Hey there!

I have been working on a small quest mod for some Stalhrim Ice Armor, and am having some issue with the armor itself.

I would love to make it look exactly like the Icebergs in game. If you did not know, the Icebergs have a "Multi-layer Parallax" effect enabled in their nifs. This gives them that cool 3d esque effect when you plant your face against them.

As a prototype, I simply used the default ice-berg textures (environmental maps and all) on the Dragonbonemale armor to see if I could not get the proper effect I was hoping for. I also, to be safe, mimicked the exact shader set for the ice-bergs in nifskope.

Sadly, in game the armor was completely black! (pics! The armor clipping was the lack of the Skinned shader, I could figure that one out at least )

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/576702418735185295/23DFD68CB5C7BAD8EF22665B8F2E9837F745CEE6/

I have tried every combination of texture slots, shaders, and specular powers I can think of but every time without fail the effect is the same. I seem to get some subtle effect in the CK viewer of nifs, it shows the bumps and gloss of ice and I can make out a slight effect I may believe to be parallax. Its just so dark you can't make it out unless you cause yourself eyestrain looking for it ><;

I'm still very very oblivious to nifskope, so if anyone has insight into this... it would be appreciated if you could speak slowly and use small words. thanks ><;

Back in Oblivion, black textures typically meant missing normal map or no alpha channel in the normal map. Since you're using existing textures we'll assume it's not that.

As a test to see if it has to do with the parallax options, disable those options and just apply the ice texture to the armor and see what it looks like?

Thanks!

I did just that. Using the default armor shaders, it seems the texture is entirely visible, though it looks flat and ugly x;

I have all of the _e map textures in the right slots I believe, using the same slots as the glaciers. The Multi-layer parallax uses some sort of environmental map and a "subsurface" texture in one of the slots. I seem to see some mapping effects in the CK, it looks glossy, bumpy, and icy... but in game it is as black as night ><. Also, I made sure to remove alpha in nifskope. with alpha on the armor, the Texture shows, but no parallax effect works and the armor is flat and ugly. Removing alpha, the glossiness appears but then it becomes black.

Its just... odd D:

Did you set the BSLightingShaderProperty shader type to Environment Map and add the shader flag?

(A pic of Nifskope and the shader properties details might help)

If I do that I can't run the Parallax flag at the same time, every time I try it throws up an "You can only have 1 shader effect type on at a time" error.

I'll get a pic up as soon as possible, thanks.

Alright, sorry it took so long ><;

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1720/problem1s.png

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/1764/prob5.png

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg841/scaled.php?server=841&filename=prob3g.png&res=landing

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/578958940127991004/7C3D48C9C6FE6923ADCE0DFCCB777EB6B99155C6/

I have also tried deleting the alpha properties of the nif, since by default it seems the glaciers don't have alpha, as well as removing those two textures still relevant to dragonbone. But its still always black in game.

(Edited, the 2nd picture was re-sized to the point of illegibility...)

Can you see the texture in Nifskope? (I can't quite tell in the first pic)

Try removing SLSF_2 Vertex Colors. I don't think you need Soft Lighting on armor either, at least I've never seen it.

I removed Vertex Colors and changed soft lighting to back lighting like the default armor, and

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/578958940129342328/29DD71806BC6B38E5045EBED38EF6C6F6959250D/ Looks even better than I anticipated in game, thanks a LOT! You have no idea how long I struggled with this ~_~; thanks again.

That is cool! Glad I could help.