NifSkope Techniques

[twowolves80]

Just a quick question--moderators, feel free to move this to the appropriate forum if this isn't the correct venue.

 

I have the Field Mage Outfit from Nexus (ported it to SE simply by running the meshes through the NifOptimizer), and I want to delete the upper half of the outift--the bustier is horrible looking on my character, and I don't need the faux CBBE skin texture there, either, nor the field bag. I tried delete them in NifSkope, and then assigned the partition body slots the number 46 for torso. It looks good in NifSkope. In game, though, the torso of my character is now invisible.

How do I delete those parts so that the character's actual body shows through?

Thank you in advance!

[myuhinny]

Pretty sure the torso isn't invisible but is instead not even there. Open up the nif in nifskope and right click the dress and go block - remove branch and look at the body underneath the outfit and see if it's actually a full body under it or if the body had parts removed to remove clipping. Chances are the torso isn't there because the author either used a 3d tool like blender to delete the vertices of the torso or they used outfit studios and zapped the torso out of the nif.

 

If there is no body under a outfit or the body has parts removed you can use outfit studios to redo the body and adjust the body to fit. If there is a _0 and _1 nif you'll have to redo it to remake the new _0 and _1 files so that sliders work.

[myuhinny]

Did a quick look and lots of body parts are missing some are not needed if they are covered underneath clothing.

 

 

 

[twowolves80]

 

Here is the nif file. The chest is just an alpha, I think--I tried loading it into bodyslide, and it shows the skin texture, but that texture isn't in the textures folder of the mod. In the esp, maybe? But either way, everything from the waist up has to go. I have separate jewelry and clothing mods that I want to use, and my character's chest sure as hell ain't that big. lol

 

Is there a way to force the character's body to show through? It's just a vanilla body for right now as I'm experimenting/trying to learn, and want to play with a vanilla mesh first before tackling a custom one.

Edit: Just saw your post, yeah. All that showed up in bodyslide as an alpha.

 

[myuhinny]

The texture being used for the body in the nif is Astrid's burnt skin texture from her dark brotherhood scene where she is set on fire and dies shortly after you find her after the place was attacked. The body under the armor is in 2 pieces chest001 and legs.

 

Not sure what you mean by alpha unless it has something to do with that version of nifskope I personally only use the newest version for loading a fallout 4 nif so that I can extract out a outfit for porting. The armor loaded fine for me in outfit studios.

 

I also never use block list I always use block detail instead. To open block details click the x and close the block list and then click view and select block list or hit F3.

 

 

 

[twowolves80]

I think the skin was called something something alpha. I know I wasn't loading it right in the bodyslide outfit studio--how did you get that to load? What are the options I set when I try to load it? It wanted me to load each individual part, not allowing me to select everything like you have it. (Read: User error in all likelihood) Sorry, I'm a total noob when it comes to nifskope and I'm just starting to get into it.

How would I go about removing the upper portion (shirt, bustier and field bag) in such a way where the vanilla body shows through? Basically, turn the mod into the skirt and boots portion only?

 

Again, apologize for the noobish questions and thank you ahead of time. Greatly appreciated!

 

 

EDIT:

I imported the outfit into BodySlide Outfit Studio, along with the UNP body reference, and deleted the meshes there, leaving what I want. Problem is, how do I export the reference body and the outfit together so both show in NifSkope (and thus, in-game)?

 

Edit2: Got it to export, just a little clipping with the boots due to not copying the bone weights...any idea how to do that? Also, I think the hands need to be worked because bracers don't show up on the body in-game, and there's hands nif files in the mod for the gloves, but without the gloves, there's nothing. So I need to...put default hand nifs in there in place of the other ones?

[myuhinny]

When you export something and want to keep the reference body you export - export with reference and if you already have a body in the nif and don't need another one you can just use export which will just export the outfit and body if there was already one in it but not the reference body.

 

To delete something from a nif you first must look and see what all attached to the part you want to remove you don't want to delete something if it's attached to something else as it'll remove those attached parts as well. 

 

Field bag you can delete with either nifskope or outfit studios. In nifskope just right click the field bag and go block - remove branch then save as to overwrite the nif. Do not use block - remove because it makes a dirty nif because all that gets removed is the item mesh but leaves everything that was attached to it. Same can be done with the shirt as well.
 

In outfit studios click the bag and right click the item name in the mesh box and select delete shape. Same can be done with the shirt as well.

[myuhinny]

The body clipping through the boots isn't caused by weight painting remember there was never ever a body under those boots because the author either zapped the mesh out or used blender or a 3d tool to modify the body under the boots.

 

To fix the clipping with the boots first use the increase mesh volume in a area to increase the mesh volume of the boots at the spot where the top of the boots stop make sure there is no clipping too close to a edge because when you zap the legs if it's too close the zap part might come out from under the boot and cause a hole in the mesh where the boot isn't covering it.

 

Once you increase the mesh volume in those areas click the mask vertices tab and hold down the mouse when over the areas that are clipping through the boots and mask them till the spots are dark once you have the spots on the legs that are clipping masked click brush - invert mask this'll cause the sections that were not masked to become masked and the spots you masked to become unmasked. Unmasked spots in the zap piece will be removed. Next click slider - new zap slider. If you are done use the save project as copy the outfit file name and paste it into the display box removing the new outfit name from it and hit ok.

 

Now go to the bodyslide and under outfit/body look for the outfit name that you just saves and click it and select preview now click the zap slider box and the legs should be removed from the outfit after that build it and not where the file is being placed at so that you can go get it from the folder.

 

[twowolves80]

Thank you for your patience!

I didn't know about the dirty edit. I'll redo it (now that I know how to do it, it takes all of five minutes).

How do I get bracers (of any kind) to show up? Right now, even though the arms are bare, they don't show the bracers, and the hands aren't as cleanly attached as I'd like--if I could get the bracers to show up, I'd be happy. Just realized, I have to change the first person nif, too, so it doesn't show arms that have a top. lol I'd rather them show the bracers (of any kind) as though the arms were naked.

I have to copy the bone weight data, anyway, but at this stage, I'm more concerned about learning than playing (which is actually me just setting up for screenarchery).

Thank you again!

 

EDIT: Also, is there a way to assign it to a unused body slot? I figure that way, I can still add custom armor pieces (like feathered/beaded pectoral plates).

[myuhinny]

If the gauntlets are not showing up in game that's almost always going to be a incorrect slot being used somewhere. If you add gauntlets to your outfit you must change the slot to SBP 32 body in nifskope so that it's the same as the outfit in the nif it'll also match the slots in the .esp under the armor and armor addon. Then they'll appear correctly in game. 

 

All slots must match both in the _0 and _1 nif as well as the armor and armor addon listed in the .esp if one of them is incorrect then they'll appear invisible in game.

 

To change the slot make sure you have block details up in nifskope click the gauntlets BSDismemberSkinInstance - Partitions and change the slot and then save as to overwrite the nif

[twowolves80]

Got it!

Also, here's why things may be jiggy. The body replacer I'm forced to use is UNP for the character only, and the Field Mage Outfit is CBBE. I also have CBBE installed as a global except for the character. The hands default to vanilla, not CBBE, when the field mage gloves are off. If I put the bracers on they look fine (it hides the terrible seams).

Immersive Armors' Barbarian Armor is another one I'd like to convert over, but the problem is, I'd have to install that as a separate esp to overwrite the current barbarian2cuirass_0.nif, or whatever it's called, as a loose file. I think. Why? Because NMM installed it as a BSA with the FOMOD, and I can't alter it in the BSA (or I don't know how to) without reinstalling the whole mod which would require reinstalling other mods to overwrite it again. That's why I figured it would be easier to isolate that armor, and make a new esp with it (I'm only at about 100 or so plugins, so it's not a big deal to have one more esp).

 

Except...I've never used the CK. For anything. lol

Not at all pleased by the lack of body warpaint mods or the lack of feather/beaded jewelry mods for SE. That's the last piece of the puzzle and then I can start posting screenshots! Yay!

[twowolves80]

Is there a reason why jewelry like nipple/navel piercings don't "stick" to the body? By this, I mean, the character will engage in idle animations, and sway slightly in place, but the jewelry doesn't not sway with her. And I've come across another problem: The body in Outfit Studio is smaller than the body in-game, with the result that I have to nudge the jewelry, exit, load it into Outfit Studio, and then adjust and load the game again.

[yatol]

your mesh follow where the body from the nif it came from is going

if you want it to follow another body, you have to copy paste the new body weights

 

when you import a head nif in outfitter, it end up between the feets

same problem, those meshes are weight for another npc head

one that is 0 0 0

 

 

[twowolves80]

Thanks, Yatol. I started playing with that a little bit more. The thing is, I'm using a body replacer, and all that is in the mod is the body. No hands, feet, or anything else. Now, for the child races of RS Children Overhaul, where do they generate the hands/feet from? And what about head data? Same thing, but where do I get my facial data preset from and how do I get it into Outfit Studio as a reference?

Here's the other thing. This doesn't explain how Outfit Studio is upscaling the body in-game, or the game is down-scaling the body from Outfit Studio. And copying bone weight does not help with the "sway" of the jewelry independent of the body. Yet, another mod adds earrings, and those stay put rigidly in the earlobs no matter what the idle animation is doing.