Interior Showcase Guidelines

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE STARTING YOUR SHOWCASE

Acronyms:

• TR – Tamriel Rebuilt
• MW – Morrowind
• TES – The Elder Scrolls
• CS – Construction Set

Before you start working on your showcase, please read through these guidelines. They explain how to set up MW to mod for TR, what is required for the interior showcase, and typical problem areas for newbies. It's much easier to read this than it is to go back and fix errors, sometimes, over and over again.

 

SHOWCASE PREREQUISITE

Create your showcase with a mod-free version of Morrowind. A few mod exceptions are listed below.

 

TR only uses vanilla MW content (Morrowind, Tribunal, and Bloodmoon) and our own Tamriel_Data assets. Never select the master file TR_Mainland.esm when making showcases or any other work for TR. (Note that TR_Mainland.esp should be used when working on quests.) If you have a heavily modded game and would like to submit a showcase, it is advisable to work from a fresh install of MW.

 

Mods you can use:

• MCP (Morrowind Code Patch) — This will give you access to the enlarged map system used by TR.
• Developers Resources — Several vanilla MW items have poorly fitted collision meshes which extend beyond the bounds of the item itself. This means you have to press “F” twice in order for the item to sit properly on top of something else. TR has fixed most of these errors and has provided you with new meshes to use for creating interiors.  Simply unzip the file into the “Morrowind/Data Files/Meshes” folder.

 

The latest Tamriel_Data asset files (TR_Data.bsa, PT_Data.bsa, and Tamriel_Data.esm) can be found here.

 

INTERIOR SHOWCASE REQUIREMENTS

1. Size must be a two story Hlaalu building. 3x2x2 to 4x2x2 structural pieces. (Meaning either a 3 tile by 2 tile or a 4 tile by 2 tile sized interior with 2 floors.)

2. Make sure you pick an exterior building shell to fit the above.

3. Use T_Data De_FurnP. This is a flattened version of the wonky vanilla set. The vanilla set can be used for its already flat furniture such as: furn_de_p_chair_02, furn_de_p_shelf_02, furn_de_p_stool_01, furn_de_p_stool_02

4. Use at least 10 Tamriel_Data items not including the above furniture.

5. Sufficiently clutter the interior. To know how much is enough, see other recent Tamriel Rebuilt or Project Tamriel interiors that are similar to the one you are making.

6. The cell must have at least one each of the following specific features: a steel axe (1 handed) with its head resting against the wall - rotate the head so the axe blade also rests against the wall, a spoon laying correctly in an empty bowl, a lesser soul gem, a coda flower & a broom. Place these in spots that make sense, so the placement doesn't appear arbitrary.

7. Include a Northmarker.

8. Adjust the Interior Cell Settings: Lighting/Fog/Illegal-to-Sleep-Here appropriately.

9. Clean your file. For example using TESAME. It should have no dependencies but Morrowind, Tribunal, Bloodmoon, and Tamriel Data. Remove unwanted dependencies with WyreMash.

10. Your file must include a Path Grid.

11. All work must be original; do not copy from other interiors!

If your showcase isn't reviewed within a few days, send a message to a Senior Developer, on the forum or (much preferred) Discord. Sometimes we forget!

SHOWCASE Size:

The shell size must be 3x2x2 to 4x2x2 pieces. The requirement for two stories is so that you can learn how to use stairs and ramps and make sure you can add them without leaving gaps. We request using the Hlaalu set because it is the simplest to get to grips with, and the easiest to spot common errors in. Be sure to incorporate the stairs into your 3x2 shape, and keep 2nd floors or basements above or below the ground floor, respectively.

Proper rotation of objects is vital for creating great interiors. With the creation of CSSE’s snap to surface feature this is easier than ever, simply hold the ALT key whilst moving the object and it will align with the surface. Gone is the need to manually rotate everything when the surface is uneven!

However, there are many objects and edge cases for which this tool won’t work. Therefore you do need to have the skills to rotate objects in scenarios where it is necessary. This is where the specific features list comes in: These are common objects for which you’ll still need the skills to rotate manually.

You will find this skill very useful in many situations when making interiors – e.g. whenever you have to place items that need to be bled, place items with unusual geometry, or have an item rest in a non-standard way.

Tamriel Data adds flat versions of the de_p furniture that start with the ID prefix T_De_FurnP_. Use them in your showcase. They used to be prohibited as part of the rotation test, but the above tool has made that obsolete.

SHOWCASE Northmarker:

The Northmarker is a static that is used by the game to correctly orient the map. Please make sure you include one in your showcase. A good place to put the Northmarker is just outside the main entrance door to your interior.

 

SHOWCASE Interior Cell Settings: Lighting / Water Level / Illegal To Sleep Here:

You must adjust Light Settings in your showcase interior through the main menu in the CS. Select “World->Interior Cell...”. Scroll through the Cell Descriptions to find your cell. Now adjust the Ambient, Sunlight, and Fog settings. Find an Ambient color that fits the style of the interior – take a look at similar interiors in TR, but don't copy the settings exactly. Keep Sunlight low – TR interiors as a rule have values between 10-20 for Sunlight. Also, be sure to check the "Illegal To Sleep Here" box if the location is privately and legally owned. If your showcase has water, this is where you adjust the height of the water.

 

SHOWCASE Cleaning

While working in the CS, you will inevitably modify something that you had no intention of modifying. This may be static or misc objects or other cells. It is important that these minor changes do not appear in your showcase file. A file with such modifications is called “dirty”, and needs to be “cleaned” before submission to TR.

 

There are 2 acceptable ways to clean your file. You can use TES Advanced Mod Editor (TESAME; see tutorial). The file can be found here (link is external). Or, you can clean it with the CS itself. See the mini-tutorials below on how to clean your file.

 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

NO Cookie Cutting:

Cookie Cutting means copying an existing interior (such as a Bethesda one or any interior from TR) or any part of it, and using it as your own. This is NOT acceptable. This does not mean that you cannot look at other interiors to see how items have been used, which items are acceptable within your interior, or even get ideas for your showcase. If you see something you like, go to the Object Window in the CS, find the object(s) there and drag it into your showcase. Finally, note that most of Bethesda's interiors would not pass a TR showcase review, so don't copy their stuff.

 

New Items:

You are free to create new items in your showcase. Adding a new weapon with a new or old enchantment is fine. However, when you create the new item, be sure the ID name starts with “TR_”.

 

Grid Snap:

Grid snap is an essential part of constructing interiors from scratch. We want to see if you can use grid snap well, and if you can make hard-to-grid-snap pieces work properly using it. To set up grid snap in the CS, select the menu option “File->Preferences”. In here you can set the Grid Snap size, Angle Snap size, and enable grid and angle snapping. You can also turn grid snap on/off by pressing the 6^th toolbar button, the one with 4 horizontal and 4 vertical lines. Typical grid snap values are 64, 128, and 256.

 

Checking To See If An Item Is Floating Or Bleeding:

TR is pretty strict about items bleeding into one another or floating. We like our interiors to be as realistic as possible (this is not Oblivion). Most items should rest perfectly flat against each other (some exceptions are sacks and clothing). In order to check to see if items are sitting flat on each other, left click the item sitting on top of the other item. You will see the selection box, composed of red, green, and blue lines. Where the two items meet, you should see 4 lines that make up a rectangle, usually the red and green lines. These 4 lines should appear as dotted or dashed or sometimes they will flicker on and off as you rotate the view. This usually indicates that the item is sitting perfectly flat on the other item. If the lines are solid then the selected item is most likely floating. If the lines are missing, then the selected item is most likely bleeding. If some of the lines are missing and others solid, then the selected item needs to be rotated more.

 

 

COMMON MISTAKES

 

Unique/Quest Items

Unique items and quest items should not appear in your showcase. Most unique items have ID names that end with “_unique”, “ _uni”, or “_u”. If you are unsure the item is unique, check the Count column in the Object Window. If only 1 has been used, the item is probably unique. You can also right click on the object and select "Info" to see where it is used, and if those locations are similar to your showcase interior.

 

Sacks / Pillows / Cushions:

Sacks are made of an easily deformed, burlap-like material (probably wickwheat). So bleed sacks into the objects that they rest on to make them look more natural. The same idea applies for pillows. Cushions, on the other hand, should not bleed into anything, nor anything into them (except sacks and pillows).

 

Clothing:

Clothing is very similar to sacks and pillows, as mentioned above. So you are allowed to bleed clothing into the object it sits upon. However, most clothing is not textured on the bottom. You must make sure that part is not visible from any angle.

 

Rugs:

Rugs are allowed to bleed into the floor (especially the really thick ones), and the ones with tassles on two sides should be bled to make the tassles just barely float. However, items placed on a rug are not allowed to bleed into the rug. And items that are partially on a rug must still have all legs resting on both the rug and the floor. It is highly advisable, for showcases, to have pieces of furniture either totally on or totally off a rug.

 

Tapestries:

Tapestries in Hlaalu interiors must be hung in a particular manner. Try to keep the tapestry centered with regards to the wall shell piece. Pay attention to the wooden pole that attaches to the wall – do not bleed it into the horizontal wooden pole that runs under the ceiling, but rather into the plaster above it. Make sure that the ropes do not bleed into the ceiling. See the image below:

 

Pointy Bottom Bowls:

These bowls are a real headache for most people. We ask that you, first, rotate the bowl so that the selection box lies perfectly flat on the underlying surface. Then you can lower (aka bleed) the bowl into the underlying surface. How much to bleed is up to you, but it must be consistent throughout the interior. Just be sure to check inside the bowl and make sure the underlying surface does not show in the bottom of the bowl.

 

Mixing Styles:

In Morrowind there are two main styles; Dunmer style and Imperial style. These should not be mixed, as Bethesda did not mix them. To tell them apart, look at their ID name in the editor. Dunmer objects have 'de' in their name, like furn_de_p_chair. Imperial objects have 'com' in their name, like furn_com_r_table.

 

Furniture is also divided between rich and poor. These shouldn't be mixed either. You can tell which is rich and which is poor by looking at the color of the wood. The richer the furniture, the darker the wood. You can also read it in the name: _p_ = poor, _r_ = rich, _rm_ = middle class. This is not important for showcases since you must use the furn_de_p furniture.

 

Dependencies:

All TR and PT files depend upon Morrowind.esm, Tribunal.esm, Bloodmoon.esm, and Tamriel_Data.esm. Please download Tamriel_Data.esm so that you can use its massive expansion of materials and objects in the Construction Set, as well as to get into the habit of checking those four esms for every esp you make.

Please do not have dependencies upon anything other than Morrowind, Tribunal, Bloodmoon, or Tamriel_Data. Thanks!

 

Fitting the Exterior:

While magicka does exist in Tamriel, it's important to make sure that if your interior has an exterior shell, it fits! (NOTE: Interior tiles are bigger than exterior tiles; this discrepancy in size is considered OK.) If your exterior has a little square building, don't create a star-shaped interior for that building!

This is not that critical when making a showcase, since we do not require you to specify the exterior. However, when making buildings, try to incorporate the stairs into your 3x2 shape, and keep 2nd floors or basements above or below the ground floor, respectively. Since Hlaalu buildings are a typical choice for a showcase, below is an image with all of their exterior shells. A Hlaalu interior must fit one of these, preferably one of the smaller ones.

 

 

MINI-TUTORIALS

 

1) How to skip all the warning messages when you load Data Files in the CS.

Open the file Morrowind.ini in your install directory. Scroll down to the [General] section, then add the line AllowYesToAll=1. It doesn't exist in the file by default, so you must add it on its own line. Save the file. Now, when you load the CS, simply click "Cancel" when the first warning message pops up, and it will skip through them all.

2) How to have multiple Construction Sets open at the same time.

Open the file Morrowind.ini in your install directory. Scroll down to the [General] section, then add the line AllowMultipleEditors=1. Save the file.

3) How to use TESAME to clean your showcase

Open TESAME, then select your mod. Delete everything from it except the following: TES3, any object you made yourself (such as a note), and any cell you created/modified. To delete an item in TESAME, right click on the item to mark it with a black background. Then you can press the DEL key or select the menu option “Items->Delete”. Don't forget to save, since the program doesn't remind you when you close it. Only overwrite your original file if you are confident about everything you deleted.

See also: TESAME tutorial

4) How to use the CS to clean your showcase

Start the CS and select the menu option “File->Data Files”, as if you were going to load your file. Select the relevant masters and set your file as the Active File, but instead of pressing OK, press the Details... button. You are shown a list of records in your file. Highlight the items you'd like to delete and press the DEL key on your keyboard. (Don't select any REFR records under your CELL – these are the objects you added.) Click Yes on the Mark As Ignored window to prevent the CS from loading these records. Close the File Details window, and now click OK in the Data Files window to load your file without the ignored records. Save your cleaned file using a new name, just to be on the safe side.