I put that warning because I found that problem once (and only once) in one of my saves, after doing a lot of mad things with a modified version of the mod :). I think that you should be safe. According to the author of the mod Settlement Menu Manager, the dependence of my mod on that one is a guarantee for the integrity of the Workshop Menu:
?SMM provides an easy way to add custom menus and makes said menus automatically disappear on uninstall (without breaking your build menu!)
I generated the terrain LOD with the following settings: LOD32, build meshes, Quality 30 (the lowest one), optimize unseen ON. You can get the highest definition using Quality = 0, but that generates too many triangles.
The texture and normal map were generated with: Build diffuse and normals, size 4096, format BC7 Quick, no mipmaps, gamma 1.0
At the end of the page, set specific chunk to 32.
These settings generate four chunks for meshes, and also for diffuse an normals textures. The meshes have a strange extension although they are NIF files. I renamed them to nif and worked on them with Blender (using the PyNifly addon). To integrate nifs exported from Blender in Fallout 4, you need to export from blender, adapt using Elrich software (comes with the Creation Kit), and finally finish them with Nifscope :). I am sorry that I do not use 3DSMax, although I have an academic license for it, but I am more comfortable with Blender). Textures were modified and adapted using GIMP and/or NVIDIA texture Tools. You can also use Paint.net (or Photoshop) to work with DDS files.
In brief:
I generate meshes and textures with xLODGen
I modify meshes and textures with Blender and GIMP
I use Elrich to get FO4 compatible NIFs
I finish the work with Nifscope and the Creation Kit.
I hope this can help you, but if you need more information, please ask for it :)
I dont know. I am not very good with the game mechanics:). I joined them manually ... When you use the CK, you can see complete areas, with all their buildings, elements, etc... But I dont know how to do to export that in a single piece ... I wish I could :(
Note: One easy way to get all in one piece is wrapping a plain mesh on top of the terrain. Blender has a modifier for that (ShrinkWrap). Dont know if 3DS max also has one, but I guess it has.
I generate meshes in xLODGen with the following parameters:
Terrain LOD, settings for LOD32
Build meshes, Quality=0, Optimize unseen=on
Specific chunk = 32
This produces four chunks for the entire Far Harbor area (it is much greater than that shown in the pip-boy). The chunks have a strange extension (.btr) but they are regular NIF files. So, I changed the extension to NIF and I could open them in [3ds max or] Blender (using the PyNifly addon). Each of the four NIFs has two meshes: A terrain mesh and a Water level mesh. They are too huge, so I scaled them (both meshes) to 1:1000 to work. Also, all them have the origin at the lower leff corner, so I had to move them to their final position. For that, I adjusted the Blender units display so that each chunk side is 320 m. That way, you can move each chunk according to its filename (eg.: the origin of the FarHarbor.32.-9.5.nif must be moved to x=-90 and y=50), and all four chunks will be perfectly aligned. The Z coordinate must not be changed. From there on, you have many different options to merge the chunks. The easiest way, in Blender, is to create a plane with enough subdivisions and apply the ShrinkWarp modifier to obtain a unique mesh. Later, You have to trim the whole mesh to adjust to the textures. I will upload the Blender GIMP files as modders resources so you can see what I did.
If I did not explain right, or if you have more questions, please ask them :)
Any chance of an ESL or light version please? I've just installed it and uninstalled it immediately when I realised it took up a whole slot in my load order, thanks in advance.
I am not good with code, but I will try. I think that xEdit or Whrye Bash have utilities to determine if a mod can be eslified ...
EDIT: I did it, but xEdit warns that saved games that had the ESP version installed previously could be corrrupted. I checked with mine and everything went right. The models disappeared and had to be built again.
However, there is no FOMOD in the ESL version, also I noticed the file size is much smaller than the ESP version, so I think there's something missing there.
Also, where can we find this item? Decoration, next to the mattress doesn't sound right to me. I've just looked everywhere in Decoration and couldn't find anything unless I'm doing it wrong, cheers.
Damn. You are right. I went too fast uploading the ESL version. It has been fixed now (I hope). (In my game I can see them in the Decor tab, just in the first submenu, as shown in the pictures)
Hitman, stop hitting me (although you are right, of course). Now I have checked twice, and I am reasonably sure that the mods are correctly uploaded :). Nevertheless, hit me again if I am wrong.
Thx a lot for your patience, and for your interest in my mod ;)
The save game issue is only a problem if you compacted it, kittyowilder. Compacting a plugin renumbers the records, which if one previously had save game before the compact, the existing records don't get updated in the save.
IMO, ESL tag in the ESP header is the way to go, and tell people that are updating to start a new game, as you'll only have to do it once.
Edit: Run xEdit on the .esp, Compact FormIDs for ESL, then add ESL flag in plugin header, reupload archive and boom, done. No need for an second archive.
Thx a lot for your advise, Benrierimanu. That is what I did (the xEdit way). Now all goes smoothly. I will follow your advice and delete the ESP version.
Thanks. I am already studying if that is possible. xLODGen can produce meshes of the objects that are on the terrain, but I am still trying to figure out how to make them usable for models.
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I already placed mine in a couple places and am many hours into a save, should I hold off on updating?
I think that you should be safe. According to the author of the mod Settlement Menu Manager, the dependence of my mod on that one is a guarantee for the integrity of the Workshop Menu:
I generated the terrain LOD with the following settings:
LOD32, build meshes, Quality 30 (the lowest one), optimize unseen ON. You can get the highest definition using Quality = 0, but that generates too many triangles.
The texture and normal map were generated with:
Build diffuse and normals, size 4096, format BC7 Quick, no mipmaps, gamma 1.0
At the end of the page, set specific chunk to 32.
These settings generate four chunks for meshes, and also for diffuse an normals textures.
The meshes have a strange extension although they are NIF files. I renamed them to nif and worked on them with Blender (using the PyNifly addon).
To integrate nifs exported from Blender in Fallout 4, you need to export from blender, adapt using Elrich software (comes with the Creation Kit), and finally finish them with Nifscope :).
I am sorry that I do not use 3DSMax, although I have an academic license for it, but I am more comfortable with Blender).
Textures were modified and adapted using GIMP and/or NVIDIA texture Tools. You can also use Paint.net (or Photoshop) to work with DDS files.
In brief:
I hope this can help you, but if you need more information, please ask for it :)
When you use the CK, you can see complete areas, with all their buildings, elements, etc... But I dont know how to do to export that in a single piece ... I wish I could :(
Note: One easy way to get all in one piece is wrapping a plain mesh on top of the terrain. Blender has a modifier for that (ShrinkWrap). Dont know if 3DS max also has one, but I guess it has.
- Terrain LOD, settings for LOD32
- Build meshes, Quality=0, Optimize unseen=on
- Specific chunk = 32
This produces four chunks for the entire Far Harbor area (it is much greater than that shown in the pip-boy). The chunks have a strange extension (.btr) but they are regular NIF files. So, I changed the extension to NIF and I could open them in [3ds max or] Blender (using the PyNifly addon).Each of the four NIFs has two meshes: A terrain mesh and a Water level mesh. They are too huge, so I scaled them (both meshes) to 1:1000 to work. Also, all them have the origin at the lower leff corner, so I had to move them to their final position. For that, I adjusted the Blender units display so that each chunk side is 320 m. That way, you can move each chunk according to its filename (eg.: the origin of the FarHarbor.32.-9.5.nif must be moved to x=-90 and y=50), and all four chunks will be perfectly aligned. The Z coordinate must not be changed.
From there on, you have many different options to merge the chunks. The easiest way, in Blender, is to create a plane with enough subdivisions and apply the ShrinkWarp modifier to obtain a unique mesh.
Later, You have to trim the whole mesh to adjust to the textures. I will upload the Blender GIMP files as modders resources so you can see what I did.
If I did not explain right, or if you have more questions, please ask them :)
In the new version (2.0), a new category at the end of Decorations is dedicated to this mod.
Any chance of an ESL or light version please? I've just installed it and uninstalled it immediately when I realised it took up a whole slot in my load order, thanks in advance.
EDIT: I did it, but xEdit warns that saved games that had the ESP version installed previously could be corrrupted. I checked with mine and everything went right. The models disappeared and had to be built again.
However, there is no FOMOD in the ESL version, also I noticed the file size is much smaller than the ESP version, so I think there's something missing there.
Also, where can we find this item? Decoration, next to the mattress doesn't sound right to me. I've just looked everywhere in Decoration and couldn't find anything unless I'm doing it wrong, cheers.
It has been fixed now (I hope).
(In my game I can see them in the Decor tab, just in the first submenu, as shown in the pictures)
The ESL file you posted is actually the ESP file, I installed it and it took up a plugin slot and when I checked it was ESP not ESL.
I'm in no hurry for this so whenever you get a moment if you can check it that would be great.
Thanks in advance, I do appreciate your prompt support, cheers.
Thx a lot for your patience, and for your interest in my mod ;)
IMO, ESL tag in the ESP header is the way to go, and tell people that are updating to start a new game, as you'll only have to do it once.
Edit: Run xEdit on the .esp, Compact FormIDs for ESL, then add ESL flag in plugin header, reupload archive and boom, done. No need for an second archive.
That is what I did (the xEdit way). Now all goes smoothly. I will follow your advice and delete the ESP version.
Thank you for your support and look forward to more nice mods from you, respect.
Sometimes I go too fast for myself and do wrong things :)
I am already studying if that is possible. xLODGen can produce meshes of the objects that are on the terrain, but I am still trying to figure out how to make them usable for models.
I was wondering why there were so many minutemen and settlers with surveyor outfits. They were probably planning to make models like this.