I’ve been practicing with the Morrowind Construction Set, and have put together a Hlaalu-style house. The exterior places an ex_hlaalu_b_06 on a new bit of land in Seyda Neen -2, -9 (just beyond the shacks). My main goal here is to show off interior modding, but I did want to create an exterior shell for the place.
The idea is that this is a vacation home belonging to a spoiled Hlaalu aristocrat by the name of Evsen Vyldros. It’s illegal to sleep within, and I’m pretty sure all of the items are listed as belonging to Evsen.
I tried to make the interior match the exterior. Building 06 appears to be three floors high. The first floor is the biggest, and has a fully set dining room, a well-stocked wine rack, a small library, and a writing desk. There are two windows, one near the door and another on the opposite end, near the desk. Evsen can be found here. I created a new model, though I didn’t add any dialogue.
I wasn’t sure if I should make the second floor the same size as the first. Though it appears to be the same size from outside, the edges would also have a sloping roof that I do not think is possible to create with the existing interior spaces. Thus, I settled for making it smaller. The second floor acts as the bedroom. A single window on the eastern wall acts as a sort of alarm clock (since the resident will see the sun when it rises).
The only staircase is the exterior one. It always kind of bothered me that a lot of Hlaalu homes seemed to have redundant staircases, so I decided to just stick with what was already in place.
A trapdoor in the second floor leads to the attic, where there’s a surprise :)
The interior cells are named “Hlaalu Vacation House” and “Hlaalu Vacation House Attic”. I apologize for not using the conventional naming standard. At this point, I’m not sure how to change the names of interior cells. I’ve tested it myself, and everything appears to work. Though there is a story of sorts to this mod, there aren’t any quest triggers.
Please take a look. While my time is limited, I would love to have the opportunity to design a few interiors for Tamriel Rebuilt. Let me know how this looks, and what I should practice.
| Attachment | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|
 HlaaluVacationHouse.ESP | 147.94 KB | 2016-09-23 08:56 |
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Hey Dallicant, great to have you on-board for interiors! Thematically, your showcase is quite nice. Cell lighting is good, and consistent between the two interiors, and the Northmarkers are set correctly, which is great. I love the journal in the attic, and custom texts for interiors is something that TR could always do with more of. That said, there are some general issues that need to be addressed. I know this might seem a bit overwhelming, but TR maintains an extremely high standard for interior design and it’s important to have new developers go through a trial-by-fire, so to speak.
First things first, your file is dirty. Touching other cells while working in the CS tends to create undesirable references in your .esp that need to be removed. Run it through TESAME (download here) and delete all unnecessary references.
Your file should depend on all three primary .ESMs (Morrowind, Tribunal and Bloodmoon). When working on interior claims for TR, you should also use Tamriel_Data.esm (formerly TR_Data.esm) as a dependency, but that isn't particularly important for the sake of your showcase.
IllegalToSleepHere has been set correctly on the lower floor, but needs to be set for the attic cell.
Some in_* pieces have been correctly gridsnapped, but it looks like you've later moved these around without gridsnap on, creating some mismatched pieces.
There are a couple of in_* pieces that don't fit together (i.e., in_hlaalu_room_corner and in_hlaalu_room_door1). The Hlaalu set can be rather difficult in this regard; pay close attention to how the ceiling connects.
There are some instances of style-mixing; Furn_com_* items (i.e., Furn_Com_RM_Bar_* and furn_com_p_shelf_03) are exclusively for Imperial interiors, replace these with de_* equivalents.
It’s great that you’ve used some de_p furniture (this is a requirement for showcases, as it tests difficult placement on non-flat surfaces) but generally speaking, lower-class and upper-class (i.e., de_p_* and de_r_*) furniture shouldn’t be mixed. Consider replacing the de_r items with de_p. To represent expensive items in poor interiors (or cheaper items in wealthy interiors), Tamriel_Data has a de_rm set that you can use.
Your interior is overlit at the moment, this results in a greenish hue on some surfaces; replace some of the lighting with less-powerful versions. You can use ‘l’ to display light radii to check for areas of excessive lighting.
Regarding tapestries: these should be hung either so no part of the rope leading up to the bar are visible, or so that no part of the rope is bleeding into the wall at all.
You've created a new static named 'vac_home_chest'; this should be deleted and replaced with an existing static.
You’ve missed ownership on a few items (you can check this quite quickly in the Cell View window), but NPCing and ownership is handled when a claim is populated at a later stage, so this isn’t important for your showcase.
Renaming cells can be done by double-clicking on their name in the Cell View list.
Beds should have a ‘misc_uni_pillow_01’ instance dropped on them.
The bottles in the winerack all need adjusting (I didn’t include them individually below, for the sake of brevity). Getting bottles to sit correctly in wineracks are (in my experience) an immense pain that needs a lot of careful positioning to get right, so take your time with them.
There are a couple of other references that are misused:
'furn_de_tapestry_02' - I'm not sure if TR has an official stance on this, but vanilla MW seems to prefer keeping temple tapestries to temple-related interiors. I'd only use them in homes if the occupant is a particularly-devout individual. 'bk_hanginggardenswasten' - This is a unique quest item, and shouldn't be used.
'hlaal_loaddoor_01' doesn’t fit the doorjambs correctly, replace with 'in_hlaalu_loaddoor_01'.
Replace 'in_velothi_ashpit_02' with 'in_hlaalu_ashpit_01'.
Replace 'in_com_traptop_01' with 'ex_h_trapdoor_01'.
Replace 'furn_burial00', these are generally only used for Ashlander burial sites, and need to have their rear bled into a surface (such as a wall) when used.
Below is a list of specific placement issues that need fixing. When cluttering interiors, make sure you reduce the camera/object movement values under Preferences to make sure you can get close enough to objects to identify floating/bleeding references.
Floaters/Bleeders
'active_de_pr_bed_26' - Floating.
'bk_galerionthemystic' - Floating.
'bk_hanginggardenswasten' - Bleeding into 'bk_ShortHistoryMorrowind' and wall.
'bk_LivesOfTheSaints' - Bleeding into 'bk_hanginggardenswasten'.
'bk_onoblivion' - Floating, needs to be brought closer to 'bk_ShortHistoryMorrowind'.
'common_shoes_01' - Floating.
'evsendesk' - Bleeding into 'Furn_de_rug_big_03'.
'expensive_shoes_01' - Bleeding into floor.
'expensive_shoes_03' - Bleeding into floor.
'furn_de_p_chair_02' - Floating.
'furn_de_p_chair_02' - Bleeding into 'Furn_de_rug_big_03'.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - Floating.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - As above.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - As above.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - As above.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - As above.
'furn_de_r_chair_03' - Bleeding into 'Furn_de_rug_big_02'.
'furn_de_r_table_07' - Bleeding into 'Furn_de_rug_big_02'
'furn_de_r_wallscreen_02' - Bleeding into floor and 'in_hlaalu_room_post'.
'furn_de_rope2_01' - Caspering. This should be bled into the ceiling, rather than the wooden pole.
'furn_de_rope_03' - As above.
'furn_de_rope_04' - Bleeding into wooden pole.
'furn_de_rope_04' - Caspering. Move this up until both ends bleed completely into ceiling.
'furn_de_rope_05' - Avoid bleeding ropes into wooden poles.
'furn_de_rug_big_03' - Bleeding into wall and 'in_hlaalu_room_post'.
'furn_de_rug_big_06' - Floating.
'furn_de_rug_big_07' - Floating and bleeding into 'in_hlaalu_room_post'.
'furn_de_tapestry_01' - Bleeding into wall.
'furn_de_tapestry_04' - Bleeding into wall.
'furn_de_tapestry_05' - Bleeding into wall slightly too much.
'ingred_ash_yam_01' - Floating, and bleeding into 'misc_de_bowl_glass_yellow_01'.
'in_hlaalu_room_post' - Floating.
'in_hlaalu_room_post' - Floating.
'in_hlaalu_room_post' - Floating.
'in_hlaalu_room_post' - Bleeding.
'ingred_ash_yam_01' - Floating.
'ingred_ash_yam_01' - Bleeding into 'ingred_ash_yam_01'.
'light_com_candle_05' - Bleeding into 'Furn_Com_RM_Bar_03'.
'light_com_candle_05' - As above.
'light_com_candle_05' - Floating.
'light_com_candle_10' - As above.
'light_de_candle_19' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_bench_02'.
'light_de_candle_19_256' - Bleeding into 'furn_com_p_shelf_03'.
'light_de_candle_19_256' - As above.
'light_de_candle_ivory_01' - Floating.
'light_de_candle_ivory_01' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'light_de_lantern_03' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope2_01'.
'light_de_lantern_03' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope_05'.
'light_de_lantern_03_77' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope_04'.
'light_de_lantern_09' - Floating.
'light_de_lantern_09' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope_04'.
'misc_com_plate_01' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'misc_com_plate_02' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'misc_com_plate_03' - Floating.
'misc_com_plate_05' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'misc_com_plate_06' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_fork' - Floating.
'misc_com_silverware_fork' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_fork' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_fork' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - Should be rotated very slightly to lie flush against table.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - Floating.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_knife' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - Should be rotated to lie flush against table.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - Floating.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - As above.
'misc_com_silverware_spoon' - As above.
'misc_de_bowl_glass_yellow_01' - Should bleed into table until the 'cone' at the bottom is not visible (or barely visible).
'misc_de_bowl_orange_green_01' - As above.
'misc_de_goblet_05' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'misc_de_goblet_05' - Floating.
'misc_de_goblet_05' - As above.
'misc_de_goblet_05' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_r_table_07'.
'misc_de_goblet_05' - Floating.
'Misc_DE_pot_redware_03' - Bleeding into 'Furn_DE_pot_redware_03'.
'Misc_Inkwell' - Floating.
'Misc_Quill' - Floating.
'netch_leather_boots' - Floating.
Hlaalu Vacation House Attic:
'bk_BlasphemousRevenants' - Bleeding into 'furn_de_lecturn'.
'bk_evsenjournal' - Floating.
'furn_bone_stake00' - Floating.
'furn_burial00' - Floating.
'iron shortsword' - Floating.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - Floating.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - As above.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - As above.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - As above.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - As above.
'light_de_candle_red_01' - As above.
'light_de_lantern_14_static' - Floating/bleeding into 'de_p_desk_01', should be rotated to match desk.
'misc_skull10' - Floating.
Fix these issues, and I’ll give your showcase another review. Let me know if you run into any trouble, or need me to elaborate on anything in this post.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Much appreciated, Sirrah!
I’ll spend some time this weekend fixing it up. The only thing I’m having trouble with is that my version of the Construction Set runs into a bunch of errors when I checkmark Tribunal, Bloodmoon, and TR. I get a lot of windows about unusable dialogue. Are you familiar with this error? At any rate, I’ll spend some time searching; I recall reading someone else asking about this, but I didn’t look into it any further.
The reason I didn’t use the Hlaalu ash pit was because it was too big. I liked the idea of having a single central pillar running through the entire structure, which meant there wasn’t enough room in the attic for a Hlaalu ash pit. I can get rid of the pillar, though; it’s not really that important.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
The errors in the CS are something Bethesda introduced with the expansions; this can be worked around by adding “AllowYesToAll=1" (without quotes) to Morrowind.ini. After this, the error dialogue will have a ‘cancel’ button that can be used to skip subsequent errors.
Keep in mind you can scale meshes using the ‘s’ key (or by editing them by double-clicking). The smaller Hlaalu ashpit should fit fine when scaled.
2015-09-28 20:13
2 years 7 months ago
Sirrah’s doing a good job of reviewing your showcase – good luck!
I may be able to help you understand these error messages. In short, it’s normal and expected behaviour.
Morrowind dialogue is stored in a flat database, every dialogue entry has a previous- id, the actual id and a next-id. That’s what the game uses to keep track of which order dialogue entries are supposed to be in.
For example, this are your average first three replies to the topic “cure skooma addict”:
Now, starting with Tribunal and Bloodmoon, there were irreconceivable edits to dialogue entires. Suddenly, the new dialogue had different previous-ids and next-ids from the existing one. The game autoresolves these, the CS can do so too, but the later spits out nonstop errors when starting up because the simple, linear dialogue chain has been disrupted.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Hmm, I did this but it didn’t seem to work. Where in the .ini file do I have to place this text? I put it under “;Test TES 0=morrowind.esm”, which is where a few other sites recommended the placement.
I did this by creating a new .ini file and replacing the original with the fixed version. Would that cause any problems? I had some issue with administrative access that prevented me from altering the .ini file directly. I should note that I’m running this on a PC emulator, and my familiarity with Windows is still somewhat limited.
I’m wondering if this has something to do with the problem I’ve been having in Morrowind where a lot of the TR files (and some Vanilla files) just don’t appear in-game. I registered TR manually and with BSA Reg Utility, but it didn’t seem to take. I fixed it back on my old emulation, but I’m so far unable to replicate whatever it is that I did, which is frustrating.
Anyway, I’ll go ahead and start working on the other problems. Those I know how to fix!
EDIT: I looked at the guide for item placement. I tried doing the test with the table (furn_de_p_table_04) and the pitcher, but my wireframe model looks markedly different from the one in the document. The one in my construction set has loads of segments, none of them big enough to fit the pitcher. Might this be because of MGSO?
Also, would you prefer if I ask these kinds of questions at a different forum? I gather this is for more experienced modders, and I don’t want to clutter things up. Just let me know, and thanks for your patience.
2016-01-17 16:36
5 years 8 months ago
Yea it's MGSO. When modding for TR you need to have a vanilla CS instance otherwise all kinds of weird things can end up happening
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
If you’re running a version of Windows newer than XP, you might run into issues with the User Access Control (UAC) preventing Morrowind from reading files from the Program Files directory. You can disable UAC, or alternatively re-install Morrowind somewhere outside of Program Files (in your user directory, for example). This should allow edits to Morrowind.ini to take effect.
As Templar Tribe says, MGSO is the likely culprit for the differently-shaped table. The replacement meshes MGSO provides don’t match the ‘footprint’ of vanilla meshes in many cases, which will unavoidably cause problems with item placement. It’s best to do CS work with a clean install to avoid these problems.
Please don’t hesitate to ask questions in this thread; that’s what showcase threads are for! Morrowind modders are a quickly-dying breed, so there’s no expectation for you to know these things and TR has plenty of people willing to help you out in this regard.
There are two issues I forgot to include in my review; beds should have a ‘misc_uni_pillow_01’ reference placed on them, and the bottles in the winerack have placement issues that need to be addressed. I’ve edited my earlier post to include these two problems.
Don’t feel like you need to rush to get your showcase ready for the next review; TR definitely prefers quality over quantity, and I (or another reviewer) will be around to look over your work when you’re ready, so please take your time.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Thanks! I got rid of MGSO and got the wireframe showed in the document. I also was able to extract the sound files to fix the other issue I was having.
Item placement is proving a lot more challenging than I had expected. I’m trying to replicate the example in the guide document, but I can’t seem to get the dotted lines to appear. Either the lines around the pitcher completely sink into the table, or they completely stick out. Are there any other tutorials for this?
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
If you’re having difficulty getting items to place precisely, you’ll likely need to reduce the ‘Movement Speed’ values under File>Preferences. Generally, I find an ‘Object Move’ value of 0.1 to be sufficient, but keep lowering the value until you get something you feel comfortable with.
I can’t offer any advice on modding tutorials, I’m afraid.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Hmm, I’ve already put everything at 0.1. It seems like no matter what I do, some of the lines are bleeding into the object, and those on the opposite end are sticking up out of it.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Ah, if one side of the bottom of the selection box is bleeding and the other is visible, it probably means your object isn’t quite rotated correctly. If you can get the pitcher positioned so approximately one half of the selection box’s base is bleeding, it should be possible to rotate it until dashed lines appear.
I’ll try and take some screenshots to explain what I mean.
Edit: Something I should point out, the dashed/dotted lines may not appear from some angles so you may need to rotate the camera around a little to see them.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Sorry if this is really just retreading ground from the item placement tutorial, but it might help me understand exactly where you’re having difficulites.
First off, set ‘Object Rotation’ to 0.01 (rather than 0.1, which is a bit too granular for rotating correctly).
The tutorial recommends using the Properties window to rotate/move specific values, but I find it’s more trouble than it’s worth and prefer holding the ‘X’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ keys to move/rotate. This is really just personal preference, so use whichever feels more natural to you.
So, I’ve placed a pitcher onto the table using the ‘F’ key to drop it into place. Most of the selection box’s base is entirely visible, but one side bleeds compeletely into the table (this is what you’re currently seeing, correct?): http://i.imgur.com/xfIn8MZ.png
I’ve now bled the pitcher into the table slightly using the ‘Z’ key and left mouse button, now about half of the green line is submerged in the table: http://i.imgur.com/m7bDQmt.png
I rotate the pitcher along the X axis by holding the ‘X’ key and right mouse button. The green line progressively becomes dashed on the visible side, and then vanishes into the table entirely. As you can see, the partially-visible red lines are approximately the same length at this point: http://i.imgur.com/PgRhaqG.png
Looking at the pitcher from another angle, the green line on the right has disappeared completely, while the green line on the left is completely visible. Partial dashing on the red line can be seen: http://i.imgur.com/czzEMBG.png
Rotating the pitcher along the Y axis (using the ‘Z’ key, confusingly, and the right mouse button), eventually the red line becomes uniformly dashed: http://i.imgur.com/Th115nU.png
The green lines appear to indicated that the pitcher is still not correctly placed. However, when I rotate the camera they become uniformly dashed, so this was enough to get the pitcher sitting snugly: http://i.imgur.com/LlBFoIW.png
I can confirm it’s correctly placed by lifting the pitcher along the Z axis (using the ‘Z’ key and left mouse button, again) until it is completely clear of the table, and ‘F’-ing it back into place. I hope this helps somewhat, often you need to go through a lot of back-and-forth to get the lines to ‘dash’ completely, but if you see them partially dashed you’re on the right track.
If you don’t notice partial dashing at all in the CS while rotating objects, there might be something wrong with how the selection box is rendering in your virtual PC. I’ve never run into that, personally, but you might try changing to software rendering (File>Preferences>Renderer Settings) and see if that helps.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Thanks!
It’s been tough going, but I think I have something close to what you have. http://imgur.com/W9UXE1c
And from the other side: http://imgur.com/GQTzBAR
The line seems to become more broken the closer the camera gets to the object. I don’t know if that’s a problem or not. Is this one of those things that gets easier with practice?
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
That looks perfect, dallicant. The lines do tend to shift around based on the camera position; so long as no side is consistently unbroken or invisible regardless of camera angle, the placement should be correct.
Getting items to place cleanly does get easier the more you do it (and Tamriel_Data has flat versions of de_p furniture that you can use when working on interior claims outside of your showcase), but you seem to have the hang of it.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Great! I’ll probably get a lot of practice with the table layout.
I’ve been trying to put together a first floor that fits together and is consistent with the building’s exterior. Here’s what I have: http://imgur.com/7qCrXR1
Is this okay? My worry is that two of the ceiling beams don’t connect to anything more than little nubs sticking out into the main room. I did see some precedence for this in Balmora’s Razor Hole (the section in question is highlighted): http://imgur.com/Y1Aocq5
If what I have no doesn’t work, I can try using a different exterior. I don’t think there are any other three-story Hlaalu buildings (other than the guard tower), but I could turn the attic cell into a basement.
Speaking of which, would it be okay to have poor furniture in the attic/basement cell? Since the guy’s doing necromantic experiments there, he probably wouldn’t go out of his way to use nice furniture, so there’d at least be a storyline reason for using that kind of furniture.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
The beams leading to nowhere are fine; slightly-odd architecture like that is just an unfortunate consequence of the limited nature of interior sets.
Regarding the exterior; this is something I really should have brought up in the review (sorry!), but your interior is definitely rather on the small side for ‘ex_hlaalu_b_06’ (most instances of this have interiors at least 4x5). Generally, interiors have quite a bit of leeway in exceeding the size of their exterior (check Nerano Manor in Balmora for a rather extreme example of this), but going under-size is a bit more noticeable; I think your best bet would be to reposition the doors to match ‘ex_hlaalu_b_07’ (which is quite close to the size and layout you currently have) and change the attic for a basement, as you suggest.
For your showcase, the more ‘de_p’ furniture the better! Lower-class furniture can be used fittingly in wealthier interiors easier than vice-versa, so long as there is a reasonable justification like you’ve described.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Okay, switching it to ex_hlaalu_b_07 isn’t a big deal. I did look Nerano Manor back when I started, but it was so ridiculously huge in comparison to the outside that I didn’t seriously consider using it as a model.
Getting the items to touch properly has become suspiciously easy. A lot of times, I’ll just press F and the item will be in the right place. The lines are dotted, though sometimes pretty finely (it helps if you zoom in). Hopefully it’ll work out.
Limiting myself to de_ furnishings has actually simplified the process a bit (I don’t have to worry about eating utensils—I guess Dunmer often eat with their hands?).
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Ah, sorry, by “de_ furniture” I really mean furn_de_. Broadly speaking, misc_com_ items can be used in any interior. Checking the original game’s precedent with regards to this is the best bet (by right-clicking on it in the Object Window and selecting ‘Info’). So do feel free to use the misc_com_silverware and misc_com_wood sets.
edit: For the sake of clarity; the only hard restriction on mixing com_ and de_ pieces apply to those listed under the ‘Static’ tab in the Object Window (i.e., ‘furn_de_*’ vs. ‘furn_com_*’). While some ‘misc_*’ items have a cultural designation, they can be used in more-or-less any interior with appropriate justification (so, a Hlaalu noble can certainly have a couple of ‘misc_imp_*’ items to show a more imperialised lifestyle, and likewise any Imperial living in Morrowind will unavoidably make use of some ‘misc_de_*’ items. Items with the designation ‘misc_com_*’ are free game for any interior, as far as I know.)
Sorry for the confusion!
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
No worries.
I rebuilt pretty much the entire house, using Hlaalu Building 07 (the smaller size actually made it a bit easier). Most of it’s done; the style’s consistent, and the lighting is (I think) better placed. There’s still a wine rack; once it’s ready, you guys can determine if I placed the bottles satisfactorily.
The only thing I need to do (aside from cleaning up the file) is to place objects on the de_p_table_01 in the basement. Going into wireframe, there really aren’t any segments big enough for some of the objects (a book and a sword) I want to include. What are the rules for balancing an object across segments? I suppose I could just stick with smaller items, but that feels a bit of a cheat.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Placing across multiple segments is fine, but you won’t be able to rely on the selection box to tell if it’s placed correctly; so long as the object is touching (and not bleeding into) the surface in at least 3 locations. For extremely long, unwieldy objects like spears you can usually get away with just two points of contact for convenience’s sake.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
It’s about ready, but I ran into one hurdle. While making the mod, I selected TR_Data and TR_Mainland by mistake. I can’t load it if I uncheck TR_Mainland. Is there a way to fix this?
As I think I mentioned earlier, I built an entirely new house rather than fix the placements of the old one. I’m sure that most of the items are properly placed. The only ones I’m not totally sure about are A) the books on the shelf, B) the bottles in the wine rack), and C) the items on the p_table in the basement.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
You can remove the TR_Mainland dependency using Wrye Mash (download here). Just select your ESP and uncheck TR_Mainland in the right-hand window.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Unfortunately, I’m having some trouble using Wrye Mash. When I use the Mash application, I’m asked to select a directory. Choosing the Morrowind folder doesn’t seem to have an effect. However, any other folder gets me an error message, in which it can’t find Morrowind.ini (which is in the Morrowind folder).
EDIT: Never mind, figured it out!
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Okay, I’ve fixed things with Mash, and cleaned up the file with TESAME. Here’s for round two!
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Sorry it’s taken me a few days to get back to this; I’m glad you were able get Wrye Mash working.
Your item placement is greatly improved; most issues remaining are quite minor, but there are a few important things I'd like fixed:
Firstly, as I said before, we really need to see some use of de_p furniture and placement of objects on it to assess your ability to rotate and position on tricky surfaces. If you could more thoroughly clutter the basement table, add a ‘furn_de_p_bookshelf_01’ to the basement and fill it with clutter (miscellanae that Evsen uses in his rituals, some ingredients on a platter and necromancy-themed books, for example), I'd consider that sufficient.
Try to get the 'ex_hlaalu_win_01' meshes to bleed at a consistent level; right now some are sticking out of the wall more than others. You can get a consistent depth quite easily using the lines on the texture as a rule.
Your in_ pieces have been moved out of gridsnap; this isn't a problem so long as individual pieces are still snapped together but it's still advisable to not move the architectural pieces without gridsnap on, as it makes correcting issues like the following two much more tedious:
You're still using 'hlaal_loaddoor_01', these are only used in exteriors as they don't match the interior doorjamb. Replace these with 'in_hlaalu_loaddoor_01'.
Two instances of 'in_hlaalu_doorjamb' are incorrectly placed; there is a gap between the top-side and ceiling.
List of general placement issues follows:
House cell
bk_BriefHistoryEmpire4 - Bleeding into 'bk_BriefHistoryEmpire3'.
furn_de_r_table03 - Floating slightly.
furn_de_rope2_01 - Ends are caspering; scale it up until they disappear into the ceiling.
furn_de_rug_big_05 - These kind of rugs should be bled into the floor until the tassle texture on the ends is nearly touching the ground.
furn_de_tapestry_01 - Bleeding into 'light_de_lamp_01' and the wooden bar on the ceiling, just move it upwards a little.
in_hlaalu_room_post - Bleeding through the floor into the room below.
ingred_gold_kanet_01 - Bleeding into 'misc_de_pot_redware_01'.
Light_De_Lantern_01 - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope2_01', move it upwards until the ring just rests on the rope.
Light_De_Lantern_01 - Floating.
Light_De_Lantern_01 - Floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Left side (looking towards the winerack) is floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Left side is floating just slightly.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Floating.
misc_com_bottle_05 - Floating.
Misc_Com_Bottle_08 - Left side is floating slightly.
Misc_Com_Bottle_08 - Left side is floating slightly.
Misc_Com_Bottle_08 - Floating.
Misc_Com_Bottle_08 - Left side is bleeding very slightly, right side is floating.
Misc_Com_Bottle_08 - Right side is floating.
Misc_Com_Bottle_14 - Floating slightly.
Misc_Com_Bottle_14 - Floating.
Misc_Com_Bottle_14 - Bleeding.
Misc_Com_Bottle_14 - Floating.
misc_com_silverware_knife - Floating, needs to be rotated to lie against the table surface.
misc_com_silverware_knife - As above.
misc_com_silverware_knife - As above.
misc_com_silverware_knife - As above.
misc_com_silverware_knife - As above.
misc_com_silverware_knife - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_com_silverware_spoon - As above.
misc_de_bowl_redware_01 - Floating, bleed this into the table until the base 'cone' is barely visible.
misc_uni_pillow_01 - Floating, it should bleed into the bed a bit.
sc_paper_plain - Floating, bring it down until it bleeds and then move it up by 0.2 or so.
Basement cell
bk_evsenjournal - Bleeding into 'furn_de_p_table_01'.
furn_bone_01 (Both of the up-right ones) - Submerge these in the ash a little more, at the moment they're sticking up a bit unnaturally.
furn_bone_rib_01 - Floating. Bleed it into the ash much further.
furn_de_rope_04 - Caspering on one end.
in_h_trapdoor_01 - Caspering. Move it into the ceiling more.
in_hlaalu_ashpit_01 - Bleeding a little into the wall.
iron shortsword - Bleeding into 'furn_de_p_table_01'.
light_de_lantern_14_static - Bleeding into 'furn_de_rope_04'.
Misc_Inkwell - Bleeding slightly into 'furn_de_p_table_01'.
Misc_Quill - Floating.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
Thanks, and no worries about the delay.
I’ll add some clutter to the basement table. You said to rotate the silverware on the house table; would that take precedence over them lying straight?
I’ll do what I can with the bottles. Honestly, it’s very difficult for me to tell whether or not they’re really balanced correctly. Would it be a problem if I deleted the winerack and put in something else?
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
Always give precedence to natural positioning, objects need to be physically touching (and not bleeding into) a surface. The selection box is only a guide; many irregularly-shaped objects like the silverware knives and spoons do not lie flat within their selection box and need to be rotated to get them to lie naturally.
Replacing the winerack is fine, so long as you add something else reasonably-cluttered with misc objects in its place and add the de_p bookshelf I mentioned to the basement. My only anxiety about ditching the winerack is you really don’t have enough examples of tricky rotation in your showcase at the moment; try to add some objects to the interior that require a bit of rotation, like a spear resting against a wall or shelf, or a book that’s fallen behind a desk, or something to that effect.
2016-09-14 02:46
7 months 3 weeks ago
All right, still trying at this.
With the winerack bottles, I went into wireframe mode and tried to make sure that “edges” of the bottle were touching the flat surfaces of each slot. I’m still puzzled by rotating the silverware. Rotation mostly seems to throw it every further askew. Knives typically rest on their handles, so I’m guessing that I should focus on that, but I don’t see a gap between those and the table. I also don’t see gaps between any of the doorjambs and the roof.
Regarding the basement, I can add some barrels and crates, which might act as rough surfaces for miscellaneous clutter. I’m afraid I’m quite baffled as to how I can balance something like a book. Any adjustment either makes part of the object float or bleed.
2016-01-17 13:07
1 year 9 months ago
The gap on the knives are much harder to spot than with the spoons. Here’s a shot of a knife on a table at 0 rotation: http://i.imgur.com/D2SHlbs.png, notice the space between the blade-end of the handle and the table surface. Rotating it by -0.4 along the Y axis and ‘F’-ing it back onto the surface gets both ends of the handle to rest along the surface: http://i.imgur.com/18lGaZ8.png .
Here’s a shot of one of the doorjamb gaps: http://i.imgur.com/M6sYnVV.png. You can just shift it up along the Z-axis until it fits.
Barrels/crates aren’t really great examples un-even surfaces; other than the lips on the barrel, they’re very flat and uniform. The ‘furn_de_p_bookshelf_01’ mesh gives you three additional complex surfaces with a very small footprint, so cluttering one of them should be quite straight-forward and would be more than enough evidence of difficult placement. That said, so long as you end up with a decent number objects placed in situations requiring complex rotation the end result is the same.
Regarding rotation, the only way you can really get consistent results is focusing on an object with ‘C’ or ‘T’, zooming the camera as close as possible to the object and slowly rotating along one axis at a time until you can visually confirm the meshes line up with each-other. Some objects like open books can be more tedious than others. Again, make sure your camera rotation/zoom settings are low enough that you can get reasonably close to the object without much difficulty.
2016-09-15 23:12
2 days 14 hours ago
I’ve been working on my own interior showcase and have found this Item Rotation video to be extremely useful. All its tips have been covered in this thread so far, but it might help to see the examples in motion. Keep at it!
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