Hello there i am having a problem with 3DS Max Exporting the Nif of my custom head the issue is that before i export it out of max the verts says 898 this is what it should be for the Tri files to work properly but after I export the Nif file from Max into Nif Scope the Number of Verts change from 898 to 1100 verts and I don't know what is the cause. please do you have any suggestions that I can do to fix this problem please reply.
I wonder if there will ever be a solution to this problem, this is the first time I’ve ever found someone elsetalking about it and of course I find it when not searching for the problem at all, but just checking out random stuff related to TES, I can’t do any edits with Max that require a mesh to retain its original vertex count for this very reason, and googling the problem would make it seem as if no one ever has ever experienced such a problem.
every thing worked , but the head is upsidedown , when i edit in 3ds max , the face originally is upside sown , so i had to turn it 90" , but when i paste the BSDismember Skin Modifier and Skin it re-positioned back to its old position
When I first saw this mod I was so excited with the possibility of having me in the game. I mean my own face that actually looked like! So I fired up my Facegen and tried to follow the instructions and... crash. Well after A LOT of researching I was not only able to figure out how to get this mod to work but I also figured out how to use Facegen, 3DS Max, ZBrush, xNormal, Photoshop, and NifSkope to make a better version of "me" than this mod. Unfortunately I will not be explaining that in this guide because it's MUCH more complicated than this mod which does a lot of the work for you at the cost of quality. I will release a guide on how to do that later but for now here's a detailed guide on how to get Facegen to Skyrim to work for you!
Have these programs
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I will be displaying directions for 3DS max 2012 + Photoshop CS5 but my instructions should also work with alternative software if you know how to use them.
Make sure you have the following programs.
Facegen - You will need a Registered Version to be able to export 3D Models.
3DS Max/Blender with NifPlugin - Link in description is for 3DS Max 2012
NifSkope - I used the windows.exe installer version, last on the list
You CAN use alternate software just make sure to get a Import/Export .Nif Plugin Blender/Maya You CAN also use alternate Photoshop Software just make sure it has Import/Export .DDS Plugin Remember "Google is your friend"..."If you know how to ask the right questons"
Install the Mod
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So it won't crash...
Open facegen skyrim final from mod page and extract csamskyrim
Make a new folder called csamskyrim and extract the following files from the mod: male.bmp, male.egm, male.egt, male.fim, male.fr3d, male.tri (The Malechargen or maleraces can also be used. I haven't tried the females but they should also be fine.Just make sure you do not have ANY of the eye files. You want a head without eyes or hair when you export.)
Copy new folder to C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\FaceGen\Modeller3\ModelSets. (if that does not exist the ModelSet data directory might be C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Singular Inversions\FaceGen Modeller 3.1.)
The mod will now work when Change Model Set is selected in Facegen.
Using Facegen
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Now that you have installed the mod correctly you should be able to change the model set without Facegen crashing.
Open Facegen, click "Model" on toolbar, and click "Change Model Set"
Change the "New Model Set" to the new set either Male/Female, Male, Malechargen etc
Make sure in "Change Model Parts" you only have one of the following: male, malechargen, maleraces etc.
In the tabs menu go to Photofit. (Follow the steps to scan your face into a 3D model. Make sure to read the tips on good photo as simple things like photo lighting or background color in your photo can really make a huge difference!
If you have trouble with the scanner crashing try lowering the resolution of the photo. I know on v3.4 the program won't scan for me at higher resolution but 3.5 seems to work perfectly.
ALSO make sure to have the blue dots EXACTLY where they need to be a bad scan from a good photo can be you haven't placed the blue dots perfectly. (To make sure it looks the most like you change your model set back to default and have a look.
Save the file so you have a backup of the .fg
Then Click Export and Export as Wavefront .OBJ file
Creating the new MaleHead.nif
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Now that you have the .OBJ of your face that your happy with we are going to edit the new file in 3DS and attach it to an original MaleHead.nif
Open 3DS Max 2012 and import the OBJ
In Import settings make sure you have blender preset.
Click on the OBJ to make it active and in the toolbar click Modifiers < UV Coordinates < Unwrap UVW
In the RIGHT toolbar click on Modify (the blue rainbow) and look for "Open UV Editor."
Make sure the UV for the face is right-side-up. If it is upside down than press CTRL + A to select all verticles and in the toolbar click Tools < Flip Verticle
Collapse the UV to the model in the modify tab of the right toolbar by rightclicking and selecting collapse all.
Import the MaleHead.nif. (If you don't have a MaleHead.nif either get Custom Races Mod as they have original MaleHead.nif and also make it easy to install the mod into the game or a BSA extractor/unpacker
Copy the BSDismember Skin Modifier and Skin from the MaleHead.nif to your Facegen OBJ
With BSDismember Skin Modifier toolbar select the bodyparts: Skyrim, Headslot, use on and click "Sel Unused" in the toolbar. Select the neck part in the render window.
Select the bodypart Skyrim, Headslot, use for. Click "Sel Unused" it might already have preselected if not select the head O NOT select the green arrow.
In the modifier tab select "Editable Poly/Mesh and press yes.
Select the .OBJ of your head in the render window, right click, and select Move
Move the OBJ upward by holding down the up ICON on the Z axis in the bottom toolbar until it roughly fits the head.
Zoom in all the windows (scroll mouse button) into the neck region and use the move controls in the lower toolbar only until it fits exactly. Keep zooming and moving you Facegen OBJ ONLY until it perfectly lines up with the MaleHead.nif.
Delete the orignal MaleHead.nif from the the scene by selecting and pressing DEL on Keyboard.
Now export as a .NIF and name it MaleHead
Now you have your head in place of the orginal head as a .NIF but we can't put it in the game just yet.
Editing the new MaleHead in Nifskope
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Open your new .NIF in Nifskope. Also open an orginal MaleHead.nif
Right Click BSLightingShaderProperty, mouse over Block, and press remove branch.
If you have BSX Flags you can also remove that as well.
In the Orginal MaleHead.nif rightclick BSLightingShaderProperty and select Copy Branch.
In your new nif click on NiTriShape node, right click and select Paste Branch
Expand your NiTriShapeData and make sure "has normals" is set to no, BS Number UV Sets is set to 1, and Has Vertex Colors is set to yes
In BSShaderTextureSet make sure that textures have the right location. If using Custom Races set the .dds files to direct to textures\CustomRaces\CustomNord\THEFILE.dds
Save the .NIF
From this point your model is ready to be used in game. However your face needs to be in .dds and needs to match your body else it will be WAY to bright
Editing the texture to work properly in game
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Open Photoshop and import the .BMP texture that was created with the Facegen import
You might want to resize the image to 512 or 1024 the defualt is 2048.
Make sure the image isn't upside down. If it is in toolbar click Image < Image Rotation < Flip Vertically
Also fix up the image if you want. You might want to copy the eyebrow to make an eyebrow texture but I didn't. You might want to make a copy of the lips to keep the lip colour though i did that.
Open up a orignal malebody_1.dds and use the eye drop tool to extract the base colour from the file. (The colour should be #524942 or #5d554d or simular depends if you are using custom body
Go to your Facegen texture and in toolbar click Image < Mode < Greyscale. Than change it back to Image < Mode < RGB Colour (this removes the colour but keeps the RGB)
Use the rentagle tool to create a box over the entire image with the colour you have from your malebody. Make sure the Opacity is set at 50%
Click and drag the MaleBody to the tab into the render window so that it becomes a seperate window
Open the colour menu for the rentagle and you created and match the colour of the body using the window as a refrence. (You might want to save right now as a PSD becuase when looking in game you might notice its slightly too light/ to dark so you can still change it)
Use the erasor tool over the eyebrows (Else the eybrows will be brown in game and they don't change with hair colour.)
Optional if you extracted the lips paste them in the image and put the over the lips... you might want to dark a little.
Now save the file as a .DDS using 8.8.8 RGB 24 bpp or 8.8.8.8 (Larger file size)
And thats it now you have your texture. Again it might be a little to dark or light in game but if you backed your .PSD file you can easily change it after you have a look ingame. Also you can use texture blenders etc but I didnt find the need for it.
Now all you need to do is put the .NIF into the Mesh Folder for your custom race. Same with the texture file. If you are using custom races make sure to open it up in CS and edit the custom race so that eyebrows and and mouth don't show else you will have a duplicate of that. Also maybe delete all presets so morphs don't effect your charchter.
Also IMPORTANT- I deleted the .TRI files in the customrace/customnord folder (where i had my char) becuase some of the racemorphs were effecting my charchter. Deleting them I was unable to change certian features of my charter but I was still able to move the eyes and mouth (which sometimes clipped out/into the head too much)
Give Feedback
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Is this file suitable for The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Special Edition?
@mitchelkrever, have you had any experience with KeenTools FaceBuilder for Blender?
every thing worked , but the head is upsidedown , when i edit in 3ds max , the face originally is upside sown , so i had to turn it 90" , but when i paste the BSDismember Skin Modifier and Skin it re-positioned back to its old position
can anyone help with that (in the 3d studio max)
although great work
How to use this Mod
Intro
Have these programs
Make sure you have the following programs.
- Facegen - You will need a Registered Version to be able to export 3D Models.
- 3DS Max/Blender with NifPlugin - Link in description is for 3DS Max 2012
- Photoshop with DDS Plugin
- NifSkope - I used the windows.exe installer version, last on the list
You CAN use alternate software just make sure to get a Import/Export .Nif Plugin Blender/MayaYou CAN also use alternate Photoshop Software just make sure it has Import/Export .DDS Plugin
Remember "Google is your friend"..."If you know how to ask the right questons"
Install the Mod
- Open facegen skyrim final from mod page and extract csamskyrim
- Make a new folder called csamskyrim and extract the following files from the mod: male.bmp, male.egm, male.egt, male.fim, male.fr3d, male.tri (The Malechargen or maleraces can also be used. I haven't tried the females but they should also be fine.Just make sure you do not have ANY of the eye files. You want a head without eyes or hair when you export.)
- Copy new folder to C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\FaceGen\Modeller3\ModelSets. (if that does not exist the ModelSet data directory might be C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Singular Inversions\FaceGen Modeller 3.1.)
The mod will now work when Change Model Set is selected in Facegen.Using Facegen
- Open 3DS Max 2012 and import the OBJ
- In Import settings make sure you have blender preset.
- Click on the OBJ to make it active and in the toolbar click Modifiers < UV Coordinates < Unwrap UVW
- In the RIGHT toolbar click on Modify (the blue rainbow) and look for "Open UV Editor."
- Make sure the UV for the face is right-side-up. If it is upside down than press CTRL + A to select all verticles and in the toolbar click Tools < Flip Verticle
- Collapse the UV to the model in the modify tab of the right toolbar by rightclicking and selecting collapse all.
- Import the MaleHead.nif. (If you don't have a MaleHead.nif either get Custom Races Mod as they have original MaleHead.nif and also make it easy to install the mod into the game or a BSA extractor/unpacker
- Copy the BSDismember Skin Modifier and Skin from the MaleHead.nif to your Facegen OBJ
- With BSDismember Skin Modifier toolbar select the bodyparts: Skyrim, Headslot, use on and click "Sel Unused" in the toolbar. Select the neck part in the render window.
- Select the bodypart Skyrim, Headslot, use for. Click "Sel Unused" it might already have preselected if not select the head
O NOT select the green arrow. - In the modifier tab select "Editable Poly/Mesh and press yes.
- Select the .OBJ of your head in the render window, right click, and select Move
- Move the OBJ upward by holding down the up ICON on the Z axis in the bottom toolbar until it roughly fits the head.
- Zoom in all the windows (scroll mouse button) into the neck region and use the move controls in the lower toolbar only until it fits exactly. Keep zooming and moving you Facegen OBJ ONLY until it perfectly lines up with the MaleHead.nif.
- Delete the orignal MaleHead.nif from the the scene by selecting and pressing DEL on Keyboard.
- Now export as a .NIF and name it MaleHead
Now you have your head in place of the orginal head as a .NIF but we can't put it in the game just yet.Editing the new MaleHead in Nifskope
- Open your new .NIF in Nifskope. Also open an orginal MaleHead.nif
- Right Click BSLightingShaderProperty, mouse over Block, and press remove branch.
- If you have BSX Flags you can also remove that as well.
- In the Orginal MaleHead.nif rightclick BSLightingShaderProperty and select Copy Branch.
- In your new nif click on NiTriShape node, right click and select Paste Branch
- Expand your NiTriShapeData and make sure "has normals" is set to no, BS Number UV Sets is set to 1, and Has Vertex Colors is set to yes
- In BSShaderTextureSet make sure that textures have the right location. If using Custom Races set the .dds files to direct to textures\CustomRaces\CustomNord\THEFILE.dds
- Save the .NIF
From this point your model is ready to be used in game. However your face needs to be in .dds and needs to match your body else it will be WAY to brightEditing the texture to work properly in game
And thats it now you have your texture. Again it might be a little to dark or light in game but if you backed your .PSD file you can easily change it after you have a look ingame. Also you can use texture blenders etc but I didnt find the need for it.
Now all you need to do is put the .NIF into the Mesh Folder for your custom race. Same with the texture file. If you are using custom races make sure to open it up in CS and edit the custom race so that eyebrows and and mouth don't show else you will have a duplicate of that. Also maybe delete all presets so morphs don't effect your charchter.
Also IMPORTANT- I deleted the .TRI files in the customrace/customnord folder (where i had my char) becuase some of the racemorphs were effecting my charchter. Deleting them I was unable to change certian features of my charter but I was still able to move the eyes and mouth (which sometimes clipped out/into the head too much)