I'm attempting to modify an existing vanilla interior cell, and there's so many markers and ambient mist and stuff in the way, I'm having a really hard time clicking on the items I want to modify. I've tried unchecking all of the options under the View menu for markers & such but there's still way too much going on in the cell render window. Are there any more options for simplifying things, or are Bethesda cells just that much more cluttered than they were in Oblivion?

And, of course, the next question is... will my new cells end up looking that cluttered as well by the time I'm done? Is there that much new stuff needed?

New to the CK but i learned a neat trick right away (was mentioned in a official tutorial ).....click on something....hit 1 twice....poof...not deleted just invisible...give it a go...you wont look back.

When you want something back ..have a look in the cell view window...the invisible stuff is colored pink...click an item and then hit 1...(make sure after click in cell view...click render window, then hit 1)

Easier to do then explain.....

Awesome tip Camaro - works like a charm! Does that actually disable the object, or is it safe to leave it like that before saving? I'll do some digging and see if I can find that tutorial.

To disable the markers (like the people on the benches, light bulbs, etc) press M. To enable them, press M again.

EDIT: Of course, you don't actually disable them, the CK just hides them. So you can save and do anything and they'll be there.

M is good to get rid of (hide) all markers at once....1 ,1 can Hide anything that is in your way...I couldn't use the [m] toggle because I am editing markers [lights]....lol

Neither one disables/deletes...they just hide things...

One important thing to keep in mind when clicking on vanilla objects in the cells you're working in is to be careful not to actually move the object by mistake, and believe me, they are VERY easy to move and never even realize you moved something. I like to do stuff in vanilla cells too as it uses current game content as opposed to creating all new stuff. But if you accidentally move something then save your plugin, that will place what's referred to as a "dirty edit" in your mod. Many times these are not an issue because if another mod also happens to move the same object whichever mod is lowest in your load order should take precedence. However, depending on what the dirty edit does it can cause everything from no trouble at all, to causing instant CTD's which of course would not be good. When TESVEdit comes out it should provide us a nice tool to clean our mods with, and if I'm not mistaken Wyre bash can help you clean dirty edits too.

But one precaution I always try to take is to make myself a "junk" or "test" plugin that I can pull up in the CK, noodle around in whatever cell I want to to my hearts content and figure out what I want to do and the best way to do it, then edit my "real" plugin accordingly. I usually keep 2 instances of the CK open at all times, one with my junk plugin that I'm using to pick things apart, and my official plugin I plan on releasing. It's not perfect as you can still move something accidentally, but it sure helps me keep dirty edits to a minimum.

Here's a good place to read about dirty edits:

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1356648-how-do-you-make-a-dirty-edit-and-how-do-you-fix-a-dirty-edit/

Hope that helps!