http://www.creationkit.com/Exporting_meshes_to_Creation_Kit

wtfsrsly?

I can't follow this because it makes ZERO sense... :/

The instructions seem to be dependent on his particular mesh and further I don't want to make a dynamic/interactive object. I just want to bring in a dirt floor. Is there some other place I can find a tutorial? The last week of searching only reveals armor, weapons, NPCs etc...

I just want to get a static mesh in.

For starters my NifSkope interface looks nothing like his. I don't have that list that he tells you to peruse to find the 14trishape and move to the BSFadeNode. I don't even have a BSFadeNode....

I tried creating a parent node for the NiTriShape to get my BSFadeNode and now further into the tutorial he says to enter 11 into a property field to get a shader info node. I don't get that. I get something else.

Man this is the single most frustrating thing I've ever encountered...

If you want to import a .Obj you'll need to export one from the 3D package your working in. I'd reccomend using the NifPlugins instead since they export straight to .Nif.

Click the tiny arrows (or plus signs) next to the each node to expand the hierarchy. You can rename your root to BSFadeNode by double clicking on it.

Hope that helps.

It imports my OBJ just fine. It's everything after that where it falls apart.

There's no NIF plugin for my version of Maya. I looked at compiling one, but that's way over my head.

Just importing an obj won't set it up properly, you have to sort that part out manually.

It should creates the bare minimum: a NiNode, NiTriShape, NiMaterialProperty, and NiTriShapeData.

You'll want some sort of collision data too, typcially in the form of a BSXFlags, a BHKCollisionObject with all it's corresponding nodes...

If you need a custom collision mesh then the obj method probably isn't going to work, as far as I know anyway.

Easiest way to get started would be to paste over the mesh data (NiTriShapeData) on a vanilla Nif.

If it's using a NiTriStripsData instead of a NiTriShapeData, just go to Spells->Optimize->Stripify.

Thanks for your help but... I don't know what you are talking about for what steps. Also, are you telling me, that any mesh I import will have no collision? I assumed at some point I would import my collision model at a later step to replace the one the tutorial started with.

I don't really understand why there isn't a tutorial somewhere that makes sense for a simple static mesh.

All I can tell you for certain is that I do indeed have a NiTriShapeData nested in the branch.

That is a seriously OLD tutorial and just reading it hurts.

If you insist on using Maya and .obj files, the easiest thing to do is to find an existing similar mesh, open that in Nifskope, just highlight the NiTriShape and import your .obj. It should replace the object that's there, and all the other info you need is already there. Then delete the collision block and recreate it with http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/Skyrim/Adding_Collision_Mesh_using_ChunkMerge tool.

You should also consider using Blender or 3DS Max, as they have supported NifScripts available.

Edit: I just remembered, the current version of Nifskope does not support .obj file import any more (issues) so you'll need a better way to do what you want to do anyway.

That's a great idea. I can use one of the dirt mounds.

I just don't really have the time to spend weeks learning Blender. I had to use a tutorial just to find out how to select something.... I have to look up a tutorial on how to make it start with an empty scene? Then my user prefs never pop up. I mean wow... Modeling in Blender is just not an option.

I've been using Maya since UT2k4. I can use max but I don't have a copy of that and the current demo version isn't supported with nif yet.

So I found a guide for Blender plugin figuring on just using Maya to model, transferring the model to Blender. But I'm still trying to figure out what all I need to DL.

Forgive my frustation but I've been using UED/UDK for twelve years. Working with the CK is 99 per cent pleasure. But this one little thing...

So using your suggestion while typing this I have managed to export a nif. Not worrying about collision yet. If I have it in my Skyrim\Data\Meshes\Landscape\ dir it will just show up under that tree in the object window when next I start CK? I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

Thanks again for the help folks. :cheers:

that got it in no problem. will have a go with a collision model now. thanks so very much for that tip.

No, it won't. You'll have to create a new static in the CK and point to it.

Yeah I uh, realized that about a minute after posting...

move to blender, i've been playing with it and its just so much better all around for quick modelling. plus its the most supported for skyrim and its completely free.

if you want to stay in maya, you can always export a mesh using .obj and inject it straight into a nif using anton's mesh injector:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/34226/?

I'll be posting a tutorial tonight for getting custom animations on statics with blender and i'll be using the mesh injector in it if you want to try it out.

I'd definitely be interested in trying out your method.

I have gotten my model AND collision in using Chunk Merge.

It's not too hard but there's one thing that has to be double checked on the collision geometry NIF. The root seems to prefer NiNode to BSFadeNode, and you have to make sure that the root node is labelled "Scene Root." Mine had the name of the vanilla mesh and Chunk Merge failed the first few times with a vague "can not get geometry data" until I changed those two things.

I am not getting the expected results with my material

I have set textures\landscape\coastbeach02.dds and coastbeach02_n.dds in the two slots where the dirt textures were on my vanilla nif and all I get is a smooth blinn appearance in game. None of the normal or specular info seems to have come over from the vanilla mesh. (even when I just left it with the dirt defaults)

But I'm light years ahead of where I was before. I reckon I can suss the material problems over my next few iterations. AWESOME. Thank you for the help.

Just found this:

http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/3658-skyrim-skyrim-meshes-and-blender-importingexporting/#entry150114

Should be useful to some people. Was that you Marthgun that posted looking for a Blender guinea pig? Will this help with the problem? Gonna go find the thread now.

that's just importing and exporting meshes within blender; i was trying to test the injector, which i ended up figuring out and am uploading the tutorial right now, it's mainly about getting animations on statics. which i think once people see how easy it is, there will be alot more interest in using some of Anton's tools.

Ofc, nothing beats the niftools exporter and their nifskope. but for some things its indispensable.

Check to make sure you don't have Vertex colors ticked in your bslightingshaderproperty flag rollout. Also make sure that you copy the bslightingshaderproperty from a vanilla nif, because if you exported that shader property, it probably won't work. just copy the branch from a vanilla nif and paste it onto your NiTriShape.

The specular stuff doesn't show up in nifskope when you change is afaik, but it should probably be left default. You might also check to see that the Skyrim Shader Type, the top line in the Bslightingshaderproperty's block details, is set to default and not environment map. If you're importing statics, try to pick a shader property from a nif that is a static, preferably something found indoors in the clutter folder.

Sometimes I resent the need for sleep...

I'm going down for the night in a few minutes but I checked on vertex colors and I don't have that value anywhere under the LightingShader node, but there is under NiTriShapeData. The value is "has vertex colors" and it was set to true when I checked the nif. I changed that to false and the mesh was completely black in game. Still glossy and smooth, but no lighting, bump or diffuse information. Just a specular highlight from the test light I placed next to it.

Like I said wish I didn't have to sleep. I'm stoked about having custom mesh options now and want to start cranking out assets!

Also, it has nine texture slots under the ShaderTextureSet node. Is that normal? Should I delete the extras? Where did they come from???

Thought:

Is this a possible smoothing group issue? There's just one. I have all the edges set to soft.

I imported the vanilla dirt mound nif into my plugin that I used as a base in NifSkope to build my custom nif and it shades just fine.

Well that bothered me a bit. So as one more test I opened my nif and the vanilla dirt mound side by side and did a block by block comparison. Other than vertex/polygon data, every single field is identical.

Is there some step regarding materials that I am missing?

After I've gotten chunkmerge to put my collision mesh into my game model nif, I right-clicked in CK object window, chose new, then used all deaults. I simply pointed it to my nif. As a test I added new entry in the mesh import window and chose a different shader and I still get a simple smooth glossy surface. Strange stuff.

its called Shader Flags ; there are two of them in the block details. I wouldn't touch the Has Vertex Colors.

double click the names to the left of, say, Shader Flags 1 : SkyrimShaderPropertyFlag : { Double click this }

Here's the tutorial for getting custom static animations; I think mesh injector starts at around 23:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4aLLDwg2rc&feature=youtu.be

Might be easier if you could upload your mesh somewhere for people to take a closer look. It's hard to diagnose issues without seeing it.