How do you change a custom NPC's hair?

[Ghoulz]

I've tried all the old dirty tricks like adding new nif/dds files and simply renaming them to the old files, tried to mess around with the CK. But to no avail the NPCs always have the same hair model.

[Akzyra]

There is a baked head mesh. Example: Sofia funny follower "Meshes\Actors\Character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\SofiaFollower.esp"

No idea on the CK.

[bahow]

What I understand is, that you've made a custom NPC and change his/her hair with another but vanilla ones. 

 

You can load a master hair mod (esm) along with skyrim.esp (you need to make some tweaks first to load more than one esm at the same time) and edit your characters hair from the "character gen parts" tab.

 

If you have the nif and tri files, you can create a new headpart (character>headpart>female/male>headpart) and select your model and tri files, also fill valid races and other boxes. It's easier if you modify one of the existing headparts which is already compatible with your custom NPC's race. Than you can open the actor window and you should be able to select your newly created hair for your NPC. 

 

(I assume you have the permission and rights, or you want to do it for your own use)

[Ghoulz]

 

 

You can load a master hair mod (esm) along with skyrim.esp (you need to make some tweaks first to load more than one esm at the same time) and edit your characters hair from the "character gen parts" tab.

 

 

 

Do not know what character gen parts is or where it's at.

[CEO 0S]

Everything relating to the character's head (Head Shape, Eyes, Mouth, Brows, Hair) is stored in a single nif that the CK generates when you use the CK's export function to export an actor once you finish it. This can be located at:

 

Data\meshes\actors\character\facegendata\facegeom\{MOD NAME}.esp\{NPC'S FORM ID}.nif

 

The reason these are stored this way is because they all use TRI's which are basicaly saved morphing data for changes the player can make to the face. The CK has to generate the actual results in order to remember what was selected. A majority of the actor fields in the CK are completely useless once an export has happened as the game is referencing the .nif it generated instead and really only uses the CK fields once when you hit export on an actor to know how to set the paths to textures in the NIF when.

 

To change the hair you will have to make a HeadPart form for each segment of the hair (Usually Hair, Hairline and Scalp) in the character you want to change's mod. If it's for a Skyrim NPC you will want to make them in the mod you are using to adjust Skyrim.  You could also load said mod up with your hair mod and have it use your hair mod as a master to get access to the hairs but that gets messy. 

 

You will have to re-export the actor out of CK to generate a new file with the new hair. Depending on if it's a custom npc or vanilla there might be additional things you need to make the export recreate the face correctly.

 

It doesn't cover your problem specifically but if you want to look it over I have a guide on making a perfect copy NPC from your PC that might help. I'm fairly long winded but a segment of it is on the hair and if you encounter further problems in exporting it will be covered in there as well. (It's a WIP close but not quite done)

 

http://0s-mod.tumblr.com/0S/G/CustomNPC/PerfectFidelity

 

You could also just make a hair wig and put it in their default outfit however that wouldn't inherit the NPC's hair color and you'd have to set the wig to be the NPC's hair color in the nif making it only really look right on that one npc.

 

 

[Ghoulz]

Found a lazy Band-Aid solution. Just replaced the nifs from the hairstyler mod.