Creation Kit Mishaps

[allsunday]

So I tried to do something as basic as changing the hairstyles on an NPC (Lydia) with the Creation Kit and completely failed.  Of course, Bethesda would make a simple task like this insurmountably difficult.  Now Lydia's face is too dark and I don't know how to fix it.  I've pressed CTRL+F4 before importing the character while having ACTORS highlighted but still got dark faces.  
To fix this, I've also erased the FaceTint textures created in FaceGenData and also put the original Lydia's FaceTint back into the folder for good measure.  I even replaced my Skyrim.esm and Update.esm plugins in case the Creation Kit modified those.  Nothing.  Lydia's face is still very dark.  I swear I got my Skyrim back to its original state by replacing all files that were modified but Lydia's face is still dark.

 

All I did to create the failed mod was select 4 plugins:  Skyrim.esm, Update.esm, ApachiiHair.esm, and I set the mod LydiaPrettyFace.esp as the Active File.  

 

Who knows the answer to this riddle?

[allsunday]

Okay, as soon as I finished writing this I got a lightbulb over my head to check the mesh files for some unknown reason.  Sure enough, simply trying to change hairstyles in Creation Kit completely alters the NPC head mesh for some unknown reason.  Replacing the meshes in FaceGeomData for Lydia WITH Lydia's original FaceGeomData solved this problem.  Whatever, Bethesda.

 

I guess this means I'll make a third attempt at changing the hairstyle for an NPC in Creation Kit.  So I know now that the Creation Kit creates some unwanted textures in FaceGenData and also some unwanted meshes in FaceGeomData for the NPCs in question.  Grouping the files in the folder by Date Modified shows which files correlate to Lydia when I tried modifying her in the Creation Kit and replacing those files with the original, un-altered files reverts the situation back to what it was before.  If that makes any sense.

 

Lol, Bethesda....

NEW PROBLEM:  How do you fix this error message in the Creation Kit?  

 

FACEGEN: No morphs found in TRI file

"meshes\ApachiiHairFemale\HumanHair.tri"/ Please do not use empty TRI files 

 

Apparently it's such a common issue that the only answer I could find is a guy on this page http://www.loverslab.com/topic/46046-help-with-this-bodyface-issue/, and all he says is:  

 

"About the missing TRI file. This is vary common for custom hair (or special face parts.)

To fix it: open the Hair and the HairLine used by the NPC. You will see a TRI file path. Edit it and browse a NON EXISTING file.

This will make the tri file empty and everything will work fine in 99.9999% of cases."

 

I have so many questions!  Where's the hair and hairline used by the NPC?  What do you open it with?  Nifskope?  How exactly do you "browse a NON EXISTING file"?  What?  Huh?  What?  Huh?  What?

[allsunday]

Alright, I finally figured out why I couldn't put Apachii hairs on my NPCs.... because I have all my hair mods merged into one .ESP and that .ESP is incompatible with Creation Kit for some unknown reason.  
I took the Apachii Hairs .ESP out by itself, loaded it up in CK, and finally it's appearing on Lydia in game.  Finally.  Only took, like, 2 years.  

Bad news is I can't merge the Apachii hairstyle .ESPs anymore so more plugins wasting space....