Difference between revisions of "Reskinning Rudiments"
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imported>JOG m (Added link to BSA commander...) |
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- All errors contained herein are my own. If you encounter any problems please PM me over at the forums. | - All errors contained herein are my own. If you encounter any problems please PM me over at the forums. | ||
This tutorial gives an alternative approach to reskinning objects in Oblivion from that provided in [[Retex Guide]]. | This tutorial gives an alternative approach to reskinning objects in Oblivion from that provided in [[Retex Guide]]. Whilst I do not seek to criticise that tutorial in any sense I would warn nooBs somewhat against using Nifskope for simple retexturing. Whilst it has an obvious appeal to the point'n'click generation Nifskope is actually an extremely powerful tool capable (and indeed primarily designed) for altering the Nif file data itself. | ||
At this stage I am dealing only with what I would call simple objects (i.e. those consisting of only one nif - not characters and most creatures which are comprised of multiple nifs called by an underlying skeleton.nif). More complicated objects will be dealt with in the forthcoming Reskinning Rudiments 2. | At this stage I am dealing only with what I would call simple objects (i.e. those consisting of only one nif - not characters and most creatures which are comprised of multiple nifs called by an underlying skeleton.nif). More complicated objects will be dealt with in the forthcoming Reskinning Rudiments 2. | ||
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''NIF = Net Immerse File'' (or Format?) | ''NIF = Net Immerse File'' (or Format?) | ||
These are the 3d models used by Oblivion. You will notice that some items (such as armour) have more than one .nif | These are the 3d models (also referred to as "meshes") used by Oblivion. You will notice that some items (such as armour) have more than one .nif. One of these will be suffixed _gnd - this is the World Object nif (i.e. how the item will appear as an object in the game independent of being worn). | ||
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different levels of DDS (DXT1-5), but for present purposes don't worry about that - | different levels of DDS (DXT1-5), but for present purposes don't worry about that - | ||
for reasons I'm going to come onto. | for reasons I'm going to come onto. | ||
Some Nifs also have a _g.dds which | Each Nif has a standard DDS (the "colour map") and also an _n.dds. The latter stands for normal and refers to "normal mapping" see below. The n_dds also has an alpha channel which controls the way light interacts with the suface. | ||
Some Nifs also have a _g.dds which is a "gloss map" (these are | |||
outside the scope of the current tutorial, but I will eventually get around | outside the scope of the current tutorial, but I will eventually get around | ||
to an advanced texturing tutorial to cover it). | to an advanced texturing tutorial to cover it). | ||
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'''Step 1:''' | '''Step 1:''' | ||
First of all you will need to gain access to the nifs and dds files. To do this you need to use either [[BSA Commander]] or Ghostwheel's commandline BSA unpacker tool. Links to the | First of all you will need to gain access to the nifs and dds files. To do this you need to use either [[BSA Commander]] or Ghostwheel's commandline BSA unpacker tool. Links to the latter and an excellent guide to it's use can be found here - [[BSA Unpacker Tutorial]]. I would however differ from the author on his final point. Take the BSA folder which contains all your unpacked meshes and textures and store it somewhere other than your Oblivion\Data folder - this helps to avoid later unfortunate confusion. | ||
'''Step 2:''' | '''Step 2:''' | ||
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Knowing how to repaint the texture really is just a question of trial and error. Again I'll hopefully get a chance to put up another tutorial describing techniques. You may find it helpful to use NifSkope, this will put up a 3d model of your mesh the texture of which will change every time you save the changes in your drawing application. NifSkope is freely available here - [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=149157&package_id=170735]. | Knowing how to repaint the texture really is just a question of trial and error. Again I'll hopefully get a chance to put up another tutorial describing techniques. You may find it helpful to use NifSkope at this stage, this will put up a 3d model of your mesh the texture of which will change every time you save the changes in your drawing application (although only if you're working directly on the dds file). NifSkope is freely available here - [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=149157&package_id=170735]. | ||
How you save the changes to your texture will again depend on which way you opened it. If you're using the NVidia plugins they can save out directly in DDS. Make sure to have generate mipmaps ticked and use DXT5 (interpolated alpha) format or DXT3. If you're using jpeg or psd save in that format and use DDS Converter to switch back to DDS, replacing the original file. | How you save the changes to your texture will again depend on which way you opened it. If you're using the NVidia plugins they can save out directly in DDS. Make sure to have generate mipmaps ticked and use DXT5 (interpolated alpha) format or DXT3. Usually DXT3 will suffice, but for more intricate normal maps DXT5 may be preferable. If you're using jpeg or psd save in that format and use DDS Converter to switch back to DDS, replacing the original file. | ||
More will follow on normal maps, speculars, particles, etc. | More will follow on normal maps, speculars, particles, etc. | ||