Cyber's NifSkope Thread

[Cyber Burn]

Ok, new question. Does anyone know if there is a Tutorial anywhere for adding Alpha Properties to a Mesh (Or Mesh piece) in NifSkope?

[SickAlice]

Not I but it's real simple.
1. Go to the Node the mesh is attached to, else the mesh piece itself.
2. Right click > Node > Attach Property > NiAlphaProperty
That's it.

Optimal settings for the Alpha channel are:
  Right Click on the Alpha channel > Flags

Enable Blending = Yes
Source Blend Mode = Src Alpha
Enable Testing = Yes
AlphaTest Function = Greater
Alpha Test Threshold = 127 or 200
Sort/Sort Triangles = No (unless it's an aura than yes)

[Cyber Burn]

Awesome, thank you SA, I'll try that out.

[SickAlice]

Here's a link I find very useful for Nifskope and you and others may as well. It's the codex for everything used in NS and spells out what every function does, where it goes, and so on. It reads like stereo instructions but you get the gist of it after awhile. Really great for when you don't know how structure and settings are supposed to look or if your curious what some of those various functions will actually do for your meshes.
http://niftools.sourceforge.net/doc/nif/

[Cyber Burn]

Man, there is an insane amount of information here. I think I will be doing a LOT of reading for a while.

[SickAlice]

I tend to type that link name and whichever term I'm working with into a shortcut to make it easier. Like NiTextureProperty http://niftools.sourceforge.net for example. Mostly it's helpful in defining which values are what and what needs to be linked to what. But in skimming I learned a few new things, not all useful to me but still...or maybe I'll actually find a use for stencil properties some day, who knows right?

[Cyber Burn]

I agree, you never know what you need to know until you need to know it. By the way, your instructions worked perfectly for the Alpha issue. Thank you.

[Cyber Burn]

Does anyone have, or know the location of, a Tutorial for transferring Particle Emitters from one Mesh to another? Thank you in advance for any information that could be provided.

[daglob]

I don't know if there ever has been one. I think advice was just given upon request. I do know that sometimes they are in two pieces (branch copy only copies half the necessary data).

[SickAlice]

I don't really play with FX though I imagine the structure is the same.

1. For a character in Nifskope first copy the Emitter and paste it to the other mesh. 
2. Then copy and paste the Particle System of the same name from the Scene Root of the donor to the Scene Root of the other

That's all it needs. So for example you take the " Head " FX Emitter from a mesh and paste it to the other, then the " Head " Particle system as well.
You don't have to match up Emitter nodes either. So for example you can paste a Head Emitter, which would normally be found on a characters Head node of course and paste it to say another Pelvis node instead. It still works as long as you have the matching named Particle System pasted into the Scene Root AND if you've done it in the correct order (node Emitter  first, Scene Root Particle System second. You can also rename the Source Texture (handy if you want an FX to only show up on one skin via Alpha channels, see my Larfleeze for an example) as you wish and as far as I've found there's no real limit on how many FX you use. Note as well older versions of Nifskope (grey background GUI ones as opposed to the current black ones) can't handle FX management so you have to use a current version for the process.   

[Cyber Burn]

Thank you SA. Because of your advice, I actually pulled off my first Particle Emitter transplant.

Next question: Is it possible to move a Particle Emitter? I currently have the FX placed on the hand, but I think I want it down a little lower.

[daglob]

Once they are mounted, how do you point them?

[Cyber Burn]

That would be cool to know as well.

[SickAlice]

I'm not sure what you mean by point. Moving is easy enough though.
You click on the Emitter NiNode (make sure Nifskope is set so that nodes are visible). The node itself will highlight, this is also the location/point the particles come from exactly.
Right click > Transform > Edit.
Move the Emitter via the Transform scales (X, Y, Z ) just like you would any mesh piece. Likewise you'll have to take some time and fool around to get it where want it and understand how exactly it moves about in the 3d space.
I use this A LOT with all the Lantern meshes, especially for lining up the Emitter with the ring on their fingers.

[daglob]

The particles seem to leave the emiters in one direction. From what you say, it should be easy to rotate the emitter with the Transform menu.

Thanks!

[Cyber Burn]

New question time (I really should be writing all of this down).

Can I use NifSkope to create a "Static" Mesh from a regular Mesh?

Basically, I want to use a "Character.Nif" as part of an FX. I believe that the Mesh/Skope I want to use is specifically for FFvt3R, but I was wondering if the file is exported as an (OBJ) File, and then imported back into NifSkope, if that file can then be used for FF1.

Sorry, it has been a rough day and my brain is kind of fried, so I apologize if I didn't express what I want correctly.

[daglob]

I dunno, but if you remember the double scope we tried to work on that would have a Male Muscular mesh and a Male Teen mesh that neither of us could ever get to work, I eventually just imported a male Muscular mesh into Male Teen 12, and while it doesn't look like what I want, the Male Muscular hovers in the background and doesn't animate. I did pose him in Nifscope before I copied him. There may be a pic someplace in the Skin-A-Rama.

Is this something like what you want to know?

[Cyber Burn]

Yes, that is pretty much what I am trying to do.

[SickAlice]

In the tutorials I sent over to you for storage the one titled " Basic Animation with Nifskope " by Conduit describes in detail how to do this as well as the advanced methods for adding effects to it as well it includes a work file .nif to experiment on (I think I packaged the .nif file?).

[Cyber Burn]

Ok, new question time. How would I go about putting a Particle Emitter o the tip of a Weapon?

In this instance, I have a Skope that uses a Flamethrower, and I want to put a Particle Emitter on the end so that it has a flame coming out of it.

[SickAlice]

Same way as you would any other. Copy an FX emitter and paste it to the node you want it on then reposition it (Right Click>Transform>Edit>Translation XYZ) until you feel it is resting where you'd like it to be (like at the end of a gun nozzle for example). You'll want an FX that goes in the correct direction to save yourself the headache of trying to change the direction so something from a hand of another or arm (same as your weapon will be held in).

You can copy that emitter to the hand holding the weapon then reposition it, however this can screw up the position during animations (shouldn't if the weapon follows the hands rot, but can all the same). For better measure copy the emitter directly into the weapons node itself then move it about from there. This has the added feature that most time a keyframe calls for the weapon node to be hidden/visible the FX will follow suit automatically. Most emitters you find will travel upwards if that's the effect you want.

if you want it to be shooting out of the flamethrower the best one I know of is the tornado node from Tom's Cannonball. I have a copy of that on the Goblin meshes gliders, though you would need to change the rotation to face frontwards (I believe we discussed how this is done elsewheres? anyways again that's select the emitter's NiNode> View Block Details> Rotation> shoot in the dark and check it back and forth in CTool until it seems to be pointing in the desired direction ) though as someone who makes FX regularly I'm sure you know this method isn't very good since the stream would have no bounding box thus it wouldn't actually hit opponents in game.

[Cyber Burn]

Same way as you would any other. Copy an FX emitter and paste it to the node you want it on then reposition it (Right Click>Transform>Edit>Translation XYZ) until you feel it is resting where you'd like it to be (like at the end of a gun nozzle for example). You'll want an FX that goes in the correct direction to save yourself the headache of trying to change the direction so something from a hand of another or arm (same as your weapon will be held in).

You can copy that emitter to the hand holding the weapon then reposition it, however this can screw up the position during animations (shouldn't if the weapon follows the hands rot, but can all the same). For better measure copy the emitter directly into the weapons node itself then move it about from there. This has the added feature that most time a keyframe calls for the weapon node to be hidden/visible the FX will follow suit automatically. Most emitters you find will travel upwards if that's the effect you want.

if you want it to be shooting out of the flamethrower the best one I know of is the tornado node from Tom's Cannonball. I have a copy of that on the Goblin meshes gliders, though you would need to change the rotation to face frontwards (I believe we discussed how this is done elsewheres? anyways again that's select the emitter's NiNode> View Block Details> Rotation> shoot in the dark and check it back and forth in CTool until it seems to be pointing in the desired direction ) though as someone who makes FX regularly I'm sure you know this method isn't very good since the stream would have no bounding box thus it wouldn't actually hit opponents in game.

Thanks SA, that's where my thought processes were heading, but I was hoping for advice/clarification from one of you guys who are more experienced. The FX/Particle Emitter is mainly for decoration since I'll probably use one of El Diablo's FX in game.

But again, I always appreciate the help, thank you.

[Cyber Burn]

I'm not sure what you mean by point. Moving is easy enough though.
You click on the Emitter NiNode (make sure Nifskope is set so that nodes are visible). The node itself will highlight, this is also the location/point the particles come from exactly.
Right click > Transform > Edit.
Move the Emitter via the Transform scales (X, Y, Z ) just like you would any mesh piece. Likewise you'll have to take some time and fool around to get it where want it and understand how exactly it moves about in the 3d space.
I use this A LOT with all the Lantern meshes, especially for lining up the Emitter with the ring on their fingers.

Ok, this is probably a noob question, but how do I set up NifSkope so that Nodes are visible?

[SickAlice]

(top menu) Render > Draw Nodes

[Cyber Burn]

Hmmm...My Particle Emitter isn't showing in NifSkope. I found the Node, but I can't see the FX playing. Any suggestions?

[hoss20]

Do you mean that you can't see the FX playing in Nifskope? If your skope is FFVTTR, then you won't. I think this was mentioned somewhere awhile back, but I know that I have never been able to see FX playing on a 3rd Reich mesh/skope. It doesn't matter what version of Nifskope I was using. I can see the FX on an FF1 mesh, but never on a 3rd Reich one. I think someone explained what the casue of this was, but I can't remember.

[Cyber Burn]

Thanks Hoss, that will be a bummer then.

[SickAlice]

There's my one to grow to on. I didn't even know one could see FX in NS. Then again I only work with FFVTTR or converted meshes so I never noticed. Like I said before I just adjust one value at a time and keep checking CTool for Rotation adjustments. For position just keep the FX node highlighted while you adjust it's X/Y/Z position and move the little dot to the exact location you want it. It's ends up being pretty easy once you figure out which adjustment moves it which way. I've gotten good enough at it to place one so it sits right on top of a GL ring or in the direct center of an engine.

[Cyber Burn]

I was able to get the FX to the location that I wanted it, but I still need to try and get the FX to flow in the proper direction.

[SickAlice]

This gives me an idea. I could put together a mesh with several FX pointing different directions and upload it to the workbench page. Would anyone want that for skoping? I haven't forgot the limbs mesh either, in due time. Putting heavy work into the third GL wave right now but I think I could work those two into that upload.