Difference between revisions of "Blender/Custom Sword"

You will need:

You will need:

-A graphics editor like the GIMP or Photoshop.  This tutorial won’t cover making a custom texture, just tell you how to get one onto the mesh.

-A graphics editor like the GIMP or Photoshop.  This tutorial won’t cover making a custom texture, just tell you how to get one onto the mesh.

Be sure to configure your NIF Scripts to version 20.0.0.4. You can do this by clicking on the little python emblem in the main menu to take you to the scripts screen. Then click on scripts - system - import/export. This should allow you to choose your .nif import or export scripts from a dropdown menu. Make sure it says .nif version 20.0.0.4 and size 10. (I've heard people say 1, but 10 is what works for me. If your meshes seem too big or small when exported, this is the setting you change.)

Be sure to configure your NIF Scripts to version 20.0.0.4. You can do this by clicking on the little python emblem in the main menu to take you to the scripts screen. Then click on scripts - system - import/export. This should allow you to choose your .nif import or export scripts from a dropdown menu. Make sure it says .nif version 20.0.0.4 and size 10. (I've heard people say 1, but 10 is what works for me. If your meshes seem too big or small when exported, this is the setting you change.)

Mouse wheel: hold down and drag to “roll around” the screen and look at the mesh from different angles.  Hold down shift/wheel and drag right or left to move right or left only.  Scroll mouse wheel up or down to zoom in and out.

Mouse wheel: hold down and drag to “roll around” the screen and look at the mesh from different angles.  Hold down shift/wheel and drag right or left to move right or left only.  Scroll mouse wheel up or down to zoom in and out.

Blender can't import and export collisions at the present time, so you'll need to find a sword from the existing game that is close to the shape you want. Don't worry if the size is a little off. Things are easy to resize in Blender and in NifSkope.  I recommend you start with a one-handed sword such as the Elven longsword.  Claymores and shortswords mostly differ in how you treat them in the Construction Set, which will be our last step.

Blender can't import and export collisions at the present time, so you'll need to find a sword from the existing game that is close to the shape you want. Don't worry if the size is a little off. Things are easy to resize in Blender and in NifSkope.  I recommend you start with a one-handed sword such as the Elven longsword.  Claymores and shortswords mostly differ in how you treat them in the Construction Set, which will be our last step.

Okay, NOW import this mesh into Blender. You can do this by clicking file - import - netimmerse/gamebryo. Now you're looking at a sword mesh.  See how it’s lying flat on the “ground” of the gray Blender interface? Don't move it.  It has to be right there for the game to place it properly in characters’ hands.  

Okay, NOW import this mesh into Blender. You can do this by clicking file - import - netimmerse/gamebryo. Now you're looking at a sword mesh.  See how it’s lying flat on the “ground” of the gray Blender interface? Don't move it.  It has to be right there for the game to place it properly in characters’ hands.  

Here comes the fun part.  If your version of Blender has a little cube appear when you open the program, delete that first by pressing “a” and “delete” and selecting “yes” at the menu prompt.

Here comes the fun part.  If your version of Blender has a little cube appear when you open the program, delete that first by pressing “a” and “delete” and selecting “yes” at the menu prompt.

Note about Blender: Blender has menus now, but the keyboard shortcuts are still far faster and easier to use when you’re making new meshes on the fly.  See the earlier section of the tutorial for a list of most-used shortcuts, to which I will be referring throughout this section.

Note about Blender: Blender has menus now, but the keyboard shortcuts are still far faster and easier to use when you’re making new meshes on the fly.  See the earlier section of the tutorial for a list of most-used shortcuts, to which I will be referring throughout this section.

Now, where was I?  Yes.  Extrusion.  You should now have the sphere lined up so that it had a middle top vertex facing the same direction as the blade of the reference sword.  Select and delete that vertex (delete key).  See the hole?  This is how wide your sword’s hilt or handle will be.  If it seems too narrow, select and delete the row immediately around it, too.  Then select the row that surrounds the hole.  Bounding box may not work well here, so you can use right click to select one vertex and then hold “shift” and go on clicking to select more vertices.

Now, where was I?  Yes.  Extrusion.  You should now have the sphere lined up so that it had a middle top vertex facing the same direction as the blade of the reference sword.  Select and delete that vertex (delete key).  See the hole?  This is how wide your sword’s hilt or handle will be.  If it seems too narrow, select and delete the row immediately around it, too.  Then select the row that surrounds the hole.  Bounding box may not work well here, so you can use right click to select one vertex and then hold “shift” and go on clicking to select more vertices.

Okay, now you have something that looks like a badminton birdie.  Select the topmost ring of vertices again and extrude it.  Keep this up until you have a multi-segmented handle.  Try to make the middle segments wider than the end ones.  When your handle is the length you want it to be (again, compare the reference sword for this), you’re ready to create the guard part of your sword.

Okay, now you have something that looks like a badminton birdie.  Select the topmost ring of vertices again and extrude it.  Keep this up until you have a multi-segmented handle.  Try to make the middle segments wider than the end ones.  When your handle is the length you want it to be (again, compare the reference sword for this), you’re ready to create the guard part of your sword.

Our first sword here will look more like the Chillrend mesh, which doesn’t have big pointy guard segments, though I’ll tell you how to add those.  Accordingly, you want to select your last ring of handle vertices and then click “subdivide” down in the buttons window.  Whoa!  The number of vertices doubled.  This will help your guard section look more round and less faceted.  Extrude it upwards a little and examine the results.  You can repeat this as many times as you like to get a hemispherical guard section, or subdivide again to get more vertices if you still think it looks too angular.   

Our first sword here will look more like the Chillrend mesh, which doesn’t have big pointy guard segments, though I’ll tell you how to add those.  Accordingly, you want to select your last ring of handle vertices and then click “subdivide” down in the buttons window.  Whoa!  The number of vertices doubled.  This will help your guard section look more round and less faceted.  Extrude it upwards a little and examine the results.  You can repeat this as many times as you like to get a hemispherical guard section, or subdivide again to get more vertices if you still think it looks too angular.   

Now, about this guard section.  There’s another reason why we want it to have more vertices: that makes it a lot more flexible as to its shape.  For example, if you want spikes all the way around, you can select alternating vertices in one row and then scale them outwards until they’re as pointy as you want them.  If you want two pointy guard pieces like the steel longsword has, you can select two vertices on opposite sides and pull those out.  Experiment with selecting and “g” and the axes and see what you can come up with.  You can also select just the vertices in your guard section and use “s-z” to make it flatter.  This works with any part of the mesh, and you can use it to make your pommel more coin-shaped (like the Elven sword’s) and less round if you like.

Now, about this guard section.  There’s another reason why we want it to have more vertices: that makes it a lot more flexible as to its shape.  For example, if you want spikes all the way around, you can select alternating vertices in one row and then scale them outwards until they’re as pointy as you want them.  If you want two pointy guard pieces like the steel longsword has, you can select two vertices on opposite sides and pull those out.  Experiment with selecting and “g” and the axes and see what you can come up with.  You can also select just the vertices in your guard section and use “s-z” to make it flatter.  This works with any part of the mesh, and you can use it to make your pommel more coin-shaped (like the Elven sword’s) and less round if you like.

When you’re ready to do this part, it’s easy.  Just select the four vertices of the diamond at the top of your guard section (remember those?) and extrude upward.  I recommend doing it through two or three separate extrusions, but not more than that, because you want a smoother length of steel (or mithril or whatever) here.  Keep narrowing the shape as you go upward, and then merge the four vertices (again, select-alt-m) into one at the top to make a point.

When you’re ready to do this part, it’s easy.  Just select the four vertices of the diamond at the top of your guard section (remember those?) and extrude upward.  I recommend doing it through two or three separate extrusions, but not more than that, because you want a smoother length of steel (or mithril or whatever) here.  Keep narrowing the shape as you go upward, and then merge the four vertices (again, select-alt-m) into one at the top to make a point.

Good job!  I know that seemed time-consuming, but you'll thank me when you have to make the texture.  Trust me on this.  There is nothing more frustrating than to make a working mesh that looks lovely in Blender and discover you can only make it look hideous in-game.

Good job!  I know that seemed time-consuming, but you'll thank me when you have to make the texture.  Trust me on this.  There is nothing more frustrating than to make a working mesh that looks lovely in Blender and discover you can only make it look hideous in-game.

Now it’s time to go back into edit mode.  Click the little circle in the edit buttons.  This should take you to the materials screen.  Click “assign new,” then find the little rectangular button that says “texface.”  Now off to the right you should see a series of tabs, including one that says “input,” and when you click on it you will see some buttons saying “UV,” “orco,” etc.  Make sure “UV” is the one that is checked.

Now it’s time to go back into edit mode.  Click the little circle in the edit buttons.  This should take you to the materials screen.  Click “assign new,” then find the little rectangular button that says “texface.”  Now off to the right you should see a series of tabs, including one that says “input,” and when you click on it you will see some buttons saying “UV,” “orco,” etc.  Make sure “UV” is the one that is checked.

Eep!  Your texture doesn’t appear on your mesh!  Why is that?  I don’t fully understand it myself, but suffice to say Blender won’t show the actual texture that’s going to go on the mesh.  You can assign one just for Blender to view through the UV screen if you set the view to “textured,” but it has to be a jpeg and it won’t go on the final mesh at all.  In any case, don’t panic.  The texture you loaded is there.  You just can’t see it.

Eep!  Your texture doesn’t appear on your mesh!  Why is that?  I don’t fully understand it myself, but suffice to say Blender won’t show the actual texture that’s going to go on the mesh.  You can assign one just for Blender to view through the UV screen if you set the view to “textured,” but it has to be a jpeg and it won’t go on the final mesh at all.  In any case, don’t panic.  The texture you loaded is there.  You just can’t see it.

Huzzah!  We’re ready to export.   

Huzzah!  We’re ready to export.   

And now it’s NifSkope time.  The following is mostly a copy from my shield tutorial:

And now it’s NifSkope time.  The following is mostly a copy from my shield tutorial:

Open up your nif with NifSkope.  See how your new texture appears on the mesh, even though it didn’t show up in Blender?  Bravo.  Be sure and expand the texture node branch to make sure it has the following series of numbers going downwards: 6,1,3,1,1. If it says 5,2, etc., change it. Believe me, you'll thank me later.  

Open up your nif with NifSkope.  See how your new texture appears on the mesh, even though it didn’t show up in Blender?  Bravo.  Be sure and expand the texture node branch to make sure it has the following series of numbers going downwards: 6,1,3,1,1. If it says 5,2, etc., change it. Believe me, you'll thank me later.  

Now save the nif under the name of your new sword (do NOT save it as the name of the old one). Make sure it's in the directory where you want it to be.  

Now save the nif under the name of your new sword (do NOT save it as the name of the old one). Make sure it's in the directory where you want it to be.  

It’s easiest to do this from Blender and export the mesh with the texture on it, but if that doesn’t look right or et cetera, you can add a different texture in NifSkope.

It’s easiest to do this from Blender and export the mesh with the texture on it, but if that doesn’t look right or et cetera, you can add a different texture in NifSkope.

''Important warning:'' make sure the slashes in the texture name lean backwards, like this: \ and not forwards like this: / or the game will refuse to recognize the texture. NifSkope will sometimes try to change this around on you.  

''Important warning:'' make sure the slashes in the texture name lean backwards, like this: \ and not forwards like this: / or the game will refuse to recognize the texture. NifSkope will sometimes try to change this around on you.  

Double click on the construction set icon on your desktop to load up the CS. If you don't have this icon on your desktop, I urge you to put it there right now. Now wait for it to load. This may take a while, and then there will be very few items on the screen. That's because we haven't loaded any data files.  

Double click on the construction set icon on your desktop to load up the CS. If you don't have this icon on your desktop, I urge you to put it there right now. Now wait for it to load. This may take a while, and then there will be very few items on the screen. That's because we haven't loaded any data files.  

When that is done, click OK. You'll get a message asking if you want to create a new ID. ALWAYS SAY YES.  

When that is done, click OK. You'll get a message asking if you want to create a new ID. ALWAYS SAY YES.  

Now your sword will appear in the Weapons list. It will be listed alphabetically by its ID, although you can change the sorting method by clicking the headings of the list. Now you can drop it into the inventory of a merchant, into your house, or into the street of a random city. Go to file - save in the main CS menu and give your mod a name. Close the CS. This might take a while.  

Now your sword will appear in the Weapons list. It will be listed alphabetically by its ID, although you can change the sorting method by clicking the headings of the list. Now you can drop it into the inventory of a merchant, into your house, or into the street of a random city. Go to file - save in the main CS menu and give your mod a name. Close the CS. This might take a while.