Hey all,

I've been working on a retexture of a sword for a few weeks now, and I've begun to notice a strange, lightning-bolt-shaped zigzag running vertically down the hilt of the sword (which is a flat, slightly curved diamond shape). The normal-shininess really flares up when it's turned to the sun, so it's really hard to see the regular normal map design. The transparency of that part of the normal is 100%, and it's at the highest "engraving" level possible. The lightning-bolt-shape is nowhere in the normal map texture, and it doesn't sem to have any connection with the sword-s geometry. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem are appreciated!

Thanks,
Kohdi

You most likely have mirrored UVs. See http://www.fallout3nexus.com/articles/article.php?id=198 tutorial on how to fix it.

Thank you for that tutorial (and to Ghogiel as well), but is there anyway to fix the problem without messing with the mesh? I am in no way a modeler, and the issue wasn't present on the sword's original texture. It only happens when I apply my own texture. Any more information will be appreciated!

If you didn't change anything on the mesh the issue was present on the original mesh as well. Many Bethesda meshes have this actually. The only thing you can do is make the specular map less bright (like it was in the vanilla normal most likely, that's why you couldn't see it on the original mesh). The less light is reflected, the less seams you get. With a black specular or no specular map you won't see those seams at all.

the changes outlined in the tutorial are (technically - depends on the model) doable in nifskope. its uv mapping feature is very simple, even a total modeling newbie should be able to work it. the biggest variable is the model itself, some of them are just mapped in such a way that isn't conducive to retexes :shrug:

Thank you for your replies. If it helps to know, i'm retexturing the Exotic Longsword mesh (an arabian scimitar). Could you describe how to do it in NifSkope, Lady Nerevar? That's a tool I know how to use.

Email me the mesh and textures at lordneverar@hotmail.com and ill fix the problem and tell you how to fix it for future reference. =]

Many thanks, the files are quite big altogether (>36 MB), so I'll put them in a .rar archive on Mediafire, here's the link-

http://www.mediafire.com/?jzmttqttlnz (8.32 MB)

I'll send the link to your email too, just in case.

And to everyone else, thanks for your advice! I wouldn't recommend downloading the files until I release the mod, which will be very soon. This is the last issue to iron out.