Since there seem to be some confusion on how to get this to work with Mod Organizer, here is what you do:
1. Download manually and unpack somewhere on your computer. Do not install as a normal mod.
2. Add TexBlend to MO by clicking the green and blue cog icon to Modify Executables. ----- Title: TexBlend (Or whatever you fancy) ----- Binary: Browse to your TexBlend folder and select TexBlend.exe
3. Before running TexBlend, you need to modify the Config.xml file in the TexBlend folder. Use Notepad or Notepad++ ---- Uncomment the <GameDataPath> line (Remove the <!-- in front of it and the --> behind it) It should not be in italic font anymore. ---- Change the path to <GameDataPath>C:\PathToModOrganizer\mods\NameOfBodyModFolder\</GameDataPath> (you need the \ at the end to make it work)
---- Uncomment the <TexOutputPath> line (Remove the <!-- in front of it and the --> behind it) It should not be in italic font now. ---- Change the path to <TexOutputPath>C:\PathToModOrganizer\mods\TexBlend\</TexOutputPath> (you need the \ at the end to make it work)
Save and close.
4. Now run TexBlend through MO: ---- Choose Body and Feet from the Set dropdown menu ---- Choose Color from the Type dropdown menu ---- Click the BodyColor file in the middle ---- Click Preview ---- Click Blend Images
5. Do the same for Type: Normal and Type: Specular
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 for Set: Head
7. Refresh MO and enable the new TexBlend mod at the bottom. Drag it below your Body Mod to override it.
Thank you for the instructions. I would be very grateful for some more help if you have the time.
I have WSCO and UNP dimonized high-res installed. I set the filepath to the UNP dimonized high res folder. Do I also need to path in WSCO?
I am getting the black face issue and I believe it is because in the 'Choose what to change' table within the TexBlen executable from MO it only shows 'Female' checked. Strangely it does show all the various race 'Female' files when I move to the 'Head' and 'Normal' Step. I am getting black previews for 'Head' and 'Color'.
How could I change the path <TexOutputPath>C:\PathToModOrganizer\mods\TexBlend\ if I downloaded it manually and not on my mod manager? Did I miss a something?
So, I'm following all the instructions in the description but for some reason my NPCs and occasionally my player character are ending up with blue skin, looks kind of like the preview image for the "Normal" step of the process. If anyone can help me figure out how to fix this, I'd appreciate it!
This version has become obsolete. For the modern TexBlendUUNP included with the UUNP version of BodySlide and Outfit Studio, and the separate CBBE version of TexBlend, I've "rescued" a bunch of cool stuff, mostly by SvarogNL, including all these seam blenders for various skin sets, plus the original Body Options moles and pubes overlays, and put it all together in installers for the current versions of TexBlender: "Body Options TexBlend UNP UUNP CBBE". It includes proper setup of all the basic directories for this (minus per-race stuff you can add if you need it), and supplies a bunch of config sets for different blending scenarios, plus some basic how-to material.
The new version has developed even further and is becoming more and more of a community resource, with new overlays of various sorts by more modders. The next release (5.3.6) will add a bunch of wounds/brands/scars (from fresh to decades-healed), tears, dirt, and more.
To everyone getting a "black" "pixelated" body after using this mod:
I noticed in the windows explorer, the files after using this mod stop allowing you to get a preview, and you cant see them if you view the folder contents as "large icons". It ends up showing a default paint.net icon for the newly blended textures. (I use paint.net to view .dds files, you may use something different). I examined the properties and could not find a difference between them and the original. Anyway, all I ended up doing for each of the 6 files created (3 body, color/normal/spec and 3 head of the same) was opening them one by one and re-saving them. That is it. After re-saving the files, for whatever reason the windows explorer allows a preview/large icon view, and skyrim now finds the files properly in game. So for some reason after using the mod to blend the textures it makes the files unreadable by skyrim for me, and somewhat "unable to be seen properly" by windows.
TL/DR:
step 1) open each of the new texture files created by the mod and save them exactly how they are in exactly the same place (your normal data/textures/actors/character/female)
step 2) no step 2
I am not a mod creator, and have no idea why this fixed it for me, but it did. Sorry if it doesnt work for you, i honestly have no idea why it even works.
Thank you for being observant enough to notice this. It has cured the problems I occasionally had with out realising the cuase or source until reading your comment lol. Many thanks, excellent tip and has saved me some serious hastle..
I came to the same discovery from a different angle, so here's some more in-depth information about what's going on.
From a programmers perspective: You can hook the file I/O requests in Windows using Microsoft's Event-Tracing-for-Windows, and watch Texture Blender access the files successfully (assuming you set up the paths in your config files correctly), but it only reads the start of the file, and then bails out. Don't have the source code for the texture blender tool (the source in the download is missing several files), but it seems like it's using some texture-loading library that can't handle the DDS files reliably. So you've got to open up the DDS files and re-save them into a slightly different DDS format so that the crappy texture decoder can load them.
For me, it was more obnoxious since Paint.Net couldn't even figure out how to load them. For each broken DDS file, I had to: 1) Open the semi-corrupt DDS file in Visual Studio 2) Save it as a png 3) Open the png file in Paint.net 4) Save it back to DDS (I used Visual Studio since I'm a programmer and just have this kind of crap lying around. If you wanted it, the Visual Studio 2017 Community edition is free, but it's probably overkill for just loading some DDS's, and you could probably find a better way to re-save them if you searched around on the internet)
Edit: Oh, and this same problem+solution applies to TexBlendLite as well, since it seems to be the same code underneath.
This stuff doesn't happen with the currently maintained version of TexBlend (now managed by Ousnius). It's the TexBlendUUNP one available as part of BodySlide and Outfit Studio.
If you use CBBE, what I recommend is to: * Remove Lunyra/SvarogNL's old fork of TexBlend. You can even remove the overlays, since these have been replaced and expanded in "Body Options TexBlend UUNP CBBE" (see below). * Install TexBlendUUNP from "BodySlide and Outfit Studio" (it's an option in the FOMOD). * Download the last version of the original "Caliente TexBlend for CBBE" (last updated in 2013). Install this right next to TexBlendUUNP, as "Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendCBBE" (the location expected by Body Options TexBlend, below; the archive for TexBlend for CBBE doesn't install anywhere specific, just to the current directory to which you extract its contents). You only want this for various blending resources it provides. * Overwrite the .EXE and .DLL files in TexBlendCBBE with copies of the ones from TexBlendUUNP. * If you don't use [U]UNP at all, you can delete TexBlendUUNP. If you use both body types, keep the two installations separate so you never accidentally apply CBBE overlays to UNP bodies or vice versa. * Install the CBBE version of "Body Options TexBlend UNP UUNP CBBE". This will provide you all of Lunyra's overlays (from "UNP Texture Blender" CBBE files and from the original version of "Body Options"), and more. This is not to be confused with the 2013 original version of Body Options. * If you use both [U]UNP and CBBE, also install the UUNP version of Body Options TexBlend.
For [U]UNP users: * Same as above, except you don't need the CBBE TexBlend (unless you use both body types), but you do need the UUNP version of Body Options Texblend.. This can be installed alongside the CBBE version.
A side benefit of this is that Body Options TexBlend will set up all the Source and Library folders for you, includes a tutorial, and provides sets of TexBlend configs for different gaming and editing needs, plus a lot more blending options.
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It is forbidden to use assets of this file for Paid or Free Mods on the Steam Workshop.
I have quit Skyrim and also it's Modding, which means i will no longer supply updates for my Mods.
Feel free to use any of my assets for your own Mods, just mention me when you upload them
1. Download manually and unpack somewhere on your computer. Do not install as a normal mod.
2. Add TexBlend to MO by clicking the green and blue cog icon to Modify Executables.
----- Title: TexBlend (Or whatever you fancy)
----- Binary: Browse to your TexBlend folder and select TexBlend.exe
3. Before running TexBlend, you need to modify the Config.xml file in the TexBlend folder. Use Notepad or Notepad++
---- Uncomment the <GameDataPath> line (Remove the <!-- in front of it and the --> behind it) It should not be in italic font anymore.
---- Change the path to <GameDataPath>C:\PathToModOrganizer\mods\NameOfBodyModFolder\</GameDataPath> (you need the \ at the end to make it work)
---- Uncomment the <TexOutputPath> line (Remove the <!-- in front of it and the --> behind it) It should not be in italic font now.
---- Change the path to <TexOutputPath>C:\PathToModOrganizer\mods\TexBlend\</TexOutputPath> (you need the \ at the end to make it work)
Save and close.
4. Now run TexBlend through MO:
---- Choose Body and Feet from the Set dropdown menu
---- Choose Color from the Type dropdown menu
---- Click the BodyColor file in the middle
---- Click Preview
---- Click Blend Images
5. Do the same for Type: Normal and Type: Specular
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 for Set: Head
7. Refresh MO and enable the new TexBlend mod at the bottom. Drag it below your Body Mod to override it.
I have WSCO and UNP dimonized high-res installed. I set the filepath to the UNP dimonized high res folder. Do I also need to path in WSCO?
I am getting the black face issue and I believe it is because in the 'Choose what to change' table within the TexBlen executable from MO it only shows 'Female' checked. Strangely it does show all the various race 'Female' files when I move to the 'Head' and 'Normal' Step. I am getting black previews for 'Head' and 'Color'.
I am not sure what is wrong
Sorry for my bad english.
Edit: Nevermind. Figured it out
I noticed in the windows explorer, the files after using this mod stop allowing you to get a preview, and you cant see them if you view the folder contents as "large icons". It ends up showing a default paint.net icon for the newly blended textures. (I use paint.net to view .dds files, you may use something different). I examined the properties and could not find a difference between them and the original. Anyway, all I ended up doing for each of the 6 files created (3 body, color/normal/spec and 3 head of the same) was opening them one by one and re-saving them. That is it. After re-saving the files, for whatever reason the windows explorer allows a preview/large icon view, and skyrim now finds the files properly in game. So for some reason after using the mod to blend the textures it makes the files unreadable by skyrim for me, and somewhat "unable to be seen properly" by windows.
TL/DR:
step 1) open each of the new texture files created by the mod and save them exactly how they are in exactly the same place (your normal data/textures/actors/character/female)
step 2) no step 2
I am not a mod creator, and have no idea why this fixed it for me, but it did. Sorry if it doesnt work for you, i honestly have no idea why it even works.
From a programmers perspective: You can hook the file I/O requests in Windows using Microsoft's Event-Tracing-for-Windows, and watch Texture Blender access the files successfully (assuming you set up the paths in your config files correctly), but it only reads the start of the file, and then bails out.
Don't have the source code for the texture blender tool (the source in the download is missing several files), but it seems like it's using some texture-loading library that can't handle the DDS files reliably.
So you've got to open up the DDS files and re-save them into a slightly different DDS format so that the crappy texture decoder can load them.
For me, it was more obnoxious since Paint.Net couldn't even figure out how to load them.
For each broken DDS file, I had to:
1) Open the semi-corrupt DDS file in Visual Studio
2) Save it as a png
3) Open the png file in Paint.net
4) Save it back to DDS
(I used Visual Studio since I'm a programmer and just have this kind of crap lying around. If you wanted it, the Visual Studio 2017 Community edition is free, but it's probably overkill for just loading some DDS's, and you could probably find a better way to re-save them if you searched around on the internet)
Edit: Oh, and this same problem+solution applies to TexBlendLite as well, since it seems to be the same code underneath.
If you use CBBE, what I recommend is to:
* Remove Lunyra/SvarogNL's old fork of TexBlend. You can even remove the overlays, since these have been replaced and expanded in "Body Options TexBlend UUNP CBBE" (see below).
* Install TexBlendUUNP from "BodySlide and Outfit Studio" (it's an option in the FOMOD).
* Download the last version of the original "Caliente TexBlend for CBBE" (last updated in 2013). Install this right next to TexBlendUUNP, as "Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendCBBE" (the location expected by Body Options TexBlend, below; the archive for TexBlend for CBBE doesn't install anywhere specific, just to the current directory to which you extract its contents). You only want this for various blending resources it provides.
* Overwrite the .EXE and .DLL files in TexBlendCBBE with copies of the ones from TexBlendUUNP.
* If you don't use [U]UNP at all, you can delete TexBlendUUNP. If you use both body types, keep the two installations separate so you never accidentally apply CBBE overlays to UNP bodies or vice versa.
* Install the CBBE version of "Body Options TexBlend UNP UUNP CBBE". This will provide you all of Lunyra's overlays (from "UNP Texture Blender" CBBE files and from the original version of "Body Options"), and more. This is not to be confused with the 2013 original version of Body Options.
* If you use both [U]UNP and CBBE, also install the UUNP version of Body Options TexBlend.
For [U]UNP users:
* Same as above, except you don't need the CBBE TexBlend (unless you use both body types), but you do need the UUNP version of Body Options Texblend.. This can be installed alongside the CBBE version.
A side benefit of this is that Body Options TexBlend will set up all the Source and Library folders for you, includes a tutorial, and provides sets of TexBlend configs for different gaming and editing needs, plus a lot more blending options.