I made dees tings, you may have already seen: http://ktacreations.com/dragonboneWeapons_v02.jpg

But I use maya and mudbox and nothing I've tried so far has produced the file types needed to put them into skyrim. I know I need nifskope and niftools but the niftools version thats made for maya does not export skyrim-supported nif files.

Apparently, the 3D Studio Max and Blender niftools do but I dont have Max and Blender 2.49b has the worst interface since the [censored] puzzle cube from hell raiser. It's like the makers of Zbrush and a bunch of Unix admins got together to create the least useful arrangement of buttons ever haphazardly thrown before a user.

Anyway, if anyone is at all capable of making skyrim-ready nif files out of .obj or .fbx files, please help me here cause I've hit a wall don't really want to make the rest of the weapons until I've seen what needs changed to make them work in-game so any assistance would be appreciated by at least one me and maybe 4 other people who want the mod to exist.

Thank you, gently at first.

OR if anyone KNOWS of a way to get it working without 3dsmax or maybe with the new blender (2.61) that would also be a huge help too. So far google says no.

http://www.niftools.org/wiki/index.php/3ds_Max
I hope that helps.
I'm still learning some of this random unneccesary garbledlgook craptastic stuff.
But weapons I'd have assumed would be far easier than 'armor'...

Uh, I don't have max. Thats the crux of the problem, really.

Yeah armor has to be attatched to the character rig so there's a whole layer of crap on top of just the file format.

I want this mod to exist. I want this mod to exist a lot!

Yea I know.
But check the nifscope stuff in that as its relevant.
There also should be a similar thing for Blender on that site, as there is supposed to be an importer/exporter for blender for nifs.

All I can say is, do the correct changes with nifscope.
Import into blender
Export as an obj

do your stuffs
import into blender
export as nif
open as nifscope
make changes
save.

The only reason i mention importing is, take an already 'made' weapon in the game, to see if theres anything you need to 'merge' with your mod to make it work.

you could always replace it with an item you already have (say steel sword) just to see if the item actually works ingame.

Theres also a 1st person and 3rd person model,
for armor I know you have to have one named _0.nif and _1.nif. (theres also the gender assignment to but shouldnt' affect weapons)

Can't help you with the NIFs but I have to say those are amazing weapons. I really hope to see them ingame.

I make the models and texture them in Blender, and export them as 3ds files.

I go into Nifscope, open an existing model with a simlar shape.

Click on the weapon model, import the 3ds file over it, then delete the superfluous settings and reparent the mesh to it's shader properties and textures. Then I save it as whatever I need it for.

Haven't yet worked out how to alter the blood meshes, but it gets the mesh into a format that Skyrim can use. When I used this system with .objs, the lighting didn't work properly. If you can export as 3ds with Maya, it might be worth a try. Of course, it only works for meshes without animation, like swords and such. There was a more in depth tutorial on Nexus, but I can never find it.

i shall convert files for you!

maybe you could make a video of how you approach the modeling process in return... perhaps stream the occassion on livestream?

or not... i'll covert for ya either way. let me know... pm or w.e.

If you're willing to use OBJ files then you may find this http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/topic/4634-guest-workshop-importing-models-into-skyrim-by-is/, walks you through importing a weapon using just Nifskope.

Thank you all who responded! If the tutorial InsanitySorrow posted does the trick, there will be happy times. If not, I'll be sending them files to ?ther Seraph and there will be a delay in happy times. Thanks again, all.

Less than optimal way to do it, but what I do is:

Export as .obj
Load .nif file of similair weapon
Select the weapon's NiTrishape
File>Import>Import .Obj
Reposition/scale new weapon
Expand NiTrishape
Delete NiMaterialProperty
Select NitTriShape > Scroll down to properties > enter the number for the BSLightingShaderProperty
Right click on mesh in viewer > Mesh > Face Normals
Right click on mesh in viewer > Mesh > Smooth Normals
Click on NiTrishapeData > Find Num UV sets > Change from 1 to 4097
Spells > Batch > Update All Tangent Spaces
Done

Same deal for blood meshes, though you'll want to click on the flag icon in flags under NiTrishape and check the box for visible whilst you position it. And if you're using a scabbarb be sure to set it's number to what the old scabbard was under Name when you import over, or click the 'txt' icon and enter Scb if there was none.

Granted I'm using Blender 2.6 to export, but it works well for me.

Yeah the only way I know right now is to bring it into Blender 2.49 that is making use of the NifTools Plugin. Basically how I tried( and failed) to do it was, Export the Maya Binary that I had saved to Obj then take that into Blender. You see you dont really have to touch up the mesh if you were watching your poly count before so all that is required here is making sure the weapon is placed properly ( translate tools shouldnt be too much different if I recall) at this time you will want to make sure that you select the appropraite options while exporting. Of course I failed at using NifSkope so the texture I had made from my UV Map for the new sword was just using the default mesh of the Imperial Sword ( something which I may have to wait till the CK to actually replace). Of course I did forget about the special physics markers that are required by the Skyrim engine so I assume that if I had gotten the game to point to my mesh it would have fallen through the earth. Use Albatross' method of doing it.

Okay so I got it in-game and so far the diff and spec maps work but nothing i try will make the normal map show up. The mesh remains flat and cartoony. Any special settings I need or overlooked?

Just covering the basics, but do you have it set in the block details of: NiTriShape->BSLightingShaderProperty->BSShaderTextureSet?

And make sure the "Num Textures" is 9, the first listing is your texture and the second your normal map.

Also, I've heard that if NiTriShapeData -> [Block Details] -> "Has Vertex Colors" is set to 'no', sometimes the object won't display in game.

All those are set correctly then, yeah. Anything inthe DDS settings I should know about? used DXT5 and set image type to tangent space normal map. it is 512x512 w/ 10 mipmaps, just like theirs.

Does the model have normal vectors? when all of them are zero vectors there isn't any "tangent space" for the normal map to work in.

To check the normal, tangent and binormal vectors, select "NiTriShapeData" in Nifscope and click on the arrays in the block display. When there are just dots for the normals you need to right-click on NiTriShapeData and select "Face Normals" to create new ones.

When the Tangents and Binormals are greyed out, you need to change "BS Num UV Sets" from 1 to 4097 (i.e. set bit #12). To create new tangents and binormals you need to use Spells / Batch / "Update all Tangent Spaces" in the menu.

Did you setup the mesh in maya? I'm over my head here, but I think maya's normal map orientation is different. Maya's is +x +y, Skyrim wants +x -y.

Other than that, try reading through this tesalliance http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/tutorials/article/43-texturing-normal-maps-ps/. It's worth a read or re-read, and shows the settings (for photoshop).

I'm finding it easy to make weapons with Maya and get them into the game. First import any vanilla weapon as a obj into Maya to get the size and oreintation. Then export your weapons as .obj and import them over an existanting .nif mesh with Nifskope.

That did it. Maybe someday someone will explain to me why this process involves changing a value from 1 to 4097, specifically.

http://www.ktacreations.com/DragonBoneSwordInGame.jpg

Bit 0 (2⁰ = 1) is "use uv mapping"
Bit 12 (2¹² = 4096) is "use tangents and binormals"
1 + 4096 = 4097 = "use uv mapping, tangents and binormals"

Have you checked the normals? By activating the tangents and binormals you most likely just covered the lack of proper normal vectors, but the object isn't glossy enough to create the gnawed-off effect you get when the other vectors are much longer than the normals.

From this thread: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1337354-texture-issues/page__view__findpost__p__20138305

No tangent space vectors at all:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/huMAnity_dues/2012-01-22_00002.jpg

tangents and binormals only:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/huMAnity_dues/2012-01-25_00001.jpg

normals, tangents, and binormals:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/huMAnity_dues/2012-01-25_00002.jpg

From a previous thread:

I have been going from Blender (2.6) to Skyrim with no problem. Got about 20 weapons in the game.

Modeling and Skinning:
1. Make the model in Blender.
2. Make a scabbard for the weapon if it is a one hander. I make the scabbard as part of the weapon model. I usually make my model in pieces - blade, hilt, guard, pommel, scabbard. Two handed weapons do not have scabbards, so ignore any scabbard related instructions for two handed weapons.
3. Skin the model (UV texturing).
4. When you are done creating and skinning the model, make a copy of the Blender file - I call mine _final
5. In the Blender final file, join all of the parts except the scabbard. Name the weapon part "Weapon" (or sword, or axe ... doesn't matter) and name the scabbard "scb" (MATTERS ALOT!!!). Skyrim keys on this name to differentiate the scabbard from the weapon.
6. In Blender, select the weapon only. Export as 3ds. MAKE SURE TO SELECT "Selected Only" when exporting!
7. In Blender, select the scabbard only. Export as 3ds. MAKE SURE TO SELECT "Selected Only" when exporting!
8. Using whatever tool is available, convert your skins to dds.
9. Using whatever tool is available, make a normal map and convert it to dds.

You now have two .3ds files - one for the weapon and one for the scabbard. You have your skin and normal map as DDS files.

Prep:
1. Create a directory structure that mimics Skyrim's for models and textures.
2. Put the DDS textures into the proper texture file.
3. Put a representative Skyrim NIF model (i.e. Steel longsword NIF if you are doing a steel longsword) into the model directory.

Nifskope
1. Open the representative model file in Nifskope.
2. Save it under a new name.
3. I delete the "blood" nodes. If you want then then how to do this will be left to you.
4. Select the scabbard node.
5. Import as 3ds your scabbard model.
6. Select the weapon node.
7. Import as 3ds your weapon model.

To get a weapon model to appear in game you have to do a bit more than Oblivion. Using SkyEdit:
1. Set the Model to point to the model (obvious)
2. Create a "Static" entity for the 1st person model. I.e. create a new item under "Static"
3. Point that entity to your 1st person model
4. Set the Static field in your weapon entity to reference the newly created static entity.

Don't have my computer available, but if you follow SoMuchMonster's tutorial it works from here.
If you have any problems let me know. When I get home I can go through the process and post more detailed instructions. I just don't have it all memorized.