Question about renaming items

[Ches]

This question probably sounds extremely stupid.  Forgive me for that.

 

So I have two versions of an armor mod (each for different body types), and I'd like to have both installed at the same time.  The problem is, both versions have exactly the same names, so installing one causes it to completely overwrite the other.

 

I would imagine that renaming one of the sets of armor would resolve this issue (forgive me for being such an inexperienced noob)... but what exactly is the most efficient way to go about doing that if there are many pieces of armor to worry about?  I'm sure there's a few different ways to do this.  Perhaps it's possible to just rename the .nif and .dds files (or maybe that wouldn't work for some reason, I don't know for sure), but that would take forever.  Any help would be appreciated.

[kingkong]

if you do not know how to do a mod that add the armor to a chest or a vendor http://www.creationkit.com/ArmorAddon

 

but you know how to manipulate a nif than : you need to get another mod that adds a different armor ref

     rename your armor to the one you replace and do not forget the textures

[Ches]

I'm not sure I understand (probably not your fault, I'm an idiot).  Can anyone clarify?

[Ches]

Could I do this using TES5Edit?  And if so, is it just the names within the ESP files that I'd be editing?  (Man does basic modding make me feel stupid.)

[kingkong]

what i suggested you is not modding    if you have an armor overall    you can simply change the nif file by your own one

exemple :

data/meches/armors/iron        you open the iron folder and you have cuirass , boots ,gloves etc...   _0 and _1  

you take your (armor).nif   you rename it to the iron one and you replace the existing with yours   than you put the textures pack in the yor data files

 

your armor will show up when you wearing iron armor

 

the same with a mod that is adding and armor to a chest you change the armor by replacing it in the folder

 

do not forget to do a back up    (may be i express my self bad  as my mother language is not english)

[Aleanne]

You'll need CK or TES5EDIT to do this properly.

Lets assume you have CBBE and UNP version of the same mod named MyCoolArmor. Body types are not important, it for the example sake.

 

You need to know that, unless you're using path exclusive mods for your character, both armor version will use the same body textures. If the armor is of the skimpy kind, the result will probably be more or less terrible. Disregard this comment if you know that the body textures are compatible between the two bodies.

 

Install the CBBE version as usual.

 

Now for the UNP version :

You need to rename the esp. If the esp is named MyCoolArmor.esp,  name it MyCoolArmorUNP.esp. Or whatever suits you.

You also need to install the UNP nif files somewhere. It would probably be easier to keep the nifs names but to relocate them  in a different folder. For example, if the CBBE meshes are in Armor/MyCoolArmor, install the meshes in Armor/MyCoolArmorUNP.

Textures can be installed once (when you installed the CBBE version) and then be used by both versions.

Now you need to do the hardest part. You need to explain to the MyCoolArmorUNP.esp that the meshes it has to use are not the original CBBE meshes, but the UNP meshes.

To do that, you start TES5EDIT and select MyCoolArmorUNP.esp. On the left of the screen, under MyCoolArmorUNP.esp, you'll find the Armor Addon entry. Open it by clicking the + sign, click on the first entry, and look for Female World Model / MOD3 - Model Filename on the right side of the screen. You should see something like Armor\MyCoolArmor\SomeArmorPart_1.nif. Edit this (left click, select edit) to Armor\MyCoolArmorUNP\SomeArmorPart_1.nif. Repeat for all ArmorAddon entries. Save. Dont forget to activate MyCoolArmorUNP.esp in your mod manager.

 

You can do the same with the CK. It may be a little bit more complicated, but not that much.

 

Good luck

[Ches]

Thanks for the help.  I'll give it a try and see if I don't screw up too badly.