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Changelogs
Version 0.6
Rig: The rig structure has been updated, so I recommend using the new version only if you're starting a new animation. Updating the rig in an existing scene will most likely break your current animation.
Version 0.5
Rig: Added Mesh Type attribute to the "Vault 21" control to switch between vanilla and SMIM body meshes; Added Body Type attribute to choose the body type (male or female); Pip-Boy controls have been temporarily removed; Added Pip Boy attribute to enable or disable the Pip-Boy mesh; Added the optional LookAt_ctrl control for camera animation; The shapes of the finger controls have been changed from circles to boxes; The orientation of the first phalanx of the thumb slightly adjusted; The pivot points for all thumb phalanges have been corrected; Fixed an issue with incorrectly working IK for the spine; Minor fixes.
Rig: Finger controls orientation has been changed. This may and will cause some changes in your animations. Do not update the rig right now if you're currently working on an animation using the previous version; Minor skinning fixes.
Version 0.2
FNV Tools: Fixed an issue where the Check and Fix Weapon Nodes and Setup ISControl buttons didn’t work; Added visual notifications when running the Export Anim script.
Maya 2025 Niftools Plug-in and Animation Rig for Fallout New Vegas
Summary: A full workflow solution for importing, animating, and exporting Fallout New Vegas animation assets directly in Maya 2025, with no need for NifSkope or Sniff post-processing. A video tutorial will be provided by Anirvana in the near future.
About the Project
For a long time, I dreamed of having a fully functional plugin for Maya that would make working with Fallout New Vegas assets seamless. When no such solution appeared, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This project offers a specialized animation rig and a heavily updated NIF/KF workflow, letting you create and export animations directly from Maya 2025 - with full support for first-person and third-person setups.
Note: This project is in active development. Expect improvements and new features over time based on community feedback. (I hope)
Requirements
Maya 2025.x Basic knowledge of Maya animation
Installation
Copy the bin folder into your Maya2025 installation directory.
Copy the scripts folder into your Documents/maya folder.
Install PyMEL: Open cmd.exe as administrator and run: "path\to\Maya2025\bin\mayapy.exe" -m pip install pymel (Don't forget to replace path\to\ with your real Maya install path)
Open Maya, Activate nifTranslator.mll via Windows > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager.
Drag and drop FNV Tools.py into Maya's Script Editor (Python tab) and save it to the Shelf. (Optional: assign an icon from Documents/maya/scripts/fnv_niftools_icons.)
Extract FNV_MultiRig.ma and the textures folder to any convenient location.
Additional Learning
If you're new to Maya, I strongly recommend watching the Viewmodel Vault Playlist. It covers essential basics needed for viewmodel rigging and animation.
Usage
Basic Workflow:
Launch Maya 2025 and activate the plugin.
Open import menu (File > Import), change file type to NetImmerse Format. In Import Settings, enable Import all nodes as joints.
Import your weapon .nif. After import, open FNV Tools and press Check and Fix Weapon Nodes.
Group the imported mesh and joints, rotate the group -90° Y-axis.
Rig it. Save the scene as a .ma file.
When importing character rig and weapon rig together, use references and assign a separate namespace for the weapon.
Align the pink NURBS arrow located in the right hand to the weapon root and apply a parent constraint.
Animate!
Exporting Animations:
Select the bones to export. Use First_Person_Sets or Third_Person_Sets. (Right-click on SetPriority → Select Set Members. After selecting, an attribute for animation priority will appear in the Channel Box - set the priority first, and only after that manually add weapon nodes or other needed nodes if necessary.)
Place TextKeys using Maya Bookmarks.
Open export menu via FNV Tools → Export Anim. (This will auto-bake a temp skeleton, open the menu, and clean up after export).
Inside the menu, make sure you have NetImmerse Format selected. This will unlock a special settings panel on the right side. Make sure the following parameters are set correctly:
Game Specific Version: 11
Game Specific Version 2: 34
Animation Target: Bip01
NIF Version: 20.2.0.7
Animation Only: Enabled
Enter animation name, select Cycle Type, export!
Notes:
Always work with referenced scenes for better management. For ISControl setup, use Setup ISControl button in FNV Tools.
Implemented Features
Rig:
Unified 1st and 3rd person rig in one scene. Toggle anim modes via Vault 21 gate control (1st person/3rd person). Identical in-game FoV emulation via Camera_ctrl (thanks to Ghost Neverbloom). Special controls for locomotion and kNVSE additive recoil (BipRotate_ctrl and BipTranslate_ctrl respectively). Organized selection sets for easy export.
Niftools Plugin:
Import of skeletons, skinned and unskinned meshes from NIF files. Import of KF animations with full TextKey support onto skeletons. Export of both Bip skeleton and weapon nodes together. Animation priorities in Channel box and Cycle Type options in export UI. Rotation Type and Interpolator Type settings supported. TextKeys exported based on timeline position (not creation order).
FNV Tools
Simple UI for essential operations:
Check and Fix Weapon Nodes - Repairs imported nodes that would cause export errors. Setup ISControl - Automatically sets up the ISControl node for ironsight animation. All you need to do after that is export your animation. Export Anim - Auto-bakes temp skeleton, opens export window, cleans up.
Known Issues / Pending Features
Some NiNodes with multiple shapes require manual fixing with the help of FNV Tools. Non-skeletal features (materials, collisions) are currently unsupported.
Additional Recommendations
Download Selector & Picker Tools from Advanced Skeleton (Selector/Picker only!). Useful for IK/FK switching and control selection.
Planned Features
Better handling of collision and non-skeletal data. Planned support for other currently supported versions of Maya (such as 2023-2026). Continued refinement of export settings and animation tools based on community feedback.
FNV Tools