skin Shiny Complexion

[Tearoth]

I'm having a weird issue. Whenever i try to create a character, the face and neck are very shiny, which leaves a jarring neckseam. However, if i move the complexion slider away from 0 to 1, and then back to 0, it's fixed. The fix is not persistent, and if i load the save, or enter RaceMenu, the shine comes back.

Anyone know how to solve this issue? Doesn't seem to affect any vanilla races. I'm playing with a Custom Race. I'm using Diamond Skin.

[traison]

Save a RaceMenu preset of your character with a shiny face, then inspect the resulting jslot file in Notepad. Look for dds files, and query your mod manager to make sure they all exist. Create a list of the mods providing these files. Do not assume it's a problem specifically with complexion diffuse textures, this is most likely an override or overlay and/or a missing or flat texture issue. Could be your head _msn or _sk texture is flat or missing for instance. RaceMenu is a bit inconsitent when it comes to showing problems. Opening RaceMenu has a tendency to fix a lot of issues, but they return when you close it. Whether the problem is visible or not is usually not relevant to whether or not it will show up in the jslot file.

[Tearoth]

@traison
I'm starting to wonder if it's related to the Custom Races mod itself.

Looking at the textures loaded on my character with the console, it loads two sets of textures. One set is the ones from the Custom Races mod itself, which is to be expected, but it also loads from the default location. When i then change my complexion, so that the shine goes away, the set from the default location disappears in the console as well.

Looking at the Custom Races plugin in xEdit, i cannot seem to find anything that points towards the default texture location from vanilla.

Any idea why this is happening?

Picture:
https://imgur.com/a/s0Ps1tl

Edited November 6, 2025 by Tearoth

[Tearoth]

22 hours ago, Tearoth said:

@traison
I'm starting to wonder if it's related to the Custom Races mod itself.

Looking at the textures loaded on my character with the console, it loads two sets of textures. One set is the ones from the Custom Races mod itself, which is to be expected, but it also loads from the default location. When i then change my complexion, so that the shine goes away, the set from the default location disappears in the console as well.

Looking at the Custom Races plugin in xEdit, i cannot seem to find anything that points towards the default texture location from vanilla.

Any idea why this is happening?

Picture:
https://imgur.com/a/s0Ps1tl

I've been checking xEdit again and again like crazy, and i just cannot seem to come up with anything. I've ruled out the preset i made, as the base Race also has the seam when selecting it in RaceMenu.

[traison]

5 hours ago, Tearoth said:

Looking at the textures loaded on my character with the console, it loads two sets of textures.

 

The image wasn't there when I last saw your post. As I see it, there's nothing weird going on in that texture list. Note down the paths of the femalehead textures, then inspect the mods that provide them. If everything seems fine, then open the textures (especially the _sk and _msn ones) in a texture editor like irfanview, paint.net or by using one of the dds converter packages from Microsoft (prefered) or nVidia. Make sure the textures aren't flat or otherwise invalid. Use a texture from the vanilla bsa archives as an example for what it should look like, if needed.

 

5 hours ago, Tearoth said:

I've been checking xEdit again and again like crazy, and i just cannot seem to come up with anything.

 

I wouldn't approach this from MIC/xEdit, as it won't show the overrides/overlays where the problem most likely is.

 

Edit: Turns out at least overlays are visible in MIC, didn't test overrides.

 

5 hours ago, Tearoth said:

I've ruled out the preset i made...

 

Meaning you did what I suggested: saved a jslot file while the face is shiny, and went through all dds files that looked relevant, and all overrides, tints and overlays. Made sure they all exist and that none of them are wrong in some other way?

 

If that's the case then look into all weather, wetness (including ENB, CS and possibly ReShader) and sweat mods that alter the specularity, shine, gloss (and so on) properties of the meshes themselves.

Edited November 7, 2025 by traison

[Tearoth]

3 hours ago, traison said:

The image wasn't there when I last saw your post. As I see it, there's nothing weird going on in that texture list. Note down the paths of the femalehead textures, then inspect the mods that provide them. If everything seems fine, then open the textures (especially the _sk and _msn ones) in a texture editor like irfanview, paint.net or by using one of the dds converter packages from Microsoft (prefered) or nVidia. Make sure the textures aren't flat or otherwise invalid. Use a texture from the vanilla bsa archives as an example for what it should look like, if needed.

I'll get you another screenshot. Further down the list, there's another set of the same textures being loaded, but from the Custom Races path, as they should. The ones shown in the first screenshot are loaded from the vanilla texture location, and disappears once i change complexion in RaceMenu.

 

3 hours ago, traison said:

Meaning you did what I suggested: saved a jslot file while the face is shiny, and went through all dds files that looked relevant, and all overrides, tints and overlays. Made sure they all exist and that none of them are wrong in some other way?

 

If that's the case then look into all weather, wetness (including ENB, CS and possibly ReShader) and sweat mods that alter the specularity, shine, gloss (and so on) properties of the meshes themselves.

Correct. The jslot file revealed only the correct textures. And i checked the paths to all of these textures. I even changed the textures out to some different ones just to be sure, but it still occurs.

[Tearoth]

https://imgur.com/a/RD33Xc2

Here's a video. @traison

[traison]

Just had a look at my own character in MIC, overlay textures do show up there afterall. Post that jslot file here.

[Tearoth]

Tearoth Bosmer.txtHad to send it as a text document. LL won't let me upload jslot files directly.

But keep in mind that the problem also occurs on the default custom races preset too.

[Tearoth]

  "faceTextures" : [
      {
         "index" : 0,
         "texture" : "CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\femalehead.dds"
      },
      {
         "index" : 1,
         "texture" : "CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\femalehead_msn.dds"
      },
      {
         "index" : 2,
         "texture" : "CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\femalehead_sk.dds"
      },
      {
         "index" : 3,
         "texture" : "CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\uFemaleDetailmap.dds"
      },
      {
         "index" : 7,
         "texture" : "CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\femalehead_s.dds"
      }

This is what i could find related to face textures in the jslot file.

I'm starting to wonder if i have a file somewhere in my load order that calls for the vanilla face texture output to be loaded on anyone, no matter what.

[traison]

1 hour ago, Tearoth said:

This is what i could find...

 

Plenty more than that going on.

• Overrides array:
  • Face Ovl0 = Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\SFO\\Face\\Face Freckles 5.dds
  • Face Ovl1 = Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\Default.dds
• Tintinfo array:
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femaleuppereyesocket.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femalelowereyesocket.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femaleheadhighelf_lips.dds
  • Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\SFO\\Face\\Face Freckles 1 M.dds
  • Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\FMS\\Blush\\Anime Blush 2.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femalenordeyelinerstyle_01.dds

[Tearoth]

42 minutes ago, traison said:

 

Plenty more than that going on.

• Overrides array:
  • Face Ovl0 = Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\SFO\\Face\\Face Freckles 5.dds
  • Face Ovl1 = Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\Default.dds
• Tintinfo array:
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femaleuppereyesocket.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femalelowereyesocket.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femaleheadhighelf_lips.dds
  • Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\SFO\\Face\\Face Freckles 1 M.dds
  • Actors\\Character\\Overlays\\FMS\\Blush\\Anime Blush 2.dds
  • CustomRaces\\CustomWoodElf\\tintmasks\\femalenordeyelinerstyle_01.dds

That's right. Nothing about those seems out of order though. Just RaceMenu overlays. The default ones being nothing.

[traison]

In that case all I can say is that you're missing something, and I'd have to see this problem for myself to figure it out.

[Tearoth]

Allright. Thanks, traison. If you can think of anything, let me know.