instances from disappearing while in inventory - StorageUtil and changing the DisplayName might be enough to make that happen. Otherwise you'd need an array of properties or aliases on a quest somewhere to keep 'em loaded. And you'd need a way to make new manikins, since I'm not sure Hearthfire can cope with replacing them if they walk off. Apart from that, it seems like a solid plan.

 

3 hours ago, karlpaws said:

one of the things I've thought about doing, but haven't gotten around to really trying, is replacing some of the book covers with "naughty" covers, like a Penthouse or Hustler (or I guess what Fallout has) and not just putting the pictures inside

 

Well, it's definitely doable.

 

[karlpaws]

1 hour ago, DocClox said:

 

Hmm... I don't think soul gems keep the identity of the soul they trap. SO you'd need a modified soul trap spell, one that renames the gem to add the name of the deceased and keep a link to the actual actor or actorbase. StorageUtil worked for that for Jars in inventory although my testing has been a bit sketchy so far.

 

Ah, yeah if it just has the name as a line of text and does not reference the actor...

 

Probably best off just sticking with what I got, though I think someone had an idea like this for a player home in the Black Star, and trapped souls would be slaves in your mystical home.

 

1 hour ago, DocClox said:

And you wouldn't need to make them essential, because if they died you could use the gem to infuse a new manikin.

 

Wasn't thinking about making them essential after slaving, but before.  In the idea of "fight an NPC to submission, then enslave" you run the risk of fighting them right over the cliff.

 

1 hour ago, DocClox said:

Well, it's definitely doable.

 

Yup, that's the mod I have. Probably take the lazy route and just edit it directly, adding new books with the "special" covers for my own use.

[DocClox]

2 minutes ago, karlpaws said:

Wasn't thinking about making them essential after slaving, but before.  In the idea of "fight an NPC to submission, then enslave" you run the risk of fighting them right over the cliff.

 

The Slaver's Spellbook has a "Mark For Capture" spell that makes them essential for about half an hour. Tag 'em with that and then give it your all

 

6 minutes ago, karlpaws said:

Yup, that's the mod I have

 

Speaking of which, I thought I had that as well. Probably did about five reinstalls ago. Oh well, downloading ...

[karlpaws]

I probably forgot some of what PAHE had, haven't used it in a bit.

 

If you have a little time to waste, you could look through what I posted ... last year? wow... for a sense of what I started.  Might want to look at it in either the CK or TES edit first, or throw it in your game and use something like AddItem Menu to grab the books,  They aren't anything special, mostly just a note or a book with an image on the first page.

[DocClox]

8 hours ago, karlpaws said:

If you have a little time to waste, you could look through what I posted

 

Looks good. Covers shouldn't be a problem. I dug into this a couple of years back with The Slaver's Spellbook and the cover for the Opus Korneum.

 

There was a good resource that had some blank templates and a guide to what part of the textures mapped onto what part of the book. It might have been this one, but that talks about a mesh mod that's been taken down, so I'm not sure.

 

[karlpaws]

20 minutes ago, DocClox said:

 

Looks good. Covers shouldn't be a problem. I dug into this a couple of years back with The Slaver's Spellbook and the cover for the Opus Korneum.

 

There was a good resource that had some blank templates and a guide to what part of the textures mapped onto what part of the book. It might have been this one, but that talks about a mesh mod that's been taken down, so I'm not sure.

 

 

Might have been this one, by the same author of the book mod

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/37113

[DocClox]

Damn. That's twice recently Nexus has told me a mod was taken down only to have someone post me the link. Yeah, that's probably the one.

[karlpaws]

1 hour ago, DocClox said:

Damn. That's twice recently Nexus has told me a mod was taken down only to have someone post me the link. Yeah, that's probably the one.

 

One thing I've noticed is that if a person puts a link in the desc from a few years ago, it might have the old address pattern. I take the ID number off the end, back up a page, and edit it onto a working mod address so I don't have to retype the whole thing or mess about with searching for the mod by name.

 

Or it could be taken down, but in the case the ID trick works.