One of the NifTools developers, Amorilla, has created a python script that generates a working skin partition for most meshes.
To use it, you'll need to have python 2.5 installed. You can download that here (http://www.python.org/download/releases/). I've also found that pythonWin makes it easier to use, you can download that here (http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/). Then download and run these 2 installers:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/c8nszl
http://www.sendspace.com/file/il10cs
The script has a few sections that caused syntax errors whenever I tried to run them. If you experience problems like that, download this (http://www.sendspace.com/file/qzsg52) and place it in the python25/scripts folder.
Start pythonWin, then go to the python25/scripts folder and open up ffvt3rskinpartition.py. Click File, then Run... Input the file path of the nif in quotes, like this: "C:\Program Files\Irrational Games\Freedom Force vs The 3rd Reich\Custom\Art\library\characters\ExcaliburRT\character.nif" Then click Okay. The script should run and generate a skin partition for that nif.
I've tested this on a few meshes, and it works fine on everything except Valandar's robot meshes, where it makes a few random bones dissappear. Hopefully that problem will be fixed at some point.
Excellent. I'll be trying this out.
Okay, I've run this on a number of meshes and found disappearing geometry in: Val's Bugbear, Val's Orc and Orc Boss, Val's Eye Beast, Val's Iron Golem, and soldier_2 (which is not by Valander). Val's Big Cat Versatile, Skeksis, Crimson Dynamo, Crinos Garou, Cthulhu and Godzilla Mark 3 were all fine so I'm not sure what to make of this.
I have not tried any converted meshes in-game yet to see if the ghosting issue is resolved. Maybe later Sunday.
oh Wow!
Nice find
Amorilla has fixed the "dissapearing geometry" problem. Download and install these 2 files:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2bzxub
http://www.sendspace.com/file/wz5ccp
Then, run it from pythonWin as I described before.
Sorry to necropost, but can you reupload these? I just got :ffvstr: and would really like to be able to use shadows without having ghosting and clipping pieces.
I'll second that request, as I missed this the first time around...
DEATH
Okay. You can download them here (http://www.frpmods.com/files/Conduit/miscellanious/PyFFI-0.4.5.win32.exe) and here (http://www.frpmods.com/files/Conduit/miscellanious/ffvt3rskinpartition-1.0.win32.exe).
Thx Conduit :blink:
My Python-Fu is weak. Does anyone have any idea how to run this script via a batch file (to do mass conversions)? Or, even better, to make the script recurse subfolders?