3dsMax - editing Vanilla weapons - blood lighting?

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

Quick question - I am beginning to work with 3dsMax edits of Vanilla weapons in Skyrim, and I am encountering the "blood lighting" mesh.

 

If I change the shape of a weapon - say, the head of an axe - do I need to have the blood lighting mesh matching exactly? Do I need to re-create/re-make it? I have noticed that the blood lighting mesh turns black if I alter the weapon mesh it is part of -

 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

*Bump of Hope*

[JRCosta]

I do the following when adding blood effects to custom weapons, could be the answer you are looking for:

 

In 3ds max:

- Select the parts of the weapon that will have blood effect (usually the handle is taken off) using the polygon for better control of the selection;

- Go to Edit Geometry - Detach - Detach as clone (name it anything, object001 is fine), then Ok.

- Select this new object and go to the modifier list, select push modifier and in the parameter item, change the value to 0,01 to 0,05 or similar. Now you have a mesh slightly above the custom weapon mesh.

- Delete the original custom weapon object, leaving only the object001. Go to the window with the Editable mesh and Push lines, select the editable mesh and with the right click, use collapse all from the menu.

- Export as NIF, name it object001 or whatever;

- Ok, you're done here in 3DS. Now go to Nifskope.

 

This part is a little tricky, so do a backup of both nifs (the custom weapon and the new mesh, object001).

- Open both in Nifskope.

- In the object001, you should only have a branch with the NithiShape. Right click, copy branch, don't close the window.

- Open the custom weapon in nifskope, right click on the root (NiNode) and past the branch TWICE (I'm assuming from now on that you know how to work with Nifskope);

- Now the tricky part; you should have now two new branches (NiTriShape) that you will use to copy the BloodEffects and BloodLightning branches from the custom weapon;

- Select one of the branches, go to block details and change the name (first line with "Name - string - Txt") to BloodLightning;

- Go to the original BloodLightning and block copy-past branch EVERYTHING EXCEPT the NiTriShapeData branch to the new renamed branch. After paste everything, remove the original BloodLightning branch;

- Repeat last two steps for the BloodEffects branch.

- Save the Nif.

- Now the final part; we need to change the flag properties so it will not show in the game, but slowly showing with every contact (hit); so select the new BloodLightning branch, scroll down the block details to flags, click and select Hidden and collision detection Continue; accept. Do the same to the bloodEffects. Save the Nif and check it ingame. 

 

You can check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5dvy-ncIog, I have learned here, but he is really quick, lots of keyboard shortcuts and he plays for a while with the UV effects. My text focus only the important steps.

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

Gleep! I had not seen the reply to this - many, many thanks JRCosta!!!