Difference between revisions of "Getting started creating mods using GECK"

Latest revision as of 23:50, 16 September 2019

This is a Work In Progress (WIP), and not yet (and probably never will be) complete.

If you have corrections or suggestions for improvement, either make them directly, post to the Getting started creating mods using GECK feedback thread in the "Fallout New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum, or contact the current maintainer by Private Message (PM).

This message will be removed when the content is considered complete.

Overview

The following information is primarily taken from the Help starting out thread on the "Fallout New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum. The information is preserved here as an alternative to searching through back posts in that forum for commonly asked questions. Much of the information applies to "Fallout 3 (FO3)" as well, but the focus is on FNV.

This article provides a learning roadmap, a starting point and guide to progression; not a tutorial. Consider it a collection of suggestions and links to more detailed tutorials, articles, videos, and tools. Just from the "Table of Contents" you should get a reasonable idea of the learning curve ahead of you. Don't get discouraged. Tackle things one at a time. Just don't expect to learn everything quickly.

'Regional language' (i.e. "non-English") version mod creators and translators: PLEASE see the 'Issue: Regional (non English) version has different FormIDs' entry in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide first. It will save you a lot of grief and frustration.

There is a lot of unique vocabulary related to creating mods in the following material, such as the distinction between "meshes", the 3D framework of objects (saved as Nif files); and "textures", the surface "skin" over the "mesh framework" (saved as DDS files). The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG) site has a glossary and several pages devoted to explaining these to new mod creators and users. Rather than explaining them here, please reference that site when you need clarification. (This article does a lot of that: referral to other existing resources. Why reinvent the wheel?)

Programs and Tools

Note: You are working with a 32-bit game. It requires 32-bit FAT system compliant files and data in specific formats. 64-bit tools may not output 32-bit FAT files; they output 64-bit files which are NTFS compliant (strictly speaking about Windows). You can't read 64-bit NTFS files with standard 32-bit tools, unless they both use the exact same data format, file format, and naming restrictions. Overlooking this simple fact will cause you a lot of frustration and wasted time. Use the right versions of tools for the job. "Newest" does not always equal "most appropriate".

GECK Tools

Garden of Eden Construction Kit (GECK) (freeware.) The official "game editor" for Fallout 3 and New Vegas. NOTE that when loading files, the one plugin you designate with the "Start as Active" button becomes the one that gets edited and saved when you exit the editor. ALL of the files loaded into the GECK at the same time will automatically become "master files" to the "active file" when it is saved. In particular to this regard, see the NAM files entry.

GECK Extender NVSE Plugin. Project to extend GECK functionality and bug fixes. Compatible with all NVSE script extender plugins. (Do not use together with GECK Powerup (nor the Forked version), which it replaces.) Note the optional "Patcher" to make GECK 4GB aware and auto load NVSE is a separate file.
GECK 1.4 Powerup NVSE Plugin. (Replaced by GECK Extender. Do not use both together.) Comes in a "standalone" version for the "vanilla" GECK functions, and one for GECK with NVSE functions. It fixes and improves some issues while providing the missing messages when the GECK compiler finds an error or warning, and lets you save a script without compiling it. Considered "essential" by experienced mod creators.

There are now two wikis devoted to the GECK: the official one by Bethesda, which is not very well supported and a major pain to update (Five CAPCHAs per post!), and a Modding Community GECKWiki site with everything from the official one but actively updated by the modding community. While most links to the GECK wiki are to the official wiki, be sure to check out the Community one to see the latest info on your topic. Anything related to "Script Extenders" like NVSE or JIP LN NVSE functions will be more current on the Community GECKWiki site.

Community GECKWiki

GECK: Tutorials
GECK: 'My first vault' tutorial series Bethesda's intro to mod creation.
GECK: FAQ Simple questions with answers.
GECK: Advanced Modding Techniques Questions with tricky answers.

Official Bethesda GECK Wiki
TES4 Construction Set Wiki Older, more fundamental questions and answers.

Image Tools

Category:Tools on Nexus Mods wiki has articles on various aspects of the primary tools you will be using. Check it out as well.
3DS Max (1 month free trial, $185/month or $1470/year subscriptions, 3 yr student/educator license.) Commercial product by AutoDesk but the version that works with Nif files isn't free. Versions after 2013 don't seem to work with at least Fallout 4 (according to this thread) using the included official NIF exporter, though there is an unofficial "Figment" exporter plugin fork on GitHub which does seem to work.

3DS Max Nif Importer-Exporter by figment

Blender v2.49b (freeware.) This download includes ALL related files and compatible versions. This is the "complete" package for creating meshes for Bethesda games; including:

Python 2.6.5

Blender NIF Scripts 2.5.5

NifSkope 1.0.22

PyFFI 1.1.5

"Noob to Pro" PDF tutorial.

Check out the "Optional" files section for some additional functionality. Recommended for FO3/FNV.

Blender v2.49b Portable by Room207 is also a "complete" package that is preferred by some for it's convenience. Includes:

Python 2.6.6

Pyffi 2.1.11

NIFscripts 2.5.9

True Normals by Anthony D'Agostino

Geom Plugin 0.5

Mesh Ascii Plugin

UDK Scripts

Blender Tools 1.01 by Kormgar

Blender TRI file scripts and Tutorial by Kapaer and Deedes

Installation of Blender (Wiki article.)

DXTBmp Texture Tool (freeware.) Images can be passed to any Paint program for editing in 24 bit and then re-imported and saved in any of the 16/24/32 bit formats. Transparency (Alpha) channel of textures can be viewed and edited separately from the main image.
GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program (freeware.) A cross-platform image (texture) editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more operating systems. Provides extensions through integration with many programming languages including Scheme, Python, Perl, and more. The result is a high level of customization as demonstrated by the large number of scripts and plug-ins created by the community.
Hairs - Eyes - Races Auto - Patcher (Mod.) Extracts all the hair / eyes / races records from every plugin loaded in your load order - then, it rewrites the list of eyes and hairs for every race found. So, if you untick / unflag a hair mod from your load order, these records won't be loaded by the game itself and consequently won't be found by this mod because they don't exist.
LOD/VWD Overview TESTG site wiki.

FNVLODGen "View While Distant (VWD)"/"Level Of Detail (LOD)" landscape object generation tool.
Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator TES4LL landscape mesh and texture LOD generation tool.

Maya (1 month free trial, $185/month or $1470/year subscriptions, 3 yr student/educator license.) Animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software by AutoDesk.
MindTex2 ($20) by Frozen Flame. MindTex is a normal map generation utility for game developers and 3d professionals. Built to rival the competition in quality without the steep price, whether you want to generate a normal, height, specular, gloss, self-illumination, occlusion, or reflection map, you can easily do it in seconds flat from a single source texture with MindTex.
Mod Kit - Resource for Modders by pixelhate. Some nif & textures used as references in various Modding situations, including the "invisible activator".
NIF tangents and binormals updater (freeware) by zilav. A command line tool to batch update tangents/binormals in Oblivion, Fallout 3, New Vegas, Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4 format NIF meshes. The one in NifSkope doesn't handle degenerate normals, such as if your NIF has a lot of texture tiling. It also gives all around better results especially for people who use Blender and cannot reset the normals and smooth them because it lacks the features to do so.
NifSkope (freeware.) A graphical program that allows you to open NIF files, view their contents, edit them, and write them back out again. You can use it to quickly make changes to specific properties of a NIF file such as changing the texture, adding translucency, and more. A 3D view of the contents of the NIF file allows you to preview your changes instantly. You can even create texture templates, and import & export OBJ files. (Note: This link is the latest release and may not be the best choice for FO3/FNV. A fully compatible version of this tool (v1.0.22) is already included in the Blender v2.49b package linked here.)

NifSkope v1.3.3 (revision36efdd) (freeware.) A later version than that bundled in the Blender v2.49b package (with EXE and features referred to in many tutorials that are missing in even newer (v2.0+) releases, such as "import/export .OBJ files"). Fully compatible with that Blender package, and more "shader flags" are identified. While both versions of NifSkope can be installed, only one can be used at a time. Recommended for FO3 and FNV (along with the NifTools XML Format version 0.7.0.0, which has the essential "differentiated color for Collision"). Recommended for FO3/FNV.
NifTools Wiki (freeware.) 3D package plugins for 3ds Max, Blender, and Maya modelling tools. Note: this link will have the latest release versions. The versions bundled in the Blender v2.49b package are all mutually compatible.

The NifTools XML Format (documentation.) Used to extend NifSkope to open files from new games, or better understand files from games which it can already open. Version 0.7.0.0 recommended for FO3/FNV.

NifSkope: Mesh Tool N3 - Path Changer (Mod) by Anton.
NifSkope: NifTextures - Path Changer (Mod) by Macoron.
NifSkope: Nifskope Testing Skeleton (Mod) by clanky4.

Paint.NET (freeware.) Image and photo (texture) editing software for Windows, originally based upon the Paint program included as part of Windows, but with many enhanced features such as "layers", special effects, and unlimited history ("undo"). Require Microsoft's .NET Framework 4.6+.

Paint: BoltBaits Plugin Pack for Paint.NET. It includes "Transparency" plugin that enables you to increase opaqueness of transparent pixels.
Paint: The Normal Map Tools by Goujosamma for Paint.NET.

Ptolemy Maps for New Vegas by Rocketeer and Alan Broad is a robust suite of tools for creating and organizing 'world map' locations based on their type, faction, importance, etc.
Working with DDS/DXT Files (HTML article) by Gary "Buckaroo" Neely.

Packaging Tools

BAIN Archive Tools - BAT by Surazal
BSArch (freeware) by zilav. A command line tool for packing and unpacking Bethesda archives. The most complete support setting the correct flags across the various games.
BSAOpt (freeware) Tool for extracting the contents of BSA files. Note this tool unpacks the entire BSA file. It does not easily allow for unpacking a single file.

(See the Skyrim thread BSAs and You for details about the pros and cons of "Bethesda Software Archives" (BSAs), but bear in mind such files in previous games, like Oblivion, FallOut3 and Fallout New Vegas, don't have "strict order" like in Skyrim. Games prior to Skyrim don't support overriding of assets in archives using other archives; only loose files can. If the same resource is contained in several BSA archives, those games won't use it from the last BSA on 100% of occasions. They may grab the resource from a random one of the BSAs containing the same file.)

WARNING! Do not unpack BSAs directly into your game "Data" folder; potentially overwriting any mod files. The tools don't ask you to confirm the overwriting, either. All the hair textures unpacked to "loose files" will go through the head models in that case; because that's what happens when hair is not packed in a BSA. "Best practice" is to unpack to a unique folder (they are large: 1-2GB) and manually drag the desired files to the appropriate "Data" folder as needed.

BSAExtractor (BSAE) (freeware) Tool for extracting just one or the entire contents of BSA files. See warning above about unpacking an entire BSA.
FNV BSA Decompressor Mod by zilav. Decompresses the Fallout New Vegas BSAs and repacks them into BSAs without zlib compression for performance. Also transcodes the ".OGG" sounds effects to ".WAV" format so they work. It also extracts any MP3 files to loose files because they will not play when in a BSA.
FOMM - Forked (freeware) Mod Manager with built-in BSA file extraction and repacking.

Note that FOMM has several tools bundled with it. The TESsnip tool in particular is obsolete and has been shown to cause "silent corruption" of save game files as a result. The use of xEdit/FNVEdit is recommended in it's place.
FOMM and FOMODS for Dummies article.
FOMOD Validator by Ganda

Scripting Tools

CIPSCIS Script Validator (freeware.) Allows you to quickly indent your script while simultaneously checking it for several basic errors, many of which are not picked up by the GECK's compiler. It works with Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas, but is not "script extender" aware. Includes it's own tutorials.
New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) Site.

NVSE Documentation by gribbleshnibit.
JIP LN NVSE plugin by jazzisparis and LuthienAnarion.
NVSE Extender Plugin (NX) by prideslayer.
GECK: JIP Functions (Wiki.)
GECK: Lutana (LN) Functions (Wiki.)

NMM Installer Tutorial - FOMOD - FOMM by XunAmarox
NMM ModuleConfig Creator by Twilightassassin
NMM Tracelog Help by Thorne67
Notepad++ (freeware.) Source code editor.

BAIN User Defined Language for Notepad++ by The_Catman
Notepad++ Syntax Highlighter (freeware) by DoctaSax. "Language" Plugin for GECK editor syntax.

RuntimeScriptProfiler by lStewieAl - shadeMe. An NVSE plugin to profile script execution. Ported from shadeMe's Oblivion plugin.

Sound and Voice Tools

Audacity (freeware.) Sound editor and audio format conversion.
FonixData.cdf ( Easier .Lip Files ) by DingraThePishvaz Mod. (Free) Alternative Lip-sync generator for FNV.
Latest Ogg Vorbis Libraries by KaneWright. The game uses it for decoding OGG audio format.
Silent Voice Generator by Enter_77 Mod.

Misc Other Tools

DarNified Forum Community site. Articles and questions on XML for the User Interface (UI) and Menus, primarily about the Oblivion version of DarNUI but there is a section for FO3.
Gamesettings profiler Mod. Adds intuitive, app-like, modding tool for debugging, testing, profiling, and dumping\printing to file any numeric GMST (gamesettings) records.
Tree LOD billboard creator for xLODGen by zilav
xEdit/FNVEdit (freeware.) A generic tool called xEdit which is renamed for working with specific games. The latest "stable" release is on the Nexus, generally under the game name version or as "TES5Edit".

xEdit discussion page contains links to latest UPDATES "development/test" and DOWNLOAD "experimental (bleeding edge)" versions.
Tome of xEdit Current Online manual for all games.
xEdit/FNVEdit Training Manual (PDF.) Older docs that generally apply to all xEdit versions for other games.
Documentation for the xEdit Fallout plugin file formats

Details

Basic advice is to start with the game Construction Set/Editor (this is usually a separate, free download, not included with the game installation). There is going to be a wiki page for it with tutorials to help get you started, but note that there are unspoken assumptions that you are familiar with concepts introduced on the "Construction Kit"/"game editor" wikis for earlier Bethesda games such as:

TES3: Morrowind (2002),
TES4: Oblivion (2006),
TESAlliance: The Enclave for tutorials covering most subjects and tools that apply still to the Fallout series.
Garden of Eden Construction Kit (GECK) for Fallout 3 (2008) and Fallout: New Vegas} (2010).
Community GECK Wiki for Fallout 3 (2008) and Fallout: New Vegas} (2010).

(TES5: Skyrim came after all of those (2011) and uses a different variation of the game and script engine.) So, don't neglect those older wikis as resources. Where there appears to be a conflict, assume the later wiki or the one specific to your game is correct.

In addition to the Construction Set/Editor, you'll probably want to get community created editor enhancement tools, like the GECK "Extender" or "PowerUp", "Oblivion Construction Set Extender", etc. These allow you to perform actions not included in the default editor, like edit ESM files without converting them to ESP first, and may also give you better debugging for scripts. These capabilities vary by the tool. On the negative side, such extensions may also annoy the heck out of you with error messages, many of which you don't need/understand and don't care about. But they are always worth looking into.

There are also conversion tools which are required to export the 3D models from your modeling tool into the "NIF" format that Bethesda games use. It is very important to note that the import and export tools only work with certain versions of modeling programs. For Blender, you need version 2.49, which is older than the current version of Blender. The Nexus Oblivion mod Blender linked here is a package that has Blender v2.49 plus all of the NIF tools and includes NifSkope, all of which are the correct versions to use together. You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you install everything from this one package. If you don't, you can run into version problems and things will never work right. Instructions on the correct way to install this combination of tools can be found the wiki article here. (Note where there seems to be a discrepancy in version numbers, stick with the version included in the package.)

"Script Extenders" (SEs) are plugins to the game editors that provide additional functionality features, and were created by the gaming community to overcome perceived shortcomings. Mods the use even one of those SE functions need to specify that the particular SE is now a requirement.

Item (armor, weapons, buildings, etc.) construction and customization requires learning 3D modelling, which is NOT a quick process. You are going to invest a lot of time and patience in learning your tool of choice. The three most common tools used are Blender, "3ds Max" (aka "Max"), and Maya. There is very little discussion about Maya in the forums related to Bethesda games because while it is considered the better choice for animation, "Max" is simpler to grasp and less daunting. Both "Max" and Maya are considered "industry standard" tools, and both will do the job. See these articles for more in depth comparisons if you are going to invest in learning either product:

The Nexus has the Software Programs - 3D Modelling - Blender forum, Software Programs - 3D Modelling - 3ds Max forum, Software Programs - 3D Modelling - Maya forum, and Software Programs - 3D Modelling - Miscellaneous / Other forum areas for discussion about those tools.

The "workflow" on Blender for Nif files is considered more complex than with the others because it often takes you into the Nifskope tool, but read about the Nif Exporter plugin for Max issues in that entry. It is necessary to use the correct version and tools that work with that version of any of these products.

Because it is "free" and the others are quite expensive for most people, Blender is usually at least their first choice. "Blender Noob to Pro" is a good resource for 3D modeling using Blender, and the compatible (not the latest) version is included in that package linked above under Programs and Tools. Consequently, there is a long history of tutorials on all aspects of modelling with Blender. It is well worth the time to refer often to the Blender - Read this first thread as you progress through the learning curve. It has an extensive list of tutorials from Oblivion thru Fallout 3 and more generalized topics which still apply to the basics of modelling in Blender.

For texturing your 3D models, you'll need something that can handle ".dds" files. GIMP and Paint.Net (which is not the Paint that comes with Windows) can both handle ".dds" files. Paint.Net comes with ".dds" support built-in these days. GIMP still needs a plugin. Which program you use is more a matter of personal preference than anything else. Some find GIMP a bit more difficult to use but it also can do some things that Paint.Net can't do. Paint.Net on the other hand is, in the opinion of many, more intuitive and easier to use. Although, now that Paint.Net has a proper normal map generator that actually works available as an add-on, GIMP use tends to be even less frequent now. A lot of it is personal preference, though. Some folks just like GIMP better. Both programs work fine. You can also use Photoshop, but that's not free.

Once you have the 3D model textured (UV mapped) and maybe have generated a normal map for it as well, then you need to export everything. First, read the Working with DDS/DXT Files article by Gary "Buckaroo" Neely to understand the choices in DXT codec to choose among. Blender and the NIF tools don't export a lot of things properly, so then you have to go into NifSkope (which comes with the NIF tools) and fix it. (The proper weight of "bones" in skeletons, along with "shader flags", is almost always wrong, for instance.) Be sure to check that the path given in the mesh to the texture file is in "relative" format. (See How to fix hard-coded texture paths in NIF files.) The default format of the mesh editor's paths may not be "relative".

Once that is done, then go into the game specific Construction Set/Editor and add your custom items to whatever mod you are working on.

Getting back to the GECK, there are a few things that are broken in it. It ships with a spell checker but doesn't include the dictionary, so that's just annoying. (But you can use the language resource files from Fallout 3 as the dictionary.) If you use the GECK "Extender" or "Powerup" you can uncheck the spell checker and disable all of that annoyance at least while you are editing your mod. Unfortunately it won't remember that setting and you'll have to uncheck it the next time you edit your mod as well.

Another thing that is broken is the "lip generator" for dialog. If you have Skyrim or Oblivion you can copy their lip generator from the "sound\processing" folder to GECK's. If you have all of your voice files in place and they work already, in the GECK all you need to do is bring up that dialog in the quest editor. Your WAV file should show up down near the bottom, where it says voice type: MP3, WAV, LIP, LTF, and "path". Click on that to select it, then click on the "from WAV" at the bottom. The "generate lip file" option should now become active and you can click on it. Note that the GECK will not update the information on the screen, so it will still have an N under LIP file even after you have generated it. Close that dialog option and re-open it and then you should see a Y under both the WAV and the LIP. If you record the voice files directly into the GECK (using the record button at the bottom of the dialog window) then when you press save it will automatically generate both the WAV and the LIP files.

Common Problems with GECK

Issue - Where to obtain the GECK

Cause: The Construction Kit is a separate download and not automatically installed by Steam. (It is with the GOG DRM-free version.)

Solution-1a: You can download the "GECK. - New Vegas Edition" through Steam. It's under the "Library | Tools" tab in the Steam launcher.
Solution-1b: Download from the following links:

Official GECK Wiki by Bethesda Softworks.
GECKWiki Community maintained (more up to date) version of GECK Wiki.
FNV 4GB Patcher by Roy Batty - LuthienAnarion. Sets LAA flag specifically to work with Steam versions of FNV and GECK.

Recommended: The community developed optional NVSE plugins supplement the GECK, and are considered essential due to the error fixes and additional diagnostic messages (especially for scripts that won't compile) it displays. They require you to launch GECK with NVSE in order to function.

Remember: you must run the GECK and NVSE Plugins with "Administrator" privileges. So you don't forget, see Issue: GECK crashes upon starting to have the executable itself prompt you, or create a "shortcut" link which prompts you for this.

Create a shortcut to the GECK executable.

< Right-click > on the shortcut and select "Properties | Shortcut".

If you just want to use the GECK without NVSE plugins, your target command line executable is "geck.exe".
If you wish to have NVSE loaded whenever you launch the GECK, please see the Issue: How to get GECK to load with NVSE? entry.

GECK 1.4 Power-Up (Forked) by hlp. NVSE Plugin.

Script compiler warnings will now be displayed. Scripts will no longer silently fail to compile.
Many other warnings were restored: in cell loader, in NavMesh checker, and so on, more than in 1000 places. [back for testing in 0.1.7.1 beta 1]
Adds a special Marker hack which makes RoomMarkers and PortalMarkers visible and transparent in the render window [since 0.1.3].

Unfortunately, cannot make them completely invisible as they should be, but it's better than having to move them all away just to see the cell.

You can now save scripts without compiling them (useful if you want to save your script and finish it later).
The spell checker can now be enabled and disabled at runtime.
Fixed the bug which caused the GECK to crash when user double-clicks on empty space in Form List Editor.
The "Edit" menu item in Form List editor will now work.
All MessageBox'es will now be in English, regardless of your system's language. This also means that "Cancel" will be replaced by "Yes to all" where intended by GECK developers. [since 0.1.2]
ESM are now active and editable directly.
ESP used as masters will remain in the masters list.
ONAM records in ESM will be preserved. No guarantee new required ONAM will be added. When in doubts, use FNVEdit to update the ONAM records.

GECK Extender by Roy Batty - LuthienAnarion. NVSE Plugin.

Enables level 2 LOD generation for large worldspaces
Fixes bUseMultibounds = 0 crashes in cells with multibounds
Extends GDI handle limit: This cleans up opened windows better when closing them so you can edit for long periods without fear that you won't be able to save your plugin because the GECK can't open any new dialog windows.
Help links point to new community maintained wiki: GECKWiki.

Issue - GeckCustom INI file

The "GeckCustom.ini" may not get created in the "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder until you save your first modified file; not merely close GECK as some have reported. NOTE that as you have to run GECK as an "Administrator", the "C:\Users\..." folder with the INI file will be for the "Administrator" account. This can cause confusion as to where to look.

See also the wiki GECK: Tips and Tricks article.

TIP - GECKCustom INI may be missing

The "GECKCustom.ini" may not get created in the "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder until you save your first modified file; not merely close GECK as some have reported. NOTE that as you have to run GECK as an "Administrator", the "C:\Users\..." folder with the INI file will be for the "Administrator" account. This can cause confusion as to where to look.

TIP - Disable Audio in GECK

Disable the editor interface from hearing sounds by changing the following to "0", but a re-edit back to "1" will restore the ability when you need it. While not completely eliminating all frustrations, it seems to increase the amount of trouble-free edits between CTDs to multiple hours at a time.

[Audio]
bEnableAudio=0

TIP - Enable loading multiple master files at once

In order to load multiple master (i.e. ESM) files into GECK at once, you need to edit the "GeckCustom.ini" file to add:

bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1

TIP - Enable more than one copy of the GECK

(or both the FO3 and FNV versions).

To enable more than one copy of the GECK (or both the FO3 and FNV versions) to be open at one time, edit the "GeckCustom.ini" file to add:

bAllowMultipleEditors=1

TIP - Enable MultiBounds

Thanks to pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

You may find many things are invisible when viewing an interior cell in the New Vegas version of the GECK. This is especially true if you copied from another interior cell.

"Objects are often rendered in games when they don't necessarily need to be, wasting precious performance.

For instance, if the player is in a room with walls on all sides, the player cannot see anything outside of the walls. Objects behind these walls don't need to be rendered. While this seems obvious to us, game engines sometimes have a hard time making these decisions.

In order to help the game know to not render anything outside the walls, we have special tools available to us to optimize the room. Thanks to these tools the game can make smarter decisions about what to render and what to cull without having to perform complex line-of-sight and occlusion calculations. The tools we have available are Portals, Room Markers, Multibounds, and Occlusion Planes." - GeckWiki: Optimization

When you duplicate a cell, you duplicate the Portals & Multibounds of that cell as well. But because these are not related to adjacent cells anymore, you end up with large invisible parts.

Open the "GECKCustom.ini", find the line "bUseMultibounds=1", and change the value to "0" to remove the invalid Portals & Multibounds in your copied cell when you save it.

Obviously, the value of this setting depends upon circumstances. Some cells need this value enabled, others need it disabled, so it is not "set once and forget".

More about Multibounds & Occlusion culling:

TIP - Load ENB Series with GECK

To get GECK to work with ENBSeries loaded so you can see ENB's effects while in the editor as well, try the following.

In the "enblocal.ini" file located in the game root folder (i.e. <SteamInstallPath>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"), set:

[FIX]
FixGameBugs=true
FixTransparencyBugs=true
IgnoreGECK=false   ;<- set "false" from "true"

And get ready for GECK to take >20 seconds to load on startup. But it'll look pretty.

TIP - Master files

GECK Tutorial - Loading Multiple Masters by Seddon4494.

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum for the basis of the following:

A file becomes a "master" when a "dependent" plugin relies upon a record or asset from that master. If you aren't copying a record from some other plugin into your new plugin, then it doesn't require ("depend upon") that plugin as a master file to provide the original definition of that record. Editing a record's value or form list in your plugin does not create that dependency. You usually have to "copy as override" from the master into your plugin and then make the changes there. This is usually done after the "master" mod is created using xEdit/FNVEdit, but it can be done in the GECK as well (often accidentally).

The GECK will automatically add any "master" file that is loaded when you save your plugin. These are usually ESM files, but there are exceptions. ESP files are not "master" files, but you can fake out the GECK by setting the "master" flag in the ESP file header using xEdit (then turn it back off when you are done). The game engine (and GECK) will consider any file with the ESM flag set in the file header as a "master" regardless of the file extension.

If you try to reference assets defined in an ESP and you haven't faked out the GECK to make it think the ESP is a "master", it won't handle the reference properly. Best case: that part of your mod just doesn't work. Worst case: it crashes the game. Once a "master" file has become listed as part of a plugin's "file header" record, you have to use xEdit to "Clean Masters" to remove it safely or you will corrupt your plugin. This procedure is described in the Tome of xEdit manual.

Issue - GECKPrefs INI file

In the "Users" game folder, along with the three INI files generated for your game is the GECKPrefs.INI file. This file gets created when you first start using the GECK, and saves any customizations you make to it's interface (e.g. such as if you change any values for the "map editor" color masking).

The problem that can arise is when your changes don't work out as you intended and you wish to revert to the default values. There is no built-in mechanism to restore the defaults in that file, nor is there a file for the GECK to refer to similar to the "Fallout_default.INI" file. (There may be a "reset" button in the GECK window, but it only affects the current edit session: resetting to the values in effect when the window opened.)

Therefor: it is your responsibility to make a backup of either the initial or your stable customized version of GECKPrefs.INI so you have the default values to refer to. Otherwise, all you can do is delete (or rename) the file and let GECK rebuild it the next time it starts.

Issue - How to get GECK to load with NVSE

Cause: "New Vegas Script Extender" is an addon library of functions developed after GECK was "finished", so it doesn't know about the extensions. Without including NVSE, use of commands from that or the older FOSE (which is incorporated) extension will produce script errors of "unrecognized command" preventing compiling and saving them.

The GECK Extender NVSE Plugin with the Optional "Patcher" to make GECK 4GB aware and auto load NVSE is recommended. (Do not use together with GECK Powerup (nor the Forked version), which it replaces.)

While the GECK 1.4 PowerUp for Fallout New Vegas addon comes in both "standalone" and NVSE plugin versions, that does not mean that NVSE is automatically loaded as part of the GECK itself, so it doesn't otherwise recognize those extensions. The suggested method is to use the NVSE Plugin version of PowerUp when also loading NVSE. Then it will automatically be included when your shortcut points to the "nvse_loader.exe". (Replaced by GECK Extender. Do not use both together.)

Note you must launch GECK as an "Administrator" account: no matter if you are also loading "Extender", "NVSE", or the "GECK Power-Up StandAlone"; or only GECK.

Solution (for Powerup only):

Create a Windows shortcut to the GECK. Name it something to reflect this is for the GECK + (PU or/with NVSE) (e.g. "GECKPU+NVSE").
< Right-click > on the shortcut and select "Properties | Shortcut".

To load "NVSE" (with or without plugins such as PowerUp or GECK Extender), in the link shortcut "Target:" field put the complete path to the nvse_loader, and include the "target command line":

"<path to Steam>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas\nvse_loader.exe" -editor

in double-quotes (because of the embedded spaces in the path.) The "-editor" must be placed outside of the double-quotes of the path so it will be recognized as a "parameter" of the executable.

If you use the "Power-Up Standalone" version 0.1.6 or later, in the "Target:" field put the complete path up to and including the target command line:

"<path to Steam>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas\geckpu-nv-14.exe"

(This is a change from previous instructions for "Power-Up", as documented in the PU "ReadMe" file.)

Select the "Advanced" button on the same "Shortcut" tab, and enable (check) the box "Run as administrator" on the window displayed.
Click the "OK" button until the shortcut window closes.

Note that if you add this shortcut to "Steam", it will initially strip off the "-editor" parameter. Be sure to double-check the "Target" within "Steam" for the presence of this parameter.

Select the "Advanced" button on the same "Shortcut" tab, and enable (check) the box "Run as administrator" on the window displayed.
Click the "OK" button until the shortcut window closes.

Issue - GECK Power-Up or NVSE cannot find GECK

Cause: You must launch anything to do with GECK from an "Administrator" account.

Create a shortcut, and on the "Properties | Advanced" tab enable (check) the "Run as administrator" box. This will cause you to automatically be prompted to enter a valid Administrator account and password each time you try to run the command so you won't forget.

NOTE: The GECK Extender, which should be used instead of the "GECK Power-Up", includes an optional patch as a separate file to make GECK "4GB aware" and auto load NVSE.

Issue - GECK automatically loads unwanted DLC Masters

When you open the GECK, you may notice that it automatically opens all the DLC ESM files. Often this means you have to manually disable each of the unwanted files or they will become "masters" to your plugin each time you open a new edit session.

This behavior is initiated by the presence of files with those DLC names and the ".nam" extension in the "Data" folder. These are nothing more than a plaintext ASCII file with the name of the DLC on a single line internally, and a filename that matches the significant portion of the plugin name (e.g. "DeadMoney.nam"). (You can create a ".nam" file for "master files" you want to automatically be loaded when working on your own plugin. Don't forget to remove them when you move on to a different mod project.)

It is recommended to simply add a different extension (e.g. "DeadMoney.nam.disabled") to the unwanted "nam" files instead of deleting them. That way they can easily be restored when needed.

The GECK Extender NVSE Plugin can enable the bIgnoreNAMFiles option in it's INI file as an alternative to manually disabling them individually.

Issue - Where to start in creating mods

Cause: The GECK is only part of what you need to create mods, and it doesn't have a training manual.

Solution: Please see the wiki article Getting started creating mods using GECK for an overview of what is involved and links to various tutorials on specific subjects.

Issue - Where are the Warnings and EditorWarnings text files

They are supposed to be in the game root folder (where the FalloutNV.exe is found).

Cause: It appears that Bethesda dropped these output files after FO3.

Solution: Instead, the "GECK Power Up" and "GECK Extender" plugins have now provided that functionality. Try setting NVSE to report them.

In Data\NVSE\nvse_config.ini, set:

[Memory]
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=448
[Logging]
EnableGameErrorLog=1
[RELEASE]
LogLevel=2

In Data\NVSE\nvse_plugin_geckpu_ew.ini there is a "[WARNINGS SELECTION]" followed by a list of hex offsets. Each offset is set to a reporting level, as described at the top of that file. The default (=1) is to both display the warning in a "MessageBox" in the GECK and write it to file. When the nvse_config.ini LogLevel is set between "2" and "5", the warnings are written to the nvse_plugin_geckpu_ew.log file in the game root folder (where the FalloutNV.exe is found).

Issue - GECK crashes upon editing a weapon

"Every time I attempt to use the GECK to edit a weapon it crashes, even when only the main NV master file is selected." This also occurs when "Fallout Character Overhaul" (FCO) is installed.

Cause-1: GECK needs to have the LAA flag enabled in order to take advantage of more than 2GB of memory.

Solution-1a: See article 2-4GB_game_memory_limits_and_solutions for an explanation of the LAA issue and a link to the general purpose tool, or just use the NTCore 4GB Patch on the GECK executable.

Solution 1-b: The GECK should also be patched to use up to 4GB of memory (i.e. FNV 4GB Patcher, the NTCore 4GB Patch or their more general CCF Explorer, or the like).

Cause-2: This has been traced to the presence of a specific file that is overwritten by "Fallout Character Overhaul" (FCO): eyebrowm.nif in: Data\meshes\characters\hair.

Solution-2: Remove the troublesome file when using GECK, and restore it when playing. If you put it into a batch (.cmd) file such as the following to launch GECK you won't forget.

@echo off
cls
::REM As GECK has to be run from an 'Administrator' account, you should launch it from a
::REM   shortcut (.lnk file) that has that "run as" setting in the 'Properties'.  This will
::REM   be run in a separate sub-process window.  Otherwise the 'start' command won't WAIT
::REM   until GECK is done before continuing with this script.
::REM Change the 'set runpgm=' line to point to your GECK shortcut.
set runpgm=C:\Users\Public\Rec\FalloutNV\GeckPU.lnk
::REM Change the 'set gamedir=' line to point to your game install folder.
set gamedir=E:\Games\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas
::REM Nothing else below this point should need to be changed.
set tgtdir=%gamedir%\Data\meshes\characters\hair
 
pushd "%gamedir%"
if exist "%tgtdir%\eyebrowm.nif"  ren "%tgtdir%\eyebrowm.nif" eyebrowm.nif.hld && @echo SCRIPT: Removed file [eyebrowm.nif]
 
@echo SCRIPT: Manually close the separate window GECK is launched in.  When you do, DO NOT
@echo SCRIPT:   select to 'Terminate batch job' (answer "N") or you won't restore files properly.
start "GECK" /D "%gamedir%" /WAIT cmd /k "%runpgm%"
if exist "%tgtdir%\eyebrowm.nif.hld"  ren "%tgtdir%\eyebrowm.nif.hld" eyebrowm.nif && @echo SCRIPT: Restored file [eyebrowm.nif]
 
:DONE
pause
popd

Cause-3: If the GECK seems to "hang" while loading your plugin, this may be due to failing to select other plugins your target plugin requires as "masters", but which are not ESM files and/or not automatically included by GECK.

Solution-3: You can use the xEdit/FNVEdit "File Header" to identify all the files that are masters to your plugin, and then be sure to select all of them when loading it into the GECK. Please see the wiki Missing Masters article for details.

Issue - GECK crashes upon loading an exterior cell

Sometimes, after initially creating an "interior" cell, upon trying to work on an "exterior" cell, the GECK crashes when the cell tries to load.

Cause: Unknown

Mitigation-1a: Make sure you have patched the GECK to be able to use 4GB of memory. The GECK Extender mod includes a separate file download that does this. Some have found it necessary to use the third-party tool 4GB Patch - NTCore instead.
Mitigation-1b: Anything in the meshes/textures folder will also load in the GECK. A modded mesh could be causing your CTD. You might find it advantagious to keep different "profiles" or copies of the game "Data" folder (depending upon your "mod manager") so your GECK work "Data" folder only contains the essential files for your mod.
Mitigation-1c: Try to avoid loading an exterior cell directly. Instead: load up an "interior" cell, then use a "door teleport" to cause the GECK to load the "exterior" cell (indirectly) for you. This seems to avoid the CTD.

Issue - GECK crashes upon starting

Cause-1: You don't have the correct permissions for running GECK.

Solution-1: GECK must be "run as administrator".

Navigate to the program folder of the program you want to run (i.e. FalloutNV game root folder).
Right-click the program icon (i.e. the "Geck.exe" file).
Choose Properties.
On the Compatibility tab, select the "Run This Program As An Administrator" option.
Click OK.
If you see a "User Account Control" prompt, accept it.

Now each time you run GECK you will be prompted to enter an "Administrator" account password. If you enter it wrong, GECK won't start.

Cause-2: There is not enough available memory in the default 2GB allocated for 32-bit programs. GECK needs to have the LAA flag enabled in order to take advantage of more than 2GB of memory.

Solution-2: See article 2-4GB_game_memory_limits_and_solutions for an explanation of the LAA issue and a link to the general purpose tool, or just use the 4GB Patch or FNV 4GB Patcher on the GECK executable.

Cause-3: GECK seems to be overly sensitive to the correct "system compatibility" mode when run on versions of Windows after Vista SP2.

Solution-3: Set the "Properties | Compatibility tab" to "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)" for both the GECK.EXE and the (PowerUp) GECKPU-NV-14.EXE files.

Cause-4: You installed an ENB or the pre-ENB "enhanced shader" mod containing a custom D3D9.DLL file placed in the game folder. The GECK tries to load all of the DLL files it finds when it starts, and it doesn't know what to do with that one: so it crashes.

Solution-4: Put the D3D9.DLL file somewhere outside of the Fallout game root folder whenever you want to run the GECK. Make sure to put it back before you start your game; otherwise it will not load. (A "batch file" to handle this that is run when you click on the link to start the GECK is the best way to avoid forgetting this. See Issue: GECK crashes upon editing a weapon for a similar example.)

Issue - GECK crashes upon switching to a different tool

Upon switching from a current operation (e.g. selected an interior cell in the Render Window) to another operation (e.g. "World | Object Palette Editing" or editing an "AI Package") the GECK crashes. The problem is not consistent: erratically occurring.

Cause: Unknown. Reported by Vista users as far back as 2008 with FO3 version of GECK.

Workaround: Disable the Windows "Tablet PC Optional Components" found under 'control Panel | Programs | "Programs and Features" | "Turn Windows features on or off'. Click the "OK" button and restart Windows. The exact location of that setting may differ in other versions of Windows. This may also be related to enabled "infrared" device settings when there are no such devices in use.

Issue - GECK does not automatically select FalloutNV or some DLC ESM file

Normally, when starting GECK and opening the "File" menu it has automatically "checked" (enabled) the DLC ESM files for loading, but not the "FalloutNV.ESM".

Cause: This is controlled by the presence of the "*.nam" files, which by default are present for all the DLC (but not for "FalloutNV.ESM"). If any are not found, that DLC is not automatically selected (enabled) either. These files cause the game to load those DLC even if they are not "active" in the "load order". (It is recommended you rename rather than delete them if you don't want a particular DLC to be loaded.)

Solution: The "nam" file contains nothing more than the common name (i.e. "Dead Money") of the respective DLC. When a plaintext "FalloutNV.nam" file (which does not exist by default) with "Fallout New Vegas" as content is created, "FalloutNV.ESM" will be automatically checked (enabled) in GECK's "File" menu just like the DLC.

Issue - GECK does not show Landscape

Cause: There is a barely mentioned "shortcut key" combination that toggles the display of Landscape in the "Render Window" when you have an "exterior worldspace" loaded. It does not appear in any menus so it is usually an accidental toggling.

Solution: <Shift+L> will toggle the display of the Landscape. (Thanks to VenonXNL for reporting the solution to this "mystery".)

Issue - GECK hates me in general or how to get started working with it

Cause: The GECK is frustratingly buggy. It is not intuitive to use. The GECK website makes assumptions that you understand concepts introduced in earlier game Construction Kits (CKs).

Solution: Please see the wiki article Getting started creating mods using GECK, which provides a more extensive overview and learning path on this subject, along with links to tools and tutorials.

TIP - Fallout New Vegas Game Engine Bug List

List: Known Fall New Vegas engine bugs (Verified)

This list is maintained by Roy Batterian for the JIP NVSE mod team and modding community. It covers all the documented bugs in the game engine. As such, it is worth consulting whenver you encounter something apparently not working as expected.
Mod authors who attempt their own solutions to these may find them superceded later by patches to the game engine. Coordination with the various "extender" teams is suggested first.

Issue - GECK will not tell me what is wrong with my script

Cause: The GECK does not report problems with scripts, and won't allow a script with errors to be saved.

Solution-1: the GECK Extender Plugin re-enables 1220+ Warning, Error, and General messages, in addition to providing more verbose messages and fixing many bugs. (Do not use together with GECK Power-Up (nor the Forked version), which it replaces.)

Solution-2: the GECK 1.4 Powerup Plugin comes in a "standalone" version for the "vanilla" GECK functions, and one for GECK with NVSE functions. It fixes and improves some issues while providing the missing messages when the GECK compiler finds an error or warning, and lets you save a script without compiling it. Considered "essential" by mod creators. (Replaced by GECK Extender. Do not use both together.)

Solution-3: The CIPSCIS Script Validator allows you to quickly indent your script while simultaneously checking it for several errors, many of which are not picked up by the GECK's compiler. It works with Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas. Includes it's own tutorials.

Issue - GECK is missing text in some fields

GECK seems to be missing the text associated with certain columns of AI Package, Dialogue, Effects, and Perks (possibly others) information (Editor ID, Topics, etc.). Typically this is a "list box" type field on the form.

Cause: This occurs in the GECK for both "Fallout 3" and "New Vegas". The problem originally appeared following the installation of Microsoft Knowledge Base article 3000850 (a Win8.1 "rollup update"), was fixed by rolling back that update, but then the problem got "baked in" to Win10. The issue causes the column's right border to be shifted to the far left of the field so the column text is not visible. (See the GECK: Collapsed Text Field.

GECK: Collapsed Text Field Figure
Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

Solution (Partial): This "fix" seems to stick only so long as you do not open an AI Package. Switching between Perks, Effects, and Dialogue condition columns work perfectly if you don't open an AI Package's conditions; but then ALL condition columns become squished for any form you open. The next time you start a GECK session, all will be fine again; but once you open AI Package's conditions the bug remains for the session until you implement the "temporary" or "workaround" solutions in each form.

Set "compatibility mode" for the GECK to "Vista SP2" or "Windows 7 SP 1". (Either seems to work as well.) For example: Right-click on your GECK-NVSE shortcut or the GECK executable directly, chose the Properties | Compatibility tab, Change settings for all users, and select Windows 7, and hit OK. Load up the editor and things should look normal for the first time since upgrading to Windows 10. (See the GECK: Expanded Text Field.

GECK: Expanded Text Field Figure

Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

GECK: Expanding Collapsed Text Field Figure

Temporary Solution: Place the mouse cursor in the top left corner of the "blank" field that is missing text until it changes the cursor shape into a "split cross" (column resize) cursor. (See GECK: Expanding Collapsed Text Field. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.) Left-click and hold while dragging to the right, and the missing text should be displayed. Continue dragging to the right until everything is shown or the mouse cursor is no longer the "split cross" shape. When you release the mouse button the display field should be corrected. However, this "fix" may not be persistent from one GECK session to another.

Workaround: there is a Windows "hotkey" for expanding all columns in the currently active window of Windows Explorer and some programs (including GECK).

First you have to select a field with the problem (i.e. the "Conditions" field in the GECK: Collapsed Text Field) in the displayed GECK window,
Then press "Ctrl" and the "+" key on the cursor/number-keypad. (The "+" key on the regular keyboard won't have this effect. See GECK: Expanding Collapsed Text Field. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

Now all columns should be expanded fully by themselves. (See the GECK: Expanded Text Field. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

Issue - GECK Render Window shows a large gray square in new world space

Created a new world space and set WastelandNV as parent, using land and map data from the parent. Everything seems to be working fine except for a huge gray square covering most of the render window when trying to view the new world space.

Cause: The gray square is the water table.

Solution: Go to your 0,-0 point, zoom past the gray till you can see your land, and then add a static. Close, save, and then open your world space in GECK again and your land surface should now be visible.

Issue - How do I configure the GECK to do something

Please see the GeckCustom.INI entry.
Also see the wiki GECK: Tips and Tricks article.

GECK and the Active File

Ever since Windows version 3 on a 386, programs have standardized on "File | New" or "File | Open". But not the GECK. This is your first introduction in how un-intuitive the GECK is. It truly is a miserable toolset.

The "active file" is just the file that you are currently editing. Unfortunately, this gets confusing in the GECK.

The way you create a new plugin (ESP) file is you:

Open up the GECK,
Click "Data",
Select any "master files" you want for your new ESP file.

At this point you don't have an active file for editing. But if you are creating a new file, that's what you want to do (yes, it makes no sense). At a minimum you need to have Fallout.ESM selected as a master. The GECK will load the master files (which are usually but not always with an ESM extension), and then you can make your changes, and when you select SAVE, then the GECK will finally prompt you for the name of your new file (which will usually have an ESP extension). Now that you've created a new file, this is your "active file" for this session. Any more changes that you make will all be saved to the same file.

TIP GECK can isolate records in a particular plugin

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose you want to only view content added by one particular plugin.

With the GECK open, click on "File" | "Data" to bring up the list of mods. Instead of selecting a mod to open, just "<Left+Click>" on the mod you are interested in to select (highlight) it. Now click "Details", and you'll see a list of records in the mod. By default, it will be sorted by type on the left, which is what you want, but for other types of searches you can sort by other columns. Armors will be a type of ARMO and since that starts with A they will be somewhere near the top of the list.

You can do this before loading a mod. You can also do it while you have a mod loaded and are working on it: but be warned! Be very careful to hit "Cancel" when done and not "OK". If you accidentally hit "OK", the GECK will try to load the configuration you have selected which will probably screw up whatever you were working on. You'll probably lose whatever changes you had that weren't saved.

TIP Limit to Mod Size

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Note that there is a 16 MB limit (that no one ever tells you about) for references (i.e. "objects") in mods. If your mod gets larger than 16 MB and you add an object or an NPC, your mod will be permanently broken. It will crash the game and will crash the GECK if you try to load it.

Here's why: Ever notice that all objects in the game have a ref ID that is two digits to refer to the mod number (called the "mod index"), followed by six digits for the actual ref ID? In other words, the ref ID for water is "000151a3", where "00" is the mod index indicating it is from Fallout.ESM and "0151a3" is apparently the offset into the file. The largest six digit hex number you can have is FFFFFF, which is 16 MB (minus 1). That's where the 16 MB limit comes from.

The two digit "mod index" at the front means that you can theoretically have 256 mods, though this game breaks once you get to about 130-140 or so. The "FF" mod index is reserved for "dynamically placed" objects in the game and these are preserved in the "save game" files. You (as a "mod creator") cannot directly address these "FF" references as they only exist in game memory at run time.

Anything with a base/ref ID has to be under that 16 MB reference limit or it breaks. Things that don't have a ref ID (navmeshes, landscape textures, etc.) can be placed without regard to the 16 MB limit. Since your ambitious "overhaul" is likely going to be a fairly large mod, you might want to make all of your object/NPC changes first, then add dialog, navmesh, and similar non-reference changes last.

TIP Save often

This brings up a major point: save early and often. Where "often" is defined as after every change you make; and then make a copy of your ESP every few days or so, just in case. Configure "compatibility mode" for "Vista SP2". This seems to reduce how often it crashes.

Still the GECK seems to crash if you breathe heavily on it. It really sucks to open your plugin one day and find an entire town you spent a month on, gone: not a brick left and no aliens with probes in sight.

Once you have a file saved, if you want to edit that file later, you just select the files you want to load and make that your "active file" and start the GECK. When you save, all changes will go into the "active file" that you selected. Let's say you want to add resources from another master file to your plugin, like say, from Honest Hearts. If you are creating a new file, you'd check Fallout.ESM and HonestHearts.ESM, but you wouldn't select any active file. Later, when you save, you will be prompted for a new plugin filename that will become your new active file.

Let's say you already created a plugin, but you didn't include Honest Hearts initially, and now you do want to include it. Open the GECK, select "Data", make your plugin the "active file", and also check the HonestHearts.ESM. Once the GECK is up and running, as soon as you save any changes, your plugin will now include HonestHearts.ESM as a "master file", which it will require to be loaded thereafter.

Once you've added a "master file" to your plugin, you can't easily delete it. Well, you can, all you need to do is right click and press "Delete" when you start up your plugin in the GECK, but if you aren't very careful about exactly how you do that, you will completely destroy your plugin and render it unusable. There are ways to remove "master file" requirements in your plugin, but since you are just beginning with the GECK, assume for now that any "master files" you add are needed there forever.

The GECK will let you load multiple ESP files, but where any ESM "master files" that become requirements for your plugin are loaded automatically, the same isn't true for ESP files your plugin becomes dependent upon. Don't add resources from a different esp to your plugin, because that doesn't work. You can only add things to your plugin that come from master files, or things that your plugin adds on its own. There are ways around this, but again, that gets pretty advanced.

GECK Form-ID Base-ID Ref-ID and Editor-ID

An Editor-ID (sometimes called a GECK ID) is a text identifier used to reference persistent objects. It functions similarly to a Form ID, although it is not limited to 8 characters and a hexadecimal character set. It exists for the human user of GECK. The game engine itself is only concerned with Form-IDs. There is a direct "one-to-one" correspondence between an EditorID and a Ref-ID, but for the human only. (Editor-IDs are primarily used to identify objects in the Object window [the left pane of the GECK].) The game engine needs and only recognizes the Form-ID in commands, but they can also be used in scripts along with Editor-IDs. See the GECK Reference page.

Whether you create your own new object or copy and rename an existing one, you want to give it an "Editor-ID" (the human consumption one) that will enable you to quickly locate yours in the Object window.Refrain from beginning the Editor-ID with numbers. While this will tend to sort the name high in the list of objects, GECK will confuse such names with Form-IDs, which it won't find. Most experienced mod creators use a short common prefix, such as their initials or those of the mod, as the way to group their objects. Whatever naming convention you use, it must be unique and not too closely matching that of other mods to avoid confusion.

A Form-ID is anything specific to an object: whether it be Base or Ref. It is a more general term for both.

"A BaseID (or Base ID) is a FormID assigned automatically to an object by the GECK when a new object is created in the Object window. The Form IDs listed in the Object window are Base IDs. A Base ID is only associated with an object template in the editor, never with an instanced object in-game" - GECK glossary.

"Base ID is the number assigned to a template for an object that is used to create many instances of that object. For example all bottle caps in the game have exactly the same Base ID. This ID is used in scripts or the console with commands that create new instances of an object, like additem or placeatme." - Form-ID on The Vault wiki. You could think of it as the "parent" of each "child reference". Any change made to a Base-ID affects every reference back to that Base-ID. Which is why you need to make a "copy" of a Base-ID and change it's Editor-ID (which forces a change to the Form-ID) when you need to make a variation of an object. Otherwise you are changing ALL instances of that object in the game. (Don't try to change a Form-ID directly yourself. Let the GECK handle it.)

Base forms (another way of referring collectively to "Base-IDs") are fine to use in scripts, by the way. They're just used in different situations by various functions. For example: The StopQuest function will always operate on the base form of the quest. The same with anything involving Form Lists. But you wouldn't want to use a base form when you only want to affect a specific instance ("reference") of an object. AGAIN: Actions on a base form affect ALL instances of that form.

"A Reference ID is a FormID assigned automatically to a Reference [instance] by the GECK when an object is placed in the Render Window [in the right pane of the GECK]. Reference IDs are required to uniquely identify each instance of an object in-game. The Form ID column of the Cell View window lists Reference IDs" - GECK Glossary.

"The Reference ID is the unique ID of an individual object (unlike the Base ID, which is an ID for an object template). For example, all the bottle caps created from same Base ID will have different Reference IDs. This ID is used to manipulate existing objects with commands like kill, move to, or prid, for example.

"Any item that is not created by pre-defined game scripts (either original or from mods) will have [a] Reference ID starting with FF to indicate that this item belongs to this particular save game. It is for dynamically generated items, like loot from containers, random encounters or trader's wares." - Form-ID on The Vault wiki

RefID's that mod creators input, are only of assistance in letting the humans know to what the reference applies. You can actually use the FormID hex code value shown to the side in parentheses of the ref-ID field.

Note it is the persistent flag on the Reference that is mandatory in order for a RefID to become included in the search list for scripts/targets/whatever. (See GECK: Creating New Persistent Reference.) Otherwise the list of refs to search through would be way too huge and cause engine lag.

The Map is not the Terrain and the ID is not the Record Number

It is common to refer to the text form of the "IDs" for records ("Editor-ID", "Rec-ID", "Form-ID", and "Base-ID") as if they were the record identifiers used by the engine. These are "labels" given (or not) by each mod author when they create the record solely for the benefit of us "numerically challenged humans". For this reason, it is assumed they must be unique between plugins. While this is a good practice, and something to be encouraged for the benefit of those searching out records by those references in tools such as GECK or xEdit, it is important to understand that, like a "map", the text labels for those records are not the actual "terrain"; nor the "record number" actually used by the game engine. It can't afford to leave something that critical up to fallible humans. The GECK automatically assigns "record numbers" sequentially when you create a new record, and the "mod index" hexadecimal pair at the beginning of that record, consisting of the "current load order index" of the plugin makes it unique between plugins. (See Help:Form IDs for an explanation of how to interpret the "mod index" from a Form-ID or record number.)

Think about that for a minute. The GECK only knows about plugin files you chose to load for that editting session. Typically that will consist of the "FalloutNV" EXE and ESM, possibly some DLC if your plugin requires assets from it, and the plugin you are working on. How is it going to know what other plugin "ID" text labels there are to determine yours are unique? From one session to another you might load a different series of plugins. It can't predict that "load order" for certain, and the GECK itself doesn't care. Which is why the "mod index" couplet at the beginning of the record number is so clever and crucial to ensure uniqueness between plugins.

This is proven out by examining any record in xEdit: the "ID" label is a text data field within the record, just like any other "value". (For example: the "Script" record variable "SLSD - Local Variable Data" identifies each "variable name" based upon it's "index value" within an array of variables specific to that script with the "text name" stored as "SCVR - Name" data. You have to identify the "record number" before you can determine the "text name"; and not the other way around.) A test was conducted to confirm that the text "Ref-ID" label did not have to actually be "unique" between plugins. The same "Ref-ID" label was given to the same object in two different plugins, and the game had no problems differentiating between the two. Not even when one plugin removed the "persistent object" by the "Ref-ID" they had in common, the same object from the other plugin was unaffected. It did not matter if one plugin was made dependent upon the other. Because they were records from different plugins, the engine could tell them apart.

Consequently, always bear in mind that when someone is speaking in terms of one of the forms of "ID", they are often meaning "as a way of identifying the specific record number".

TIP Reference Variables explained

Thanks to vforvic of the Nexus "Fallout 3 Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Sometimes confusion arises from the terms: a Reference compared to a Reference Variable.

A Reference (Reference Editor ID, aka "Ref-ID") is a unique name you give a GECK object (Base Object). This is done so that when you put (for example) a vanilla 10mm pistol (Base Object name "Weap10mmPistol") instance in the game, you can subsequently identify in a script that one specific 10mm pistol if needed. For example: Actor Colonel Autumn, which has a Base Object name of "ColonelAutumn" is in the game world twice with two different Reference names. This way the game can manipulate each instance of these References of the same Object separately.

Think of a Reference Variable as a dynamic placeholder in a script. It is used in scripts to make reference to something that is not named specifically. One thing to keep in mind is that they can be set to almost anything; including set to nothing at all (which is 0). The name used for a Reference Variable can be almost anything as long as you declare it (give it a name) at the start of the script. So you can name (declare) a Reference Variable "MyLightRef" or can name it "yadayadayada" and it does not matter. The only thing is: you should normally not start a Ref Name with a number, some special characters or some names which are reserved.

As an example: I make a new Raider Actor in the GECK called "EscapingRaider" (Base-ID). I put 50 of these Raiders at the end of a long large room with the Player at the other end by a door. The Player has to kill one specific instance of "EscapingRaider" before it reaches the door, but the Player does not know which one and there is no time to kill them all. In this case I give one of the Raiders I have put in the room a Reference (Ref-ID) name of "EscapingRaiderREF". I then give them all an AI Travel Package to run to the door. Right before the door I put a Trigger Box with the following Script attached. If this specific Raider ("EscapingRaiderREF") reaches the door then the mission fails.

scn EscapingRaiderTrigger

;This script is attached to a Trigger Box (Primitive) in the game world
;Anything that move into the box activates the script.

ref actionRef  ;Here is where I tell the script that actionRef is a Reference Variable (ref)
               ;I could have said "ref action" or "ref stuff" and it would be ok.
               ;You can name this almost anything as long as it makes sense to you.

Begin onTriggerEnter   ;When something enters the Trigger Box this part of the script runs
    set actionRef to getActionRef   ;Get the Reference Name of whatever entered the box
                                    ;Whenever the script sees actionRef in the script it
                                    ;will substitute this Reference Name in its place.
    if actionRef == EscapingRaiderREF   ;If the Reference Name of the Object that walked
                                        ;into the Trigger is EscapingRaiderREF then the next
                                        ;line will also run.
	showmessage MissionFailed   ;Pops up a message saying the mission has been failed
    endif
End

Granted this might not normally be how I would do this specific event, but it could be done this way.

I could also use a Reference Variable in conjunction with a FormList I have populated with NPC's which placed a Nuclear Explosion at the Players location if an NPC in the FormList reached a particular location.

scn NukeTrigger

ref obj  ;Once again I could have named this almost anything. 

Begin onTriggerEnter   ;Runs when something enters the Trigger Box.
     set obj to GetActionRef   ;Sets the Ref Variable "obj" to what ever entered the Trigger
     if obj.isInList NukeList == 1   ;If whatever entered the Trigger is in the FormList NukeList then run below.
        showmessage NukeSuccess
        Player.placeatme smallnukeexplosion   ;Player has a bad day.
     endif
End

The following example code would be used somewhere you wanted to find out in what container (and remember an NPC or the Player can be considered a container), an object is located. (This has mostly been used for custom weapons where a script would be attached to the weapon for a custom reload animation.) The following script would be attached to that specific weapon.

Scn FancyRifleReloadAnimationScript
ref rContainer

begin gamemode
;The following line says to set the Variable "rContainer" to whatever Container has the weapon.
;Let’s assume a Talon NPC "Talon1GunAM" has the weapon and is firing it.
	set rContainer to GetContainer  ;essentially says to set rContainer to Talon1GunAM
;From this point anytime the script reads rContainer it will really use Talon1GunAM.
;Which means the following line really says “if TalonGunAM is reloading do the following”
	if rContainer.GetAnimAction == 9
;The following 3 lines show the custom reload stuff.
		if rContainer.GetEquipped FancyRifle == 1
			PlaySound FancyReload
			rContainer.CastImmediateOnSelf FancyRifleReloadActorEffect
		endif
	endif
end

The Base Object ID (aka Base-ID) is what you name an Object when you make it in the GECK. Whether your making a NPC, a Weapon, a Door, a Rock or anything, it has a Base-ID name.

For example:

In the GECK you make a new "Bandit" Actor. In the first line you see ID which is the Base Object ID and you put "MissionEssential". ("MissionEssential" is now the Base-ID of this "form".) The second line you see Name which is the name you see in the game (e.g. "Lucas Simms", "Allistair Tenpenny", "Amata", etc.), and you put "BANDIT". ("BANDIT" is now the Editor-ID of this form.) Now every NPC of "Bandit" Actor that you just made and you drag or spawn into the world will be named "BANDIT". In the GECK you drag two of those "Bandit" Actors into the middle of the "Megaton" cell. You double-click on each of those two Bandits and you see identical boxes with the Reference Editor ID field empty on each. Here is where you would put (for example) BanditGoodEndingREF and BanditBadEndingREF. Now you could use those two Ref ID's in scripts to make your good or bad ending occur. There is actually more than one way to do this type of thing. You could have a Quest Script that monitored when one of those Refs died or you could use a Trigger Box or all kinds of Functions depending on exactly what type of thing you were scripting.

Keep in mind that spawning objects in a cell using the Console is not the same as placing them in the GECK because you can't "spawn in" things with Ref-ID's. Ref-IDs are always assigned automatically by the GECK when form records are placed in "the world".

But not everything within the "object tree" can then be put into the "Render window" and become a Ref-ID. Hence the difference between Base, Ref & Form ID: a Ref-ID always has a Base-ID, and conversely a Base-ID means it can create "references" that rely on it. "Message" objects are something outside of that relationship. A "message" is its own kind of object; like a "sort of" note, with it's own Form-ID. (The GECK distinguishes between "notes" and "messages", and so should you. In the same way, GECK does some things one way, and addons such as the "New Vegas Script Extender" (NVSE) can do them differently.) The GECK command "ShowMessage" needs a Form-id to point to. You can't just use the message text directly as a parameter. There are 2 kinds of messages though. Read up on Message in the GECK wiki. The New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) and JIP LN NVSE Plugin mods add several additional "message" functions that facilitate passing message text directly as a parameter. (See TIP: Passing a 'Note' to the player.)

"Load order of modules (ESMs and ESPs) will affect the ID number of modules. The first two digits of a ID number [i.e. "Form-ID"] corresponds to its load order (in hexadecimal, like the rest of the number). One must use a utility like FO3Edit [or FNVEdit, aka xEdit] to ascertain the load order of a module. [The Fallout ESM file's] ID number is 00, as it will always be the very first module to load. The ID number series in the FF (decimal equivalent: 255) range is reserved by the game engine for objects created and saved in the gamesave file (such as PlaceAtMe'd objects, projectiles, dropped inventory, or list-spawned actors).

"According to the layout of this system, the maximum number of additional modules that can be loaded by the game is 254 (256 load order ranges, - 1 for the Savegame FF range, - 1 for the always-mandatory Fallout3.esm/FalloutNV.esm)." - Form-ID on The Vault wiki

TIP Global ref variables Player and PlayerREF

Thanks to DoctaSax of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

According to the Community GECK site, "Player is used to describe several things, sometimes simultaneously."  Among them is: "A scripting keyword that is effectively a global reference variable that resolves to the Actor reference described above."
The Ref Variable page only uses "PlayerREF" for checking that a locally defined ref variable is that specific Actor "formid" reference.  It cautions regarding using a base form reference: "Beware that this is still a base form and may not be used as the calling reference to functions that allows this syntax, although it may be passed as the target if the function permits this.
The combination of those statements suggest that it is a poor practice to assume the variable "Player" refers to the PC Actor formid at any given moment without checking first.  And "[PlayerRef].< function >" syntax implies that "[PlayerRef]" is an abstraction of a locally initialized (e.g. "set myPlayerRef = PlayerREF") variable.  The following hopefully clears this up.
On the surface, the relation between the Global Ref Variables "Player" and "PlayerREF" is the same as that between any "base form" and a reference of it. An instance of the NPC base form with EditorID "Player" (formID 00000007) was placed in the world (albeit in a NULL cell if you can believe it - literally in the world but not in any part of it), becoming a reference and receiving formid 00000014, and given the EditorID string "PlayerREF". Everything that happens to the PC happens to the "PlayerREF". The base form is really just a container of some information, a "template", most of which is still subject to change during gameplay and "character generation" (chargen).
PlayerREF's formid cannot be found using xEdit, but can be found by using any console/script function on it that returns the formid.  A script example would be:
GetFormIDString playerref
printc "%i" playerref
If you open the GECK, load up FalloutNV.esm, and open the "Find Text" window in the "Edit" menu, type in "playerref" and check the results in the "Objects" tab, you'll find this:
"REFR Form 'PlayerRef' (00000014) to NPC_form 'Player' (00000007) in Cell (null)"
Because there can be only one, "Player" is indeed a shortcut to mean "PlayerREF" in many vanilla scripts and scriptlets where a reference function is used on it, which in any other case would cause a script to fail. In addition, "Player" is still the EditorID of the base form; so it is used to refer to the base form when functions demand a base form, such as "GetIsID" condition checks. It's not quite clear why that is done. Using "PlayerREF" instead of "Player" is just as easy, and keeps things clear. People make enough mistakes confusing forms and refs as it is, and ref vars being called that but still being able to hold base forms, and "Player" being sometimes the base form and sometimes the reference variable doesn't help.
On the whole, in practice, it's simply best to use "PlayerREF" for the reference variable, and only use "Player" for the base form.  Because all vanilla "GetAV" variants are reference functions, "PlayerREF" is preferable, and definitely doesn't cause "GetBaseAV" to not work. "GetBaseAV" cannot be called on a base form variable at all, including "Player" (00000007). The only reason "Player.GetBaseAV" will work is because it's interpreted as the shortcut to "PlayerREF" there. If you were to pass the "Player" base form to a ref var ("rSomeRef") and then call "rSomeRef.GetBaseAV", your script wouldn't work.

Custom items

On the other hand, loading in multiple ESP files can be a quick and easy way to copy resources from another plugin into your plugin. Just go into the GECK with the other plugin loaded (as well as yours as the "active file"), make a change to whatever resource you want (you can literally change something and then change it back to what it was, just so you make sure that entry gets flagged as changed), and save your plugin. The changed resource will now be saved to your plugin. You have to be careful with this, as it won't work if the entry you are trying to copy depends on other things in the plugin that you didn't copy. Generally, as someone new to the GECK, you should probably try to avoid doing this, but if you are trying to copy items from another plugin, this is the fastest and easiest way to do it.

The GECK only includes a file as a resource if it's a "master file". If you load an ESP, the GECK won't treat it as a "master file". The GECK will automatically add any "master files" that the other ESP loaded since those will all be loaded into your new editing session when you load both ESP files.

One word of warning. If you want to copy a piece of armor or some other resource from another plugin, load that ESP without making it active, then make a change to the item you want, then save it, and DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. Exit out of the GECK, load it with the resource only in your plugin and WITHOUT the other (original) esp loaded, and then use the modified resource in your plugin. If you try to use the resource while the original plugin is still loaded, that can get the GECK confused and it may end up scrambling your plugin as a result.

This copy from one ESP to another will end up including "master files" from the original ESP in your new plugin; so if you don't want them, DON'T just delete them from the GECK data screen when you select your plugin. If you accidentally left something in your plugin from one of those masters in your copied cell, deleting the master will screw up your plugin, so first ensure you have a saved copy and then clean up the "master files" list early. Instead of using GECK for this, load your plugin into xEdit and use the "Clean Masters" function by right-clicking on your plugin and selecting that option from the resulting "context menu". If all your references to those other masters have been removed, it will safely remove those masters. If not, you can use the xEdit script "List records referencing specific plugin.pas" on that plugin to list them in the log window so you can fix them.

Make sure that the item you want is in a loose file (both mesh and texture) and isn't packed into a BSA file. If it is, you'll need to unpack it to properly reference it in your plugin.

(See the Skyrim thread BSAs and You for details about the pros and cons of "Bethesda Software Archives" (BSAs), but bear in mind such files in previous games, like Oblivion, FallOut3 and Fallout New Vegas, don't have "strict order" like in Skyrim. Games prior to Skyrim don't support overriding of assets in archives using other archives; only loose files can. If the same resource is contained in several BSA archives, those games won't use it from the last BSA on 100% of occasions. They may grab the resource from a random one of the BSAs containing the same file.)

WARNING! Do not unpack BSAs directly into your game "Data" folder; potentially overwriting any mod files. The tools don't ask you to confirm the overwriting, either. All the hair textures unpacked to "loose files" will go through the head models in that case; because that's what happens when hair is not packed in a BSA. "Best practice" is to unpack to a unique folder (they are large: 1-2GB) and manually drag the desired files to the appropriate "Data" folder as needed.

Sometimes these extracted textures appear to be almost transparent. This is because their color (aka "diffuse") maps are transparent instead of opaque. You may need to adjust the opaqueness to make things visible.

Plan to start by making simple mods: like maybe adding a house somewhere. Then make simple re-textures of existing objects. If you get that far, then you are ready to start making your own "mesh" models.

If you are making armor or a weapon, the most commonly suggested advice is to start with an existing version that is similar to what you want. That way you'll have an existing model to base your 3D model on that is close to the right size so you can scale your new model appropriately. Depending on what is desired, for armor it is suggested to often start with just a body model instead. Once you've created your model, you will have to "parent it" to the appropriate armature (aka "skeleton") in order for it to work. If words like "parent" and "armature" in this context don't mean much to you, then you need to do more reading about 3D modeling (again, "Noob to Pro" is a good resource for Blender).

Things like buildings and clutter items are also created with Blender (or 3dsMax), but they don't have armatures. They do have collision though. You'll have to make a collision mesh in Blender when you create your model.

When creating custom meshes for things with different materials, just create individual collision meshes ("bhkcollisionobjects") for each material and let Blender and the NifTools figure it out. When creating something like a log cabin with a stone base, for example, create one collision mesh for the stone base and another collision mesh for the wooden parts. The stone part would have a string property of HAV_MAT_STONE and the wood part would have a collision of HAV_MAT_WOOD under the "hkPackedNitriStripsData".

Primitive collisions (box, sphere, capsule) can be created in NifSkope as well as convex shapes. The nature of your object will sometimes require you to create them in Blender, though.

It is interesting to know that a collider will relate to an object part when it encompasses it, not by the child/parent relation inside a Nif.

Different emission Vault Signs tutorial by munnibha. Tutorial covering the following points:

Getting NIF and DDS textures out of BSAs. (See BSA Extraction Warning above.)
Importing, editing and exporting into/from Blender (2.49 and latest)
Creating new texture files as DDS in Photoshop.
Adjusting new object in NifTools for correct projection.
Making various emission colors for signs, like green, red, yellow and non-glowing.
Importing new model mesh into GECK for use in game.

TIP Biped and Equipped Objects

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The GECKWiki page GetEquippedObject lists the 20 "Equipment Slot IDs" (which are the equivalent of the "Biped Objects" in NifSkope) that return the "base object" of the item equipped in the specified slot, for the calling reference. The function returns "0" (nothing) if no object is equipped there.

According to the TES5EDIT fopdoc these "body slots" are stored as "Biped Flags" found in a hexmask (starting at a value of "1") in the "BMDT Subrecord" of FNVEdit, used in the ARMO and ARMA record types. There are 8 "General flags" which accompany that subrecord.) The function GetEquipmentSlotsMask returns the slots used by the biped form as a bitmask int, for the specified object or calling reference.

(Note how in FO3/FNV there are far fewer (20) than the 44 in the following list of Fallout 4 "Biped Slots" and the 32 (17 "named", and 15 "unnamed" but unofficially, community designated) "Biped Object" slots of Skyrim from the "Creation Kit" site.)

FO3/FNV mods usually use the "upper body" slot for armor and clothing (collectively "garments"). This includes both arms down to but excluding the hands (which have their own individual slots), and both legs to include the feet/footwear. There is no "lower body", "arms", or "legs" slot, and there does not appear to be any community agreed "standard" assignment for the three "body addon" slots. (The general "head area" actually has more related slots (11) than the body.) Consequently these "addon" and nominally "head related" slots might be used by other mods in a conflicting manner (e.g. for implants, holsters, or other accessories).

The article Mixing and Matching Items from Diffrent Mods to get the Look You Want (sic) describes how these slots can be repurposed to create a "unique" look, but without regard for compatibility with other mods. This "merging" of various parts of other mods into a new "garment" is called by some "mashing up meshes & textures" or simply "mashing" for short. What it doesn't mention is that if you don't "mash" the garment onto a body mesh and texture that is compatible with your "body replacer" mod (if any), it will have the shape and texture of the original source body instead of your preferred "replacement". Any exposed skin is part of the "garment" and not from the "body replacer". If you attempt to remove the "exposed skin" mesh, you end up with "invisible" or "missing" parts of the limb.

Mustaches, beards, eye patches, cyborg eyes, etc. can be added to the GECK by selecting Character (at the top of the GECK Objects list) and selecting Head Parts. This will bring up a form where you can add new head parts, similar to how you add new hair and eye parts. Make sure you select the playable check box if you want the player to be able to use the part.

The new head parts can then be added to NPCs on the NPC's form. Select the Head Parts tab, then add the new part by selecting New in the Head Add Ons at the bottom of the tab (the same way you select existing facial hairs).

TIP Flickering on added item Radius Setting

Sometimes when adding an item to another (such as a hat on a Mr Gutsy) it seems to flicker out of sight depending on the player's camera angle or distance. This is a classic symptom of a problem with the model's "Radius setting". The following is courtesy of Prensa in a specific reply to a question about this issue with general application.

The "Radius setting" in the "NiTriStrips' NiTriStripsData" tells the game how big the model is. If this Data is incorrect than the game can end up thinking the model is a different size than it really is. If it's told the model is smaller than it really is, it will cull it when it thinks it's out of view at the edge of the screen.
Normally this happens when a "NiTriStrip" is enlarged in Nifskope without going to "Radius" & right clicking it, and then "Mesh | Update Center/Radius".
In this case the "Radius" is being messed up because the NiTriStrip's of the hat top & bottom are "Scaled" 17x larger but their "Radius" is still set tiny. You probably enlarged them to size in Blender & did not update the objects before export.
Normally you could fix it in Nifskope with right clicking the affected "NiTriStrip" & "Transform | Apply". Then updating the "Radius" as mentioned above but because these have "BSDismemberSkinInstance" that would be messed up so you must use Blender.
Easy fix still. Import the hat parts into Blender, right click the hat part to select & press <Ctrl+A>, then from the menu select "Scale & Rotation to ObData".
Export the piece out & repeat for the other hat part.
You'll notice in Nifskope they are no longer "Scale" 17x & that their "Radius" is much larger (correct to their size).
Don't forget to select "Skinned" in the shaders again as this is lost on export from Blender.

TIP Floating objects

Thanks to Stonedturtle26 and baduk of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

You created a custom weapon but find that if you "drop" it, it floats and you cannot pick it up. To fix:

Open the weapon in question in NifSkope.
Locate bhkCollisionObject, and <LClick> the little arrow next to it.
<LClick> bhkRigidBody so the dialog at the bottom of NifSkope populates with information.
Now change the following values;

Set "Layer" to "OL_WEAPON".
Set "Layer Copy" to "OL_WEAPON".
Set "Motion System" to "MO_SYS_BOX".
Set "Deactivator Type" to "DEACTIVATOR_SPATIAL".
Set "Solver Deactivation" to "SOLVER_DEACTIVATION_LOW".
Set "Quality Type" to "MO_QUAL_DEBRIS".
Set "Max Linear Velocity" to "1068".
Set "Max Angular Velocity" to "31.5700".

The weapon should now drop to the ground. NOTE: If you don't see these options either you are looking under the wrong node or are using a version of NifSkope other than the one recommended up under the Programs and Tools section.

Mopp shapes are used for static collisions (i.e. anything that doesn't move: like fences, walls, etc.). They can be used for movable objects, but are far more performance intensive (depends on the collision poly count) than convex or box shapes.

The BSXFlags entry is crucial to this behavior. It must be found / placed under the BSFadeNode in NifSkope. You need to have the Use BSFadeNode Root option checked in your "paint" type program when exporting the NIF. (It's on the upper right area of the NIF Export options of Blender.)

For other object types, look in NIF.XML located in the Blender foundation\blender\.blender\scripts\bpymodules\pyffi\formats\nif\ folder or the NifSkope documentation files in the "Doc" folder of it's installation folder. Search for bhkRigidBody. It has a good listing and some simple explanations of the options.

TIP Head Parts Rotated

It's not known why head parts changed between FO3 and FNV, considering that so much else in the game engine is identical, but they did. If you port a head part (hat, glasses, facemask, etc) from FO3 to FNV or from FNV to FO3, or make a new open helmet/hat/head accessory that uses a existing mesh, whether it's a simply a clone or a retexture, it tends to equip sideways (rotated by 90 degrees).

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following fix using NifSkope:

The easiest way to fix it is to edit the model with NifSkope and rotate it by 90 degrees to get it pointing the way it should be.

Summary from How To Rotate A Mesh In Nifskope 2 minute video by Zylice Liddell.

< Right-click > the object in the NifSkope "viewport", then "transform | edit | R (rotate in +/- 1-180 degrees)".
After you have it positioned correctly: < Right-click >, "transform | apply".

Thanks to masternetra of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following fix using FNVEdit (xEdit):

Make sure to save your ESP/ESM plugin in question and exit the GECK. Then open up FNVEdit.

Load up your plugin in FNVEdit and locate the item(s) in question.
Go down to "Male Biped Model", and at the empty section next to "MODD - FaceGen Model Flags" - <right-click> and select "Add".
Select "Head" or, if you using a older version of FNVEdit (for some reason), replace the default zeros with a "1".
Repeat for the "Female biped model" section if applicable.
Exit FNVEdit (with it saving the plugin of course).

TIP Item Substitution

Thanks to madmongo and Jokerine of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose you have created a unique Service Rifle with a custom mesh that you want to use to replace the vanilla Service Rifle that Private Halford can reward the Player with for completing the unmarked quest "Help for Halford." How do you find where the quest/dialogue reward is given in the GECK so you can replace the vanilla weapon with your unique custom version? 
You can just select "Weapons" on the left side of the GECK "Objects" window and enter "service" in the filter box, and the Service Rifle will show up. Most of the time this is faster than searching out the item's "base ID" (FormID) code. However, sometimes the item's EditorID (human reference name) in the GECK is a lot different than the item name (as seen in the game), so filtering different parts of the name won't find it. For example, "This Machine's" EditorID is "WeapNVBattleRifleUnique", which doesn't contain the words "this" or "machine" in it anywhere. How do you find it if you have no idea as to it's actual EditorID?
Jokerine provides a step-by-step more generalized alternative approach of looking for the item you need based on using a wiki or clicking on the object in the game console to get the "base ID" (hex FormID).
In this case the item is listed in a wiki as Service Rifle, and its "base ID" is "000e9c3b". 

Paste that "base ID" number in the GECK's Object window filter with "ALL" selected and the weapon will show up... 

This gives us an idea already - "Count" field is the amount of these items that exist in the world (only 7), and "Users" field is the amount of objects in the game that reference it - in this case, 23. Then, right-click the desired result and select "Use Info"... 

A window will show up showing everywhere this item is used. As you scroll thru it you'll see the quest/dialog topics among a bunch of other stuff. 

Then, you can just double-click on whatever you want to look at. Here's one of the dialogue topics, where you can see the reward being given in the end script. 


And now you know where to change the vanilla "Service Rifle" item reference to that of your custom unique item as the new reward.

TIP Mashing Meshes

Thanks to madmongo, M48A5, and RoyBatterian of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooters" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose for example you want to place the model of a particular pistol into a holster for display purposes. (This "pistol" will not be usable. It's for aesthetic purposes only.) Some call this process "mashing" two meshes together (e.g. mashing the pistol into the holster). The process is similar for other sorts of "mashing".

The basic procedure is first go into NifSkope and remove all of the unneeded "animations" and "collision" and such so that you are left with just the (in this instance: "weapon") source mesh. Save that to some new nif (you can delete this temporary nif later).

(If instead you are intending to actually be able to use the "weapon" you exported with any existing animations it already contains: don't save it without copying the NiTriStripsData into the temporary mesh nif, as the transforms for the parent nodes are baked into the animation. If you have to fix it later you'll have to re-weld/re-smooth the mesh and move the vertices themselves rather than move the mesh as a whole so the transforms don't change.)

Now open up your handy-dandy 3-D modeling program (e.g. Blender or 3DSMax, etc. We'll assume Blender for this example). Import your target (e.g. "holster") mesh. Next, import your modified, stripped down source (e.g. "weapon") temporary nif.

I find it easiest to just join all of the weapon meshes together into one mesh at this point, since that makes moving it around and weight painting it much easier. Once it is joined into one piece, edit the "pistol" mesh and move it to where you want it to be in the "holster". (This is likely to be the most difficult step.) When you are satisfied with the positioning, join the "pistol" and "holster" meshes into one single mesh again.

Then you need to parent the source ("pistol") mesh to the human skeleton ("armature"), and weight paint it so that it matches the weighting on the target ("holster"), so that it moves with the "holster". Since something solid like a pistol doesn't deform when you move, unlike say a piece of clothing, chances are you will weight the entire mesh 100 percent to a single bone. Having the entire pistol & holster as a single mesh means that you can assign the same bone weight to every vertex in the mesh very quickly and easily in Blender.

Once that is done, export everything (armature, holster, and pistol) to your new "final, mashed" nif. It's a good idea to save everything in Blender before exiting that as well, in case there is a problem (such as with your export settings). After exporting, go into NifSkope and fix up all of the shader flags (because Blender never seems to set the shader flags properly when you export items) and correct any unweighted vertex.

If the target (e.g. "holster") is not part of an existing item, you will need to go into the GECK and create a new item with your "mashed" (armature, holster, and pistol) nif, and you're done. (See Spawning modded items.) If you want to get fancy, you can make a world model in Blender and use that for when someone drops the mashed "hostler with pistol" item. Or you can get really fancy and have a script swap out the different holsters depending on whether or not you have the pistol equipped.

(You can do the same basic thing to make a wearable rifle slung over your back. Just edit the rifle's mesh so that it is located on the back where you want it, and weight it 100 percent to the spine bone. If I recall correctly, the spine bone you want is just the one called spine, not spine1 or spine2.)

aghjax adds:

When your NifSkoped mashup CTDs: "You very likely broke some branch dependencies. You have to compare them to a working NIF preferably from the [sources] you used to see what is out of place. And make sure you don't have duplicate Scene Roots."

TIP Movable or Static custom objects in cell

Thanks to madmongo, davidlallen, and Tefnacht of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

You create a custom object and place it in a cell. But then you can no longer move it simply by clicking and dragging. Why not?

There are a couple of possible causes. Please see the first 7 posts in the thread "Can't pick up custom objects". But in summary check the following:

Try zooming or rotating the view so no other object is in the way (such as large cubic triggers or lightbeams). When you click on your object, check the cell objects list to see if something else is selected instead.
Make sure your object NIF file has a bhkCollisionObject. Without this, you cannot "Activate" to pick up the object in game.
Ensure that the root node of the NIF file has a BSFadeNode. Armor models and animated objects use a "normal" NiNode as their root node. The GECK will accept such a model when placed into the world but you will not be able to select it ("Activate"). The FO3 GECK was nice enough to give a warning about this, the one for New Vegas doesn't bother.

Should this be the case, you can use NifSkope to convert the root node. Right click on it, select "Block | Convert | Bethesda | BSFadeNode". Only the root node (the one at the very top with the index zero ("0")) needs to be a BSFadeNode.

To convert a "movable" object into an "immovable" one, what you really want to do is create a static out of a usable item.

If this is a standard Fallout item, it's model is going to be in one of the BSA files. The first thing you need to do is extract the model from the BSA file.

(See the Skyrim thread BSAs and You for details about the pros and cons of "Bethesda Software Archives" (BSAs), but bear in mind such files in previous games, like Oblivion, FallOut3 and Fallout New Vegas, don't have "strict order" like in Skyrim. Games prior to Skyrim don't support overriding of assets in archives using other archives; only loose files can. If the same resource is contained in several BSA archives, those games won't use it from the last BSA on 100% of occasions. They may grab the resource from a random one of the BSAs containing the same file.)

WARNING! Do not unpack BSAs directly into your game "Data" folder; potentially overwriting any mod files. The tools don't ask you to confirm the overwriting, either. All the hair textures unpacked to "loose files" will go through the head models in that case; because that's what happens when hair is not packed in a BSA. "Best practice" is to unpack to a unique folder (they are large: 1-2GB) and manually drag the desired files to the appropriate "Data" folder as needed.

You can do this with the any of the tools listed in the Packaging Tools section. If it's a standard vanilla fallout item, then it will be in Fallout - Meshes.bsa. If it's from one of the DLCs, then it will be in that DLC's bsa file (Old World Blues - Main.bsa, for example, if it's from that DLC). If the item is in another mod, then the NIF could be loose or it could be packed into a BSA file; however that mod author chose to do it. You may need to go into the GECK to see what the file name of the NIF is, but the file names usually match up fairly closely to the item names in the GECK.

Now that you've got your NIF extracted, you may want to put it somewhere where it is clear that this belongs to your mod, like in \meshes\MyModName\ (where obviously you create a folder with your actual mod name and not "MyModName").

The final step is just to go into the GECK and make a static item and make its model be the NIF that you just extracted.

If the NIF was a usable item then it should already have collision and textures and everything that you need. All you need to do is make a static out of it then place it somewhere. Since it's a static, you won't be able to move it or pick it up in-game.

TIP Plugins can not override injected records

Thanks to luthienanarion of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

You cannot modify a form record that has been injected into an ESM. The game engine will not load any record overrides from any plugins for injected records (e.g. those from the "Pre-Order Packs/Couriers Cache", aka "POP" ESMs). It loads the record data once and then fails to resolve the FormID each time that an overriding record is loaded from a subsequent plugin.

This means, for example, you cannot alter a POP unique weapon to enable it to utilize a "weapon mod" from either the vanilla game or a mod such as "Weapon Mods Expanded (WMX)". It's a design choice that cannot be overcome.

TIP Repairability

Thanks to slippyguy for his informative description in the mod Alternative Repairing listing a number of potential problems he identified/resolved.

A "repair kit" (either weapon or armor) is one of the most common methods of restoring/repairing the condition of an item. However, they have the limitation that the item must have a DT (for armor) or "condition" (for weapons) greater than zero, and be "equippable", as the kits only work on the currently equipped item(s) of that category. The only alternatives are to pay a "vendor" to repair the item, or have sufficient "repair skill" along with the correct mix and quantity of "ingredients" to do so by the player. (NOTE: A mod like "Workbench Repairs" may need to be recommended to enable the player to utilize that "repair skill" generally. Search the Nexus on keyword "repair".)

If you make a custom or unique item that is intended to be repairable by other than a "repair kit", you need to ensure it has a couple of things.

For the player to be able to repair using "found items" (as enabled by some mods), you have to create (or utilize an existing) "recipe" that specifies which items and quantities are "ingredients" (inputs) and "outputs". (See the Recipes entry in the Misc Topics section.) If you wish to limit the ability to repair that item to only those with particular skill levels or "catalyst" items, those need to be set as "conditions" in the "Requirements" tab of the recipe. (A "catalyst item" is one which appears in both the "inputs" and "outputs" tabs in the same quantity (i.e. "is not consumed"). Most commonly these are a "tool".) NOTE: Due to a limitation of the game engine, any "breakdown" recipe has to produce at least three different items as "outputs" to display correctly. "Catalysts" are a way to circumvent this.

The game does not support 'OR' item ingredients: it's all or nothing. 'Dummy' recipes (as "notes": see also TIP: Passing a 'Recipe' to the player) can be shown instead to bypass this game limitation and provide all the relevant information without cluttering the crafting interface. Once all the required material has been obtained, the real recipe for that set of ingredients can appear and be functional.

For a vendor to be able to repair a "new item" in exchange for cash, the item must be added to a "leveled list" used by that vendor. (See TIP: Adding Items to Actors (Leveled Lists) under the Scripting section.) The recommended method is to create your own list, and add that list to those the vendor(s) in question use by way of a script. (Vendors don't all use the same lists or even generic ones.) It is possible to add your items directly to an existing list, but that runs the risk creating problems if your mod is uninstalled or another mod rebuilds the list without considering the possibility it was modified by others.

In order for a "vendor" to be able to repair something for cash, the item must have a value greater than zero.

Custom Creatures

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum for the basis of the following.

Let's assume you want to add an "albino radscorpion" to the game.

An "albino" version of the radscorpion would just be a re-texture. What you are going to want to do is export all of the meshes related to the radscorpion (everything in \meshes\creatures\radscorpion) into your own custom directory, and do similar for the textures. Let's assume you are using \meshes\creatures\albinoscorpion (you can of course change the names to match your real directory names). Edit your custom texture using GIMP or Paint.Net or Photoshop or any other texture editor that can handle DDS files and save it with a new name. Then go into NifSkope and edit radscorpion.nif so that it will use your new texture, and save the modified mesh Nif as something unique like albinoscorpion.nif.

Since this is just a re-texture, the easiest thing to do is copy the existing radscorpion creature in the GECK and modify it. So open up one of the radsorpions under the "creatures" section of the GECK like CrRadscorpion2Large and select the "ModelList" tab. Change the skeleton to the skeleton in your new directory. Now your custom Nif should show up along with the standard radscorpion Nifs. Uncheck radscorpion.nif (if it's still checked) and check your new albinoradscorpion.nif, and change the ID for the creature from CrRadscorpion2Large to something like AlbinoRadscorpion or whatever you want to call it, and hit "OK" to save it. You can edit the stats or traits or anything else in there that you like if you want too, of course.

Remember: in the GECK, save early and often.

If you want to make a custom model in Blender that uses the same skeleton as an existing creature, the procedure is basically the same, except that you have to know how to create meshes in Blender and parent them to skeletons. You'll end up with a custom Nif that will already have a custom texture that you applied to it in Blender when you created the model, and the idea is basically the same. Export the meshes and textures of the creature whose skeleton you are using, then edit that creature to use your new Nif (and your Nif will tell it to use the new textures), and save it with a new ID.

To create a completely new creature (one not based upon any existing creature already in the game), you will have to build the mesh and texture files from scratch, and also provide it with animations. If it is based upon an existing skeleton, then you can use that as the "armature". Otherwise you will need to create a specialized one from scratch along with weighting the bones appropriately or by adapting an existing one with a new editor-ID. As you might guess, this is a much more involved process than merely re-texturing an existing creature. Save it for after you have mastered the basics.

Spawning modded items

The following overview is taken from a thread reply in the "Fallout New Vegas" Nexus forum by Hexrowe:

In GECK, there's a category titled Leveled Item (under Items). It contains a whole bunch of lists that tell the game what items should be spawned in randomly filled loot containers, vendor inventories and enemies. These are usually called "leveled lists" because much of their contents are affected by player level (which is why you tend to find more powerful items in better condition the higher your level is). Adding your items to these lists causes them to appear randomly in the game like any other non-unique items, and is what is meant when mod descriptions mention "leveled list integration" or some such.

The sheer number of these lists can look daunting at first, but if you use filters with some fairly obvious keywords and look around a bit you should get the hang of it. Lists starting with "Cond" are used for randomly determining the condition of spawned items, and are usually referenced by other lists; lists starting with "Vendor" are used to randomly fill vendor inventories; lists starting with "Loot" are used to spawn random loot on enemies and in containers; and so on.

In order to add an item to a list, you can double-click on the list to open it in its own window and EITHER go back to the Object Window, find the item you want to add and physically drag-and-drop it into the list, OR right-click on an empty spot on the list (to create a new default list entry) or on an existing entry (to create a copy of that entry) and select "New" from the context menu. Then you have to edit the new entry into what you actually wanted to add. (Drag-and-drop is required for adding items into Form Lists, but Leveled Item Lists can also use the right-click menu. GECK is kind of a mess like that.)

ALTERNATELY, if you want to place an item in a specific location in the game as is often done with unique weapons, creatures, and such, there's a list of world spaces in the Cell View window; find the one you want to place the object in (note that there are several lists; Interiors seems to be displayed by default, but if you want to place the object in an open air location go to WastelandNV instead), double-click it to open it in the Render Window, then find the object in the Object Window and drag-and-drop it into the Render Window. The item will now appear in the list of objects on the right side of the Cell View Window, and double-clicking it there allows you to edit it's exact location and rotation, ownership, whether it can be picked up by wandering AI, and so on. You can also use a "X Marker" and define a radius from the marker at which a script will place an item or creature when certain conditions are met. See Tip: Random NPC Comments for an example of this technique.

Common practice is to put the items in an owner-less container, just to be safe. For this you'll have to create the container in the Object Window (they're found in the Container category, under World Objects) and add it into the world space by drag-and-dropping it into the Render Window just like any other item. The easiest way to create a new container is to double-click on an existing one that uses whichever world model you want (fridge, gun cabinet, briefcase, etc.), change its Editor-ID and name, and click OK; at this point GECK will ask whether you want to create a new form instead of renaming the old, so click "Yes" and you'll have your new container. Now just edit its contents and attributes (remember to remove any owners, unless you specifically want the player to have to steal the goods) and add it to the world space of your liking. Done!

TIP Respawning Plant bug fix

Thanks to masternetra of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

If you add plants (usually ones that can be harvested) that start off as disabled and are later enabled via a script or whatever, pretty much every time you leave the cell and come back (e.g. enter and then exit a interior cell), the plant instantly respawns. (This also occurs if you simply hide the plant below the terrain initially to later move it back up to the surface via script.)

Fortunately it seems the plants produced by the placeatme command don't seem to suffer from this bug if you just place it (and at worse change it's angle and scale). (Don't know about the impact of enable/disabling placeatme items or changing their position.)

Here a bit of example code to help explain how this works:

set PlacedRef to GFMaize1.placeatme MaizePickable
set RefAng to GFMaize1.getangle z
set RefScale to GFMaize1.getscale
PlacedRef.setangle z RefAng
PlacedRef.setscale RefScale

In that scenerio: placed a disabled version of the plant (GFMaize1) to work out placement, angles, and scaling. Then just give the placeatme plant PlacedRef (=MaizePickable) the disabled one's angle (RefAng) and scale (RefScale) information.

Worldspaces

If you want to create your own worldspace, then you must be a real glutton for punishment, because this gets you into the buggiest parts of the GECK. For example. you create a worldspace, then go and edit its heightmap, and when you save your heightmap and exit out of it, the GECK will crash. The only way to avoid this is to create your worldspace, save your mod, exit the GECK, reload your mod, and then edit the heightmap. This isn't explained anywhere in the GECK, but if you create a heightmap that is too low, the GECK will crash. One modder used to create heightmaps with a general offset of about 6000, but then found there's another bug that when you do that: trees don't generate LOD properly. So your heightmap really needs to be above something like 20-25,000 or so. If your landscape doesn't have trees (or objects that are defined as having tree LOD in the GECK) then you don't need to worry about it and 6000 offset works fine, BUT: the default LOD water height is 10500.

At some point you will try to navmesh your entire new worldspace. It's a really big worldspace with lots of cells, so it's a royal pain to navmesh each cell. Here you find out that the default settings for generating navmeshes will typically navmesh right across a fence, but will block on a piece of road. (Hey GECK, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Arrgghh.) (As an aside, using heightmap generation mode works a LOT better). Oh, but wait, there's an automatic navmesh generator under the Regions section. Except that it is THE MOST BUGGY THING IN THE ENTIRE GECK. People have had it navmesh the entire area OUTSIDE of the area you want it to navmesh, completely leaving the area you wanted to navmesh untouched. Oh, and by the way, it completely rips out whatever navmeshing you had before in your mod, so hope you saved a backup somewhere because otherwise it's gone. Oh again, but don't worry. The auto navmesher doesn't always navmesh outside where you want it to. No, more often it just completely locks up with an infinite "Get Jean" popup error box that you can't get rid of because it just pops up again. Seriously, the error box just says "Get Jean". After some googling it was learned that "Jean" was the pathing coder and this was a debug message that was never removed from the GECK. The auto-navmesher also completely hangs up when it encounters an SCOL (static collection). The auto navmesher managed to navmesh a large (and very simple) landscape for a modder once. And only once. These days it's recommended you don't even bother to try and use it. Just navmesh cell by cell. It's quicker and less frustrating.

The list of bugs that you run into with worldspace generation goes on and on like this. Worldspace generation is MISERABLE. There's a reason you don't see many worldspace mods and many of the ones you do see use a flat worldspace with landscape objects like cliffs and rocks instead of a true heightmap to generate the landscape.

Many consider duplicating an existing worldspace and removing unwanted elements. This is fraught with it's own problems as well. Please see the Nexus forum thread Duplicating a world-space tutorial first, for an idea of the difficulties involved. Be aware that deleting objects from the world means you are removing references used by the game and possibly other mods. When you delete static objects like vehicles, the navmesh for that cell is typically done so that NPCs will avoid walking into the vehicle. If you don't fix the navmesh, you can walk right through where the vehicle used to be, but your companion NPC won't. It's a bit odd when you are walking down the road and your companion suddenly does a left turn and goes out of their way to avoid nothing, just because the navmesh says they can't walk there. Similarly, if you are being chased by a creature, it will also avoid the holes in the navmesh where the vehicles and other statics used to be.

Note that there is a 16 MB limit for objects in plugins. (Terrain painting and navmeshes can go above the 16 MB boundary.) If your plugin gets larger than 16 MB and you add an object or an Actor (NPC or Creature), your plugin will be permanently broken without any warning. It will crash the game and will crash the GECK if you try to load it. Since your overhaul is likely going to be a fairly large plugin, you might want to make all of your object/NPC changes first to determine if you need to split things up into multiple files, then add dialog and navmesh changes.

New worldspace creation is pretty much the same from FO3 to FNV, so tutorials for FO3 are okay for you to use. There don't seem to be any good tutorials. Most have pieced together bits and pieces from various tutorials and just plugged through it until they figured it out by trial and error.

Some tutorials make it sound a lot easier than it is. If you are making a very small worldspace, it can be done fairly quickly. But if you are making a larger worldspace, it becomes a very slow and tedious thing.

Also, the worldspace parts of the GECK are among the buggiest and most difficult to use parts of the toolset. Save often, and make backup files often just in case the GECK totally trashes your mod and you need to revert to an earlier version.

Here are some tips on getting past the first initial problems, which will give you an idea of how frustrating this can be. However, if all you need is the basic game worldspace but empty of content, you might consider The Community Wasteland Project which is an ESM file that has safely removed all NPCs, Creatures and scripted triggers from the game and its DLCs instead as an alternative to "rolling your own".

Assuming you want to make your own landscape from scratch, the first step is just creating the world space. Click on "World | World Spaces" in the GECK, and when that form comes up, just click "New" on the left hand side to give your new region a name, and fill in the blanks. Exit out of that, and save your mod, because the next step will usually crash the GECK.

Highlights of the Worldspace

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

This is a summary of various points raised elsewhere in this section for quick reference. Some details may vary. Be conservative.

If I remember correctly, the maximum map size is 128x128 cells. It might be 128x64. Weird things start to happen if you go over that size.

Keep all land height above 14,000 or you can have LOD issues.

If you are using the landscape editor, be gentle. If you try to shape the landscape too quickly, you tend to create landscape tears.

If you have water, don't forget to add a water texture in your worldspace. "Data\Textures\Water\wastelandwaterpotomac.dds" tends to work well for many different water types (river, lake, etc). I've never tried to make ocean water with it though.

If you ever get an error where it says that part of the landscape height is out of bounds, the GECK will helpfully tell you that it can fix it. It can't. Your landscape is totally hosed at that point. Hopefully you saved an earlier version of your mod to go back to.

If you make an ESP larger than 16 MB and you add something with a reference ID number of some sort to it, you will break your mod. The GECK will NOT give you any error whatsoever when you do so. When you try to load your mod, you'll crash the game. When you try to load the mod in the GECK to fix it, you'll crash the GECK. Hope you saved an earlier version of your mod somewhere that you can go back to.

There are several ways to avoid the 16 MB bug.

The first is to create your landscape first, then place all objects into the worldspace, create all interiors, etc. After all that is done, then paint your landscape, add navmeshes, conversations/quests, etc. Landscape, navmeshes, and quest things can all be safely added above the 16 MB boundary. This works well enough for fairly simple mods.

The second way involves setting your GECK up in networked developer mode, which is not how most people set it up. This has instructions for setting your GECK up in networked mode. There are some errors in these instructions, but as far as I am aware, they are the best instructions you'll find anywhere on the net:

Version Control.

In networked mode, the 16 MB bug still applies. So create your worldspace, check that in to version control, then add stuff, and check those changes in. When you do this, the GECK will automatically place ID values below the 16 MB boundary. I'm sure there are still size limits in there somewhere, but I have yet to hit them using this method, even in mods that contain multiple worldspaces.

The GECK tends to crash when working with larger mods anyway, so keeping the bulk of your mod checked in to version control and only working on small bits of it helps fairly dramatically in preventing GECK crashes.

In the regions section of the GECK, there is an option to automatically navmesh the entire region. You may find this tempting, but DO NOT EVER USE THIS FEATURE. It is the most broken thing in the GECK that I have found yet to date. I did actually get it to correctly navmesh a region once. And only once. It was a fairly simple landscape and there wasn't much on it yet. SCOLS make the navmesher crash. Sometimes it will navmesh inside the region boundaries, sometimes, for no reason whatsoever, it will navmesh OUTSIDE your region boundaries instead of inside. Either way, if it screws up, it completely borks your entire navmesh for the entire worldspace. It also tends to crash in an endless loop constantly popping up a box with the error message "Get Jean!" over and over until you kill the GECK in the task manager.

Instead, the best you can do with navmeshing is to use the automatic navmesher for a single cell. When you click on the navmesh toolbar to bring it up, the cell auto navmesher is the first question mark from the left, just to the right of the finalize checkmark button. In the navmesh dialog, click the check box to enable height map generation mode, uncheck remove overlapping and remove thin areas, and you'll get about the best performance that you can out of it. A 64x64 worldspace is 4,096 cells. If you can use the auto navmesher to do 4 cells per minute, that's 1,024 minutes, or a bit over 17 hours just clicking on the navmesh button over and over and over and over. If you don't use heightmap generation mode, the navmesher has a tendency to fail to navmesh across bumpy roads and easily walkable surfaces. (If you set the auto navmesher to Height Map Only mode, it works a lot faster and a lot better, and will usually navmesh across roads just fine. It will still navmesh across fences though.)

The GECK will not render your worldspace unless there is something in it. But it's really hard to put something in it if you can't see anything. It's kind of a catch 22. I usually drop the little airplane into it, which I delete later. After that, go to an interior cell so you can get the render window to work properly again, then go to your little plane, and now finally you can see your new landscape. When editing your new landscape, always go to a part of your worldspace that has something in it first. If the first thing the GECK has to render is a section of worldspace with no objects in it, it goes right back to the render bug where you don't see anything except a gray blob (I think it's actually rendering water everywhere, stupid GECK...).

If you paint your landscape or use the raise/lower tool in the render window (not the worldspace height editor), you can end up with black squares just outside of the area you were editing. Those black squares will be persistent, in that you can move away from them and they'll still be there when you come back, but they aren't really there. It's just yet another GECK bug.

Welcome to the buggiest parts of the GECK. Save often. Keep backups.

TIP Center_On_Cell COC Markers

Thanks to pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Keep in mind when navigating:

COC <InteriorCellName> (Center on Cell) is a Console command that will bring you ("Player") inside a Interior cell at the spot where the CocMarkerHeading (a GECK Markers reference) is placed.
COCMarkerHeading defines the placement and direction when the player COCs to the cell. You can only place one COCMarkerHeading per cell. If one is already in the cell, you won't be able to place another one.
COW <WorldspaceName> <X, Y coordinates> (Center On World) is a Console command that will place you in the named WorldSpace at the coordinates specified. It doesn't use any GECK Marker references.
COCMarkerHeading is a special Marker that (in GECK) when dragged into a cell defines the placement and direction of the Player when they use a "COC" command into the cell.
North Marker placed in a Worldspace defines that direction as cell North.

There's an auto navmesher, but that is buggy as all heck. Some have found that it works reasonably well on wilderness landscapes containing simple objects like trees and cactuses. It often completely fails when the cell contains SCOLs ("static collections") and doesn't work well at all if there are a lot of complex objects inside the cell. That means that you end up having to hand navmesh a lot of cells. If your new worldspace only has a few usable cells, this isn't a big deal, and you can navmesh all of them in a few hours easily. A worldspace has basically 64x64 cells, which is 4096 total cells. You can auto navmesh three or four cells per minute, and once you get experienced at navmeshing, you can probably finish a fairly complex cell in a few minutes. If you figure an average of one cell per minute (being a mix of hand navmeshed and auto navmeshed), that's 4096 minutes to navmesh the entire worldspace. That works out to a bit over 68 hours. If you navmesh for three hours per day (because you have a job or go to school or do something that takes up the rest of your day) then it will take you roughly 23 days to navmesh the entire worldspace.

The auto navmesher will often not navmesh across roads. If you set the auto navmesher to "Height Map Only" mode, it works a lot faster and a lot better, and will usually navmesh across roads just fine. However, it will usually navmesh through fences. So be prepared to hand navmesh any cell that contains a road or a fence.

Use the "b" key in your "render window" to show "cell boundaries". You'll want to arrange buildings and structures and other things so that you can easily do the navmeshing. You wouldn't want a building's door to be straddling a cell boundary, for example.

There's also an "auto generate navmesh" button under "regions". Don't use it. It is very very very very broken. Some have made it work under some circumstances but it is incredibly buggy.

LOD generation is similar. It's not too bad if you only have a few cells, but for a large worldspace it takes darn near forever.

This is why you need to decide ahead of time if you want to create a tiny worldspace that you can finish in a short amount of time, or if you want to create a major sized worldspace that will take you a huge chunk of time to complete.

There's a reason that you don't see too many mods with worldspaces on the nexus. It's difficult to figure out, and buggy as all heck. It also takes a huge amount of time, which is why the few worldspaces that you do see tend to be small and simple. It is not uncommon for a single mod creator to spend so long working on a mod with a new worldspace that the vast majority of that game community has moved on to another game.

One other thing. If you do try to make a huge worldspace, you can use the regions to add a lot of landscape items like cactuses and trees. This is a huge time saver, but be forwarned. If you have ever clicked on an object in debug mode, you'll notice that the object has an 8 character ID, something like 4100D236 (a completely made-up number). This is a hexidecimal number. The first two digits will be the number of your mod (41 in this case), aka its mod index. Fallout gets 00, and the different mods are assigned numbers as you add them into your mod list. On a system with the official DLC, "Dead Money" is 01, "Honest Hearts" is 02, "Old World Blues" is 03, etc. You can see the mod index in most mod managers. So if you add another mod and it ends up loading before this one, that 41 could get bumped up to 42, for example. Now here's the important part. That xx00D236 part means that you have a six digit hex "form" number for the ID. This corresponds to the file offset in your mod. The largest 6 digit hex number you can have is FFFFFF, which is 16,777,215. (The FF mod index is reserved for "save game" file changes to the environment, such as inventory and moved objects.) A worldspace will take 10 to 12 megs just for the heightmap and landscape, not including navmesh and texturing. If you go over the 16 meg limit and add an object, you brick your mod. The GECK will give you no errors at all when it saves your mod, but when you try to load it again, it will lock up the GECK. That means you can't use the GECK to fix it. Hope you have a backup of your mod from earlier somewhere, because that's the only way out of it.

This is important enough to put it another way: What this means to you is that you need to watch your file size. Once you get over 16 megs, you can't add any more objects or you will break your mod. If this happens, the game can't load your mod and the GECK can't load it either, so if you didn't save an earlier copy of your mod somewhere, it's forever broken. Fallout.esm is significantly larger than 16 megs, so Bethesda obviously has some way of packing the data in so that they don't get this problem. But the GECK that you and I get to use can't add objects to a mod that is more than 16 megs in size. You can paint landscapes and add navmeshes and such which can take your mod well beyond the 16 meg limit, but as soon as you add an object to a mod that is larger than 16 megs and save your mod, you just broke it. The GECK won't tell you that it is broken, either. You won't find out until you try to reload your mod in the GECK or if you try to use it in the game. Authors have had to split mods into multiple files to get around this.

(Repeat the mantra: save early, save often, keep backups.)

If you are making a small worldspace, then you probably don't have to worry about this at all. If you are making a large worldspace and are adding tons of landscape objects (cactuses, trees, etc) then you can run into this limit and it will break your mod. So if you are going to do a worldspace, do the landscape first, then add all of your objects, NPCs, creatures, etc. to it, and THEN do the navmeshing and texturing last as those don't care about the 16 meg boundary issue.

TIP Finding cell North in GECK

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

When you first open a cell in the GECK, the camera defaults to pointing North. You can place a North Marker in a Worldspace to set that direction as North instead.

If you have rotated your view of a cell around and you aren't sure which way you are facing, the "<Up cursor>" key will always move you North, the "<Down cursor>" South, the "<Left cursor>" West, and the "<Right cursor>" East. So just moving around a bit with the cursor arrow keys can help you re-orient yourself.

The next step is to create a "heightmap". A lot of people skip this and make small, completely flat world spaces, and use things like cliff objects to do the majority of their landscaping. That's okay for things like a small base surrounded by mountains or something like that, but if you are trying to create a town or something it looks amateurish.

Warning - If you basically default the heightmap settings, it will crash the GECK. Seriously, sometimes it seems like the GECK is a Vault-tec experiment designed to test modder frustrations. The reason for this is that the GECK doesn't like it if the landscape is too low. So the first thing some do is create a random landscape that doesn't have much randomness to it, so that what it ends up doing is creating a basically flat landscape. The settings successfully used under the random generator are a frequency of 100, an amplitude of 50, and a base offset of 6000 if there will be no "tree LODs" or 25,000 if there will be. (Though bear in mind the default LOD "water level" is 10500 if you are planning on any underground structures. It seems the "Default Water Height" and the "Default LOD Water Height" need to be the same. The "Default Land Height" is -2048.0 and that appears to be sensitive to changes, and is best left alone.) The base offset is extremely important since if you don't set it high enough, the GECK crashes.

TIP Generating Worldspace LOD

When either creating or editing a worldspace, you need to generate LOD ("Level of Detail") mesh and textures to reflect those changes. But first you need to be sure you understand the difference between VWD (View While Distant) and LOD (Level of Detail). See the LOD/VWD Overview page on "The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)" site. (The "FNV" version of "TES4LODGen" mentioned there is FNVLODGen, and along with Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator TES4LL can be used as an alternative to creating LODs in the GECK. The "LOD/VWD Overview" page provides a TES4LL process sequence.)

The following articles provide guidance on using the GECK to generate LOD files:

LOD Generation For New Vegas and Fallout 3 (Wiki article).
World LOD GECKWiki page.
Generating LOD Data for Custom Worldspaces in Fallout 3

Make sure your "ground level" is above the "water heightmap" or your LODs will be "gray blobs". (See TIP Static Water goes into Interior cells only.)

The folders used for LOD output files are laid out on the description page of "FNVLODGen". The key to finding those for yours would be looking for subfolders with the name of "yourworldspace".

If you add any VWD/LOD textures (such as NMC or Ojo Bueno or your own custom ones) to your game, please see the 'Checklist Item #15 & 16' entries in the wiki Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting guide regarding the need to run both TES4LL and FNVLODGen. Also recommend you read the 'LOD/VWD Texture Packs' section of the wiki FNV General Mod Use Advice article first.

TIP Static Water goes into Interior cells only

Thanks to madmongo and SnakeSlippers of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Don't ever place static water in exterior cells. Even after deleting, the water is still there. Use that in interior cells only.

You can change the water heightmap of individual exterior cells, but ALWAYS make a backup copy of your mod first as this can be buggy and can totally screw up the water heights for your entire mod. Name or store your backup copies so you know what you did in each one. Don't rely solely upon timestamps.

Some folks use things like "geological survey data" to generate their heightmaps. See the last couple of threads in the list of tutorials below or poke around on the net.

If all is well so far, save your heightmap and save your mod. If you didn't restart the GECK earlier, chances are that right here is where the GECK will crash. The second time through this it usually works.

Now re-open your heightmap, and use the editing tools to create your mountains, rivers, lakes, etc. You can play around with the default water settings in your worldspace to get the water to line up with where you want it on your landscape. If you used a base offset of 6000 when creating the heightmap, a water height of about 3500 tends to work fairly well. When you are editing the heightmap, make very small changes. If you make changes that are too drastic, you basically tear the landscape and the GECK can't figure out how to fix it and it ends up with a broken landscape that either crashes the GECK or crashes the game or both.

What you probably have at this point is a landscape that has mountains and plains and rivers and lakes and whatever. Save your heightmap and save your mod. If you were to go and look at it though, it will probably be very flat and unrealistic looking. You can add in some randomness to your heightmap to fix that. The settings that some tend to use are a frequency of 2000, an amplitude of 200, a base offset of zero, and this is very important, make sure you click "additive" and "subtractive". If you don't check the "additive" and "subtractive" boxes, it will create a new random heightmap instead of just adding a bit of randomness to your existing heightmap. Now you should have something that looks a lot more realistic. Again, save your mod. The GECK likes to crash for no good reason a lot when doing worldspace stuff.

Now you can go to your "cell view" form, and change "interiors" (where it says "world space") and select your new world space. It will put you right in the center of your new world space. And you'll run into yet another GECK bug. If there is nothing on the landscape, and the GECK hasn't ever focused on any kind of object, the GECK will usually display water instead of your landscape, so you end up looking at a big solid grayish-green blob on your render window instead of looking at your landscape. If this happens to you, select "interiors" in the "cell view", double click on some static object, let the render window display that cell, then go back to your new world space. Sometimes just moving around using the arrow keys will get the water blob to go away once you move far enough to change cells. Once you have objects in your new worldspace you won't have this problem any more, as long as you first go to an area that has objects when you select your new worldspace when you start up the GECK.

Now you can tweak and paint the landscape to your heart's desire, and add objects and do all of that fun stuff. Unfortunately, you have only two basic tools for editing landscape. You can use the "landscape editing" function in the "render window", which limits you to a maximum brush size of 15, or you can use the "heightmap editor". If you are trying to make something the size of a small pond, the "landscape editing" makes you feel like you are carving out Mount Rushmoor using a hand chisel, and using the "heightmap editor" makes you feel like you are trying to do brain surgery with a chainsaw. There's nothing in between. The "heightmap editor" is also a bit quirky. It tends to leave big black square splotches just outside of the view on your render window, and those don't go away when you close out the heightmap editing box. Even if you move away from that area using the arrow keys, the splotches stay there. You can only make them go away by selecting another area from the cell view and then going back to the area where you were.

Buggy buggy buggy. That's the GECK.

TIP Terrain Editor missing texture

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

When you have the GECK PowerUp tool installed, you may encounter the following error message upon selecting the terrain editing tool:

Icon file "Textures\Landscape\Default.dds" not found.

You can safely ignore this message. There is no such file, and it does not appear to cause any problems.

Copying interior or exterior cells between plugins

Reusing cells from one plugin to another is a great time saver, but you have to bear some things in mind.

The Trick is to make your new ESP first, only dependent on the main master file. Save and close it.

Best way to make a new ESP file is to drop something in the "Render" window, then save and name the file. So loading a cell first is needed. Suggest "Wasteland cell / Good Springs" if you don't have any in particular in mind. You can of course delete that cell later from your ESP if it's not needed for your purposes.

Then open your preferred tool adding the other files from which you want to use assets, (with your new .ESP as the "active file" in GECK).

At the moment we don't know of any way to duplicate exterior world spaces in GECK. You can copy cell records between plugins in FNVEdit. In order to change the FormID of the duplicated Worldspace, you need to work from the bottom up: changing the FormIDs of the children cells before the parent.

You can use either FNVEdit or GECK to duplicate interior cells, but this is how to use the GECK. In the GECK, load up the ESP with the cell you want but don't make it "active", while loading the ESP that you want the cell to end up in (i.e. your new ESP) as the "active file". Then just right click on the desired cell in the "source" plugin and select "Duplicate Cell". It will give the duplicate a name of whatever the cell name is plus COPY (or something like that). If there are any objects in the source cell that are unique to the mod you are copying it from or come from one of its masters that you don't want to include, delete those out of the copied cell. Then save your "active file" ESP. Do not add items to the cell or do anything else other than duplicate it or the GECK can sometimes get confused and it will mess everything up. Just duplicate the cell, remove anything you don't want in your "active file" ESP, and save. That's it. Exit and reload, and maybe rename the cell so that it doesn't have the word COPY in it, and then edit it to your heart's desire.

The GECK only includes a file as a resource if it's a "master file". If you load an ESP, the GECK won't treat it as a master (unless you have configured the GECK PowerUp to allow ESPs to be "masters"). The GECK will automatically add any master files that the other ESP loaded since those will all be loaded into your new editing session when you load both ESP files.

This will end up including "master files" from the "original ESP" in your "new ESP", so if you don't want them: just delete them from the GECK data screen when you select your mod for loading. However, if you accidentally left in something dependent upon one of those masters in your copied cell, deleting the master will screw up your mod.

Here loading your new ESP with the copied cell(s) in FNVEdit first will enable you to safely see if there are any unexpected "master files" in the "File Header" record list of masters. It's "Clean Masters" command won't remove a "master file" as long as some record depends upon it, which is not true for the GECK.

Check for errors in FNVEdit by Right-clicking on your plugin, and selecting "check for errors" from the context menu that then appears.

If there are any remaining dependent records (evidenced by a master you expected to be dropped still being present in the plugin's "File Header" record) you can use the FNVEdit script "List records referencing specific plugin.pas" on that plugin to list them in the log window so you can remove them.

Once that is done, Right-click on your plugin and select "Clean Masters" from the context menu.
"Sort Masters", which will order them in the plugin according to your current "load order".
Check the plugin's "File Header" record for any remaining unexpected "master files".

If there are any, repeat the process. Otherwise, exit and save.

There are a lot of things that FNVEdit and the GECK can both do, they just do it differently. Which one you choose to use is a matter of personal preference, but sometimes one has capabilities the other lacks.

Additional Material

The following is not intended to be a complete list, but rather a starting point on articles and videos specific to FNV to assist new mod creators in getting started. Bear in mind that articles in older games may also be of assistance with basic concepts as long as you adjust to the peculiarities of the syntax in the GECK.

Rather than "reinventing the wheel", your life will be a lot simpler if you take advantage of resources made available for your use by the modding community. They also provide useful examples of correctly created elements which can supplement tutorials. These are generally listed on the Nexus in the Modders resources and tutorials category. Check back often. Please respect the various authors usage permissions, and give credit where due.

These articles are not necessarily intended as "tutorials", but do convey useful information to the mod creation process.

GECK: Tips and Tricks Wiki.
Effect Shaders: definitive guide Wiki. (WIP, not updated since Mar 2012.)
Fallout 3/NV Game Units Wiki.
How to fix hard-coded texture paths in NIF files Wiki.
Jokerine's Misc Resources Tutorials and Novac Bungalow Mod. (includes at least 4 tutorials)
Nifskope: NiStringExtraData guide Wiki.
Video capture and edit tools Wiki.

Game Time

Time in the game is tracked in "Global Variables" (type: GLOB). The use of "Global Variables" (e.g. GameHour) and GameTime functions such as GetGamesDaysPassed can get tricky. (Using this GetGamesDaysPassed function is preferable to using the GameDaysPassed global variable, which is highly unreliable.) It is necessary to carefully examine the descriptions and examples to understand how each works. They are not as "obvious" as one might think.

The game engine originally stored "time" values as type "float" (i.e. "single precision") values. But when returned in various functions they were often converted into type "short" (i.e. "integer") values. This caused problems, which made it necessary for "New Vegas Script Extender" (NVSE) to intercept and implement as "double precision" values and it's own functions to correct;y deal with returning the proper values. So you need to be aware of these differences when choosing how you deal with time.

(It's "Game Engine fixes" such as these that make NVSE essentially a requirement. As many of the plugins essential to a stable game (such as "New Vegas Anti-Crash", aka NVAC) require NVSE already, don't shy away from using it's functions instead of the vanilla ones. Virtually every mod user should already have it installed.)

"Global Variables" are considered base types in the GECK, and can be viewed by clicking "*ALL" in the "Object" window, clicking the "Form Type" column heading, then scrolling to view all items of type "GLOB".

As with all base types, you can create your own global variable just by renaming one of these to something that is unlikely to conflict with other mods (typically by prefixing it with the name of your mod), and clicking "yes" to create a new object.

In order to modify "Global Variables", you must open the "Global" window by clicking on "Globals..." under the Gameplay menu. The "GLOB" Form type doesn't have its own dialogue window, so double-clicking on a Global in the "Object" window will result in an error.

Alternatives

If the variable will only be used within one script, typical script variables are the best choice, as they have a scope of only that script: variable naming conflicts are not possible.

If the variable will be used within a single quest, using quest variables should suffice, as then the variable will not need storing before or after the quest.

In some cases, you could create a persistent reference which would store the value in a property.

However, where a variable will need to be used across multiple quests, cells and scripts, a well-named global variable is probably the correct choice.

Global variables for In Game Time

GameDay: Returns the current in-game day (day of the month: 0-31).
GameDaysPassed: Returns the amount of days passed since the beginning of the game: i.e. 10/13/81 (October 13, 2281).
GameHour: Returns the current in-game hour (0-23).
GameMonth: Returns the in-game month (0-11).
GameYear: Returns the in-game year.
Timescale: Number of in-game minutes that passes in 1 real minute. Default: 30, typically expressed as a ratio of "30:1". IMPORTANT: Please see Issue: Can Timescale adjustments break certain quests, etc.? before using other than the default Timescale value of "30".

Notes

While GameHour and GameDay are defined as short, they return float values. For instance, at 2:30 AM, GameHour has the value 2.5.
Remember that an hour is about 0.041667 (1/24) of a day. So using GameDaysPassed for anything other than day tracking may get awkward.
Care must be taken when mixing use of GameDaysPassed and GameHour in a script. When crossing midnight, GameDaysPassed may indicate the start of a new day, while GameHour is still in the previous day. For example, if GameDaysPassed is 6.04 (6th day at 00:01), then GameHour should be about 0.02 (00:01). But GameHour may indicate something like 23.90. This situation can exist for multiple frames.

If all you want to know is if it is a new day (strictly meaning that the 12:00am boundary has been crossed), save the current GameDaysPassed into a SHORT variable (e.g. lastDay) and then when you want to do your comparison, create a SHORT (currentDay) and set it to the current GameDaysPassed. If (currentDay - lastDay) >= 1, then a day has passed. By storing GameDaysPassed in SHORT variables you trim off the factional hours that live in the decimal places. If you use floats instead of SHORTs you will essentially be checking if "24 hours has passed" rather than, "is it the next day."

- See the GECK entries on List of Global Variables and Special Variables.

NAM files

By default there are "< DLC >.nam" files for all the DLC ".ESM" files. These files cause the game to load those DLC even if they are not "active" in the "load order". If any ".nam" files for specific DLCs are not found, that DLC is not automatically activated (enabled). (It is recommended you rename rather than delete them if you don't want a particular DLC to automatically be loaded.)

Normally, when starting GECK and opening the "File" menu it has automatically "checked" (enabled) the DLC ESM files with "< DLC >.nam" files for loading, but not the "FalloutNV.ESM". There isn't a ".nam" file by default for "FalloutNV.ESM".

The "nam" file contains nothing more than the common name (e.g. "Dead Money") of the respective DLC. When a plaintext "FalloutNV.nam" file with "Fallout New Vegas" as content is created, "FalloutNV.ESM" will be automatically checked (enabled) in GECK's "File" menu just like the DLC.

3D Model and Texture resources

Note that often the models on these sites tend to have very high polygon counts, which the NIFTools either completely choke on or if they do handle it, end up just killing your game performance. Use with caution.

Blendswap Open Source 3D Models Web site.
Creative Commons 4.0 Unported license 3D Models Web site.
Creative Commons 4.0 Unported license Textures Web site.
Mongo Resources V2 Mod. ESM of various types of items.
Ogre Free Resources Wiki site.
Old Vegas Resources by Bobio567 Neon sign resource mod.
Turbosquid's $0.00 3D Models Web site.
Modders resources and tutorials Nexus category.

Plugin File Header and Record information by game

Thanks to Sharlikran on the "Afkmods" site Wrye Bash - All Games thread for the following:

"While these pages still provide the best public documentation of the Oblivion file formats, all mod makers should also be using Tes4View, which currently provides the most complete and correct understanding of the mod file format in a readily accessible manner." - UESP Wiki (on the Oblivion page for the TES4 Mod File Format). [These days, instead of the Oblivion tool TES4View, use the game-specific version of xEdit instead (e.g. TES4Edit, FNVEdit, etc.).]

http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Tes4Mod:Mod_File_Format Oblivion TES4 Header information - UESP Wiki
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Tes5Mod:Mod_File_Format Skyrim TES5 Header information - UESP Wiki
http://github.com/TES5Edit/fopdoc/blob/master/Fallout3/Records.md Fallout 3 Header/Record information - WrinklyNinja (BOSS/LOOT)
http://github.com/TES5Edit/fopdoc/blob/master/FalloutNV/Records.md Fallout NV Header/Record information - WrinklyNinja (BOSS/LOOT)
http://github.com/TES5Edit/fopdoc/blob/master/Fallout3/Groups.md Fallout 3 Group Record information - WrinklyNinja (BOSS/LOOT)
http://github.com/TES5Edit/fopdoc/blob/master/FalloutNV/Groups.md Fallout NV Group Record information - WrinklyNinja (BOSS/LOOT)

"One of the things about those Wiki pages is the format of the 24 bytes doesn't change much. In my opinion you really only need to compare Oblivion, with one of the other games. About the only thing that changes is the Flags because they are record specific. The TES4 header is defined in the following Data which is a group of subrecords. A GRUP or Top Group also has 24 bytes and indicates the beginning of what will follow. Bethesda's internal tool sometimes introduces duplicate Top Groups which are combined in xEdit. Each record starts with 24 bytes, and then the subrecords follow. After the 24 bytes is the size of the data that will follow from what I understand. From what I know Oblivion is 20 bytes, and that's about the only difference. Zilav [of the xEdit team] only mentioned the other day when I asked that Oblivion doesn't have a Form Version because it was the first use of the new format."

Fallout Record Types

Sources:

Tes5Mod talk:Mod File Format contains comparative counts of use by type between FO3 and FNV, omitted below.
TES5Edit/fopdoc as of 2 Jun 2014 documents the FO3, FNV, and FO4 plugin file formats known to the xEdit team. Only those pertaining to FO3 and FNV are listed here.

FOPDOC has each record on a separate GitHub Flavored Markdown page with sub-record type information. This should be referenced for further details like flag values. (Markdown format is quite readable by the average user with an ordinary plaintext editor.)

ACHR = Placed Character/NPC Reference
ACRE = Placed Creature Reference
ACTI = Activator (usually something like a light switch, plant, etc.)
ADDN = Addon Node (Particle Effect)
ALCH = Ingestible Potion/Medicine (Alchemy)
ALOC = Media Location Controller (FNV only)
AMEF = Ammo Effects (FNV only)
AMMO = Ammunition
ANIO = Animated Object
ARMA = Armor Components (Addon)
ARMO = Armor
ASPC = Acoustic Space (sound effects)
AVIF = Actor Value information
BOOK = Books (usually one that's actually usable.)
BPTD = Body Part Data
CAMS = Cameras
CCRD = Cards (Caravan) (FNV only)
CDCK = Deck of Cards (Caravan) (FNV only)
CELL = Cell (Areas that make up the game world. Each interior is in its own cell.)
CHAL = Challenges (FNV only)
CHIP = Gambling Chips (FNV only)
CLAS = Class
CLMT = Climate
CMNY = Caravan Money (FNV only)
CONT = Container
CPTH = Camera Path
CREA = Creature
CSNO = Casino (FNV only)
CSTY = Combat Style
DEBR = Debris
DEHY = Dehydration level (FNV Hardcore mode only)
DIAL = Dialog topic
DOBJ = Default Object Manager
DOOR = Door (Teleports or removes barrier, often used to teleport the player into cells.)
ECZN = Encounter Zone
EFSH = Effect Shader
ENCH = Enchantment (such as Stimpak's healing ability.)
EXPL = Explosion
EYES = Eyes
FACT = Faction (All NPCs and creatures are assigned to one.)
FLST = Form ID List
FURN = Furniture
GLOB = Global
GMST = Game Setting
GRAS = Grass
GRUP = Group
HAIR = Hair
HDPT = Headpart (Eyes, hair, beards, etc.)
HUNG = Hunger level (FNV Hardcore mode only)
IDLE = Idle Animations
IDLM = Idle Marker
IMAD = Image Space Adapter
IMGS = Image Space
IMOD = Item Mods
INFO = Dialog Response
INGR = Ingredient
IPCT = Impacts
IPDS = Impact Data Set
KEYM = Key
LAND = Land
LGTM = Lighting Template
LIGH = Light
LSCR = Load Screen
LSCT = Load Screen Type (FNV only)
LTEX = Land Texture
LVLC = Leveled Creature
LVLI = Leveled Item
LVLN = Leveled NPC
MAPM = Mapmarker (These are what tell you where a town, etc. is on the map.)
MESG = Message
MGEF = Base Magic Effect
MICN = Menu Icon
MISC = Miscellaneous item (such as random junk.)
MSET = Media Set (FNV only)
MSTT = Moveable Static
MUSC = Music
NAVI = Navigation Mesh Info Map
NAVM = Navigation Mesh (NavMesh)
NOTE = Note (which can be activated to show a text string, or the FormID of a Dialog record.)
NPC_ = NPC (Non Playable Characters)
PACK = Package (See the FOPDOC for the types of sub-records controlling when it gets triggered.)
PERK = Skill Perks
PGRE = Placed Grenade
PMIS = Placed Missile (FNV only)
PROJ = Projectile
PWAT = Placeable Water
QUST = Quest
RACE = Race
RADS = Radiation Stage
RCCT = Recipe Category (Collection)
RCPE = Recipe
REFR = Placed Object Reference
REGN = Region
REPU = Reputation
RGDL = Ragdoll
SCOL = Static Collection
SCPT = Script
SLPD = Sleep Deprivation Stage (FNV Hardcore mode only)
SOUN = Sound
SPEL = Actor Effect (Spell)
STAT = Static
TACT = Talking Activator
TERM = Terminal
TES4 = TES4 record format header. (Remnant of TES4:Oblivion.)
TREE = Tree
TXST = Texture Set
VTYP = Voice Type
WATR = Water
WEAP = Weapon
WRLD = Worldspace
WTHR = Weather

Factions Stealing and Ownership

Factions

This is a topic which gets complex in a hurry in application. Consider the following a broad overview.

Factions are "groups of members" with a relationship to other factions which affect the default behavior between members of those factions, and between members of the same faction. The actor's membership in a faction is processed by the game AI in determining another actor's reaction to them. The key thing is the relationship between factions, rather than between individuals. Actors will never attack "Friends" or "Allies". (See also Custom NPCs.)

You should not generally attempt to change anything about a faction's relationship with another faction. Instead create a new faction, decide which actors or other factions you want to be members of your new faction, and then establish their relationships with other factions. If you haven't fully mapped out those inter-faction relationships, things get "surprising".

Reputation is about how members of various factions (including your own "Player" faction) feel about your character. While related, they are separate issues. Note you can have both positive and negative reputation (fame/infamy) with a given faction at the same time. The "fame label" attached to your character is the result of a matrix of that positive/negative range, given in the referenced wiki article. "Reputation" changes only apply to the Player; not to other Actors.

Once you have "committed a crime" against one member of a faction, the entire faction is hostile to you (and your PlayerFaction). All NPCs react based upon the Actor's membership in a faction and that faction's relationships with their faction, including your "companions" who become part of the PlayerFaction when they are "hired".

The dialogue topics are a hierarchy of responses. The first response which tests ALL conditions as "true" is the response given. (If you are never seeming to get to your desired response, this is the first thing to check.) A Faction's "Hostile" reaction is right up there at the top, so they never get past it to say anything else. If you want them to say something before attacking, then you need to alter the response so that it causes them to bark (say something or make a noise to the player or another NPC) before attacking. If you want them to bark only in the first instance, then you need to add a "DoOnce" conditional test to that response, and have a standard "attack response" after it in the hierarchy. Speaking always takes a bit of time, and "sounds" process independently of other script actions (meaning once started they run until done while the rest of the script is processed), so you just put the bark line before the attack in the script.

It is worth noting that the game designers created separate "factions" for dialogue (e.g. "vSecuritronDialogueFaction", "vOuterVegasDialogueFaction", etc.) that could be tested for in dialogue conditionals in addition to the typical factions (e.g. "vStreetSecuritronFaction") for relationships with other factions.

Various types of armor have faction associations. Wearing any faction disguise armor will turn reputation with that faction to "Neutral". For example, if "Liked" by the NCR but wearing NCR "face wrap armor" (a "disguise armor"), that armor will return reputation with the NCR to "Neutral". It will go back to "Liked" once the armor is removed. Only certain types and sets (in combination with the correct helmet) of armor function as "disguises" in this manner. (See the table in this apparel page of "The Vault" wiki which identifies which vanilla armor counts as a disguise.) "Disguises" provide a temporary membership in their respective faction. Such "indirect" methods of changing faction membership and/or reputation are preferred to directly altering it for the Player.

TIP Companions and Followers

Thanks to miguick of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Assume you have some reason for determining who or how many Actors are accompanying the Player (or any Actor reference).

GetFollowers returns an array of any actors following the calling reference for whatever reason; not necessarily teammates if they are doing anything else besides following the reference.

If you want an array of the actors that are actual 'teammates of the player, you can use GetTeammates. If you only need the number of them, GetPlayerTeammateCount can suffice.

More broadly you can check every GetDetected Actor individually (JIP function GetDetectedActors returns an array of such), and determine if they are a member of the "PlayerFaction" using GetFactionRank. Other Faction Functions are available. Broadly there are seven major factions, and a host of additional lessor or specialized ones:

PlayerFaction
BrotherhoodSteelFaction
VCaesarsLegionFaction
GreatKhansFactionNV
NCRFactionNV
PowerGangerFactionNV
VWhiteGloveSocietyFaction

Use the GECK, with all the DLC (except the Pre-Order Packs) loaded, and you will find their Editor-IDs under "Actor Data | Faction". The "Users" column gives a good indication of how often that Faction ID is applied. The "User Info" property can reveal other factions that also belong to any given Faction or Actor.

TIP Faction Disguise system

"Faction Disguise" is treated as a "magic effect" spell: DisguiseFactionPulseActorEffect. It has "no duration", so it remains in effect until "dispelled". This is supposed to be done in the script when the disguise armor is unequipped. Sometimes this fails (bug). Try the console command:

dispel DisguiseFactionPulseActorEffect

The 6 armor disguise factions are:

ArmorNCRFactionNV
ArmorVCaesarsLegionFaction
ArmorBrotherhoodSteelFaction
ArmorGreatKhansFactionNV
ArmorPowderGangerFactionNV
ArmorVWhiteGloveSocietyFaction

There are individual "FactionOutfitWarningScripts" to check if the Player is wearing faction armor and store the Player's actual reputation scores upon equipping; and restore them upon unequipping. These also check for companion reactions:

BrotherhoodFactionOutfitWarningScript
CaesarsLegionFactionOutfitWarningScript
KhanFactionOutfitWarningScript
PowderGangOutfitWarningScript
VMS18WhiteGloveSocietyFactionOutfitWarningScript

There are two scripts related to the DisguiseFactionPulseActorEffect spell:

Scn DisguiseFactionQuestScript

This code kicks in whenever players equip any faction disguises. We place an explosion with a custom enchantment on it [scripted spell effect: DisguiseFactionPulseActorEffect] that filters through all the references within its radius. When this pulse finds a Sniffer reference from the appropriate faction, it removes them from the disguise faction and thus potentially turns them hostile to players with whom they have less than stellar relations

Scn DisguiseFactionPulseScript

This script belongs to a spell effect [DisguiseFactionPulseActorEffect] that removes Faction Sniffers from the "magic" armor faction donned when players use faction disguises. The spell is set off intermittently, through a pulse, that filters the appropriate references within its radius. This radius is set to 25 (spell units), currently, and it's planned to reach at least 50 units. The pulse is placed on the player every two seconds, timed through a quest script that kicks off/on when players equip a faction disguise. - Jorge

Also, the script only addresses NCR relations. It'll eventually consider any faction that has faction disguises. [Editor - It now does, but only for those with "armor"; i.e. "not the WhiteGloveSociety".]

The following commands are present in those scripts. "Self" refers to a FactionSniffer Actor. Removing the Actor from the specific ArmorFaction means they are NOT fooled by the disguise, and will see the actual Player Reputation (Fame/Infamy). Example:

Self.RemoveFromFaction ArmorNCRFactionNV
Self.AddToFaction ArmorNCRFactionNV 0

Stealing and Ownership

"Containers" and their contents have "ownership". This affects who can use items without it being regarded as "stealing". Cells have ownership as well.

First the ownership of the item is considered; if none is selected ...
Then the ownership of the container is considered; if none is selected ...
Then ownership of the Cell is considered.

If the ownership set on the cell is the only way any containers/items are being claimed, then you can just change that to none. But this will also effect any trespassing if it was something in use.

Opening "owned containers" and taking their contents or "owned" items found "lying around", and trespassing (to include opening specific doors with "owners"), have negative effects on the Courier's reputation with the owning NPC and the faction(s) in which they have membership.

You can set NPC container ownership to "Player" as long as it is not a container that another NPC will need to use. But you could use the faction ownership to let the player share the ability to use it, by making a new faction and adding the player to that faction. Anything with the faction ownership set will also count as stealing, unless the player is in the faction or has ally status with that faction.

Containers and "pickable plants" in exteriors can also have faction ownership set. The faction ownership is used so that all people in the faction will consider it a crime and react accordingly. Otherwise only the NPC set as owner would react.

Another way that will set ownership for a whole area is an encounter zone. It looks like the NV main file doesn't set any ownership with encounter zones anyway. But some of the DLC's and others mods may do that. Just mentioning as a place to check on ownership in the future.

Tutorials

Some tutorials are specific on making various kinds of Fallout NV mods with GECK. Others cover aspects of creating mods that are more applicable to mod creation in general. Always bear in mind that the game engine for Skyrim and Fallout 4 is different than that used for older Bethesda games like Morrowwind and Oblivion, and each game version of the engine is different in some way. However, each succeeding game built upon concepts implemented in earlier games, so they are still worth investigating. Your starting point should be the "Basic Tutorials" provided by Bethsoft as part of their "Construction Kits".

Bethsoft Basic Tutorials

Animation

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Adult Animation Tutorial For Noobs by Coronerra.
Animated Computers Consoles Electronics and Security Systems (ACCESS) FO3 Resource and PDF Tutorial.
Artorp Object Animation Tutorial Video and Blender KF files.
Avoiding Blender animation pitfalls Nexus Wiki article.
Bits of Blender - Shape Keys Video.
Cloth and Shape Keys in Blender 2.5 Video (no audio).
Creating character animations Wiki.
Fallout3/New Vegas Animation Tutorial Video.
First Person Animation Tutorial Mod with materials and link to Video.
Material and Texture Animations in NifSkope - Tutorial PDF/DOC download.
NifSkope: Working with the NiControllerManager Forum Thread. Alternate images available here.
One minute tutorial on Shape Keys Video.
Weapon Animation Tutorial PDF by Toasty Fresh.
Nifskope Testing Skeleton by clanky4. Mod for testing animations in NifSkope only.
Weapon Animation Patching Tutorial PDF with separate "screenshots" file by benja.

TIP Animation Summary

Thanks to pluramon and RoyBatterian on the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following summary:

You'll find the animation options for weapons in the "Art and Sound" tab of the weapon in GECK; just double click on it.

As for the animations themselves, the Gamebryo engine uses the NetImmerse format, and there are two file types you should be familiar with:

".nif" files store all mesh 3D data and shading properties, under control nodes.
".kf" files store all animation data, manipulating the control nodes in nif files.

All ".kf" files associated with weapons share a naming convention that tells the game engine which specific action they animate. Generally the first three characters in the file name indicate the weapon type, followed by the action type, and lastly the variant tag. The exception are the "sneak" animations which begin with that prefix before following the same naming pattern as the rest. To throw in a few examples:

2haattack3.kf = two-handed automatic weapon type, attack animation #3;
2haattackloop.kf = two-handed automatic weapon type, fully-automatic fire attack animation;
sneak2hrattack5.kf = two-handed rifle weapon type, sneak attack animation #5;
1hpreloadr.kf = one-handed pistol weapon type, reload animation 'r';
2hhattackright.kf = two-hand handler weapon type, attack animation 'right'.

Each weapon animation has two versions - default (3rd-person) animation and 1st-person animation. Both share exactly the same name, only located in separate folders. From limited experience with weapon animations, it appears most 1st-person weapon animations have little to no noticeable effect in-game. The default animations are used most of the time, whether it be 1st-person or 3rd-person.

Some weapons (e.g. the "minigun" and "flamer") can utilize a "looping" sound file with the animation. The FO3 wiki article Minigun sounds describes the basic process. Getting the "loop points" to work correctly can be difficult. (The mod Automatic Weapons Fix is known to cause a problem with the ending "release" loop point.) The (free) sound editor Wavosaur is recommended as the only one which seems to work reliably with the GECK for this purpose. Also make sure the sample positions are correct in the sound form; GECK only sets them when making a new sound.

All vanilla ".nif" files and ".kf files" are packed in the archive Fallout - Meshes.bsa. After you have installed FOMM or by using BSAOpt, you will be able to extract them, and then edit them.

(See the Skyrim thread BSAs and You for details about the pros and cons of "Bethesda Software Archives" (BSAs), but bear in mind such files in previous games, like Oblivion, FallOut3 and Fallout New Vegas, don't have "strict order" like in Skyrim. Games prior to Skyrim don't support overriding of assets in archives using other archives; only loose files can. If the same resource is contained in several BSA archives, those games won't use it from the last BSA on 100% of occasions. They may grab the resource from a random one of the BSAs containing the same file.)

WARNING! Do not unpack BSAs directly into your game "Data" folder; potentially overwriting any mod files. The tools don't ask you to confirm the overwriting, either. All the hair textures unpacked to "loose files" will go through the head models in that case; because that's what happens when hair is not packed in a BSA. "Best practice" is to unpack to a unique folder (they are large: 1-2GB) and manually drag the desired files to the appropriate "Data" folder as needed.

Default animations are located in the folder "meshes\characters\_male", while their 1st-person counterparts are found in "meshes\characters\_1stperson". You will also want to extract a skeleton to work on. You will find humanoids use the one in "meshes\characters\_male\skeleton.nif". All ".nif" files that refer to a vanilla ".kif" animation look for them in the same location, so it is common for "animation replacements" to be placed in those same locations. "ArchiveInvaildation will then cause the "loose" files to be used instead of the ones in the BSA. If the replacement ".nif" files points to a different ".kf" file (which might be placed under it's own folder), every mod that uses that ".nif" will consequently use the same ".kf" file.

What's left is importing the skeleton.nif, along with the ".kf" animation file you wish to edit, to your choice 3D modelling software, then you can finally get to work.

When done, you will need to export the ".kf" file back to the folder from whence it came. Some post-editing with NifSkope may be necessary, since some properties are not always exported correctly (this applies to Blender; it may not be necessary if you're using 3DS Max/Maya). More details on importing/exporting/post-editing can be found (Blender specific) Creating a Character Animation, and (3DS Max specific) Animation Options. Both pages contain relevant info, regardless of which you use.

TIP Animation Exporting

Thanks to uhmattbravo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

You can't properly Import/Export Texture animation in Blender. Set up for such animations are best done in NifSkope. See the Material and Texture Animations in NifSkope - Tutorial by Pixelhate, which should pretty much be considered the authority on the subject.

First be sure to set the "bone priority" in Blender. To set your bone priorities open up a scripts window in Blender, select scripts | object | set bone priority. You'll need to have a bone (or all of them in a lot of cases) selected first. (For instance, you'll likely want all the bones in a special idle to be priority 25, but a lot of attack animations (as another example) use different priorities for different bones.)

The 90° rotation happens when you import a skeleton and/or animation into Blender. One of it's quirks. It's fixable. You can't rotate the rigging bones themselves to make the actor turn in game. The "armature" is all the bones together and is named the scene_root. The armature and collision together are called the "skeleton" and it won't actually rotate in game even though it appears rotated in Blender. Moving the Bip01 bone in any way except up and down, (including rotation) will move all other bones with it.

If you need to jump or move something up or down in an animation, use Bip01 Non Accum. It controls vertical movement like Bip01 controls the horizontal.

Carefully check the "start" and "stop" entries for the animation type (e.g. "1/Start" and "44/End" instead of "idle_start" and "idle_end") on the "Anim" text are correct before exporting because NifSkope translates it into "text keys".

To export the animation from Blender, basically click to use the Blender game defaults, click "animation" only, don't touch the "collision" or "shader" options, and while it may not actually make a difference, use the bsfadenode for animations. See also TIP: Exporting a mesh from Blender for import into GECK.

After exporting your animation from Blender as a ".kf" file, make sure your "animation text string" in NifSkope is set correctly (e.g. change the Cycle_Type default "Clamp" to "Loop" for repetitive movement (e.g. "mtforward") or combat animation (e.g. "2haaim"), and change the group name (the string at the top). The "group name" is usually exported from Blender as the filename (e.g. "mtforward" or "2haaim"), and needs to be changed to a name the game will recognize, such as "Forward" or "Aim". Apparently you can add on to the end of this "group name" for a special idle (e.g. SpecialIdle_Bark).

When saving the file in NifSkope, it defaults to ".nif", so for animations you need to be sure to choose ".kf" from the drop down menu list of choices.

TIP KF edit rotates Actors 90 degrees to right

The following is taken from the "First Aid for frequent problems" section of the Avoiding Blender animation pitfalls Nexus Wiki article.

Any kf that is edited usually results in the Actor facing 90 degrees to the right. It does this even when the kf is imported into Blender and then immediately exported without changing anything.

This is an issue that can be fixed in NifSkope. Apparently Bip01 will generally have a rotation applied to its "Rotation Quaternion" (Euler R) within its "interpolator".

To fix it:

click on the root NiControllerSequence in the "Block List",
then expand the submenu "Controlled Blocks" in the "Block Details",
then find and expand the "Controlled Blocks" Bip01,
click on Interpolator value,
then set Rotation Quaternion and change to "0, 0, 0".
DO THE SAME WITH 'BIP01 NonAccum' and change to 90.

Note the article has both an "easy way" and a ""hard way" if the easy version doesn't work.

TIP Play an Animation

Thanks to DoctaSax of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas" forum for the basis of the following:

The basic command/function to force an Actor to play an animation is PlayIdle: taking a string argument with the name of the idle to play. JIP LN NVSE adds the alternate, extended function PlayIdleEx which takes the Editor-ID instead. It also can determine which of an "AnimGroup" to play based upon conditions the same as the PickIdle function. See the linked commands for details.

AnimGroups are groups of animations that can be played on actors and creatures as well as some objects. Only one animation can be active at a time.
Note that some combat animations can only be played while the actor is in an "alerted" state (has a weapon drawn; see SetAlert).

When you want an Actor (even the Player) to play a specific animation, make sure you pass the reference to a "ref" variable first. For example:

ref rActor 

set rActor to PlayerRef
if rActor.IsActor
   rActor.playidle TheDesiredAnimationName
endif

Note that in the GECK, a ref variable may store either a reference or a base form. Base forms may not be used as the calling reference to functions that allow this syntax, although it may be passed as the target if the function permits this. Hence the "IsActor" check in the example, while not necessary for "PlayerRef" (which is always a reference), is a good practice.

If you want to use the console to force a particular "idle" (such as when "posing" the Actor), you must be in "3rd Person View", go into "Toggle Free Camera" (TFC) mode, select or reference the target Actor, and then issue the "PlayIdle" command. Note that the skeleton (armature) in use must be compatible with that required by the animation or it won't work correctly.

Armor and Clothes

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

3ds Max armor to Fallout New Vegas Wiki.
Armor texturing for beginners Wiki.
Creating an Armor for Fallout. Part 1 Wiki.
Creating an Armor for Fallout. Part 2 Wiki.
Creating Armor in Fallout 3 with Blender HTML.
Creating armor mashups for fallout Wiki.
How to remove the BoS decals on custom Power Armour Wiki.
Jokerine's Misc Resources Tutorials and Novac Bungalow: Standalone Armor PDF.
KGTools Clothing Converter StandAlone Tool (SAT). Automatically convert Armor, Clothing, or Equipment from one body style to another!

Note the KGTools web site containing the downloads is no longer accessible. Use the links on this site (adults 18+ only) instead.

Malos Custom Clothes Tutorial (Fallout 3) Video.
Photoshop cube maps in Fallout 3 Wiki.
Photoshop environment mapping Wiki.
Photoshop Rusted Metal Texture Video.
Using Metal and Rust textures to destroy a design HTML.

TIP Bone Weighting

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "Discussions" forum for the basis of the following:

The thing in the game that makes clothes follow body parts is called bone weighting, which is a part of the mesh/NIF file. Bone weighting is created and modified using a 3D modeling program like Blender or 3DSmax. (This can also be adjusted using NifSkope, but that works best with values that are already present.) Every vertex on the NIF is weighted to the skeleton (aka the "armature"), so as the various skeleton bones move, the clothing moves with them. If you want a piece of clothing to move with an Actor's forearm, you weight that section of clothing 100 percent to the forearm bone.

Suppose you want part of a dress to fall straight down between the legs. The parts of the dress that you want to hang are normally weighted to the thigh bones and move with the legs. If you want those parts to hang straight instead, you need to remove their weights from the thigh bones and weight them more heavily to the pelvis. If you weight them 100 percent to the pelvis then they'll just hang, regardless of the leg movement. By weighing them heavily to the pelvis, but adding in a little weight to the thigh bones then they'll move a bit with the legs, which will look more realistic.

TIP Exporting a mesh from Blender for import into GECK

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following.

Be sure you are following the correct "subject" tutorial: either for weapons or armor/clothing, etc.

For importing armor and clothing, mostly using the default in the Nif tools doesn't create a problem. When you export, make sure you "select all" before exporting to ensure that you get the armor/clothing mesh as well as the armature (aka "the skeleton"). Blender only exports whatever you have selected, so make sure you do a "select all" before exporting.

You want "Use BSFadeNodeRoot" unchecked for clothing and armor. Don't remember what all of the numbers should be all over that screen, but generally click on "Creature" and the "Skin" (not cloth) on the export options. Better record the export settings for reference in case of issues. Not sure that having cloth active instead of skin actually matters much. Anyway, no matter what's checked or unchecked on that export screen, Blender has never output all of the shader flags properly, and there does not seem to be any way to get it to do so. For regular armor/clothing parts, the type needs to be set to SHADER_DEFAULT and make sure SF_SHADOW_MAP and SF_REMAPABLE_TEXTURES are both checked. For the any visible human skin body parts (arms, legs, etc) the type needs to be set to SHADER_SKIN and make sure SF_SHADOW_MAP and SF_FACEGEN are both checked. When these flags aren't available in Blender, then you have to set them in NifSkope.

Blender usually sets the rest of the flags correctly. When the shader flags are set wrong, the typical symptoms are that everything looks fine in the GECK but is invisible in-game.

Blender Mesh Editor

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Installation of Blender wiki article. Originally written for Oblivion, "Python" and "PYFFI" are not required or used for Fallout games.
Blender Absolute Beginner Series Video Tutorials playlist.
Turn a 2D image into 3D using Blender Wiki Tutorial with pictures.
Blender rigging / skinning Wiki collection of references
Photoshop environment mapping Wiki basic tutorial on creating "environment cube maps" (*_e.dds files located in "textures\effects" folder) that happens to use Photoshop as the editor.
Rendering a cubemap/skybox HTML thread on using Blender v2.49 to create "environment cube map" (AKA cubemap/skybox). Note first post response misunderstood the problem. Keep reading.
Rigging skinning and dismemberment (aka "meatcaps") Wiki article by Leakingroof.

TIP Blender Clear the display

Thanks to M48A5 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

People complain: "When I open or import a mesh into Blender, often all that shows up is a cube. No mesh, no shape, no object ... just a cube." The solution is simple, but not obvious.

When you first open Blender, move your mouse to clear the logo. Then press the "<a>" key twice to highlight everything. When all the items in the display have a pink highlight around them, press the "move" (<m>) key. A small grid will open near where you have the cursor. Choose any of the boxes (such as the far right one on the top tier) and <Left- click> the "OK" button. This will clear the display.

You can now continue to import or create what you want with nothing else in the display.

TIP Blender Export Settings

Tnanks to AusAllerWelt and madmongo of the Nexus Fallout New Vegas "GECK and Modders" Forum for the basis of the following:

For "Fallout New Vegas" (and "Fallout 3") you want to set the default "export" settings for Blender as follows (assuming you are primarily working on Armor meshes), and then make adjustments as circumstances require.

If you start with the default settings (click the "Restore Default Settings for Selected Game" button on the lower left), click on Creature under Collision Options (top middle right), then click on either the Cloth or Skin setting just below that. Then make sure that the Use BSFadeNodeRoot setting under Shader Options (top right) is unchecked (not selected).

You can select the Shadow Map setting under Shader Options (top right) if you'd like, but you need to go into NifSkope afterwards anyway so you can set the Shadow Map Shader Option setting there, because this version of Blender always gets the following in particular "wrong". Either way works. (Using later versions of Blender brings their own problems.)

After you export your model, go into NifSkope to fix the Shader settings.

For any armor parts (i.e. "not human skin"), the Shader Type needs to be set to SHADER_DEFAULT and ensure SF_SHADOW_MAP and SF_REMAPABLE_TEXTURES are both checked (selected).
For any visible human skin body parts (arms, legs, etc,) the Shader Type needs to be set to SHADER_SKIN and ensure SF_SHADOW_MAP and SF_FACEGEN are both "checked" (selected). Blender will usually set the rest of the flags correctly.

TIP Imported NIF texture appears Black

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Mesh files (*.NIF) internally point to the texture file (*.DDS) designed for them. The "vanilla" and DLC game art assets (both mesh and texture files) are stored in "Bethesda Software Archive (BSA)" files instead of under the game "Data" folder tree while using the same folder structure. (Some mod's do this as well.) As Blender has no idea what a BSA file is, it can't find the texture file to display it. If Blender can't find the texture file, it just shows the image with a "black" texture. In order to see the textures for your mesh while looking at it in Blender you will have to extract the texture file(s) from the BSA into the appropriate folder under "Data\textures" first. Be careful to extract such files to some other location than the game "Data" folder first, and then manually copy them to the correct "Data" folder to avoid accidents.

TIP New to Blender

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following.

The Blender Noob to Pro tutorial included in the Blender v2.49b package under the Programs and Tools section is a good resource.

Some tips that maybe aren't obvious when you are starting:

Make sure you select all before exporting. Blender only exports what you have selected. Also, make sure you have the export options set properly for what you are doing. If you are making a static, click on the static button (at the top near the middle) and then below that click on the button for the closest material type (wood, metal, etc). If you are making armor, click on "creature", because armor and human skins and creature skins are all basically the same thing.
Statics and clutter items need a collision mesh. Armor, clothing, and human and creature skins don't need a collision mesh, but they do need to be parented to an armature (aka "a skeleton").
Blender tends to export statics and clutter objects fine, but the version recommended as most compatible for FNV (v2.49b) doesn't seem to export the shader flags correctly for skins (armor, clothing, etc.). If you don't go into NifSkope and fix the shader flags, your skin thing (armor, clothing, creature, etc) will end up invisible in-game.
There are two different approaches used for UV mapping. One is to start with the texture and fiddle with the mesh to fit it, and the other is to start with the mesh and let Blender give it a UV map (unwrap using "smart projection") and then fiddle with the texture instead. Either way works, and which is easier depends on what you are making.
Start by making simple modifications to things. Here's an easy one to start with. There's a coffee table mesh ("SubCoffeeTableDirty01" in the GECK) that has an upper part and a lower part to it. Edit the mesh to get rid of the upper part, and edit the collision mesh to match, then export it and put it in a mod somewhere.

There are plenty of good tutorials out there. Blender is a full-function 3-D editing tool that can be used to make everything from cartoon movies to games, so it's got a lot of stuff in there with lots of examples and tips scattered around the internet. The Nexus Mods site has a wiki "category" devoted to Blender articles. Admittedly, there's a bit of a learning curve involved. But as long as you keep plugging away at it, you'll figure it out. It will seem easy once you get used to it.

TIP Blender version NIF export

Thanks to EPDGaffney and madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

When attempting to export a model from Blender as a NIF file, you get the "traceback (most recent call last):" error message box (after reporting one or more file lines) saying:

"io_scene_nif.utility.nif_utils.NiError: non-uniform scaling not supported.  Workaround: apply size and rotations (CTRL-A) on '<object>'".

Most probably the issue lies in using a newer version of Blender. These are only minimally compatible with modding the older "Gamebryo engine" games.

You want to save your model from the newer version of Blender using ("Save As | Legacy Mesh Format") which outputs a legacy ".blend" file, and then open it in a v2.49b version of the tool. (See Image Tools above under the "Programs and Tools" section.) However, some things don't seem to export properly when you do it this way. The next bullet point is a possible way around such problems, but more likely you will just have to edit it. For this reason, many people prefer to create new meshes using Blender v2.49b since everything there just works (except hairs).
If you try to import a mesh from a different format (example: fbx) Blender v2.49b won't import it properly. (See TIP: Blender Import other Model Formats.) Instead import it into a newer version of Blender and then export as an "OBJ" format file. At that point you can (in the same newer version of Blender) just "Save As | Legacy Mesh Format" which outputs a legacy ".blend" file, as the mesh probably doesn't contain anything fancy that wouldn't export back to a legacy blend.

Most have a lot of success in general when importing "OBJ" files so they tend to use that as an intermediary format. But it isn't required when modding images from Gambryo games such as FNV and earlier. Note that an "OBJ" file is a lot like a "text" or "CSV" file and does not include a UV Map. You will need to generate a new one after importing before you can apply a texture. (See 4th bullet point in TIP: New to Blender.)

You should generally <Ctrl+A> (apply size and rotations) to everything before moving from Blender's default to another format, or rigging, or any big changes. It doesn't always matter, but it's a good practice. This needs to be done BEFORE creating "collision" or the scaling and rotation will cause the collision to not export properly. You can avoid that type of scaling in the first place by scaling in edit mode rather than object mode.

TIP Blender Import other Model Formats

Thanks to madmongo and user826 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The import options for other formats (example: fbx) or even newer version ".blend" format files into the FNV recommended version of Blender (v2.49b) are more limited in terms of results than with later versions of Blender. It is solvable with an annoying two-step process, but by using a later version of Blender that has an import option for the model format in question you can export it from that version as an "OBJ" file, then read the "OBJ" into v2.49b, which can then export it as a "NIF" file. However, it is worth noting that the NIF tools will fail in all kinds of ways if the model is too complex, so that may be an issue no matter how you do it.

Some have found that with a three-step process of, after importing the "OBJ" file into v2.49b, they then export it as a .3DS format file, and then re-import the .3DS file into v2.49b before then exporting it as a "NIF" file, they get a better result.

Collision

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Blender Video Tutorial - Convex Collision Video.
Fallout to Blender and back: Collision Meshes - Part 1 Video.
Fallout to Blender and back: Collision Meshes - Part 2 Video.
GECK: Collision creation in Blender Video.

TIP Collision Impact Sounds

Thanks to pixelhate and miguick of the Nexus Fallout "Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

In FO3 or FNV the impact sound of one material upon another (e.g. a shell casing falling upon the ground, a footstep on a wooden stair, etc.) is referenced in the collision object as "HAV_MAT" (Havok Material). But it doesn't handle the sound only; it combines it with the particles emitted when hit or shot as well as the decals associated. "Havok Material" will decide: The impact sound, the decal, the particle effect on impact, the sound when walking over a surface, and the colliding sound upon dropping, kicking, or grabbing an object. These are hard coded in the game engine and cannot be changed as far as we know. What the actor is wearing does not affect this; only the action being taken.

However, there is an INI file setting under "[Audio]":

fPlayerFootVolume=x

which has a "x" float type value of "0.65" by default. Setting "x" to "0" will make your footsteps totally silent. You can alter it in scripts using NVSE's SetNumericINISetting command, as in:

SetNumericINISetting "fPlayerFootVolume:Audio" x

Modders have found 96 "Havok Materials" which are combinations of different things mentioned before. 32 of them are the most commonly used by the game. Bear in mind that the names in the drop down list don't reflect the effect at all and can be misleading; so some experimentation may be called for to achieve the desired sound.

There's a drop down list in NifSkope or your preferred texture editor from which you can choose the most fitting one.

In NifSkope: open the "Block" list window, select the BHKCollisionObject, expand and look into each of the Nodes in the "Block Details" window.

Depending on the type and structure of the Collision, you should find one or two places where HAV_MAT is noted: double click on it to access the drop down list.

The material you set in the bhkRigidBody(T) overides any setting on the lower blocks. To get multiple "Havok Materials" with a single NIF, you have to nest multiple NiNodes and create a new bhkColisionBlock for each material you use. Check to make sure that the Layer and Layer Copy entries in your bhkRigidBody(T) and the Layer setting inside Data Layers in your bhkNiTriStripShape all match. Collision sequences are one of the few places in a ".NIF" file where the exact order is essential.

Don't forget that the "armature/skeleton" can have it's own HAV_MAT as well.

If you alter the mesh NIFs for your mod, you will have to include them in your package. There are basically two ways of doing so:

If the items are replacements for vanilla items and should affect all those items in game: place the modified meshes, keeping the original naming, in the "Data" loose folder reproducing exactly the original folder structure. These will then override the ones in the vanilla BSA file when "ArchiveInvalidation" is toggled. In that case, you shouldn't need to make any changes to your ESP/ESM files to have the new meshes active.
If the items are specific to your mod and should coexist with vanilla items: place the modified meshes, with new names, in a folder structure specific to your mod. You will then be creating new unique instances of the items using those meshes under that unique path and have to include them in your ESP/ESM files.

TIP Custom Object Collision

Thanks to madmongo and pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Sometimes (even though you added "collision" to an object) when you initially place it on a shelf or other surface with collision just fine, it seems to fall at least partially through the surface when the cell reloads. If precisely aligning your object with the surface results in it sinking, try placing the object's Z-axis just slightly above the surface collision boundary and let it drop into collision with the surface. However, this only works if the object is a "Movable Static" based upon "Havok Materials", whose weight gives them "gravity" physics. (See also TIP: Collision Impact Sounds and the GECK entry for Object Palette.)

Part of the issue can be in how you created the collision mesh. For simple objects, just copy the mesh for your custom object from the vanilla object mesh. However, that doesn't work so well for complex objects with a complex collision mesh. It's preferable to use a simple box collision (which can be created in Nifskope instead of your "mesh editor"). For "havoked" or "grabable" objects: primative collision (sphere, box, or capsule) are preferable to avoid engine problems.

Conversions

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Converting FO3 Mod for FNV Thread.
Converting F03 mods to TTW & FNV Wiki.
New Clothing Body Style Converter Tool, behind a "gated" "Adult (18+) Only site".
FNVEdit Creating compatibility patches for "Brumbeks Inventory Sorting" (BIS) by JaHn3tiC Video.
FNVEdit Making a Feature (Basic Compatibility) Patch by Roy Batty Video.
FNVEdit Training Manual PDF. Generally applies to all 'xEdit' versions for other games. Chapter 7 is on converting FO3 mods to FNV.
Grammarly pretty well regarded grammar checker, with free versions of their plugins for browsers.
How to make a Custom Race PDF.
Tone Analyzer uses linguistic analysis to detect three types of tones from written text: emotions, social tendencies, and writing style. Users can use the online Tone Analyzer service to analyze conversations and communications.

Tools behind a "gated" "Adult (18+) Only site" in their "modder resources" section.

New Clothing Body Style Converter Tool
Clothing Converter Lattice Library Resource.

TIP Converting meshes

Thanks to madmongo and MA48A5 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Other games has meshes you would like to use; either vanilla or from mods. Which game is better to get a mesh from? Quality wise, and which game is easiest to convert said mesh to FNV? Oblivion, Skyrim, or Skyrim Special Edition?

If this is for your own personal use, there's no issue. If this is for a mod that you plan on releasing on the Nexus (or anywhere else), then you can't use assets from other games (period). They are copyright protected against "distribution" without permission. Not even from other Bethesda games in the same series like Fallout. (The exception is if the resources are already included in the "destination" game's files even though not used.)

You can only use assets from other mods if the mod author gives you explicit permission to do so (e.g. "this is a modder's resource").

That said, the game engine for Oblivion is fairly close to the game engine for FO3/FNV. They changed quite a bit for Skyrim. In any event, the skeletons for the player and for NPCs is different for any of the TES games. If you are porting over armor or clothing, you'll need to unparent the mesh from its original armature and reparent the mesh to the FNV skeleton, and of course reassign all of the bone weights as you'd expect from doing that sort of thing.

Statics don't have a skeleton so those will port much more easily.

Some things just won't port. Skyrim Special Edition, being 64-bit, is about impossible to convert to a 32-bit game.(See also Footnote [1]) So that leaves Skyrim and Oblivion. Skyrim armor that uses wings for example won't ever animate properly in FNV no matter what you do, because the FNV skeleton doesn't include wings. To make them work, you'd have to not only create a new skeleton/armature, but you'd also have to create a whole bunch of animations to go with the new skeleton. Otherwise, the best you can do is have static wings, which will look a bit funny. (There is one armature with support for moving wings by Deedes (2014) on Nexus with versions for FO3: The Skeleton and FNV: The Skeleton. You would have to re-parent the mesh to that armature.)

The New Clothing Body Style Converter Tool, behind a "gated" "Adult (18+) Only site" in their "modder resources" section, is designed to facilitate converting "armor" and "clothing" between different body types. However, it is still in "Beta" status since 2014, but does work with upper/lower body meshes and CBBE bodies. Note you will need either an existing Clothing Converter Lattice Library or to make one yourself.

Skyrim, being a newer game, has more detailed meshes in general, and mod authors have generally followed suit and have created similarly more detailed custom meshes. While this does make for higher quality 3d models, you can run into difficulty if you use a lot of higher quality models and textures in FNV since it's an older 32-bit game and it will only use 2 GB of memory by default. You can double that to 4 GB if you install the 4 GB patch, but that's as far as you can take it. (32-bits can't address any more than 4GB.) Your PC may have gobs more memory than that, but FNV won't use it. So it's very easy to run the game out of memory if you use high resolution textures and high quality models.

The recommendation is almost never use any textures larger than 1024 x 1024 pixels for FNV unless it absolutely needs a higher resolution due to the nature of the 3D model, just because of the memory issue. Also try to keep the triangle count (vertices) as low as possible. If you use a lot of 4096 x 4096 textures, your game will look prettier, but it's also going to crash a lot more often. (A 4096 x 4096 pixel image with 16 bit color resolution is 32 MB of data. If your screen is displaying 100 different models with textures that size, that's 3.2 GB of data just for the textures. Since a 32 bit program can only handle 4 GB of data, you can see how trying to display a lot of high resolution models is going to run the game out of memory very quickly.) The texture caching system in FNV seems to leak memory. The more you stress it, the sooner it will run the game out of memory and crash.

Footnote [1]: This statement deserves some clarification.

A lot of people seem to think that anything made with a 64 bit program can't be compatible with stuff made by a 32 bit program. That's not true. What matters is the data format that the programs use. If the format is the same, then the data will work for both the 32 and 64 bit programs. There's nothing special about the data created by a 64 bit program. It's just data. The key is in the format.

32 bit programs can't access more than 4 GB of memory. This is because 2 to the 32nd power is 4 GB, so if all you have is 32 bits available to specify a memory location, it has to be in the lower 4 GB of memory. This is why FO3 and FNV will never use more than 4 GB of memory (2 GB without the "4 GB patch") no matter what. The programs just aren't capable of accessing any more memory than that.

Skyrim SE is basically a 64 bit port of Skyrim using the updated Creation Engine that they developed for Fallout 4 (FO4). For porting objects from one game to another, we don't really care about that. What we care about is whether the NIF file format changed between Skyrim and Skyrim SE. There are plenty of programs which come in 32 and 64 bit versions, and both use the same data format to store their data if you select it, so you can use either the 32 bit or the 64 bit version.

For Skyrim SE though, they were playing around with the Creation Engine for FO4 development, and they made changes to the NIF format for FO4. It's not known how many of those changes (if any) were made to the NIF format for Skyrim SE, but if you can't easily import meshes from Skyrim SE into Blender (for example), it's because the tool set hasn't been updated to handle the data format difference. It's a data format difference, not a 32 vs 64 bit difference.

TIP Copying between plugins

The Trick is to make an ESP first, only dependent on the main master file. Save and close it.

Best way to make a new ESP file is to drop something in the "Render" window, then save and name the file. So loading a cell first is needed. Suggest Wasteland cell / Good Springs. You can of course delete that cell later if it's not needed for your purposes.

Then open the GECK adding the other files from which you want to use assets, with your new .ESP as the "active file".

Creature Creation

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The process of creating a "creature" is essentially the same as creating a "NPC Companion", but without the "companion wheel".

Adding a custom creature to Fallout 3 Tutorial by Ominus PDF. Very Basic.
Bethsoft Tutorial NPC population HTML. Covers the basic placement of leveled lists for enemy spawning and the use of generic patrol and sandbox package behaviors.
Bringing Life to the Mojave by Mindboggles PDF.
GECK Tutorial - Creature/NPC Companion by Seddon4494 Video.
GECK Tutorial: Custom Creature Part 1 (of 4) by gerokeymaster Video.

TIP Locate Embedded Creature Weapon

Thanks to uhmattbravo of the Nexus FalloutNV 'New Vegas GECK and Modders' sub-forum for the following:

If you're using an existing creature, the quickest way to locate an embedded weapon would be to look at one of it's existing weapons in GECK.
If it came from a resource, and doesn't have any existing weapons, open the skeleton in Nifskope and look at the end of bones where it would be logical to fire from. Typically it's named projectile node or something similar, but it's also one of the few (if not only) bones that doesn't start with bip01.

Custom NPCs

Other sections have relevant information to this subject. The following "Tips" in particular are applicable.

See the Dialogue & Lip-synch section regarding scripting "Dialogue" and "Conversations".

TIP: Adding Generic Dialog.
TIP: Conversation/Quest system.
TIP: Obsidian Conversation Editor (OCE).
Tip: Random NPC Comments.
TIP: Standard Dialog.

See the Scripting section regarding:

types of scripts: Objects, Quests, and "Base Effects".
TIP: Do not begin Editor-IDs with numbers.
TIP: Debugging Compound Conditionals.
TIP: Debugging data to file.
TIP: Don't overlook EventHandlers.
TIP: Encapsulation - Parens, Brackets, and Braces.
TIP: Function parameter separation with commas.
TIP: GECK parses the entire line before evaluating.
TIP: NPC Weapon Choice.
TIP: Pass a variable number into a script message.
TIP: Passing a 'Note' to the player.
TIP: Passing a 'Recipe' to the player.

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

"All Companions are NPCs, but not all NPCs are Companions." Both are discussed in this section, but please note and bear in mind the distinction when used.

Advanced Companion creation guide with Companion Wheel HTML. (Most recommended.)
CMF Companion Tutorial RTF by Darkfirebird CMF.
FNV Companion Tutorial Forum Thread by trilioth.
GECK: Adding items to vendors Wiki tutorial.
GECK: Companion Tutorial playlist by cgy95 Video series.
GECK: Creating a new vendor Wiki tutorial.
GECK: Creating an NPC Video.
GECK: Custom NPC and Dialog Video.
GUIDE: Replacing Vanilla Hair with Modded Hair Forum Thread.
Hairs - Eyes - Races Auto - Patcher mod by Fallout 2AM.
Jokerine's Misc Resources Tutorials and Novac Bungalow: Quick 'n' Dirty Merchant PDF.
NCCS - NosCo Companion System Mod. Ready-made basic, customizable companions without the "companion wheel" (available as a plugin). The "companion scripts" make useful examples. There's a guide that comes with it; it's really a case of loading it up in the GECK, duplicating one of the NCCS NPCs, switching it to one of the premade scripts and dumping it in game. Ta-da: the basic companion is done and then all you have to do is customise it.
Rivens Tattoo Flash Sheets Resource. (Copy-and-paste tattoos.)
Tutorial: How to Make a Custom Race PDF by jim_uk.
Tutorial: Creating a custom PC Race RTF by MagicThize.
Tutorial: How to Make a Freakish Custom Race (Tutorial) PDFs by lazyradly, beardofsocrates, and FancyPants. Details on how to create ".EGMs", ".EGTs", proper NIFs, etc.

TIP Actor height in GECK

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

If you want to make an Actor taller or shorter in the GECK, just modify their Height on the Traits tab. It's a little confusing because most Actors have a value of "0.00" for height, which just means use the default: "0.00" is the same as setting the height to "1.00" (told you it's confusing). If you set it to something other than zero, then it's a percentage scale factor. In other words, if you set the height to "0.95" then they'll be "95 percent" as tall as the default, or about 5 percent shorter. Setting the height to "1.05" would make them 5 percent taller (105 percent of normal height).

Body meshes can just be copied from FO3 to FNV (and vice-versa, but that's illegal "porting": so, personal use only). The skeleton is the same. The only thing that is different between the two games as far as body parts are concerned is "hair" and "hats", which end up rotated by 90 degrees between the two games. You can fix that in NifSkope by just rotating the part by 90 degrees. (See TIP: Head Parts Rotated under the "Custom Items" section.) You don't need to re-parent meshes to armatures and that sort of thing.

If you want your Actor to be about a foot shorter, that's about 84 percent at the default height of about 6 feet, so set their height to "0.84".

TIP AI Package Basics

You need to understand the difference between an AIPackage and an AIProcedure. Also, check out the Category:AI Functions to understand the less obvious things you can do with them. (Take the time to read the linked wiki pages.)

First you have to chose the correct type of Package to use; investigating how each is intended to be used and actually functions in practice for your purposes. Remember: only one Package will run on any given Actor at a time; but that package can have several Procedures within it to deal with different circumstances. While there is overlap between the two, note that Procedures is a longer list. Don't get ahead of yourself: work on and refine each Procedure by itself before you attempt to combine them into a comprehensive Package. (You will use "condition flags" to control which gets used when. More on this later.)

For example: "Stalking" would be a Procedure that is more than just a simple "follower" script because you want the Actor to try to remain unnoticed. For one thing, you might want to use an "Escort" or "Guard" base package instead of "Follow". "Sneaking" is inherently slower than normal movement, but NPCs "cheat" by "teleporting" when they get too far away from the target they are following. (You might not have noticed this unless you checked on companions behind yourself frequently in rough terrain.) But you might find you need to shift in and out of "sneak" mode. Various Target Followers may affect what you need for the effective trailing distance to avoid having aggressive ones attacking your "stalker".

Once you get that functional, you might want a "flee" Procedure that will keep that Actor at a proper distance from the Target without losing track of them so it can resume "following". A "special case" to test is if your "stalker" is fleeing while the Target changes cells. In which case, what are you going to have your "stalker" do to "pick up the scent" of their Target again?

When the Actor gets far enough from the Target, they then might need a Procedure to find somewhere to "hide" (break line-of-sight from the Target), wait a reasonable amount of time for any followers to stop "searching for enemies", and then resume the "Follow" / "Stalk" AI procedure.

AI packages are in a priority list of "conditions". ("Conditions" are just variables, often called "flags", you define and set to control things. A common use is a "do once" variable in a "quest" script. You are going to need to "set" and "clear" a number of them for this to indicate when to use only one procedure or package at a time.) The first package that meets all of it's conditions as "true" then is used. While the AddScriptPackage and RemoveScriptPackage functions might seem appropriate to generally use, they have major limitations. (See TIP Using AI Packages and the linked description for more details on this.) Just adding a package does not place the package within the priority list; instead it overrides the list for immediate implementation but goes away once completed and won't matter after that as it's conditions are never evaluated after that point. Typically you will want to place your package in the AI Packages Tab list of packages for your "stalker" Actor, set the appropriate "conditional flag variables", and use the "Evaluate Package" (EVP) function to cause the list to be processed again to determine which is now the "first true" package. Note that you do not use EVP with AddScriptPackage. That function performs the equivalent immediately when called.

Each Package needs to consider that it may encounter conditions that require another Package or Procedure to take precedence and execute. You do not simply "resume" an AI package where you left off. It starts over whatever the current situation is when it gets invoked. That could be in a completely different cell than where it left off. This is why it is important to keep your "condition flags" current and updated as things change.

TIP AI Packages and Distance

Thanks to EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Supposing you want your character to meet up with an NPC at some X-Marker location, but they aren't there when you "fast travel" to that location? You need to "teleport" them ,but you don't want to just make them "vanish". Here is one way to handle it.

In the "Dialog Result Script" where you make the NPC start using your "AI Package" to send them to that location, also start a "quest script" (e.g. "ThisQuestName"). This quest should have a processing delay of perhaps one second, and then check for the player to be a certain distance away from the NPC, and for the NPC to not be in the player's view ("Line of Sight": LoS). Once it's found that both requirements are satisfied, the NPC is teleported to the marker and the quest was ended. The quest is set to be stopped on proper completion of the AI package as well, in case it's still running.

The example script below uses the JIP LN NVSE function GetDistance2D, but it will work fine with the vanilla GetDistance function as well.

Begin GameMode
    ; separation of player and NPC check
    If player.GetDistance2D refNPC >= 2048
        If player.GetLOS refNPC == 0
            refNPC.moveto refMarker
            ; maybe remove their AI package or add another one or whatever here?  maybe EVP?
            StopQuest ThisQuestName
        EndIf
    EndIf
End

Begin GameMode
    ; NPC near X-Marker check
    if refNPC.GetDistance2D refMarker <= 64
        StopQuest ThisQuestName
    endif
End

GetLOS isn't always reliable, so in some situations it may be preferred just to increase the distance; maybe use GetDistance3D. GetLOS has returned "true" when the NPC or object was at the very edge of the player's camera, and has not realized the player couldn't see the NPC. These both require an extreme circumstance, and most of the time it works fine; but it's best to test each situation.

TIP Avoid CTD previewing NPCs

To avoid crashing the GECK when you desire to "preview" an NPC, try opening their face "advanced" tab first. Then go back to one of the other tabs to check the "Preview Full". And when editing, click "Ok" for closing the NPC window, and then save the file instead of switching to the other tabs. Don't leave "edits" hanging when switching among tabs.

TIP Changing only one race

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Since the GECK is really an evil Vault-Tek experiment designed to test modder's frustration levels, one of the annoying things that it does is any time you even click on a race to view it, it marks that race as changed. Your mod will therefore not only create your custom race, but it will also overwrite any other mod's changes to the (Caucasian, Asian, Asian Child, Ghoul, etc.) races. If you don't want your mod to change these other races, when you start up the GECK: select your mod and select Details. Then select the races other than your custom race one by one, and press the <Delete> key. That will flag those changes so that they don't get loaded when you next load up the GECK. Now load your mod up as usual and save it. That will get rid of the extra races in your mod that you probably didn't want to modify.

Alternately, you can use FNVEdit to remove the extra race records. It's a bit less clicking and fiddling to do it in the GECK, but either way works.

TIP Companion Wheel

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus FalloutNV 'New Vegas GECK and Modders' sub-forum for the following basic summary:

To make the companion wheel work, you MUST use the specific dialog options and variables shown in the Advanced Companion creation guide with Companion Wheel tutorial, as those are the options that the command wheel is expecting. Hopefully when converting an existing one, the original companion has enough dialog options that you can just copy the voice files to the dialog topics that you need. The tutorial has two quests, one that runs the companion and one that is only to hire the companion. You don't really need a quest to hire the companion. You can just do it through dialog if you really want to keep it simple.

Only one companion conversation option should be active at a time. In other words, if you already have a dialog option for the companion to follow you, you need to disable that conversation option and use the existing FollowersLetsGo topic instead. Similarly, if you have a wait option, you need to disable that and use FollowersWait instead. Using SetPlayerTeammate 1 in the hiring script is enough make the command wheel appear whenever you talk to the NPC, but the command wheel options won't actually work unless you use the Followers topics: such as FollowersWait, FollowersLetsGo, FollowersTrade, and the various FollowersTactics' options.

If the topics aren't showing up, check to make sure you have Top Level checked (upper right on the quest form) and make sure that the conditions are valid. Also, trading (OpenTeammateContainer) won't work unless the NPC is set to be a teammate (you've done a SetPlayerTeammate 1 on the NPC, which is usually done when hiring the NPC).

Make sure you have a line with SetPlayerTeammate 0 when firing the companion so the command wheel will no longer show up when you talk to them. The tutorial has the details of exactly which topics you need to use.

span id="Tip-CustomRaceFaces"></span>

TIP Custom Race and Faces

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

A custom race doesn't give you a custom face. (The head mesh is separate from the body mesh and the race textures. See TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures.) It gives you a custom face blueprint that is further modified by all of the FaceGen stuff (see FaceGen: Heads, Faces, Hairs, and Helmets section) when you actually apply it to your NPC or player preset. If the custom race version is pretty close to what you want, then you'll probably want to adjust all of the sliders in both the Geometry and the Texture section of the NPC pretty close to the middle (zero) for each slider. There are some shading and tinting effects that always get applied whether you want them or not, which is a royal pain in the backside sometimes. Unfortunately, there's no known way to disable them.

TIP Custom Race and Skin Textures

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose you want to add tattoos (or scars or whatever decoration) to the skin of a particular NPC or race. The body texture is controlled by the race, not by the mesh "NIF" file. You need to change this in the GECK. NifSkope won't help you here.

You are probably going to want to create a custom race for your character, otherwise the tattoo will show up on every NPC who is a member of that race.

To create a custom race, open up the GECK with at least the Fallout New Vegas.ESM file selected, select the Actor Data | Race tab on the left (in the Object Window), double click on one of the races to bring up the Race form, and now select one of the races to duplicate. (Note there is a "TestQACaucasian" race that is not otherwise used if you want to try out the process.) If your tattooed character is Caucasian, for example, right-click on the Caucasian race and select Duplicate.

Important Note: Since the GECK is an evil Vault-Tec tool designed to test modder's frustration levels, it's important to note that, for no other reason than it's evil, it has now decided to mark your original vanilla Caucasian race as modified, even though you haven't made any modifications to it, thus guaranteeing that your tattoo mod will conflict with any other mods that modify the Caucasian race. Stupid GECK. (See also TIP: Changing only one race.) Fortunately, fixing this is fairly simple. You can use FNVEdit to remove the modified Caucasian race from your mod, OR you can just save your mod, start up the GECK again, select Data, and instead of just selecting your new mod, highlight your new mod and select the Details button (at the bottom next to the Set as Active File button). There should be a RACE entry under the Type Column, with the Caucasian Editor-ID. Highlight that and press the <Delete> key. This will mark the modified Caucasian race as not to be loaded by the GECK. Select the Close button, and now load up your mod in the GECK. With that your mod no longer includes the modified Caucasian race, so save your mod, and now the unintentionally modified vanilla Caucasian race is permanently gone from your mod.

Now that you have a modified race to work with, again select Race on the left side and double-click on your "new race" to bring up the Race form with your "new race" selected. Make sure you do not even click on any other race, or that race will be marked as modified by your mod (stupid GECK). Again, if you goof up and accidentally click on another race, you can mark it as deleted during load and get rid of it that way, or you can clear it out using FNVEdit.

Make sure the Playable box is checked. As long as you copied from another playable race, it should be checked already.

Select the Text Data tab at the top of the Race form, and change the name of your "new race". If you don't do this, when you go to select your race during character creation, you'll have two races that both say Caucasian (or whatever race you copied) and you won't be able to tell which race is which. So change it to something like Tattoo Race or Caucasian Tattoo or whatever you want to call it.

If you are only modifying the female body texture, check the Female box down at the bottom where it says editing. (There is a box for Male and Female, and Male is checked by default.)

There are four textures that define a human body: The body texture (includes torso, arms, legs, and feet), left hand, right hand, and head. All of these except the head are found on the Body Data tab. The default human bodies use the same texture for both the right and left hand. For my tattooed characters, I have given them custom tattoos on each hand and therefore have ended up with unique textures for both the left and right hands. Just click on Edit and select your new textures. If you are only replacing the body texture, then you only need to modify the Upper Body Texture and you can leave the hand textures alone.

Another important note: You only select the main texture file (i.e. upperbodyfemale.dds) in the GECK. The GECK, and the game, assume that the normal map and skin files are in the same folder, and have exactly the same name as the main texture, except with "_n" for the normal map and "_sk" for the skin appended to the base filename. In other words:

If your tattooed texture is called upperbodyfemale.dds:

the normal map has to be upperbodyfemale_n.dds, and
the skin needs to be upperbodyfemale_sk.dds.

If your tattooed texture is called tattoobody.dds, then

the normal map needs to be tattoobody_n.dds, and
the skin needs to be tattoobody_sk.dds.

Typically, if you are only adding tattoos to an existing texture, you can just copy the "_n" and "_sk" files from the original body to the folder with your new tattoo texture. Each modified texture (body, left hand, right hand, head) that you have needs a matching "_n" and "_sk" file.

It should go without saying that all of these textures have to be somewhere in your "Data\Textures" folder.

The head texture works the same, except it is under the Face Data tab instead of the Body Data tab with all of the other textures.

Once you have all of your modifications done and you have all of the files in the right place, you can click the preview boxes to look at your race's Head or Full view.

Something else to note: if you make changes to the head texture and preview it, further changes to the head texture don't always show up in the GECK. It caches a copy of your head texture and sometimes won't show any newer version in the preview window. You can shut down the GECK and reload your mod to properly preview your head texture changes if that happens. It will usually pick up modifications to the body texture if you preview again though. It's only the head texture that gets stuck (it has the same issue for textures for items and other non-NPC things). See also TIP: Switching Custom Facial Features.

If you are using a custom body for your player, you can select the NIF for that on the Body Data tab as well. There is an Upper Body model, and a Left and Right Hand model. For hand and body NIFs, all you need is the NIF in your Meshes folder. Head meshes need an "EGM" file as well, and the file name again needs to match. If your NIF is CustomHead.nif then the "EGM" needs to be CustomHead.egm, for example.

If all you are doing is adding a texture to whatever the default mesh is on your system for that race, then you probably don't need to worry about custom NIFs. This is true even if you are using a body replacer, since they tend to place themselves in the same location as the default vanilla body NIFs in the folder structure. In other words, if you are using say the "Type 3 body replacer" and your "tattoo texture" is for "Type 3", you already have custom NIFs in your Meshes\Characters... folder for the "Type 3", and those are already what gets loaded by the GECK for each race type. You don't need to have a custom "Type 3" NIF for your character.

On the other hand, if you want a custom NIF just for your character so that they use a different mesh than the default races, then you will need to specify a custom NIF in the race in the GECK. Whatever body texture is defined in the NIF ends up getting ignored by the game, though. The game will use the custom texture defined in the GECK instead.

TIP Hostility between NPCs

Hostilities will not immediately break out between two NPCs when they come into proximity simply because they are in "Enemy" Factions. Their actions are influenced by the NPCs personal "aggression" and "confidence" numbers (on the GECK "AI Data Tab" page and the resulting "Threat Ratio" at the time.

You can use the "setav" command in script to change the "Actor Value" for permanent changes or "DamageActorValue" and "RestoreActorValue" for temporary changes to the "Stats List". (See the GECK "Actor Value Code" list.) Be careful about the scope of effect of your changes. Read the warnings under "Actor Value" carefully.

There are ten "user defined/mod actor values". They have no defined game functions, but can be used by quests to establish permanent data on the actor. Keep in mind that setting one of the variables on an actor implicitly defines that variable for ALL actors, not just in your mod. Using these values to store extra information has the potential to cause conflicts with other mods. If you need to store information on an actor, use a token (an unplayable, therefore invisible, piece of armour) instead.

TIP Interrupt combat for dialog

Thanks to clanky4 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose you want an NPC (once engaged) to interrupt combat in order to switch to some dialog: such as to offer to surrender when their HP drops low enough. (An example of this is during the "Dog/God" fight in the kitchen of the Sierra Madre Casino, but that script is a mess to try to interpret.)

When the conditions for that interruption are correct, use the command:

PlayerRef.StopCombatAlarmOnActor

This ends the fighting flag for all enemies targeting the specified actor (e.g. PlayerRef). All hostile actors that are in combat with that actor will return to their normal routines. Now they can enter into dialog (or other activities such as a "run away" travel package).

If you wish to only stop the fighting flag for a single actor, refer to StopCombat.

TIP Making NPCs move aka AI Packages

Thanks to madmongo, EPDGaffney, and FiftyTifty of the Nexus FalloutNV 'New Vegas GECK and Modders' and kingbeast88 of the 'New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting' sub-forums for the following basic summary of how to get NPCs to move:

An NPC that just stands there typically is doing so because they don't have an GECK: AI package to run.

A typical companion will have a companion script which will have defined a number of GECK: Packages: a Follow default package, a Follow Long package, an Idle/Wait package, and a Non-hired package (they may use the same package for Wait and Non-hired, like a sandbox type package, for example). Each of the packages must have a condition variable, which will typically be the equivalent of "if (IsFollowingDefault == 1)" for the follow default package, or IsFollowingLong for the follow long package, or HasBeenHired is set to zero for the Not-hired sandbox (or whatever) package, and "if (waiting == 1)" for the Wait package. If you don't have a condition, then the package will want to always run. Those variables (e.g. IsFollowingDefault, IsFollowingLong, etc.) all have to be defined in the NPC's script. You set the various variables to match what you want the character to do as the way you control which package is used, then do an EvaluatePackage (.EVP) function on the NPC to get them to switch.

Function ResetAI clears all current AI behaviors from an actor. Combat, pathing, and packages are re-evaluated. This is a severe command that affects all AI behavior. Usually, you just want to have an actor re-evaluate its current package. In that case, use EvaluatePackage instead. (When using the number of "tokens" present in an Actor's inventory to control AI packages, one author found it necessary to use ResetAI instead of EVP in order to get their script to function correctly more often than the first time. The cause behind this behavior is unknown.)

Following

So, if you want your NPC to Follow you, it's necessary to script the following in the NPC's conversation quest (replace "MyNPCREF" with the NPC's actual Ref-ID, obviously):

Set IsFollowingDefault to 1

Set IsFollowingLong to 0

Set waiting to 0

MyNPCREF.evp

If you want the NPC to Follow Long, you would do the following:

Set IsFollowingDefault to 0

Set IsFollowingLong to 1

Set waiting to 0

MyNPCREF.evp

(Also, on the NPC object: uncheck the no low-level processing box if they need to follow you through portals consistently.)

And if you want the NPC to Wait, you would do the following:

Set IsFollowingDefault to 0

Set IsFollowingLong to 0

Set waiting to 1

MyNPCREF.evp

(Don't forget to set the Guard Location on the Wait package to "Near Current Location" instead of the default "Near Editor Location", or the companion will run off to wait at their spawn site.)

Note that you want to set variables to enable your packages, and also clear variables to stop the other packages from trying to run. You want to set it up so that the only condition that evaluates to true is the one that's for the package you want the NPC to run. For example: if you want the NPC to follow the "default" package, you need to enable the IsFollowingDefault variable while disabling both the IsFollowingLong and the Wait package variables.

Conversations

The HasBeenHired variable would be used to enable or disable various conversation options, and would also be set when the NPC is hired and cleared when the NPC is fired (and again, an .EVP would be done to get the character to sandbox when not hired so they don't just stand there like an idiot).

If you want a fully functional command wheel, you have to use the conversation topics that the command wheel expects.

The first tutorial listed ('Advanced Companion creation guide with Companion Wheel') is recommended for learning to use the "companion command wheel".

AIPackage-GoingHome_Fig-01

Some people prefer to follow the simpler instructions and example in the FNV Companion Tutorial Thread by trilioth (even though it does not include how to use the "companion wheel"), but get confused at "Step 3: Create AI Packages".

The way this was done in the vanilla game (and the AIPackage-GoingHome_Fig-01 image here) was using quest variables, whereas trilioth's tutorial uses script variables. Follow the tutorial, as based on the preceding steps you should have these variables in your object script, not your quest script. The way you create the package is the same otherwise. (See AIPackage-GoingHome_Fig-01. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

(WARNING: There is a bug in GECK on versions of Windows after Win7 that causes the columns under the "Conditions" tab to be collapsed to the left and appear to not be present. Accessing this field in the "AI Package" form consistently causes this bug to trigger, and it then affects other "list box" type fields in other forms. Please see the Issue: GECK is missing text in fields entry for suggestions on dealing with this.)

Package Types

For Patrol packages your "Patrol Leader" NPC needs to be linked to your first "X marker" in the navmeshed patrol path. (See the TIP: Navmeshing Exterior cells.) All "X markers" in the patrol path need a unique ID, need to be persistent, and linked to each other in the succession you wish it traversed. "Idle markers" can be used but need duration times set and need to be made persistent. Patrol packages might be buggy with idle markers: they worked in Fallout 3, but in the experience of mod creators have issues in New Vegas. For parties of more than one Actor, the remainder should "Guard" the "Patrol Leader" in order to react to threats to that Leader.

To make a new Patrol package with a unique ID: Just edit a base package to your liking; then change the Editor-ID name. GECK will create a new form. Make sure the package type is Patrol, the starting location is a linked reference (e.g. "X marker"), and flagged repeatable. Then give the NPC the new package and link your NPC to the first marker in the patrol path.

An NPC not waking up from sleep is an indication the time schedule conflicts with another package. All it should need is a package type of Sleep, a schedule time and duration (do not allow the times to overlap with other packages), flag enable fallout behavior & for location: the name of a cell or a linked reference (which needs to be selected) or a near reference (if you have multiple beds for instance and don't care which they use).

Sandboxing chooses things completely at random, including just standing where they are and picking idles from the idle manager. Exterior sandbox type packages need a package type of sandbox, and a wander location set with a radius, rather than just in a particular cell. Set whatever flags you want in: allowed behavior, enabled fallout behavior in flags, and a non overlapping time scheduled.

You'll also want to avoid locking/unlocking doors in packages, as this is completely broken and unreliable in New Vegas.

When you send someone away (i.e. "no longer hired" or "go home"), set the "GoHome" package to be a "sandbox" type instead of "travel", and they will automatically run off to the "home" location to sandbox there. The game scripts often teleport actors to that location first when they want to avoid encountering "hostiles" enroute. Be sure you first set the conditions you are using as appropriate (i.e. "not hired", "available for hire", etc.) before an ".EVP" command to take immediate effect.

Be very careful using "AddScriptPackage <packagename>". In practice, whenever an NPC teleports (fast travel, goes through a door, etc) they tend to stop running whatever AI package was added through AddScriptPackage, and then use a suitable sandbox package. It's a useful function for some things, but it won't work in cases like this (traversing cells).

If your NPCs take off for parts unknown when following a package, make sure you have a "North Marker" placed in the cell.

To make the NPC go back to Goodsprings (for example), you need a package that sends him there. The condition for the package will be similar to "<CompanionREF>.HasBeenHired == 0". You don't necessarily need to make an Xmarker the destination. You can have the package be a sandbox inside the "Goodsprings Saloon" cell if you want. Then he'll just sandbox around inside the Saloon whenever he isn't hired and he'll go back there if you fire him. See also TIP: Using AI Packages.

Teleporting and Following Navmeshes

In order for a companion to teleport to you when you go through a door (or otherwise teleport elsewhere, as when using Fast Travel), all the companion needs is to be set as your companion, i.e. you executed the script command SetPlayerTeammate 1.

Additionally, for a companion to follow you, the companion needs to have a follow package and that package needs a conditional variable on it which is "true", and all other packages that the companion has need conditions that are "false" at the same time so that they will not run instead of the follow package.

For example. let's say your NPC has a follow package and a wait package, and a variable npc_following and a variable npc_waiting. The follow package has the condition "if npc_following = 1" and the wait package has the condition "if npc_waiting = 1". If you "set npc_following to 1" and "set npc_waiting to 0", and then execute an EVP command on the NPC, then they should follow you. If you want them to wait, "set npc_following to 0" and "set npc_waiting to 1". If you accidentally set both variables to 1 then either package could execute (depending upon their sequence in the packages list), so the NPC might follow you or they might not. If you accidentally set both variables to 0 then the companion will not do anything.

The other thing that might stop a companion from moving is if they aren't on a valid Navmesh. If the area that they are in isn't Navmeshed, then they will just stand there.

TIP Merchant Inventory

Thanks to EPDGaffney and madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The GECK tutorial Adding items to vendors fails to point out that you can only have one merchant/vendor container in a different cell (such as "VendorChestsCell"). For example, if you open up the GECK and go to the NovacGiftShop cell and double click on Cliff Briscoe (which brings up his "reference editor"), and then click on the "Merchant" tab, you will see where his merchant chest gets linked in even though it's in a different cell. You can change that link to a different container, but you can't add a second container there.

If you want to add a second container, you can't place it in a different cell. It has to be in the cell where the merchant is located and the cell has to have its ownership set to the merchant. And of course the container has to be persistent and its ownership has to be set to the merchant.

You can place the container in the shop (hidden behind a wall or underground if you'd like), or you can place the items individually in the shop.

Another approach is to add the items directly to the merchant's original container. There are two ways to do this. First, you can just edit the original container. That works, but breaks compatibility with any mods that also edit that container. The second way to do it is to use a script to add the items to the container, like making a quest with a quest script that is set to run once to add the items. Since you aren't actually modifying the container permanently, this second approach won't break things if another mod also wants to modify the same container.

Let's suppose you want to have a merchant sell certain items only if you succeed in a "speech check". The solution to adding this inventory leads to some interesting bits of information pertaining to inventories in general.

Merchants will sell any items that are marked as owned by them as long as their container or the item is in the same cell when the ShowBarterMenu function is called. This includes items lying about the shop outside an obvious container (apparently the shop itself, i.e. the "interior cell", can count as one if solely owned by the NPC; as exemplified by buying Chet's silenced pistol from him removes the one in his display case and that doesn't appear to be specifically scripted anywhere). Of course, the merchant in question must be able to sell that type of item (e.g. the merchant must have the AID service ticked in their NPC form or the wine in their owned fridge won't be available to buy in the barter menu).

The tested conditions determining what can be sold are:

Any item that is owned by the merchant, in the cell with them, enabled, and a type that they can sell will turn up in their barter menu.
These items do not need to be in containers.
Additionally, the merchant's own personal inventory is an "owned container", and anything reverse-pickpocketed onto their person (or presumably added via script, though this was not tested) becomes part of their barter menu.
Likewise, placing the player's items into the merchant's owned containers makes these items part of the barter menu as well. ("Ownership" automatically changes as soon as the transfer completes; i.e. item is released.)
If the cell (this usually refers to an "interior cell") is marked as owned by them, all items in that cell without explicit ownership will belong to them, as usual, and these items will be available for purchase as well.
An item that is marked as belonging to the merchant will be available for purchase even if the entire cell is not marked as owned by them.
If something is owned by the merchant and it was originally put in one cell, transferring it to their current cell makes it immediately part of their barter menu.
Disabling and enabling owned items works to control whether these owned items are eligible to be in the barter menu (provided they meet the other criteria).
Items that are owned by a faction of which the NPC is a member will NOT be available in that NPC's barter menu; ownership must be theirs alone (which is the case when the interior cell is owned only by the NPC).

Bottom line seems to be, if the merchant owns it and it's in the cell they're in when you open their barter menu, as long as they sell that form type, it should be there to buy. The editor location has no impact.

So, what you would do is set up your secret items container in advance and leave it out of reach in that cell. Then when the secret stash should become available to the player for purchase, run SetOwnership on the container or item (either of which needs a Reference ID and to be marked as a persistent reference).

This normally means the vendor must be in that cell, so it may be a good idea to give them dialogue about how the merchant needs to meet them at a location in that cell, should the player ever speak to them when they are in a different cell. Alternatively, you could script an owned container to be transferred to the current cell in that circumstance. You could use an invisible model for the container and place it near the merchant before opening the barter menu. It's not believed you need collision on the container but that has not been tested. If you do need collision, the container should just be scaled down to nothing to avoid weird collision experiences.

TIP Only Combat Teammates give XP to Player

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Followers don't give their kill XP to the Player unless they have been "hired" as "companions" or otherwise had the function SetPlayerTeammate 1 applied. The XP sharing is apparently a built-in engine function specific to "combat teammates" and not those with simply a "follow" AI package.

TIP Perks for Companions

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for providing the following quotation:

It is generally understood that you cannot add Perks to Companions in the same way as to the Player. However, according to a J.E. Sawyer (FNV project director) Q&A roundup:

Quote:

There is an undocumented feature in F:NV that some modders may find useful. It is the ability to give perks to companions. Or, more accurately, it is the ability to add perks to a special list on the player that will have an effect on any active followers. Here's how it works:

player.addperk XXXXXXXXXXXXX 1

The "1" means "put this on the special list for companions". Companions will still not store/keep perks, but we give the player a second list of non-displayed perks that only apply to companions. If you want the effect to apply to all companions, you do not need to conditionalize the perk owner conditions for the perk's entry points. If you want the perk to be special for the companion, check the NPC's ID or ref in the perk owner conditions.

I recommend making special companion versions of perks even if you want to use existing effects. E.g. if you want to give Raul the equivalent of Shotgun Surgeon for some reason, make a special "RaulShotgunSurgeonPerk" that's filtered just to him, and add it to the player with player.addperk RaulShotgunSurgeonPerk 1 the first time Raul is hired. Even if Raul leaves the party, you shouldn't have to worry about the perk hanging out on the player as long as the perk owner conditions are filtered properly.

N.B.: The effects will ONLY work while a companion is in the party. So in the above scenario, Raul would no longer have the benefits of RaulShotgunSurgeon if he left the party.

This tip applies to "companions" only. Some test results of using this "feature" are found at the end of this Bethsoft 'Perks on Companions' thread.

TIP Switching Custom Facial Features

Thanks to rikkurikku and Budong of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

For example: Let us say you want to switch between the normal actor's face, and one that is "bloodied". Set up your "bloody" face version texture as a different race and use the JIP SetRace function to switch, followed by "Update3D" to refresh the display in-game. This applies to both the Player and NPCs. See TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures regarding creating a "custom race" and the appropriate folders.

Budong added:
If you want to ensure compatibility for everyone, you can accomplish the same thing entirely without needing the JIP NVSE Plugin. Set up one race for your "healthy" NPC, and another race for the "injured" NPC. Link them to one another via the YoungerRace and OlderRace options in the RaceEditor, then call the AgeRace function to visually clobber/heal them. Entirely vanilla and will work for everyone.

When switching among custom facial features (such as eyes or hair), switch to a "vanilla" feature first, and then switch to a new "custom" look. The GECK gets confused if you try to switch straight from one custom feature to another.

TIP Trick with making NPCs

If you create the NPC in an ESP, you can run into the infamous "head/body mismatch" bug. There are some settings you can change that fix the bug on some computers, but if you want it to work on all systems, define the NPC in an ESM file.

See also sections Dialogue & Lip-synch and Scripting for related info.

TIP Turn a Temporary Companion into a Permanent one

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Supposing you want to turn a "temporary" quest companion into a permanent one (for example Corporal Halford). How would you go about it?

The recommended tutorial, which includes using a companion wheel, is: Advanced Companion creation guide with Companion Wheel. Since the NPC already exists and has a quest for hiring, you don't need to make the hiring quest part of the tutorial. Make sure you use the existing functions as shown in the tutorial instead of creating your own. Those functions are what makes the companion wheel work. See also TIP Companion Wheel.

When I made a companion out of Corporal Betsy I found it easiest to make a duplicate and then swap out the duplicate once the vanilla quests were done. The advantage of this is that you don't have to hack into the existing quests and dialog, other than to add the hiring option (which triggers the swap) at the appropriate conversation stage.

TIP Using AI Packages

You can activate dialogue and travel packages by using the AddScriptPackage function, usually in a "dialogue result" or "base effect" script. This has the advantage that a package added in this fashion will take precedence over all other packages until it is done, and terminate as soon as it is able (check the Must Complete and/or Must Reach Location flags to prevent premature termination, but be sure you provide the means to determine it IS completed).
An actor can have only one script package active at a time. When calling the function twice on the same actor, the second package replaces the first one added. Unless the AddScriptPackage has some constraint on it (Must Complete and/or Must Reach Location), it will be removed the next time the actor reevaluates his package.
Actors evaluate their packages every 10 seconds. If no packages have true conditions then the actor will just stand there by default, unless they are in combat. So if you want a package to take effect right away, set the conditions for the package and call the EvaluatePackage (.EVP) function on the actor: ActorREF.evp.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get the AddScriptPackage to trigger, or you don't want it to take precedence over all other packages. The usual method to assign AI packages is to attach the package directly to the actor and give it conditions to trigger or disable activation. On the NPC/Creature object, the first package from the top of the list that has true conditions will be the one in effect when packages are evaluated.
Check that the order of your packages and their conditions do not prevent some from ever triggering. Treat each as if a part of a series of nested "IF ELSE" blocks. (IF < condition > is "true" then do "this package", ELSE do "that", where "that" can be another ("nested") "IF ELSE" block.) The last "ELSE" should trigger an "idle" or similar "default" package.
The RemoveScriptPackage function is only used for packages added by way of the AddScriptPackage function. Once you remove an added script, the actor will automatically re-evaluate and determine which package should take it's place.
AI Packages attached directly to the actor are activated or deactivated by setting the variables used in the conditional tests. If they are only in effect in very specific circumstances (such as being in a particular cell or location), then use another variable set in a quest script to determine if the circumstances exist to avoid making the full condition checks unnecessarily.
If an Actor won't use a particular weapon type, make sure they have a "combat style" appropriate for that weapon in the package; and that the weapon has a "health" greater than zero. They will always use the "best" weapon in their inventory for the combat situation.
If the AI Package has a "schedule" or timing (start time and duration) to it's events, make sure that schedule does not overlap or conflict with any other package assigned to the NPC. A scheduling conflict will prevent either package from running.

Be aware that for Actors with the "No Low Level Processing (LLP)" flag set: The Actor does not update its AI unless the player is in the same cell as it.

LLP behaves differently, depending on whether the object is persistent or not, and on whether the object is in an interior or an exterior cell:

Persistent in an interior: All functions should always work reliably.
Persistent in an exterior: If the Actor is in the same cell, or the cell is currently buffered (i.e. within loaded uGrids) - all functions should always work reliably. Otherwise, some functions will fail (example: GetParentCell).
Non-persistent in either an interior or an exterior: If the cell is currently buffered - all functions should always work reliably. Otherwise, all functions will always fail.

Keep in mind an Actor may not be unloaded immediately when changing cells, while persistent ones and quest NPCs marked in their base form will process more frequently.

If you place an actor in the world with the GECK and mark that REF as persistent - then they are persistent regardless of the LLP setting. They can always be referenced by a script.

You can use the JIP LN NVSE function SetPersistent to set a non-persistent (dynamic, aka "spawned") reference to persistent at runtime.

You might want to also be aware of and test for an Actor's "processing level" with the GetActorProcessingLevel function.

Dialogue and Lipsynch

Other sections have relevant information to this subject. The following "Tips" in particular are applicable.

See the Custom NPCs section regarding scripting "AI Packages".

TIP: Companion Wheel.
TIP: Hostility between NPCs.
TIP: Making NPCs move (aka "AI Packages").
TIP: Perks for Companions.
TIP: Using AI Packages.

See the Scripting section regarding:

types of scripts: Objects, Quests, and "Base Effects".
TIP: Do not begin Editor-IDs with numbers.
TIP: Debugging Compound Conditionals.
TIP: Debugging data to file.
TIP: Don't overlook EventHandlers.
TIP: Encapsulation - Parens, Brackets, and Braces.
TIP: Function parameter separation with commas.
TIP: GECK parses the entire line before evaluating.
TIP: NPC Weapon Choice.
TIP: Pass a variable number into a script message.
TIP: Passing a 'Note' to the player.
TIP: Passing a 'Recipe' to the player.

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

A very basic dialogue tutorial Thread.
Crow`s Tutorial on Dialogue Video.
FEEL - Facial Expression Editor (Limited - pfft...) by Fallout 2AM in-game facial expression editor.
FireFox Text-to-Speech Addon Firefox plugin w/downloadable audio.
FonixData.cdf ( Easier .Lip Files ) by DingraThePishvaz Mod. Alternative to either Skyrim or Oblivion Lip-sun generator for FNV. NOTE: This must be installed under the "Data\Sound\voice\processing" folder.
GECK: Advanced Dialogue: Topic with multiple sub-topics Video by Seddon4494.
GECK: Companion Idle Chatter Video.
GECK: Custom Holotape + Voice Wiki.
GECK: Dialog and Lip Synch Video.
GECK: Dialog and Lip Synch Tutorial Video by Seddon4494.
GECK: Dialogue with Lip Files Video.
GECK: Dialogue Tutorial Wiki.
GECK: How to make an NPC with Basic Dialogue Video.
GECK: Idle Animation List Forum Thread.
GECK: NPCs talk to each other Video.
Guide to fix the lip sync function in the GECK by Capt Mitch Text file, using Skyrim Lip-sync tool. Oblivion Lip-sync tool will work as well, but is not as good as Skyrim's.
Lazy Voice Finder - FInd voice assets just you want Mod.
Online Text to Speech Demo Web site.
Qenosa's Tutorial on Dialogue and NPC creation Video.

TIP Adding Generic Dialog

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

So, you want your NPC/Vendor to have some generic dialog (meaning: re-use existing dialog already in the game that is not situation specific; like "Hello").

There are two ways you can do this.

One is to extract all of the voice sounds and corresponding LIP files from the game "Fallout - Sound.BSA file" to some other folder (NOT to "Data"); then go through and pick and choose which lines you want; and just create new dialog topics and responses for your NPCs that use those lines verbatim. Then just copy/paste and rename your voice files for the new dialog. For some things, this will be the faster way of doing it.

For Vendors though, it's probably faster to integrate them into the existing vendor system. This will probably require a bit more digging through the GECK to make sure you get your NPC correctly configured. You'll probably need the voice type to be set to the proper type of the existing vendor you are modeling yours after, the NPC's class to be set to what the vendor dialog expects, and you'll probably need to add the appropriate factions for vendors to your NPC. Just go through the configuration of an existing similar vendor NPC and you should be able to figure it all out.

TIP Batch Lip file generation

Thanks to EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

So, the lads at the "New California" mod team happened upon an incredibly useful bit of information regarding a hidden functionality for batch generation of LIP files. The way it works is:

GECK Facial Animation menu image

Set up all your WAV files in advance, with the correct names and formatting so that they would be "previewable" in the GECK for the relevant lines of dialogue.
Then, once they're all done, you can do the batch process.
This step is required for MO/MO2 users. If not using MO/MO2 or a similar "empty Data folder" mod manager, you probably don't need to worry about this step as the folders should already be there under "Data\Sound\Voice".
If you are using MO/MO2, go into your vanilla Fallout New Vegas Data folder and then make all the hierarchies (e.g. "Fallout New Vegas\Data\Sound\Voice\NewCalifornia.esm\PBODocIsaakVoiceType"), but the audio files don't need to be moved from your MO/MO2 folder.

GECK Recreate Facials prompt image

This was only tested for MO2, but it probably works for other "empty Datafolder" managers such as MO. Because MO and MO2 load everything virtually, it makes sense that the GECK doesn't know where to put the LIP files unless you make the hierarchy in the vanilla folder. Users should be able to make LIP files the normal way (individually) as long as the folder structure is there in the vanilla Data folder.
Whether you skip Step 2 or not, now click on the GECK menu bar Gameplay | Facial Animation... option. (See GECK Facial Animation menu image. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)
You'll be asked: "Do you want to forcibly recreate all facial animation files", and you'll want to choose the "Yes" button. (See GECK Recreate Facials prompt image. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)
The GECK will put up a progress bar and then appear to freeze as it processes in the background. After the better part of an hour, it should be finished. However, in practice, it does the last Form-IDs first, meaning after the first couple of minutes it has probably finished with what was needed, and could be force-quit if desired. They didn't actually try that; but it crashed on its own once and everything seemed fine.

Dialogue topics that are technically vanilla but are modified to add new dialogue, even for characters that are added by a new ESM/ESP; most notably GREETING but also any of the combat lines or the iron sights one(s), unfortunately have very low Form-IDs, and as such will be among the last to be generated by this batch process. Probably easier to do those manually unless you plan to set GECK to do its work and then leave your PC alone for a bit.

TIP Conversation or Quest system

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the following:

The conversation/quest system for Fallout New Vegas seems like nonsense until you realize it evolved out of the conversation/quest system for Morrowind. In Morrowind, different people could say the same topics, and most of it wasn't voiced; so it made a lot of sense to group things by quests and topics instead of by speaker.

What this means for FNV is that some dialog is spread out through a lot of different quests. If you want to edit Doc Mitchell's dialog during your initial character creation, for example, that's in the various VCGxx quests (VCG01, VCG02, etc). His healing options are in VDoctors, the same quest as for all of the other wasteland doctors. If you right click on Doc Mitchell's ID in the GECK and select "Use Info", you'll get a list of topics where his ID is used.

Being part of a faction and using an existing voice type is enough to trigger a lot of the dialog in-game. If you only want your Actor to say what you have scripted them to say, and only that, then give them a unique voice type. Otherwise, generic dialog may get triggered unexpectedly

Tip Cutting Lip files to match dialog

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Assuming you are cutting up existing voice files to make new dialog. What I typically do is import the existing voice clip into Audacity (see Programs and Tools) and chop it down to the part I want, then export that as a WAV file and rename it to match the file name that the GECK expects in the dialog quest. Make sure you export it as a WAV and not an OGG. The Lip generator wants a WAV file.

Instead of trying to cut down the lip file to match, just regenerate the lip file from scratch. Click on the voice file in the box at the bottom of the dialog editing box to highlight it, then click on "From WAV" and click on "Generate Lip File", which should now no longer be grayed out. If you don't seem to be able to actually generate a LIP file, double-check that your voice file is in MONO (and not Stereo) mode.

This of course requires that you have copied the lip generator from Oblivion or Skyrim, or the alternative FonixData.cdf. In Oblivion the lip generator's in \Sound\Processing, which is where it belongs in FNV as well. (See the links above for options.) NOTE: The FonixData.cdf tool must be installed under the sound\voice\processing folder.

Helpful tip - I will often record a very short bit of blank audio in the dialog editing box just so it puts a blank WAV and LIP file in the right directory where it's expecting it. Then I just go to that folder and delete those "dummy files", which seems kinda stupid, but it gets the folders all created properly and named properly and stops me from doing stupid things like typing one of the folder names wrong. Then I copy and paste the file name from the GECK onto my newly edited WAV so that I can't make a stupid typo there as well.

TIP Get the current speaker reference

Thanks to FiftyTifty of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Suppose you want to identify the current speaker of a line of dialog for use as a later reference. Dialog "inherits" it's implied speaker from it's topic, so you need to use the "GetActionRef" function, placed inside the dialog "Result Script (End)" block.

See also the GECKWiki "Calling reference" page.

TIP How to generate lip files

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

There are two parts to Voices in topics: the sound file, which is usually a .WAV or an .OGG format file, and the lip file (.LIP). The sound file has (obviously) the spoken sound, and the lip file has the synchronized lip movements. Without the lip file, the NPC's lips won't move as they speak, which is very weird.

The GECK as it ships is missing its lip file generator. Bethesda has updated the GECK a couple of times since its first release and still hasn't bothered to put the lip generator in it. (They seem to like making things difficult for us.) You can use the one provided with the Oblivion or Skyrim CK installed on your computer: the same lip generator is in the \sound\processing folder. Just copy that folder to your FNV directory and you're good to go. Or there is a "third-party" lip generator: FonixData.cdf ( Easier .Lip Files ) Mod by DingraThePishvaz. NOTE: The FonixData.cdf tool must be installed under the sound\voice\processing folder.

Now the question is: where is your sound coming from? If you are going to be speaking into a microphone, just bring up the topic and hit "record" near the bottom of the window. Don't forget to "save" it when you are done. If you don't like what you just said or you made a mistake, flubbed the line, whatever: then don't hit "save", and instead just hit "record" and try another "take". When you click "save" it only saves your last "take". If you have the lip generator installed, the GECK will automatically create both the .WAV and .LIP files.

If your sound is coming from an already existing .WAV file, it needs to be in the exact location that the GECK expects it to be in and it has to have the exact name that the GECK wants it to have. If you look down near the bottom of the topic, you'll see the file name that it wants, without the .WAV extension, which will have the topic name in it and will also have what looks like a bunch of random letters and numbers in it (they aren't random; they are hexadecimal). Sometimes the easiest way to make sure your file ends up in the right place is to record a quick 2 second dummy hello or something into the microphone and save it, then go under the \sound folder and find your mod and voice type (etc.) until you land on the files you just created. If you have to create all of the folders yourself it's very easy to make a mistake. This way (i.e. by recording dummy files) you make sure that the folder names are right and everything is in the right place. Then delete the .WAV and .LIP dummy files that you just generated, and put the actual .WAV file that you want to use in its place. You can copy the file name from the topic screen and paste that into the file name of the .WAV file. The file names are too long and contain too many letters and numbers, so changing the name manually isn't recommended; copy-and-paste is safer.

Now you have a .WAV but no .LIP file. You'll need to close the topic and re-open it, as the topic window doesn't refresh when you change the files. Now you should see a "Y" under your .WAV near the bottom, and you should see your .WAV file listed. Select your .WAV file, click on "from wav" and click on "generate lip file", and the GECK will create the .LIP file for you. You can also do this to create .LIP files from any dialog you may have recorded before realizing that you didn't have a working .LIP generator.

TIP No sound driver available error message

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

So, you keep getting an error message saying "Error: No sound driver available for use" every time you open the dialogue window. What gives and how do you make it go away?

It's not necessarily an audio driver problem. It doesn't matter where your GECK is installed.

The form in the GECK where you edit dialog is also where you record audio for that dialog. If you do not have a microphone or some sort of line input connected to your computer, the GECK can't find anything to record audio from and gives you that error.

Plug in a microphone and the error will go away. Depending upon your version of Windows, something other than a microphone (such as headphones) plugged into the line input will also make the error go away.

Some audio drivers will have a virtual audio source of some sort that will be enough for the GECK to think that it has something to record from. If nothing else, many audio drivers used to have a loopback so that they could record whatever was going out through the speakers. (Microsoft and the audio driver manufacturers have moved away from this since some folks were using it to illegally record the audio off of YouTube videos and the like.)

Look under the Windows "Control Panel | System | Sound | Input | Device Properties". There should be a drop-down box in the "Device Properties" window that lets you enable various devices (e.g. "Stereo Mix (Realtek Audio)") that (regardless of whether they actually function or not) will be sufficient to get rid of the error message in GECK.

If you have something configured or plugged into one of your sound card's inputs and you still have the error, then you have an audio driver problem.

TIP Obsidian Conversation Editor aka OCE

Thanks to EDPGaffney (the "I" in the following) of the Nexus "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the details of this tip:

Obsidian wrote the Conversation Editor (OCE) to help them do dialogue in this game in a way that was workable for so many branching paths and such. It comes with the "New Vegas G.E.C.K." and can be accessed by clicking the last button on the right on the top toolbar, which looks like the symbol for a "right-justified" paragraph. Its interface looks very similar to the Dialogue Tree in the Quest window that most people seem to use even in this game. (I suspect because of all the Fallout 3 tutorials, and that OCE wasn't available in Fallout 3). Some of its advantages are:

loading things much faster,
never crashing (at least for me after weeks of editing hundreds of lines),
not having that Windows 10 bug unless you open certain other things in the G.E.C.K.,
being able to save your mod with it open,
inheriting the speaking NPC (and optionally other conditions if you tell it to, I think) so that you needn't enter it for every single line,
being able to edit conversations in a more visually comprehensible way (as a tree, with entries you can modify in the same window),
making new dialogue by simply adding a child to the last thing you wrote and typing it into the same window as the rest of the conversation,
being able to copy topics and then paste them as links or simply pasting the topic as a new topic with the same text and conditions,
and having access to every feature of the Fallout 3 method (well, theoretically; I'm still not sure about recording).

Tip Random NPC Comments

Thanks to Mktavish of the Nexus Fallout New Vegas GECK and Modders forum for the basis of the following:

Drop in Xmarkers at the locations where you want to provide specific comments, and give them a unique Ref-ID. Then put in a condition of:

"Subject: GetDistance to that XmarkerRef < 10000" (as an abstract, pseudo example) on each of the Info/response entries, in addition to a "GetIsID" condition. If the 150 char limit isn't enough then add another 150 char block in the Response field. On the Topic text (at the top) say something like: "Do you have any info on this place?". Flag it as a top level dialogue; then the priority will determine where it shows in the list of options after their "Greeting". If you're not within the maximum distance to any marker then that option shouldn't show up as a dialogue option for the player.

Budong added the following alternative method:

NPC is running this script, which basically waits and does nothing until a random amount of time has passed and then forces the NPC to say something to the Player.

float m_banterTimer
float m_banterThreshold

BEGIN GameMode
  if m_banterTimer < m_banterThreshold
    set m_banterTimer to m_banterTimer + GetSecondsPassed
  else
    set m_banterTimer to 0
    set m_banterThreshold to GetRandomPercent*4
    SayTo player LocationBanter;
  endif ; banterTimer
END

Then put all the NPC's banter dialog into the topic called LocationBanter. The location-specific responses all have a condition using the GetInCell function to tie them to specific places and are at the top of the topic's stack so they evaluate first but only trigger when the Player is at a specific location; they're also flagged with "once per day" so you don't get spammed by them. The bonus to this method is that you can have generic non-location-specific dialog at the BOTTOM of the topic's stack, so if the Player is NOT at a landmark, the NPC still makes amusing observations every now and again. (Plus you are not forced into dropping new objects in cells all over the game; it's just the script and the dialog. Nice and tidy, easy to manage.)

TIP Say Once use

Thanks to Mktavish of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The "Say Once" flag is set per "response", not per "Topic". So basically you take the Topic, and add as many responses to it as you want. Flag them "top level", and set "priority" for what order each response will be presented in. You can even set conditions that might change when they are used, such as (for example) a "quest stage" or "gateway variable". Once they have been spoken, the responses you flag as "Say Once" will no longer be considered in the priority list thereafter.

The dialogue tool is pretty versatile. But it is not very intuitive either and one of the harder things to get proficient with in the GECK. However, there is no one set way to do things. See TIP Obsidian Conversation Editor aka OCE.

TIP Standard Dialog

NOTE: Dialog quests must be checkboxed to "start enabled". If the quest isn't "active" the topics will not be available.

Certain bits of dialog are standard, but have to be added from the correct tab in the Quest Stages. See the following references:

Quest and Dialogue Tutorial, in particular the "Dialogue Topics" section.
Crow`s Tutorial on Dialogue Video.
Qenosa's Tutorial on Dialogue and NPC creation Video.
Creating a new vendor tutorial on creating dialog for a NPC's interaction with the player.
StartConversation command forces a conversation between two NPCs, starting with a specified topic.
How to script conversation between two or more NPCs tutorial.
GECK Category: Dialogue This page has a number of important points to bear in mind, such as flags and:

Prompt: This text will be displayed in place of the topic text. If left blank (as is default), the topic text will be used.
Result Script (Begin): This script runs when the Info is played, at the moment the actor starts saying his line.
Result Script (End): This script runs at the moment the actor finishes speaking.

The following is intended to help clarify the above GECKWiki pages:

GREETING only shows up as an option in the topics tab of your Quest when you < right-click > on the Topics tab in the left-hand pane of the GECK "Object Window" under the "Actor Data/Quest" section; and then also select/highlight the info response field in the top right-hand pane: where it shows a piece of the text and conditions. Then you go to that small "list box" on the right side labeled "Add Topic" and < right-click > in there to select from the list of existing topics, or select New to add a completely new one. In case it isn't clear: this GREETING is the NPC's first response when the Player first initiates dialog. If you enable (check) the "SayOnce" box, it does not appear again for that Actor. It can appear for another Actor which meets any qualifying conditions. Do not confuse it with Hello which is all actors' way to start conversations, but usually only between NPCs.
Once created, Hello and GOODBYE only show up as dialog options upon < right-click > on the Conversation tab and select Add Topic. They should be "top level", with a priority of 5. Hello is generally used for conversations between two or more NPCs, without the Player. GOODBYE is essential to be able to terminate a conversation. If in the Topics tab you do not set up any topic flagged as GOODBYE, the dialog will end with one of those GOODBYEs from the Conversation tab.
You will need Voice "sound" (and corresponding Lip-Sync ".lip") files for your dialog lines so they take the appropriate amount of time before proceeding to the next line. Otherwise they may appear to "skip" over some lines or cut each other off. "Silent" sound files are common for this purpose when the actor is not voiced, but still needed to establish the timing. See the Sound and Voice Tools section entries for the necessary tools.
Sort your list of dialog Topics by Priority. ("1" is highest, "100" is lowest.) Place the GREETING and GOODBYE Topics at the top of the list. Topics are processed from the top down until it finds the first one with all conditions "true".
Order your list of "conditional test" responses in each Topic by priority as well. Consider all the conditional responses as an "IF ... ELSEIF ... ELSE ... ENDIF" block. The first response which tests as "all true" will be "the winner" and processing will skip to it's "Result Script".
"Conditional tests" override Priority values. Think of "Priority" as a way to group Topic statements; but NOT as a "tie breaker" ... especially in the case of those responses which otherwise have the same conditions. The order of the placement of the response lines within a Topic determines the order they are tested. Only the first which succeeds is processed. Later responses with the same conditions will never get processed. Use conditional tests to ensure only one response is appropriate at a time. See also the GECKWiki Using Complex Conditions and Causes of CTDs pages.
Any dialog that does not have a "conditional test" should be considered as if in the "ELSE" portion of the hypothetical "IF ... ELSEIF ... ELSE ... ENDIF" block. Again, if more than one response falls into this "condition", only the first will ever get processed.
Consider the use of a "token" (a piece of equipment flagged "unplayable" (and thus "invisible") placed in the Actor's inventory) along with the GetIsID function to indicate which Actor is currently speaking. (Otherwise, you would need to convert the "Ref-ID" of the Actor into their "Base-ID" using GetBaseObject first in order for GetIsID to work correctly. But remember: a "Base-ID" is a template for all "Ref-ID" instances of that form. If more than one Actor in the conversation is based upon the same form, the "Base-ID" is not unique. GetIsReference only works for "persistent" references such as unique Actors; not those dynamically spawned from "lists". Which is why a "token"shifted between the speakers works better.) You can use a "ResultScript (End)" block for each response to transfer the "token" to another Actor with the MoveToContainer function. (An example of the use of a "token" is in the GECKWiki tutorial Adding an Options Menu. "Tokens" can also be used to store information on an Actor. See ActorValue.)

TIP Text display timing

Many new mod creators think of "voice" and "lip-sync" files as "optional" when they only intend to display a text message. Then they wonder why sometimes their message only displays briefly in a flash and others wait until something is clicked upon. The latter is because a message displayed under control of a menu block is "paused" until an "input" (key entry or button click) is received. (Sometimes this is not as obvious as a "button", such as using an elipsis ("...") instead. Generally not having an obvious means of proceeding is considered "poor design" unless it is deliberate as a form of "visual puzzle".) This is one way to ensure the message is seen by the Player.

If you are not getting display of the Dialog response text outside of a menu, most likely it is because the text has no "voice" audio and/or lip-sync file attached. (Both are needed.) These files determines how long the text remains on screen before allowing the display to proceed. Even if there is no actual voice to be heard, a "silent" audio file of sufficient length is required to determine the length of the display of the text. The mod Silent Voice Generator by Enter_77 can generate both silent voice and corresponding lip-sync files of up to 30 seconds duration from exported GECK quest and dialog text documents. (See "Voices" under the Music and Sounds section. It is recommended placing your own "silent voice" files under their own sub-folder to avoid the risk of overwriting actual voices used by others.)

FaceGen Heads Faces Hairs and Helmets

This information is compiled from a number of threads, guides, and articles by authors such as DrakeTheDragon, throttlekitty, Ghogiel, scanti, and Skree000. It is an overview at best.

Generating EGM files for Headwear and Hairs PDF tutorial by Roy Batty.
The Conformulator Mod Tool.
Working with Skyrim head TRIs (Wiki) for additional tutorials and resources.
Head06 Resource Oblivion Mod by Throttlekitty as a reference example.

Hair NIFs usually have two models inside of them, one called Hat and one called NoHat. Adjust your alternate hairstyle's Hat model so that it doesn't clip through any hat you want the Actor to wear.

The heads of characters and NPCs in Bethesda games are created using the builtin FaceGen tool, which is a licensed Singular Immersion FaceGen Modeler. According to the FaceGen site "Customizer" tool user manual the resulting information is stored in the following files.

Each model part consists of one or more of the following file types, with the same root name:

TRI. This is the base mesh, which includes UVs and information about morph targets but not the FaceGen shape changes.
BMP. This is the base texture.
EGM. This is the statistical shape information, which is used to modify the base face shape. Without this file, the mesh will never change shape.
EGT. This is the statistical texture information, which is used to modify the base texture image. Without this file, the texture image is fixed.
FIM. This is the UV remapping transform, which is used to transform the detail texture in the FG file (taken from a photograph) into the UV layout of this mesh. Without this file, a mesh cannot have a detail texture applied.

EGM, EGT, and TRI extension files are in turn are used to construct "OBJ" (whole head mesh) files. This is because "faces", "hair", and "helmets" have to be able to "morph" or "conform" to the underlying "head" mesh. Different heads can be used with the same body to provide the customized faces of PlayerCharacters.

Note that everything related to the head must be placed in a BSA for it to be processed properly by the game engine. Otherwise the "loose files" do not get "conformed" to the head mesh properly. (Use the "BSArch" tool linked in the Packaging Tools section to create/update your BSA file.)

From DrakeTheDragon:

Be aware that for EGM and TRI files it is one whole head mesh (OBJ) per morph, the base mesh with the morph applied to its fullest, and when you import them into modeling apps it is paramount the vertex count and order isn't even remotely touched, or they'll be useless to you as they won't fit into the EGM/TRI file afterwards anymore later. Morph offsets are calculated from the difference between the neutral base mesh's vertices and the morphed mesh's vertices, and this can't work when one or more sets of them don't have identical vertex indices anymore. Don't use any fancy scripted modification tools from your modeling app or anything else complex which could likely alter the vertex order either. If I remember right, even alterations to the UV map can change the vertex order and render the OBJ useless beyond repair already.

[The Oblivion mod Adding Eye Morphs to FaceGen Files] is a guide for much more than just adding "eye morphs". It's an invaluable resource and a profound guide how to do all of it at the same time. It covers the basics and all possible tasks likewise and, again, it goes far beyond just eye morphs in all departments. [Curator: As Oblivion utilizes the same underlying Gamebryo game engine as FO3 and FNV, it is still applicable in general. It includes the necessary tools by Scanti. There is a later version of The Conformulator than the one in that package.]

Last I heard the latest NIF Tools im-/export scripts for Blender could also be used to create EGM files, but Scanti's Conformulator is still the better solution and can be used for far more than just that.

I'm 3 years behind though [in Oct 2013] and not 'up to date' with the most recent developments anymore.

From Ghogiel:

It's rather easy to use The Conformulator. I've used it for years since it was very first released.

Once you have your Fallout NIF, just export from Nifskope to OBJ, and use that in the Conformulator instead of trying to use a NIF as input.

So you have your final F3 NIF. (Try not to do anything else to this NIF: nothing that will reorder the vertex numbering index!)

Open it in Nifskope.
Export as OBJ file type.
Open Conformulator.
Input that OBJ file.
In the TRI file input field, select the "humanhead.tri" file.
Hit <conformulate>.

I've experimented with using stuff like, a simple primitive box, make a TRI from the head onto that, then use that TRI to bake the EGMs onto final helmets (the theory is, the helmet mesh(or whatever) will deform much more uniformly in all directions) as an attempt to try to get around odd deformations on some headwear.

Most of the time the quality is set to "vertice". You only need to get more fiddly if your headware deforms oddly (e.g. the brim of a hat bending a bit). Which is where using the box method I mentioned above was developed for. Or trying to copy the face morphs from one TRI to a new one. And hair morphs. Otherwise I can't see how you can mess up.

From ThrottleKitty:

Adding Eye Morphs to FaceGen Files is just about all I know about EGM/TRI/EGT files, and some tools to work with them aside from The Conformulator.

For the problem with the mouth not moving, there's a couple of solutions; first the problem! The Conformulator compares your mesh to the original NIF/TRI/EGM files and creates morphs based on those offsets. So if the mouth isn't 100% perfect, you'll get a 'bad' morph. With my Head06 mod, the goal was to create a high-res version of the original, and stay true to the form. Even with small differences between the mouths, I ended up with a 'sticky mouth' look when talking. (So maybe the first solution isn't much of one).

I got around this by slightly opening the mouth a very little bit, a tip I got from Scanti. The vertices are too close together and the tolerance of The Conformulator was as such that it didn't know which way to move those areas. Took a couple tries, but I successfully managed to copy the morphs from the stock head to my custom one.

You'll need to use one of the other tools (I used the [hex editor] 010 scripts) to take the offending morphs in and out of the TRI file for fixing. You get an OBJ [file] as an output, which can be mangled about, then injected back in.

The EGT file is a package of 50 textures. The only way you'll be able to reuse the existing ones is if your model has an identical UV layout- or close at least. If not, a bit of [fiddling] of models and UVs should yield a good result for baking the textures from one UV set to another. (short of buying the Facegen software to do it the right way).

Fallout 3 EGM manipulation

The following is based upon a FO3 thread entry by Skree000.

EGMs are data files associated with head "accessories" that help deform them to accommodate the Head-Deformation associated with the Character Creation menu.

Without an EGM file, your character skull would stick through the hat, hair or helmet model if you made the skull really wide, tall or deep.

EGMs, without requiring a licensed commercial product, are created through a mod tool called The Conformulator.

The Conformulator takes TRI files; which are basically models that have Morph Targets. Morph Targets are what you manipulate when you change sliders in your character creation screen. These are basically just moveable bones that are skinned to parts of the face. A TRI file is an archive of one model and its morph targets.

The Conformulator also requires an OBJ or NIF format mesh to 'conform' to the TRI file. Basically it skins the mesh to the TRI file's Morph Target parameters, so that whenever you 'squash the forehead', the 'forehead region' of the headgear also gets squashed.

The Conformulator doesn't always do a perfect job, so it has a few options allowing modders to control how sensitive or accurate the conformulation is to the TRI file.

EGM's are REQUIRED for any headgear/hair. Without them, it will look awful; as if you have extremely deformed/altered character faces/heads.

To make your own EGM, export an OBJ of your headgear/hair from your modelling program, [Curator: the mesh transforms are exported when it's output as file type "OBJ" but not in a NIF], and then open The Conformulator.

Input the vanilla head TRI file, which is located in the Fallout3.BSA. (Unpack that with one of the BSA extraction tools listed in the Packaging Tools section. Note the warning!)

The TRI files you need are in "\meshes\character\_male\" and the one you want should be called "Humanhead.tri" or something like that. There are also "femalehead.tri" for female versions, if your mesh has problems with one gender over the other.

For the most part "Humanhead.tri" works just fine, since the only real major differences between male and female heads are slightly different facial morph targets, which aren't really that important for hairdos or hats to fit on the skull. (Skull deforms are all basically akin to each other.)

Once your TRI file is plugged in, plug in the OBJ of your headgear/hair mesh.

Hit "Conformulate".

Done. Your EGM is ready!

GECK will auto-detect any EGMs that are present in the folder where the headgear is located. HOWEVER!!! The EGM name must MATCH the .nif file name of the headgear.

Note that if your head "accessory" (hat, helmet, piercings, etc.) is not conforming to the head, you may need to "unequip" and "re-equip" the accessory whenever you edit your face so it will reconform.

Havok Physics

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TIP Havok a dead NPC

Thanks to madmongo and jokerine of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Positioning a "dead" NPC can be frustrating. Spawning a dead NPC will have them appear as you left them (usually standing in the "T-crucifix" pose). Instead have the NPC alive in a temp holding cell, then move them to where you want them to end up and kill them. If the "dead" NPC just stands there you can have havok kick in if you place a small dummy explosion by the freshly enabled NPC. Jokerine wrote about that here. You could probably copy the same script she wrote there and give it to your NPC. If you do it that way, they'll havok (have game physics applied) and drop in some random-ish fashion, though not too random since they mostly ended up in the same position on the floor. If you have the NPC move to the same room when the player enters the room, the player will see the NPC appear and then fall to the ground; so best to do this out of sight of the player if possible.

Dead NPCs can be havoked in the GECK, though like much in the GECK that seems to be a bit buggy at times. Dead NPCs will spawn as you leave them though, so if you leave them just standing there in the GECK, then they'll just be standing there when the player finds them.

Live NPCs won't havok in the GECK, but if you kill them when they spawn or when a player approaches, they'll havok and fall and will end up in some random-ish position when the player finds them.

Heightmaps

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Converting a "Digital Elevation Map" (DEM) file to a Heightmap Thread.
Fallout3 Creating a Heightmap HTML with images.
Heightmap creation and editing from imported image/data Thread.

Interior Creation

Often neglected topic because the GECK tutorials walk you through the process. Thanks to EPDGaffney and random411 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for pointing out the need for this section.

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Fallout New Vegas GECK interior building Video (9:21) by deacrb.
GECK Tutorial - Building a House, Part 1 Video (12:16) by Seddon4494.
Creating a New Empty Cell GECK Wiki. (Note: FNV has fewer pre-made empty buildings than FO3. "TestQuest01" seems to be all.)

Angle and Grid Snapping

"Angle snapping" & "grid snapping" buttons are covered under "Categories: Preferences" and in the "Bethsoft Tutorial Layout on the GECK Wiki site. You want to enable this and configure the spacing before you start doing anything else.

Basic Interior location design guide

Thanks to djmystro of the "Fallout New Vegas" Mod Talk" forum for the basis of this section. He is the "I" reference in the following. The original source is the thread "Interior Location Creation Tutorial" in that forum.

I learned a lot of things creating AWOP that seriously sped up my production time creating huge interior locations so I thought I would bundle a load of tips together in a guide to help others getting started with some simple handy facts that will save you a lot of time if you wanna go creating dungeons.

Contents:

Position 0
Block Size
Handy Keys
Havoc Engine
Walkthrough
How I Started
Copied vs New
Bodging Gaps
Cave Gaps
Cave Navmesh
Interior Size/Object Count
Adding NPCs
Object Spacing
Fast Navmesh
Fast travel to Object/NPC in Render Windiw
Interior Light and Fog settings.
Locating Objects

Position 0

On creating a new interior make sure the first block is placed at 0 on all axis. This will make the auto-move functions much simpler and easy to understand (as well as mathematically predictable).

Block size

Each block is by default 256x256 or in caves double or triple that size. There are however exceptions such as the Office and Factory building sets which have a default height of 288 which can cause blocks moved using the auto-align functions to shift out of place vertically requiring manual readjustment later.

Handy keys

Note: [RMB = HOLD the <Right mouse button>]

<F> - Drop object onto nearest surface.
<G> - Move object up by a small amount
<F5> - Refreshes the scene allowing for viewing of light effects and such.
<Ctrl+F> - Swap currently selected object(s) [Very useful for taking a clean Vault and making it dirty by just swapping out all references to one type of object such as a Vault wall in a scene to another similar replacement].
<Ctrl-F> (with Navmesh Active) - Checks local Navmesh for errors and allows for deletion or move to warning triangle.
<Ctrl-D> - Duplicates object(s)
<Z+RMB> and move- Rotates selected object on it's Z Axis.
<X+RMB> and move - Rotates selected object on it's X Axis
<RMB> & move - Rotates selected object on Y Axis
<A> - Turn full lighting on and off.
<Right-Click> (Navmesh on) - Drop Vertice
A (Navmesh on and exactly *3* vertices selected) - Fill in a Navmesh triangle.

Havoc Engine

To use the Havoc engine (on by default in the FO3 GECK) to realistically drop items and reveal the contents of certain vanilla interiors you need to do the following:

Open the 'GECKCustom' ini file (usually in My Documents/My Games/Fallout NV)
Find:

bUseMultibounds=1 and change the 1 to 0.

[Note that havoc dropped items will hover slightly above the surface they are intended to drop on. For detail objects I recommend using the F-key drop function. However certain objects such as skeletons can only be dropped properly using havoc.]

Walkthrough

Using this info it is relatively quick and painless to create vast rooms. Here's an example of an office block:

Choose entrance location, manually place block at 0 on all axis.
Decide on approximate size of location and how you intend for it to play out.
Find a wall and corner object (or anything else 'room' based that will be used at least once).
Drop them into appropriate positions (place at 0 height manually and use the auto-align features to rotate and slot them into place.
Use Ctrl-D to duplicate any objects needed more than once such as standard room walls and drag them into place.
Use Ctrl-F to select specific wall clusters and replace them with similar objects (e.g OffRmWall01 to OffRmWall02/03) which will vary up the appearance.
Drop in essential clutter objects such as desks, terminals etc... and use the previous functions to duplicate and replace with similar objects. Use G and F to reposition vertically. [Duplicating clusters of stuff can vastly speed up creation.]
Add detail clutter and loot then enemies.
Leave FX until navmesh is complete.
Clutter from the bottom upwards. Navmesh from the top down.

Clutter from the lowest floor (including basements) and then add later floors so you can see into the room effectively from all angles whilst adding clutter. Resist the urge to navmesh at this stage until the building is complete. This is because dropping a vertice (or green square used to link navmesh triangles) on top of existing navmesh on a lower level is tricky. It requires you to drop it on the floor from an angle where lower levels of navmesh are not in the way/directly underneath.

Add FX after navmeshing. Navmesh Vertices get stuck on FX and even spamming the F key repeatedly will not get them to the floor sometimes.

How I Started

I did not read any tutorials to get started modding (though once I got to dialogue and quest creation aspects those became very necessary).

For level design I began by duplicating rarely visited areas from the vanilla game (back then FO3). I then re-cluttered them myself. I pretty much learned the hard way though. Had I known of the existence of many of the above tips/keys/info I would have got a lot more done a lot faster but that's another story.

Basically I took what was there already, searched for the object in the GECK and just looked at all the similar objects. Sometimes just trying stuff out but mostly going in knowing what I wanted and if need be finding the blocks I needed to 'bodge' it together.

If I wanted a certain object I thought where I had seen it before and sought it out in it's vanilla location, checked out the name, found it in the list then dropped one into my location (though standard keyboard copy/paste commands work fine, just make sure you have the render window selected before attempting to copy).

Copied vs New

Eventually I found that copying vanilla areas was more trouble than it was worth. Most are at unpredictable heights and horizontal positions and a few are even at random angles which makes adding new room blocks onto them very difficult without creating gaps.

Eventually it becomes easier to create a new room and just copy a load of clutter from a few vanilla areas in bulk and redistribute them rather than the other way around.

Bodging gaps

I like to use certain kits together such as Hotel, Office, Utility, Cave and Vault, sometimes just in one interior (the Dead Money AWOP has lots of these locations). However they are not always designed to fit together leaving gaps often along ceiling joins. Look out for simple blocky objects which can be used to fill gaps such as:

Free Columns (e.g NVGSRmFreCol) [Eseentaly wall-join features]
Wood blocks (e.g CampLog01-04)
Concrete (e.g PowerStationBlock01)
Rubble (e.g OffRubblePile01/IndRubblePileSmall)
Door Frames (e.g OffDoorFrameSmOnly)

Cave Gaps

Cave sets are not like other square room sets. They require much more attention as to which block can go where. They are not symmetrical and floor and ceiling joins in particular will be off unless you put the right blocks next to each other at the correct angle. Here's how I do it:

Place initial block at 0 and make sure it is also not at an angle.
Do NOT rotate any blocks (apart from Hallway pieces and corner blocks which are more flexible).
Each cave piece is numbered 1-4. These represent North, South East and West and are consistent throughout.
Drop one in. If you drop a number 2 wall in and need it facing the other way swap it out for a number 4 rather than rotating it 180 degrees. Should be simple from there on out. This way you avoid the gaps.

Cave Navmesh

Quick tip for navmeshing caves is to aim for the rocks when dropping vertices. This stops the majority of it going under ground from several vertices being dropped lower than the average ground height.

Interior Size or Object Count

Making a location too big and adding too many objects will severely impact on performance. I have found the total object count (from a cigarette to a train cart) should not exceed 1500 or thereabouts (though I have many interiors that push this limit, in some cases maybe a bit too far).

To create a very big location is still do-able. For example the main sections of the Collapsed Underpass from AWOP are structurally built from about 40 very large blocks doubled in size though the rooms are probably big enough to contain every Vault in the vanilla game. This cuts down on object count and performance does not take a hit.

Which objects/FX/NPCs etc are more likely to trigger a performance hit I have yet to figure out.

Adding NPCs

I try and limit NPCs of a certain type to about 20 in any given location with no more than 30 overall. Adding more than this caused many problems when FNV was initially released though I believe the patches have resolved most problems I experienced. Even so having too many NPCs seems to be bad for performance, especially if using vanilla spawns likely to be effected by mods such as IWS or VVV.

Also when building an interior try and think how the enemies will react to your entrance. If the enemies are spread out inside a building not far apart with someone near the entrance then they are all likely to spot the player upon entry and mob them even from the back of the building.

There are several ways around this such as adding Guard packages to the NPCs or clustering them in certain spots.

Personally for tight environments such as hotels and offices with numerous NPCs I like to block off several pathways to slow them down. I also try and create gaps within the ranks to allow for breathing space for stealthier players to advance further.

Think about how far in you want the NPC to get before they are attacked. I usually allow at least one empty room or corridor on entry so the player can take stock of their surroundings and if sneaky enough get inside undetected. Vanilla often does this too but not always.

[This does not matter so much with most Creatures who cannot open doors such as Geckos, Mole Rats & Mantises].

Object Spacing

Try and leave a gap the size of a small door frame (approx 4 office/factory floor tiles if I remember correct) wherever you want NPCs or creatures to walk (or wherever you intend to Navmesh). You can get away with less in some circumstances (small bridges with no walls either side) but trying to limit that space with clutter or walls will cause problems for 'wide' creatures such as Deathclaws, Super Mutants and Mantises.

Fast Navmesh

Get used to holding down Ctrl and A when dropping vertices. Every third vertice dropped without releasing control will automatically create a navmesh triange. After this you can just drop a single vertice and the last two highlighted vertices will automatically create a new triangle. Sounds complicated but in practice is very simple. This works better outdoors or navmeshing large areas as for cluttered rooms still require a degree of attention as to which vertice goes where which will eventually cause problems using this approach.

To navmesh clustered environments such as rubble-strewn offices I used to drop a vertice at every corner and then link up all the triangles after. Now I use a combo of this and the holding Ctrl approach which tends to get the job done very fast.

Check out some vanilla navmesh too. It's not that detailed and does not venture into every nook and cranny. Take into account that even melee opponents have a wide radius of attack so you don't need to go right up to every wall. Also if you try and navmesh too small a gap then NPCs will just ignore it as being inaccessible.

To copy an interior and it's Navmesh, it is easiest just to duplicate it in the Cell Window. This will copy the navmesh and keep everything in place.

Copying the bulk of an interior from one Cell to another I can't think of a way to take the navmesh with it. There may be one but I don't know it.

With a little practice Navmesh becomes a very easy mindless repetitive task (caves and very uneven landscapes being the exception). Don't be worried about starting again for the most part. Offices and similar can be done in a few minutes. A bit dull but OK if you have some music on or something.

Fast travel to specific Object or NPC in Render Window

Right click on object in the Object Window & select 'Use info'.

This will list each appearance of said object. Then just double click on each in turn to be taken to it's exact location in the Render Window. This works well for books & guns (but not tin cans or anything too common).

Interior Light and Fog settings

In the interior locations there is an edit window which can be accessed from the Cell View window by right clicking. Im not sure about exterior locations (never edited lighting for them) but with any luck it's similar.

There's 3 color boxes in the lighting window. Make sure to uncheck any ticked boxes relating to predefined lighting settings else changing them will not save properly. One of the two on the left is ambient lighting, I'm not sure what the other one is so I generally make them very similar. The one on the right is Fog.

There are 4 boxes at the end for entering numerical values for the fog (from memory).

For Close - the point at which the fog starts forming around the player (128 is about right for dark areas, 512 is enough for a well lit and spacious office).

Fog Far - The distance at which the fog theoretically becomes a solid wall (anything below 1000 is very close, 2000 is about right for a medium lit tight location but in order to see for long distances a very high value needs to be set (around 4000-6000). To compensate for this in big dark areas it is best just to set the colors to very dark tones but keep these values high so light spots in the distance are still visible.

Fog Density - Just a multiplier for the amount of fog. 1 is standard.
Fog Clipping - The cut-off point beyond which nothing is visible but the color of the fog (or maybe that unknown block on the left). This should always be a higher value than the "Fog Far" setting to prevent a sudden impenetrable wall of fog cutting through objects at a certain distance (which can look very bad through scopes and such).

For reference purposes the height of a standard Office Block unit is 288, a utility hall is 256 and an epic cave is 512.

Locating Objects

Once you get used to building interiors the bulk of the time taken to build a level is spent locating the correct objects in the object window.

Here's some stuff that's not so easy to spot and a few general tips:

MINES:

Active Mines (all variants) are found in the 'Projectiles'. folder. Make them friendly to a faction by adding ownership in the edit box after dropping them into the Render Window.
Inactive mines are found in the 'Weapons' folder.

TRAPS:

All other traps are found in the 'Activator' folder.
In FNV GECK look out for the TestTraps cell the editors included which has most of the traps already set out for easy copy/paste.
If you wanna swap a tripwire for a pressure pad or vice versa just use the Ctrl-F function to swap it out after pasting. They are all prefixed by 'traps',

FLOOR CLUTTER/RUBBISH:

[Static Folder]:

AssortedPapers01-06
StreetLitter01-02
Paper01
OfficePaper01
ShackPaperDebris01-05
Eyechart
DLC04Sodacup01-02 (FNV & Point Lookout)
DLC04PopcornBox (FNV & Point Lookout)
DLC04StreetLitter01-02 (FNV & Point Lookout)
RorsaschTest01-03 [FNV Only]
MS (or quest) Documents (e.g MS15ConstitutionStatic) [FO3 Only]

[Movable Static]:

DeskPadPlanner

OFFICE CLUTTER:

[Static Folder]:

Typewriter
TerminalDesk... (several variants)
HotelLamp
LampGeneric
HamRadio01-03 (several variants) [FNV Only]
ComputerPart01-06 [FNV Only]
Clock01
SafeCracked
StarburstClock01

[Movable Static Folder]:

Telephone
OfficeFan
Globe

[Activator]:

VintageRadio (several)

GORE:

[Static]:

Vault87Blood01-09
GorePile01-04
RaiderGutsDressing01-08 (FO3 Only)
RaiderCorpseDressing01-06
FXFlyswarm [FNV Only]
NVHeadPike01-06 (FNV Only)

[Movable Static]:

BrahminRibcage
BrahminSkull
GoryCorpsePartsTorsos
Skull
SkullBloody
Skeletons (Lots)
TIntestine
TGoreArmGore01
TGoreLegGore01

[Misc Items]:

BodyPart01-05
DeathclawHand

[Container]:

GoreBags

Static Collections

Others have suggested you might want to add static collections. You can group entire rooms into a static collection, which you can change in game. This makes much easier if you want multiple versions of the same room.

However, it is not always a good idea. Making SCOLs that are very large, composed of many different objects, is just bad practice. SCOLs only help if you're making them out of 2-3 of the same objects, or if all the objects share the same type.

For building purposes, yes: It's convenient. But too many SCOLs, especially if they are large, can produce even worse performance than if the statics were by themselves.

The beauty of SCOLs is that once they are in place, you can ungroup them. It allows you to make more complicated objects and place them with the intent of splitting them later. One thing that this is useful for is if you were to make an indoor garden. You could put the planter and the plants in the same static collection and make a few template planters.

If all the objects share the same textures, then it may be even better to keep them in a static collection (if you use the static collection more then once).

LOD Generation

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview Wiki.
FNVLODGen/xLODGen Tool by zilav.
Tree LOD billboard creator for xLODGen Tool by zilav.
S.T.E.P. Fear and Loathing Guide: Running FNVLODGen by EssArrBee.
Blender: Mastering Low-Poly Design for Gaming - YouTube Parts 1-5 Video series. Individual links follow:

BLENDER Tutorial: Low poly forest assets! Video.
Fallout 3 LOD Data Thread. Includes Object (statics) generation.
Fallout 3 LOD Tutorial HTML.
FO3: Confused about LOD Object generation Thread.
TTW: FNVLODGen Thread on differences between FO3 and FNV LOD "trees".
Guide: Editing Individual LOD Meshes Resource collection including tutorials.
Generating Tree LOD FNV/F3 Wiki.
GECK: LOD Generation For New Vegas and Fallout 3 Wiki.
LOD additions and improvements Resource mod.

NOTE: The GECK LOD generation process uses "decimation" to create it's "low polygon meshes" for LOD/VWD. Please read the TESTG site sub-topic The problem with LOD/VWD files about why this is believed to be less effective than that used in later games such as Skyrim.

TIP xLODGen

Even the casual user of the tool xLODGen should read the TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview article and the thread TTW: FNVLODGen to gain an understanding of what is involved. Among other things the later thread points out that the "green billboards and trees" are deliberately added by xLODGen to flag that they are missing textures (sort of like the red "!" to flag missing meshes, but specific to LOD). xLODGen lists them in it's log when generating LOD.
The resulting xLODGen.esp file needs to remain in your load order. It should be regenerated whenever you add or remove "background" meshes and textures, as the "load order" affects the "quads" constructed to stitch together the distant view.

Misc Topics

Subjects with only a short list of entries, not yet warranting their own section.

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ESM and ESP Files

Master Files (those with a ".ESM" extension - e.g. Fallout3.esm) and Plugin files ("TES files" or "mods" for short - files with a ".ESP" - e.g., Fallout3mod.esp) are the core data files of Bethesda games. A master file acts as a database of all of the data for the world, including object data, dialogue, game settings, object placements, AI settings, landscape, script commands, cells, etc. The GECK is the primary tool we use to create, view, and edit master files and plugins for the "Fallout 3" and "Fallout: New Vegas" series.

(However, not all game data files are Master and Plugin files. Textures, meshes, sounds, videos, etc. are all part of the full game. More about these files elsewhere.)

Master files and Plugins are largely identical in format, but have some important distinctions in practice. The main practical difference is that GECK will not (natively) create Master files. Nor will it allow Plugin files to modify other Plugin files. (The Extender and PowerUp addons overcome this limitation.) However, be aware that when you change an ESP to an ESM, you can only do this properly in xEdit/FNVEdit so that the ONAM record is generated; otherwise overrides to cells will not work. Additionally references by packages to markers and other scripted objects need to be persistent or they will not work in an ESM. See the GECK: Data Files entry for more.

It sometimes helps to think of using ".ESM" files to add new things, and ".ESP" files to change existing things or modify existing areas. Depending on how you create your "ESM", it might not modify existing things in-game. In other words, if there is an existing navmesh, an "ESP" will overwrite that navmesh, but an "ESM" might not. Similarly, if your "ESM" deletes an object (like a rock) it might work as an "ESP" but the rock might still be there as an "ESM".

It is possible for more than one Plugin file to depend upon the same Master file. They don't even have to be by the same author. Such Plugins are called dependencies. xEdit (aka FNVEdit) is the primary tool used to identify and manipulate such "master/dependent" relationships. (See the wiki article Missing Masters. LOOT can also detect such dependencies, but not alter them.) It can also be used to edit the values of specific records, and to create "compatibility" and "merge" patch files. (See the wiki Merged Plugin Guidelines for Personal Use article.)

If you have a problem with navmeshes after converting an ESP to an ESM, the problem likely is the original navmesh was deleted and your edit needs to be changed to an override (using xEdit/FNVEdit), then refinalized in GECK. A navmesh in the ESP will also eventually stop working. It is a known bug in the Gamebryo Engine and was not fixed until later in Skyrim's life (Creator Engine).

TIP When can you use an ESM only mod

Thanks to madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

When creating an ESM there are rules you have to follow so you don't corrupt everything.

All ESM plugins start out life as ESP files.

If your mod changes or deletes existing game references, it may not work properly as an ESM.

Use ESM master files for resources or NPCs. One rule is add or change, but don't delete. You can delete things while you are creating your ESM, but once another mod (ESP or ESM) references records in (i.e. depends on) your first ESM (i.e. treats it as a "master file"), don't ever delete anything out of that ESM or things can go very bad. If you've created a bunch of NPCs and you decide you don't need one, just leave it in the ESM and don't place it anywhere in-game. If it's already placed by the ESP, then set it to initially disabled and never enable it.

Once your mod (as an ESP file) is done: if you then convert it to an ESM using FNVedit (by toggling the "ESM" field flag of the "File Header") and saving, and YOU DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO IT, it will work. (That's in caps because it's important).

Once you change your ESP into an "ESM" in the file header of FNVEdit, make sure you change the file extension to ESM to match. FNVEdit loads files based upon their extension and timestamp, period. (But other games may ignore those same attributes and load based upon the "plugins.txt" file sequence.) Both FNVEdit and the game engine don't care about the internal ESM flag on ESP extension files; they get loaded after other ESMs. Fortunately LOOT does detect such internally flagged ESP files and sorts them with the rest of the actual ESM files. And since version 4 of xEdit, it's "Sort Masters" option automatically matches them to the current "load order". Besides, using a different extension from the purpose of the plugin confuses your customers: the players.

If you have something like an NPC or an AI package or pretty much anything in an ESM, and something modifies that NPC/package/whatever in another ESP or another ESM, do not ever change the NPC/package/whatever in the original ESM afterwards. That can really corrupt your mod. You'll also save yourself a lot of headaches if you don't modify things in another ESP/ESM. In other words, if you have an NPC defined in an ESM, but then you place the NPC in the game in an ESP, do not modify the original NPC definition (Base-ID form) in the ESP. You can modify your reference in the ESP all you want. Just don't modify the original NPC definition. (If that sentence confuses you, please see the GECK Form-ID, Base-ID, Ref-ID, and Editor-ID section again for the distinctions.)

Any NPC you define in an ESP will likely suffer from the infamous "mismatched head/body texture" bug (e.g. a head with one skin texture on a body with a different skin texture). Some people think that all you need to do is edit your INI files and you can fix this bug, but while that works for some mods and people, the solution doesn't work for others. If you don't want your NPCs to have mismatched skin textures, and you want it to be done reliably so it works for everyone, you need to define the NPCs in an ESM, period. Take the time to plan ahead.

If you do modify the NPC in the ESP, do not go back into the ESM and modify it there too, as those changes will get lost. With an NPC it's not so bad, but if you are editing terrain, you can end up with landscape tears and all kinds of texture, navmesh, or world problems. Basically, once something in another mod references something from an ESM, consider that "thing" in the ESM as "locked" and don't touch it again, because if you do touch it you'll break stuff.

Another issue with ESM files relates to how you edit them. It's probably easiest to explain using an example.

Let's say you want to fill in one of the unused homes in Goodsprings. This home in the vanilla files has a static door and boards across the door. You create an ESM which deletes the static door and the boards and adds a real door and an interior cell. All is well. You use FNVEdit to convert your ESP to an ESM, and all is still well. But then you edit your ESM in the GECK (using the GECK Extender or Powerup addons, because the vanilla GECK can't edit ESM files) and all of a sudden the static door and the boards are back, blocking your new real door.

There are a couple of ways to avoid this problem.

One is to only use ESM files for new things, and use ESP files whenever you modify something in the vanilla game, or in another master.
The only way known to keep your mod functioning correctly once it's an ESM, is to convert it back to an ESP every time you edit it, and then convert it back to an ESM using FNVedit when you are done.
Another way is to keep a copy of your original ESP for editing, then convert a different copy to ESM for actual use in-game. If you need to make more changes, edit the ESP, then copy and convert to ESM. (This is the preferable method, as it keeps a backup in case things go wrong.)

CAUTION: You may have heard it's also possible to convert your mod to an ESM using TESsnip (which was created for Oblivion files before the xEdit tool was developed). Experience teaches us that you should never ever use TESsnip with FO3/FNV: as it can corrupt your mod and ruin your save games and cause all kinds of trouble. This because it doesn't understand all the file format changes. You'll get the above corruption bug as soon as you convert your mod to an ESM with TESsnip, regardless of whether you edit the mod later with the GECK or not. Just the conversion to ESM with TESsnip is enough to cause the bug to show up.

Because of these issues, depending on what you are doing, you might need to have both an ESP and an ESM for your mod.

There are plenty of mods that have been released as ESM only. As long as you do it correctly, it's not a problem.

Factions and Reputation

GECK: Factions/Reputation Video.

GIMP Posters and Images

Gimp: create old weathered posters and other images Wiki.

How to do something

How to change Game Settings aka GMSTs

Thanks to punchbattle of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

As one might expect, the game has many variables it uses in various functions and algorithms. Where are these and how can you change them? They can be altered using either xEdit/FNVEdit (freeware) to edit GMST records or the GECK to change "Game Settings".

Example: Change "decapitation rates". Making your own mod file:

Open the GECK, then go to the upper left menu and click "File | Data..."
A list of ".ESM" files should pop up. Check the box next to FalloutNV.esm and uncheck any other box that might be checked. (If this is an annoying problem with the DLCS, please see Issue - GECK does not automatically select FalloutNV or some DLC ESM file.)
Highlight FalloutNV.esm, then click "Set as Active File", and press OK
Once it's done loading up, you should be ready to start editing!

[But first: change the filename to "make it your own".]

Editing Game Settings in the GECK:

Click "Gameplay | Settings...".
A window should pop up with a long list of game variables. You can type things into the Filter field to see specific variables.

These are the ones you're looking for in this example:

iCombatDismemberPartChance
iMessCrippledLimbExplodeBonus
iMessIntactLimbDismemberChance
iMessIntactLimbExplodeBonus
iMessTargetedLimbExplodeBonus
iMessTorsoExplodeChance

It is believed that iCombatDismemberPartChance is the base chance a limb will dismember, and the iMess... values kick in if you have the Bloody Mess perk. Just put in whatever values you think feel right, and see how things go. It may take a couple of tweaks before you get it exactly where you want it to be.

How to create a Primative activators trigger volumes multibounds and occlusion planes

How to create a Primative (activators, trigger volumes, multibounds, and occlusion planes) Wiki.

Tip Transparent Activators

Thanks to EPDGaffney and pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Sometimes you want an activation prompt based on scripting conditions, not proximity. You need the mesh to be there; but not the texture. Activators require the collision and the mesh to be under the reticle to be activated, but the texture apparently doesn't need to be visible. That might be an invisible texture or the null texture set. Any texture would work (like a 4x4 saved as DXT1 format); so it doesn't need to be transparent (DXT5). Just bring the Alpha of the NiMaterialProperty to 0.

Caution: Some have had the null texture set not work for manual activation, but a fully transparent texture did.

To add an Editor Marker to a mesh NIF (easier to spot and move in GECK) it must have the following structure (nomenclature has to be respected):

A NiNiode named "EditorMarker" containing a NiTriStrips named "EditorMarker:0"
The Shader of the NiTriStrips must be a BSShaderNoLightingProperty with SF_VertexAlpha ticked.
The Color of the marker is changed by altering the Vertex Colors in the NiTriStripData.
Bit 5 (Editor Marker Present) has to be ticked in the BSXFlags.

How to make a working pipboy icon

How to make a working pipboy icon Wiki.

Tip Pipboy Icons

Thanks to Leakingroof of the Nexus Fallout3 forum for the wiki article, and scrivener07 of the New Vegas Mod Talk forum for the basis of the following:

To edit an existing "Pipboy Icon" you will have to extract the default icon out of the vanilla "Fallout - Textures2.BSA" or mod file, and then move it to somewhere under the "Textures" folder in your data folder: such as "Data\Textures\interface\icons\<category>". Don't forget the "Message Icon" as well. (This is the icon that is used outside of the inventory.) It will most likely be named the same but with "glow_" prefixed on the front and located under other sub-folders of the "interface\icons\<category>" folder. The "<category>" may be "message icons", "pipboyimages_small", or "typeicons", etc.

Edit your replacement or create a new icon. The key to a functional Pipboy Icon is that the simple "white" image on a transparent background goes into the "alpha channel", has a square cropped size of a power of 2 (e.g. 256x256 pixels), and is saved as a DXT3 format DDS file. The resulting saved file should be exactly 65,664 bytes and placed in the appropriate "textures\interface\icons\pipboyimages\<category>" sub-folder. (The icon color when displayed is controlled by the HUD color for the Pipboy.) See the Nexus wiki article How to make a working pipboy icon for details.

To replace an existing icon: open the GECK and start a fresh new ESP mod. Name it something to distinguish it from the original like "<original item> - Icon Patch". Open the item in question and click the edit button and navigate to "Data\Textures\interface\icons\<category>" containing the new pipboy icon file and load that icon and the "Message Icon" in and save the mod. Load this "<original item> - Icon Patch" plugin in your game "load order" right after the "<original item>" plugin and it should overwrite the previous icon and you won't loose your tweaks if you ever want to update the original mod. (You can merge both the original and the patch plugins if you know how.) If you want to share this patch on the nexus you would upload the ".ESP" and the textures using the exact file structure you used. See the mod Misc Item Icons - New Vegas as an example of a plugin containing only icons to replace the use of the generic "scrap metal" icon for certain misc. items.

How to Move a Quest NPC

Thanks to madmongo and kingbeast88 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

If you go to move an NPC (typically a "named" one) to another cell and are warned by the GECK they are part of a quest, you need to stop and check what is going to get broken if you proceed. Check what references them in the GECK (e.g. Scripts, Packages, Linked Markers, etc.). If any of those reference the NPC's location, you will need to update them with your new location for that NPC.

When you do move the NPC, be sure to "<Ctrl+C>" and "<Ctrl+M>".

Import Custom Videos

Importing custom videos into FNV/F3/Skyrim/Oblivion Wiki.

Item Creation and placement

Item creation and placement Wiki.

Make Readius Screenglares

Making Pipboy Readius screenglares Wiki.

Markers

GECK: Markers Wiki.
Dummy Cell for Scripted XMarkers Wiki.

You don't need to make a new XMarker object. Just drag the existing XMarker static object into the GECK "Render Window" and it makes a new reference to that object. (Look over to the right of the object field a bit and you will see a count of "uses". It's used everywhere and you can use it too.) Then if you need to use and reference your marker in some way, you can double click the one you just placed in the render window and edit it's information to distinguish it from all others (for example, for the Edit-ID you might put "xMyModMarker", then later in a Script or AI Package or what not, use that Edit-ID for reference). The base Form-ID is blocked from view by the game engine. When you made a new one, it automatically assigns a new Form-ID. That is not blocked by the game engine from being viewed in game. Its the same way with all the markers in the game.

TIP Portable xMarkers

Suppose you want an NPC's "home" to be changeable to a new location. You can either place different xMarkers at the potential sites, or use a "creature" that is initially "disabled" for your Marker. Static objects like the default XMarker object cannot be moved, but a "persistent creature" set as a "quest object" can be moved and assigned as a "marker". Then drop the "marker/creature" in the new "home" cell. "Creature" positions are always updated in the game, whereas static objects are not, so you don't need to use the "enable/disable" trick to update their location. You then assign a "GoHome" travel AI Package to the marker as it's destination, and another "sandbox behavior" AI Package to let it wander the immediate area of the marker. See the wiki article GECK: Bethsoft Tutorial NPC population.

NVSE Plugins

Unfortunately there is neither documentation nor tutorials on creating an NVSE Plugin. The only advice is to use the older, freeware IDA 5.0 Disassembler by Hex-Rays for 32-bit executables, which is hosted on the ScummVM site, and your knowledge of "C-like" programming languages. From that page:

A recent discussion [Mar 2018] about the most recent IDA Disassembler freeware 7.0 revealed that it no longer supports disassembling older DOS and Windows executables. This is obviously a problem for potential contributors, as well as potential GSoC students wanting to reverse engineer an old adventure game or RPG for their project. The obvious solution is to provide an earlier freeware version that still supports them. Consulting with Hex-Rays, they're kindly consented for us to host one of the earlier IDA freeware versions, for those in the future who wish to use it.

PAINTdotNET Normal Maps

Graphic Artistry: Normal Maps in Paint.Net Tutorial.

Recipes

GECK: Making a Recipe Video.

UV Mapping

UV Mapping: An Explanation Wiki.
UV Mapping: Making square UV maps in Blender Wiki.

XML

XML is a "data definition" structure, based upon a "data schema" which was defined by Bethesda. They didn't publish their "schema", but some things have been learned about it. However, without a published scheme, you must either use only elements found in other XML files, or be willing to experiment.

W3School's XML Tutorial Wiki. Covers various XML standards such as Ajax, DOM, XPath, XSLT, XQuery, DTD, Schema, and Services.
Category:Oblivion XML Wiki (Oblivion, but still applies to FO3 and FNV).
Tes4Mod:Oblivion XML/Traits Wiki (Oblivion, but still applies to FO3 and FNV).
Reading UI & HUD XML files by DoctaSax (Adults (18+)Only site). Covers XML Basics.
QXmlEdit (freeware) XML Editor. Note the tutorials on this site are regarding the tool's features; not XML in general.

Music and Sounds

Fallout New Vegas features a brand new music engine versus that of the one used within Fallout 3 and Oblivion, which has effectively rendered the music tab within the creation of cells useless. See the Wiki tutorial Fallout New Vegas Music for the description of how this now works.

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Fallout New Vegas Music Wiki.
Replacing radio songs Wiki.
GECK Tutorial - Radio Station by Seddon. Video. See TIP: Format to call a song.
GECK Tutorial - How to Create A New Radio Station by DorostheConqueror. Forum post. See TIP: Format to call a song.
Free Sound Effects Web site.
The Great 78 Project Web site. About 78,000 (and growing) old 78 LP's ranging from 1898 till around some time in the 1950's. But would-be users need to note the Terms of Use required by the Internet Archive organization. In short, their material is "free to access" but not particularly "free to distribute", and may be subject to various copyright laws. Access is granted for scholarship and research purposes only. It is your responsibility to ensure such legalities are complied with for individual titles.
Silent Voice Generator by Enter_77 Mod.
Latest Ogg Vorbis Libraries by KaneWright. The game uses it for decoding OGG audio format.

NOTE: There is a distinction between, and in the requirements for, each type of sound. Stereo won't fade (attenuate) over distance; mono will. This accounts for why some fx and all voices need to be in mono.

Some sounds appear to be "hard-coded" into the game engine in that they are not found as separate files in the loose files under the "Data" folder nor in the "Fallout - Sound.BSA" file. (The "havok" collision sounds are an example of this.) Some sounds have an entry in the GECK, that appear to never be used despite the fact you can open a form and see them entered. (Another example of differences in behavior is with the heartbeat sounds for low health, which can be replaced by other sounds externally in Windows Explorer, despite having entries in the GECK which it claims are unused.) Consequently, some experimentation is usually required.

Stereo sound files are considered superior to mono because they have relative 2D positioning built into them already. However in reality, for games, when you want to achieve a 3D surround sound positioning effect, in almost all cases it's mono files that need to be used. That way the game engine kind of re-stereos them into the entire 3D sound output of your gameplay. There are exceptions to this, and often ways to ignore this rule, but in general, game designers use mono for 3D sounds and stereo for 2D, even in modern games.

File folders by type:

collision sounds made by objects hitting other objects or the ground are aspects of the "Havok Material Properties" (edited with NifSkope), and are addressed under the topic of "Collision" in TIP: Collision Impact Sounds. These sounds are hard-coded into the game engine, but the main game typically uses only 32 of the identified 96 possibilities.
music (Data\Music): location/event soundtrack. MP3 stereo files.
songs (Data\Sound\songs\radionv): radio playlists. Individual song title files begin with the "mus_" prefix, and a "_mono" suffix. Mono: WAV (Pipboy) or OGG (radios/speakers) files; or Stereo: MP3 (Pipboy) files. Besides the obvious problem of a gigantic difference in file size (WAV files are roughly 5 times those of MP3s), this engine will actually play a stereo WAV file on a radio station twice (first the left channel will play, and then the right channel). This problem does not occur with stereo MP3 song files. See the TIP: Format to call a song for more detail on file formats for "radio stations".
sounds (Data\Sound\fx): noise/ambience/special effects(fx). WAV mono files. There are a number of sub-folders in the BSA under this category. These are just a sampling of common interest under this category:

amb (background noises): OGG files.
fx (sound effects): WAV mono files.
mus (location music): OGG files. Sub-folders for types:

bttl\allcityintro
bttl\allcityoutro
bttl\allruralintro
bttl\allruraloutro
endgame
inc\night
inc\peaceful
inc\day
inc\creepy
mysteriousstranger
tenpenny

npc (by type of actor): WAV mono files.
voc (sound effect "voices"): WAV mono files. These can be "broadcast" from radios or speakers with the playsound function in the menumode for terminals. The sound file length controls the timing.

voices (Data\Sound\voice): dialog. OGG and LIP mono files. These are "spoken" by Actors as "talking head" dialog. The LIP file controls the timing.

Tip Adding a new sound noises or fx file

Thanks to EDPGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for contributing clarifications to the following:

Place your sound file somewhere in "Data\Sounds\fx\<YourModFolder>".

If your sound file (WAV, MP3, OGG, etc.) is imported, be sure to strip out any "metadata" (cover art, album name, author, etc.) it may be encoded with as the game is not prepared to deal with it. There are a number of tools available on the web, including the Audacity (free) sound editor, which can covert other formats.

NOTE: The GECK seems to see/list all sound files as MP3, regardless of their actual extension (i.e. WAV or OGG). The extension does not seem to matter to GECK and the sound plays fine in game, but only WAV files play in the editor.

If you intend to "overwrite" a vanilla sound file, you must first extract the sound file from it's BSA file into it's intended folder. This is primarily to create the correct folder path for your replacement file.

Your fx/sound MUST be a mono, 16-bit sample size, and 22, 32, or 44.1KHz sample rate WAV (ADPCM: "Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation") file, if you want to be able to click "play" and hear it in the editor. No other file type plays in the editor, even though many vanilla files are in other formats. Its a GECK thing.
MP3 sound files (other than "songs" for "radio") should be mono, 16-bit sample size, 44.1KHz sample rate, Bit Rate: constant, 64 kbps.
OGG Vorbis sound files should be mono, 44.1KHz, Bit rate: constant, 48kbps (128kbps for dialogue). Still need to generate WAV files to make LIP files since GECK won't make them, but once the LIP file is done you can dispense with the WAV file. (See the Dialogue & Lip-synch section.) On average, an OGG file uses much less memory.

When in doubt about which "KHz sample rate" to use, be guided by what similar vanilla sound files in the same location are using.

Open GECK.

Look in the object window for "Audio", then click on "Sound".

The list here is not of actual sound files, but rather a list of GECK Form-IDs that point to the sound files.

Then you must create a sound object in the GECK. You can't directly link the audio portion of your weapon (etc.) directly to your sound file. Again, you MUST create a sound object first. And then link that object to your weapon in the "Art and Sound" tab. You must be able to hear your sound play as a GECK sound object BEFORE linking it to your weapon.

To create a new sound record from scratch:

Move to the right window, right click and select "New".
Click on "Add sound file".

Adjust "Attenuation distance".

Check stock vanilla sounds of the same type (e.g. a gunshot) for a good idea on how to set them.

Flag "Mute when submerged", then the "OK" button.

Check stock vanilla sounds for other flags and settings as well.

If your sound is a dialogue then flag "Dialogue sound".

OR, edit an existing sound record to create a new one:

Right-click and edit one of the existing sounds. Ideally find one of the same type as what you want (i.e, to make a new gunshot sound, use an existing gunshot sound).
Make your modifications to that sound, and point it towards your own added sound file.

Click "OK", and it will ask: "Create a new form?"; to which you say YES, then make note of the new Form-ID.
Now when you are in your "Art and Sound" tab (if its a weapon or something) just click on the sound buttons and find your new sound by the new Form-Id you noted.

TIP Format to call a song

Thanks to EDPGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

For a radio station, a "song" file will ideally meet the following requirements:

Your song must be converted to .MP3 format if you want it to be recognized and used on a game radio station in stereo.

128 kbps CBR ("Constant Bit Rate"; 256 is said to work but not tested) in stereo.
Mono files will play, but obviously they won't play in stereo.

Most tutorials on radio stations only refer to WAV files, giving the impression that they are the only file format that will work. This is not the case, but there are specific differences to use MP3 songs. (Both Stereo and Mono MP3 songs will work if the same procedures are followed.) Other than the ability to be in stereo, the other huge advantage to using MP3 files is how much smaller they are (roughly 1/5).
To call a song in a radio station: .MP3s NEED braces (see example below) around the response name; but .WAV or .OGG files won't work with them. (The reason the vanilla stations have mono .OGG files as well in the Fallout - Sound.bsa file is: those are what plays in the world on a speaker/radio that isn't your Pip-Boy.)

If you look at any of the vanilla radio stations in the GECK, they all use .MP3s, and the name of each entry is something like this:

..{Song 1 A Winter Romance}

Note that like the vanilla script vCountryRadioQuest, you should put two spaces (represented here by two periods to be visible) before the first brace. (Not tested without.)

If you save mono OGG files in the radio folder that are named identically to the "song" files but with _mono appended to them (e.g. "song1.mp3" and "song1_mono.ogg"), the radio station will play them in the game world at the correct time. I've seen a lot of different ways to encode them but I have always used 65kbps mono and (I believe) 22050hz, and have always had them play as intended.

Seddons video guide on how to make a station is a good one, but its major flaw is that he was operating under the presumption that mono WAV files were required. You must make the above calling convention adjustments if using MP3 or stereo files instead.
DorostheConquerors text-based guide is slightly more comprehensive than Seddon's if I recall, but suffers from the same mono WAV file presumption, and the same adjustments apply.
NOTE: Radio stations are similar to dialog in that their quests must be checkboxed to "start enabled". If the quest isn't "active" the topics/songs will not play.

TIP Music and Dialog

Thanks to Glenrhee of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

When you have the problem of your added music won't fade or mute during dialog, probably you have not encoded it correctly.

The music has to be in mono .wav format.
It has to be in a CBR (constant bit rate) of 256 or less. Most audio editing programs let you choose to export it this way.
It'll sound louder out-of-game than in-game, so don't lower the volume too much on it.

Now your music should automatically get quieter when in dialog.

TIP Replacing Battle Music

Thanks to KadoDragon and DaemonGrin of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

You need to know what audio object (in the GECK) to edit in the audio tab which means you need to know the names of the battle songs you want to replace. All you have to do once you have that information is redirect the audio object to the wav, mp3 or ogg file of the new one. Or you can find the mp3, wav, ogg you want to replace with your own music and just rename yours to the same names of the vanilla files (after backing them up of course); making sure to leave them in the correct directory path(s) in the "Data\sound\" folder path. Not hard at all. Really the hardest thing to do with sound is creating the intro and outro segments: they are super short and need to blend nicely with the fade-in of the battle music.

The game combines the intros and outros from the Data\Sound\fx\mus\bttl sub-folder and then plays the music from the appropriate Data\Music\ sub-folder.

TIP TCD and Gunfire Detection Events

Thanks to punchbattle of the "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following.

A really helpful command is called ToggleCombatDebug (TCD). Running it in-game adds graphical elements to combat that help give you a better understanding of what's going on under the hood. For instance, one really helpful thing it does is create "teal colored" bubbles (called Detection Events) to mark sounds made by the player and NPCs. If an NPC is close enough to a Detection Event, they'll "hear it" and begin searching for the enemy it belongs to. This revealed something very ... odd. And bad.

The only part of a gunshot that creates a Detection Event is the projectile, and only at the point of impact. This means NPCs will completely ignore the sound of the gun going off, and instead choose to wander right into the enemy's crosshairs. Bethesda is infamous for their "less than realistic" stealth systems, but learning about this completely ruined stealth for the author and made them want to fix it.

There's a function that lets you make your own Detection Events. It's called (strangely enough) CreateDetectionEvent.

An initial idea was to attach a script to a gun, and have it create a Detection Event at the location of the shooter whenever they pull the trigger. This didn't work for a number of reasons. Instead, using a quest that checks for anyone with a gun doing an attack animation, and casting a Detection Event spell on them works perfectly!

For anyone reading this who wants to mess around with Detection Events as well: Any field that asks you to assign a Sound Level to a weapon or projectile is actually asking you how big you want your weapon's Detection Event bubble to be. But remember! Weapons don't actually create Detection Events when fired, despite what the GECK seems to imply: only upon projectile impact! The size of each "Sound Level" bubble is controlled by these settings:

iSoundLevelLoud - 100
iSoundLevelNormal - 50
iSoundLevelSilent - 10

People say that Detection Events can't be larger than 100, but this isn't true. You can assign values into the thousands, and it still works. Also, 100 is ...very small. (As in 128 game units is the equivalent of the default 6 foot tall NPC actor.) Makes one wonder if that isn't perhaps a percentage multiplier to the "standard" bubble size; whatever that might be?

TIP Weapon firing sounds

Thanks to Scott Clemmons of the GameAs "Fallout: New Vegas" forum for the basis of the following:

In New Vegas, there are two different 3D shooting sounds for many weapons: A normal shooting sound, and a distant shooting sound. As the distance between you and the shooter increases and the normal shooting sound starts to fade, the distant sound should start taking over while the normal sound continues fading away.

The distant sound has a bit of an echo, so the effect of using this different sound for shots from a large distance is nice. The distant sound doesn't start playing until the normal shooting sound has stopped playing completely. So as you get further away the normal shooting sound fades until the gun is almost silent. Then, when the sound is completely gone, the distant sound takes over. Usually, this distant sound is disconcertingly louder than the fading at the end of the closer distance sound!

So what happens? You have someone shooting at you, and the further you get away, the less loud the sound gets. But then when you pass a certain distance, the shooting sound goes from nearly silent to relatively loud again.

Using the 'getdistance player' console command, you can track the distance (measured in game units) between the shooting NPC and yourself. Approaching the 2400 unit distance the gunfire sound is almost silent. Then, upon increasing the distance between yourself and the NPC a little more, the louder distant shooting sound takes it's place.

In the GECK Weapon record Form there are "attack sound" fields on two different tabs: "Art and Sound", and "Mod Info".

Art and Sound tab: Unmodified weapon attack sounds.
Mod Info tab: Weapon attack sounds when an appropriate "weapon mod" is used: i.e. "suppressor/silencer".

Testing showed that adding a "Suppressor/Silencer" "weapon mod" seemed to have no effect on the sound heard in most cases. Turns out a huge part of this is the specific sound files chosen, and for which of the different fields. Apparently many mod makers use the same sounds for both tabs (probably not understanding the different roles).

The "3D" field's sound "attenuates" (fades) as you move from the point of origin starting at approximately 255 units up to 2400 units distance.
The "Dist" sound is a 3D effect that kicks in approximately at 2400 units up to 8500 units.
The 2D field sound does not "attenuate" (fade) with distance. This is the "1st person" sound: "right in your ear".

The following choices illustrate the difference of this effect for a .308 caliber weapon (The 'Gobi Desert Sniper Rifle', using WMX to modify it). The "CCSP" files chosen are from the Combined Community Sound Pack (CCSP). Other choices depend upon the mods installed.

"Art and Sound" tab: (Unmodified weapon attack sounds).

Attack Sound (3D): "CCSPsniperrifle3d" (there are several choices and all are generally "loud".)
Attack Sound (Dist): "CCSPsniperrifledistant" (this in particular is a more muffled distant sound than other similar options.)
Attack Sound (2D): "CCSPsniperrifle2d" (there are several choices and all are generally "next to you loud".)

"Mod Info" tab: (Modified weapon attack sounds).

Attack Sound(s): "CCSPsniperriflesilenced3d" (shorter, quieter 3D shot.)
Attack Sound (2D): "WPNRifleAssaultSilencedFire2D" (shorter, quieter 2D shot.)

Now an unmodified rifle sounds as expected, and one equipped with a silencer is obviously quieter. The contrast between the fading 3D sound and the "Dist" sound is something the sound file makers will have to calibrate. But using a more faded "dist" sound will reduce the jarring effect.

Navmeshing

(The process is essentially the same between the GECK and the Creation Kit. See also the Worldspace Creation section.)

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

Creation Kit Tutorial: Bethesda Navmesh Tutorial Wiki. Generally applies to GECK as well.
Creation Kit Tutorial: Guide to Bethesda Creation Kit - Navmesh: pathing test and finalizing Video by Hellcat5.
Creation Kit Tutorial: How to Navmesh Video by Darkfox127. Specific to Skyrim but compatible essentials.
Creation Kit Tutorial: Linking Cells Video by Darkfox127.
GECK: Bethsoft Navmesh Tutorial Wiki.
GECK: How to edit pre-existing nav-meshs for an exterior worldspace GECK Video by 001cf73.
GECK: NavMesh Tutorial Video by Illusive Man.
GECK: NavMesh Tutorial Video by Staring@MyKeyboard.
Navmesh Fixes and Improvements Mod by sandbox6.
NavMesh Tutorial: Stairs Video by Staring@MyKeyboard.
TES5Edit: Documentation Wiki.
TES5Edit: Fixing Deleted Navmesh with TES5edit Video by soupdragon.

TIP Bug extending NavMesh

Thanks to EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

There's a massive bug that has a 'cult following' of sorts, in that it doesn't seem to be discussed quite so often as most of the other fundamentals of modding, but when you do find a discussion about it, there is an unmistakable fire at work, and it burns with unmatched vitriol.

It seems that if your plug-in is not a "master file" (.ESM), there's only so much you can do with navmeshes before the game just can't take it and pathing simply breaks.

In my case, I had an interior cell basement with a number of roaches, and they had a very specific 'setpiece' AI. It all worked perfectly. Then I built the rest of the area and it still worked. Finally, when I navmeshed just the adjacent room (extending the same navmesh), I incurred a fully reproducible form of this bug (which takes many forms, though this is my only first-hand experience): everything in the entire space works 100% perfectly -- until I load my save and test it again. That's right, everything; and the amount of intense scripting and 'scenes' occurring here is extraordinary. But if anything causes the navmesh to be re-encountered again after any attempt to resume the same game session from a previous save point (load my current save, quit to the main menu and then load my save, load another save, or anything that doesn't involve closing the application and relaunching the ".EXE"), the roaches will just idle there, or sometimes run full-speed into the wall or door perpetually and never get where their package is meant to bring them. Sometimes they'll even teleport as they idle, gradually materialising closer to the Package Target but not quite getting there. Leaving and returning to the room without loading a save game appears to work fine.

So, I found some information on my trusty Google machine, and decided to try my file as an ".ESM". Flawless results every time. So try that. Just make sure you back up your file. ".ESP to .ESM" conversions have a bit of quirkiness unless you understand the "rules" pertaining to them. (See TIP: When can you use an ESM only mod?.)

Making an ESP file into an ESM can solve some problems with spawning actors appearing "jammed up" in a particular spot instead of where you placed them.

Toggling "ArchiveInvalidation" seems to sometimes clear up an AI package acting buggy when making changes to your navmesh. However, this will not satisfactorily resolve the problem for your users.

ONAM records are special records created that allow Master files to communicate with one-another when references need to be passed. xEdit ensures that as part of the "Plugin to Master" conversion process, these ONAM records are built and correctly ordered. This is why it is better to make the "Plugin to Master" conversion using xEdit. See the TES5Edit Documentation section on "Converting a Plugin into a Master".

Summary from a Skyrim discussion:
Basically when an ESP plugin wants to change something in the base game, it either adds a new object, or has an object that shares it's ID with something in one of it's master files. Since the ID is the same as the one in the master, only the one loaded last is used. This is called an override.

ESMs cannot normally do overrides. If they add something that shares the same FormID, you get a collision error. EXCEPT if you have what's known as an ONAM record. Basically this is a small sub-record in the header of the file that tells the game engine: "This ID is overwritten in this file".

Although the CK won't add an ONAM list [but FNVEdit's "MasterUpdate" function will -Editor], you can still ESM'ify by changing the extension to ESM, opening as "Active", then saving. There's no guarantee it'll fix anything w/o an ONAM list though.

The ONAM lists seem to help the engine's object permanence when an ESM overrides its master(s) cell children, ensuring the overrides A) work properly and B) aren't forgotten when they unload. It's a TES4 (header) subrecord (ACHR, NAVM, LAND, REFR, PHZD). ThePitt.ESM was the first Beth plugin to get an ONAM list and every applicable Beth ESM since has one (save for one iteration of Update.ESM). Not sure exactly how it works but, in Oblivion, if one moved something from Oblivion.ESM around with another ESM flagged plugin, the ground would vanish in game. This is most likely why Oblivion's Shivering Isles was merged in and its ESP was empty. Currently [2011], the only way to get an ONAM list is with FO3/FNVEdit.

Note though, ESM's are not 100% immune to navmesh related bugs.

You cannot slave an ESM to an ESP; only the other way around. You can split an existing ESP into an ESM/ESP pair: as long as the items in the ESP are "non-edits" of the new ESM (things that exist only in the ESP and do not edit anything from the ESM: i.e. "all new content") Such ESP items will be beginning with "mod index"/form-id 02 when only those two files are loaded. It will translate into loaded save games properly. Any records that go directly into the ESM will be treated as a new mod and reset on first load.

TIP Draw Navmesh Quickly

Thanks to kingbeast88 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

To quickly draw your extended navmesh boundaries:

Make your first triangle. (See any of the above tutorials.)
Then hold <Ctrl> and <Right-Click> your mouse at each of the next vertice locations. The nearest boundary line will automatically redraw to include that vertice.
Press <Tab> when you need to switch sides of the two vertices of the boundary line currently selected to extend in a different direction.

TIP Navmesh Boundaries

Thanks to madmongo and EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

NPCs will stray slightly outside the bounds of a navmesh, so you don't have to be super-precise in laying down their boundaries. If you're a bit sloppy the NPCs will still usually manage to figure out how to go where they should.

"Off-screen" NPCs do not require any navmeshing. An NPC was set to run his script even when the Player wasn't in the area (meaning: unlike the majority of NPCs, his No Low-Level Processing box was not ticked in the G.E.C.K.) but without any navmeshing. He acted "funny" when on-screen with the Player, but the game updated his task to "completed" once the Player left the area.

If you have a container with items in the area, and the gap between the navmesh and the container is too small, it is at least theoretically possible an NPC in combat might grab a more powerful item from the container. However such instances should be rare.

TIP Navmeshing Exterior cells

Thanks to madmongo, EPDGaffney, and kingbeast88 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Most tutorials on "navmeshing" are done in interior cells. Which means they don't have to deal with "cell boundaries". However, "exterior navmeshes" DO have to deal with cell boundaries, and this can lead to some confusion.

Outdoor navmeshes work mostly the same as indoor ones, except that the navmesh path can't cross cell boundaries. However, when the navmesh boundaries are adjacent at the cell boundaries, NPCs can cross between cells. See the How to edit pre-existing nav-meshs for an exterior worldspace GECK Video by 001cf73 for the basics.

When you finalize your outdoor navmesh, it will attempt to link up with the neighboring cell's navmesh. Any line segment along the edge of the navmesh that successfully links to the next cell will turn green. Navmesh vertices (the "node points" the lines align with) will often end up being automatically split by the GECK so that it can match up vertices. If part of the cell border isn't green, then the navmeshes between the two cells in that location aren't linked and NPCs won't cross from one cell to the other properly.

You don't have to be exact when lining up vertices on your navmesh, but you have to be reasonably close. If your navmesh triangle edges are too far away from the triangle edges in the next cell, the GECK won't be able to match them up. You don't have to "match vertex for vertex", but if you don't "match vertex for vertex", what can often happen is that part of the triangle is too far away vertically (Z-axis) from the triangle in the next cell and the GECK refuses to link it. (You can just lift a navmesh's vertex a bit up (hold <Z> to lock it to the vertical, or Z-axis) to make sure it's above the ground, and then hit <F> like any other object to snap it to the first piece of collision that's directly below the vertex. But, watch out that you don't drop your vertex onto a piece of virtually invisible light and assume it's on the ground when it isn't.) So "matching vertex for vertex" will generally give you the best results.

If the cell boundary line isn't turning green, delete the navmesh triangles along the cell border and redo them so that the vertices are closer, then finalize your navmesh for that cell again.

Moving vertices is often not the best way to go about adjusting the navmesh. If you're not careful (or aren't used to 3D modelling or UV-mapping) you can accidentally end up with triangles that have flipped normals and a navmesh for that cell that doesn't work. In which case, you're better off deleting any triangles that go under your addition (e.g. in the referenced video: a house straddling both cells) and then add new triangles to circumscribe the addition (e.g. the house). Remember, any cell that you change the navmesh in needs to be finalized. Just making navmesh triangles isn't enough.

Observations:

Make sure to check your navmesh work from all different angles (that is: rotate it) to be certain it really is the shape you think it is.

Apparently there is a check cover edges button which needs to be pressed before pressing finalize in all cells affected. So as long as you have no warnings, and have your vertex Z-axis lined up close with your triangle edges touching each other, this will most of the time create a new cell boundary (green) line.

You can occasionally create this "green line" where no boundary was before by using only finalize, but this doesn't seem to be the case when you delete them or make edits that remove the "green line".

Keep your navmesh "triangle" count to 500 or less, at least in exterior cells. If you exceed that limt, the engine does "weird things" like spawn items randomly that otherwise are not placed there.

You don't need to draw cover, really. That gets done by the button designated for it on the navmesh toolbar. Never had a problem with the way the GECK does it automatically. Haven't really pushed its limits or anything, so don't know how it would do in a really complex room, but think the average navmesh would have adequate cover drawn by the GECK with no input from you afterwards.

You need to navmesh places where AI will go, but don't need to bother with it anywhere that can't have AI in it. However, remember that the player can have companions, and they will need a navmesh. You can of course force the player not to bring companions in your mod, but you should probably have a good reason for it.

Note that nothing bad will happen if your companions can't come with you. They'll just wait where the navmesh ends and then teleport to you when you exit the cell if need be.

TIP Navmesh marker for Portal relocates

Thanks to chucksteel and madmongo of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

After editing a navmesh, the green triangle that indicates a portal appears ... not under the door, nor near the marker, but in some completely random location. What gives? Is this a problem?

Nothing is wrong. The portal will function properly, allowing followers and NPCs to use it correctly. The "green triangle" only confirms the connection and does not need to always be under the portal marker itself. The player and NPC's will always spawn properly on the portal marker regardless of where the navmesh green triangle is located.

This seems to only happen if you create a navmesh, save the mod, then edit it later. If it really bugs you, then you can delete the entire navmesh for the cell and re-do it. No big deal for a small simple cell, but probably not something you want to do for a very complex navmesh in a large cell.

NifSkope Mesh Editor

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

How To Rotate A Mesh In Nifskope 2 minute video by Zylice Liddell.
Jokerine's Misc Resources Tutorials and Novac Bungalow: NifSkope Texture Paths by Jokerine Mod PDF.
NIF tangents and binormals updater Command line tool to batch update tangents/binormals.
Material and Texture Animations in NifSkope - Tutorial PDF/DOC download.
NifSkope Wiki Wiki.
NifSkope: Working with the NiControllerManager Forum Thread. Alternate images available here.
Tutorials on Screenshots, NifSkope, Outfit creation and Posing by jonas opines Mod.
Nifskope Testing Skeleton by clanky4. Mod for testing animations in NifSkope only.

TIP Attaching a light source to a mesh

Thanks to MonsterMonkey of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

So, you have an existing mesh that needs a light source added to illuminate only a portion of it. How do you go about it?

Open your mesh in NifSkope, and attach a "new node > bsvaluenode" where you want the light source.
Now you'll have to open the GECK, and find AddonNodes.

AddonNodes are particle meshes that can use a light source.

AddonNodes have an Index number. You 'll need this Index number in NifSkope, so make note of the one you want.
Now go to NifSkope, and in the bsvaluenode entry you created, go to the "value" line and write the related Index number of the AddonNode you want the mesh to use.

The thread Attaching light to mesh? has an example of the before and after effect on an image.

TIP Convert NIF header

Thanks to pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum for the basis of the following:

When you want to change the header of your custom mesh from "NiNode" to "BSFadenode" (because it prevents your object from moving, etc.) or vice versa:

Select the NiNode, <Right Click>, select "Block | Convert", and choose your node type.

TIP Merging parts from different source files

Thanks to madmongo and M48A5 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Sometimes you want to "mash up" parts of mesh (and texture) files from different sources. You might think to export parts of models from the source files as "*.OBJ" files, and then import them into your "*.NIF" files as "*.OBJ" in NifSkope. This is not how this is usually done, and will generally produce "array Shader Textures are invalid" and "device position incorrect after block number ##" errors. These are caused by missing BSShaderPPLightingProperty entries, and thus no BSShaderTextureSet.

Generally speaking: "*.OBJ" files are for use importing into Blender, and should be exported as "*.NIF" files to work in NifSkope. Blender is a much better tool for this sort of thing.

When moving parts of meshes between "*.NIF" files in NifSkope, use the "Copy Branch" and "Paste Branch" functions.

NifSkope does not display textures from BSAs by default. You have to point NifSkope to the BSA files location in it's settings. In the NifSkope UI, left click "Options". In the drop down menu, choose "Settings | Resources". In the panel that opens, you will have to add the path to the BSAs. It should be the complete path, starting with the drive letter. When you open "Resources" you should see a complete path to (and including) the "Data" folder. If not, click on "Auto detect game path".

When using custom textures, you need to set the texture relative path to the loose file in the NIF with NifSkope. This is done under BSShaderPPLightingProperty/BSShaderTextureSet. ("Relative" meaning the path starts BELOW the game "Data" folder: as in "textures\<some sub-folder>\<some filename>.dds". No drive letters or any path above "textures\"; without even "Data\". See the wiki article How to fix hard-coded texture paths in NIF files for specific instructions.)

TIP Model Lighting

Thanks to EPDGaffney and pixelhate of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Q: When you change the texture of an item with the GECK it always ends up different then the ground texture even if it's using the same texture. Why? Example: railroad tracks roadbed and ballast is always different than the surrounding terrain.

A: The model determines the lighting in this game. I'm asking, in the vanilla game was it seamless? I don't mean the 2D ".dds" texture file; I'm asking, did it look seamless in-game? [No, it doesn't.]

(For any unfamiliar graphics related terms, please see the TESTG Glossary.)

So, the way it works is an object is lit dependent upon several factors. The first is the normal map and its alpha channel. Obviously, you're telling me these are all the same texture, so that's not the problem here but it is certainly something to be aware of. The normal map behaves as you expect, and its alpha channel is used as the specular map. Generally, you want that specular map to be mostly dark, down to drawing distinctly different effects in-game from a portion of a specular map that is 5% bright and 8% bright, for example (that is, 0% is pitch black, and bringing the RGB values all up 5% from 0 is 5%).

Now, be aware that the specular map is manipulated in NifSkope but its effects are completely ignored visually until you see it in the GECK or the game, though the GECK usually doesn't display it accurately to the way it will look in-game.

So, now that the basics are out of the way, the rest of the lighting stuff is determined per model in NifSkope. Open your train tracks model in NifSkope (located in Meshes\dungeons\metro\exterior), and click on the dirt portion:

TrainTracks_Fig-01

(See TrainTracks_Fig-01. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

This tells you quickly and easily which NiTriStrips it is. Expand that and go to the NiMaterialProperty node that is attached to the NiTriStrips for the dirt:

TrainTracks_Fig-02

(See TrainTracks_Fig-02. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

The Specular and Emissive both have an effect but it's really the Glossiness entry that's likely to have the effect you're looking for. It will take a good bit of trial and error.

Other things that can have an effect are the Shader flags:

TrainTracks_Fig-03

(See TrainTracks_Fig-03. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

and though not in this case (unless the terrain model has it), other texture slots besides the diffuse and normal maps:

TrainTracks_Fig-04

(See TrainTracks_Fig-04. Click the link/thumbnail to see the enlarged image. Use your browser "<back page>" control to return to this page.)

The NiTristripsData can also have vertices colored (used for shading purpose). If that's the case, that part will always look darker no matter what changes are made in the previous settings.

However, looking at images of the vanilla [railroad track] graphics, I think they just did their UV maps in a way that makes the textures look more cohesive just where they meet, perhaps, but they definitely aren't seamless, at least in the screenshots I'm seeing.

Radioactivelad and KiCHo666 add:

The engine only supports a limited number of visible light sources on a given piece of landscape, and that includes the Pipboy light. Static objects can handle more, but even they are pretty limited. Another thing to consider is light radius overlapping. From experience, one object can have up to 3 lights affecting it with the light radius overlapping. If a 4th one is introduced, then the 4th light will simply not affect that object or one of the previous 3 lights will stop working. The 3 light limit seems to be standard for the forward type of rendering that FNV uses.

TIP Rotate Mesh

Summary from How To Rotate A Mesh In Nifskope

< Right-click > the object in the NifSkope "viewport", then "transform | edit | R (rotate in +/- 1-180 degrees)".
After you have it positioned correctly: < Right-click >, "transform | apply".

TIP Shiny lines in exported NIF normal map

Thanks to TzeHuen, pixelhate, and KiCHo666 of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The NIF tangents and binormals updater command line tool does a better job than NifSkope to fix this problem, and can do batch jobs. But it can also be resolved manually in NifSkope by:

Make a copy of your mesh for this test.
Open the test NIF in NifSkope and select the NiTriStrips,
<right click> and select "Face Normal" then "Smooth Normals".

If the shiny lines disappear, then they are mesh related and probably due to the export settings from your 3D program.

If that doesn't resolve the problem, then select "update tangent space".

Scripting

Other sections have relevant information to this subject. The following "Tips" in particular are applicable.

See the Custom NPCs section regarding scripting "AI Packages".

TIP: AI Packages and Distance.
TIP: Companion Wheel.
TIP: Hostility between NPCs.
TIP: Making NPCs move (aka "AI Packages").
TIP: Perks for Companions.
TIP: Using AI Packages.

See the Dialogue & Lip-synch section regarding scripting "Dialogue" and "Conversations"

TIP: Conversation/Quest system.
TIP: Get the current speaker reference.
TIP: Obsidian Conversation Editor (OCE).
Tip: Random NPC Comments.
TIP: Standard Dialog.

Refer back to the section GECK Form-ID, Base-ID, Ref-ID, and Editor-ID as necessary until the different types of "IDs" become second nature. The distinctions are crucial to getting various script functions to work correctly. They will primarily work with either Editor-ID or Reference-ID values. They seldom work with both, but if so the syntax must be read carefully to determine which type of value is used for each parameter.

Even if you have another favorite text editor, strongly suggest using Notepad++ along with the GECK specific syntax highlighters listed in the Programs and Tools section. These will catch most syntax errors, saving you a lot of grief.

There are 3 kinds of scripts:

The default when creating one is an Object script. Which means this is a script that can be attached to anything in the object tree of GECK that has a "script" drop down field ... except for Quests and Base Effects.
Quests require you to select the script as a "Quest" type. They are called (triggered) by various "Quest" conditions.
Base Effects require you to select the script as an "Effect" type, available when you are on the window with the "Script" drop down list. Only those type of scripts will show up in the list.

Effect scripts attach on "Assoc Item" just below "Effect Archetype". But Object and Quest scripts are straight forward on where to attach the script: to "Objects" or "Quests" respectively.

Reference variables must be "defined" and assigned a value before they can be used in a command. This often occurs in one of the script types that are executed before the one you are looking at in the moment. But don't assume they are: verify if your script won't save.

So in short: creating a script & saving it (which "compiles" it; turning it into actual code instead of "human readable" instructions) is required for it to then exist. If a script fails to compile, then it won't be saved. Use CIPCIS to determine if it is a simple syntax error preventing your script from compiling. But bear in mind CIPCIS is not aware of "script extender" syntax, so such will produce as error as an unrecognized command. Otherwise the problem is most likely either using an inappropriate command choice or the wrong type of value for the function in question.

But merely existing in a saved/compiled form means nothing towards having that script tell the game engine what to do. You must attach it to something (based upon which one of the 3 types it is) to then have the script code interact with the other dynamic game code.

GECK Extender NVSE Plugin. Project to extend GECK functionality and bug fixes. Compatible with all NVSE script extender plugins. (Do not use together with GECK Powerup (nor the Forked version), which it replaces.)
GECK 1.4 Powerup Mod. Comes in a "standalone" version for the "vanilla" GECK functions, and one for GECK with NVSE functions. It fixes and improves some issues while providing the missing messages when the GECK compiler finds an error or warning, and lets you save a script without compiling it. Considered "essential" by experienced mod creators. (Replaced by GECK Extender. Do not use both together.)
CIPSCIS: Scripting for Beginners HTML Tutorial. Does not support "script extender" syntax.
Top 15 Best Practices for Writing Super Readable Code HTML.
RuntimeScriptProfiler by lStewieAl - shadeMe. An NVSE plugin to profile script execution. Ported from shadeMe's Oblivion plugin. Use this to check how efficient your script is when running.

[When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]

GECK Category: Conditions Wiki.
GECK Category: Tutorials page Wiki.
GECK: Adding an Options Menu Tutorial
GECK: Bethsoft Tutorial Basic Quest
GECK: Companion by Caprius Mod.
GECK: Global Variable
GECK: Making a Counter by Seddon4494 (for tracking scripts.) Video.
GECK: Notes
GECK: Script to Spawn/Enable NPCs at a Certain Time Video.
GECK: Scripting for Beginners Wiki.
Tutorial - Scripting Notes Video by Seddon4494.
Making something happen every day Video by Seddon4494.
Unlocked MCM - Advanced MCM script templates Mod by DoctaSax.
New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) Site.

Pipboy Tabs
TES: Script Performance Problems TES Construction Set Wiki. Some things on this site are obsolete information as regards the GECK.
Timescale Pacemaker
The following tutorials are found on an "Adult (18+) Only Access" site.

Scripting in Fallout New Vegas for Dummies by tomm434.
Fallout New Vegas GECK & Scripting Help 101 Thread.
NVSE4+: Syntax and Expressions - Part 1 by DoctaSax.
NVSE4+: User Defined Functions (UDFs) - Part 2 by DoctaSax.
NVSE4+: String Variables - Part 3 by DoctaSax.
NVSE4+: Array Variables by DoctaSax.
NVSE4+: Event Handlers & User-Defined Events (UDEs) - Part 5 by DoctaSax.
FNV Scripting: NX Variables by DoctaSax.

TIP Best Practice Do not begin EditorIDs with numbers

Thanks to madmongo and EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

The GECK confuses Editor-IDs, script names, and variable names that begin with numbers for Form-IDs. They are not the same and scripts will fail to compile with (if using the GECK Power-Up plugin) messages to the effect it can't find the (perfectly valid) command. It's "best practice" to avoid prefixing anything with numbers. Do use a consistent naming convention, such as beginning Editor-IDs and variables with the initials of the mod, so they are grouped together in the GECK's lists by type making it easier to locate them for editing later.

When you create Forms for your mod, the GECK assigns them Form-IDs in sequence. This means in the "Object Window" right-hand pane, you can expand the (collapsed by default) column between the "Editor ID" and "Count" field labels so it shows the "Form-ID". You can <Click> on that field label to sort them. As your mod will likely have the last "mod index" of those currently loaded, your forms will be sorted to the top when sorted into "descending" order.

TIP Best Practice Encapsulation Parens Brackets and Braces

Thanks to DoctaSax of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

Do not get careless when choosing how you "group" (Encapsulate) expressions in FNV scripting. For instance, some functions need to be "encapsulated" using "(parentheses)", aka 'parens', in order to return a single value. "Parens" around complete expressions are almost always not harmful and can help the line parser in determining the order in which to process multiple expression combinations on the same line. (See NVSE Expressions on operator precedence and overriding the default precedence.) However, "[square brackets]" are exclusively used for handling arrays and NVSE string vars. "{Curly Braces}" encapsulate a function as an argument to another function. (i.e. "if eval (somefunc {someotherfunc arg1 arg2} arg3)" ). Mixing up their use can allow a script to compile, but fail the first time it is run. Their different uses can often be easily overlooked when trying to determine why things are going wrong. Best practice is to use "parens" unless you know you need to use something else.

TIP Best Practice Function parameter separation with commas

Thanks to DoctaSax of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Some people are under the impression that the use of commas on script functions causes errors.
Using commas to separate function parameters is actually preferable, especially when you use advanced NVSE scripting (CO, arrays, UDFs with dynamically constructed parameters in the call line). Much like extensive use of parentheses, it not only keeps things more readable for yourself, but prevents errors at compile or at run time. It isn't usually needed for simple code, but it's a good practice to get into for when it is needed, so let's please not advise against doing it.

TIP Best Practice Sharing Variables between Scripts

Thanks to the contributors to the Fallout New Vegas GECK & Scripting Help 101 forum on the (Age 18+ gated) "LoversLab.com" site for the basis of the following:

When you want to share variables across more than one script, create a simple "Quest" with a name indicating it's purpose (e.g. "<MyCurrentQuest>VAR"). It doesn't need to do anything (i.e. it can be completely empty), but you need to enable the "StartGame enabled" checkbox.

Then create a new script to be run when that Quest starts, so name it something related like "<MyCurrentQuest>VARScript", and use the "Script Type" drop down list at the top right of the "Script Edit" shortcut icons to designate it as "Quest" type.

Now define any variables you want to use across more than one script or permit others to read for other Mods.

Important points to remember:

As a general practice: Declare all your variables at the top. If you declare them all over the place when you need them, you'll eventually regret it.

Variables declared OUTSIDE the BEGIN blocks retain their value between runs, and in save games. Variables declared INSIDE a BEGIN block will be reset to 0 each time the script is run. In this "variable declaration script" you do not need or want any "BEGIN/END" blocks.

Prefix your variable with their "function type" to avoid confusion when using them in other scripts.

Use "floats" (floating decimal values) or "ints" (integer values), but never "shorts". The less you have to type the better, and using a "non-int" alias in the GECK language will cause confusion among those who know another programming language. Don't expect a "short" to roll over at 32767 or 65535; it will roll over at 2-billion-something just like a regular signed integer.

Use prefixes for usage and functionality, not "datatype".

All numeric vars in the GECK language are signed (can be negative).

When naming variables, try to be consistent. You don't need to adhere to any naming scheme other than what you like but stay consistent with whatever you do choose to use. Many programmers are "Hungarian Camel Case" users (e.g. "int iMyCount", "short sTheValue", "ref rTheNPC", etc.) following Hungarian notation.

Strive to always put constants on the LEFT. "if (0 == foo)" is preferable to "if (foo == 0)". This is more important in other languages, but it's because statements are evaulated from left to right across a line of code. The practice comes from the C languages, where the first time you write "if (foo = 0)" when you meant "if (foo == 0)" you'll understand why.

Use parenthesis generously, but judiciously. You can almost never have too many.

Indent your code consistently (makes bug hunting easier). Settle on using spaces or tabs (spaces are heavily preferred as tab stops can vary in spacing on the same line) and stick to it. If you expect to indent a lot, try to use no fewer than two spaces for readability.

Try to be explicit at all times rather than implicit. Assuming that version X treats something one way can burn you when version Y changes the default behavior. A good example is using a function without prefacing it with "Player.". While this may be assumed to be true, it can easily not be true depending on situation. So if you mean to run something on the player, be explicit and say so... never trust implicit compiler/interpreter behavior.

Just because you can change something doesn't mean you should. There are tons of globals and gamesettings that can be altered with almost no effort on your part ... with horrible side effects and consequences for everyone else. Try to ALWAYS consider what repercussions your changes could have for other scripters and other modders. Always try to remember that your playstyle isn't more or less important than everyone else's playstyle. Be considerate in your choices whenever possible.

If you've created a mod and find yourself whining about how many bugs your users complain about and you end up spending a ton of time on support ... well, stop putting so many bugs into your mods! Just remember one word: testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, TESTING. Each hour spent testing will eliminate 5+ hours of support. Well worth the time and effort.

Document your mod somewhere. Maybe not in the scripts themselves (due to size limits), but somewhere. Coming back to a mod you made two years ago can be harder than writing it from scratch. The more documentation you have, the easier maintaining a mod will be.

Understand the block types and what functions can and should and can't and should NOT be used in each one. You can easily block thread execution with the wrong function and freeze a quest. Always give your code time to actually work. Many functions take longer than 1 pass (1 frame) to run. If in doubt, create stages and allow your script time to breathe. (See TIP Block Types Multiple vs Single Frame processing.)

NEVER NEVER NEVER use a local variable in a result script if you plan on it retaining a value. That includes quest stages, dialogue or any other small fragment of code that isn't in a script file. All of these scripts erase their variables after execution. Also, these fragment scripts act on top of other variables, replacing their scope. So if you have a global named iMyCount and you declare int iMyCount in a fragment, you are blocking the global and replacing it with your variable while that fragment is running. Whenever possible, avoid using local variables in a fragment unless they're "fire and forget" variables that do not need to retain any information.

There are many more tips from experienced scripters in that thread. Check it out.

TIP Best Practice Type prefixes for Variables

Thanks to EPDGaffney of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

It's easy to get confused as to what sort of values are "valid" for any given variable once you get beyond a simple script, especially if it was defined elsewhere than the current script. When you "declare" a variable, you give it a "type" which determines both which sorts of values it can accept and how they are stored. If it's expecting a "reference" then you can't assign it a "number" or "string". Experienced programmers have learned it's a "best practice" to use "type prefixes" in front of their variable names to help keep them straight.

These "type prefixes" are lowercase letters that go before a capitalized variable name, denoting a specific programming use for that variable.

b - A boolean (aka "bool") is a variable that can be only true (set to 1) or false (set to 0). We don't have true bools in this GECK programming language, but variables that a programmer knows will only ever be set to true or false can be referred to as a bool and its name can be chosen accordingly for organizational purposes. They are technically defined as the short/integer variety of type.

Example:

short bFoundJohn int bFoundJohn

f - a float is a variable that can store numbers that are in between integers. Essentially, numbers that can have decimal values (e.g. "1.001"). Some functions will return a number that is in between two integers, and if you want to store that value as a variable for use in your script, it generally must be declared as a float variable. A popular one is GetSecondsPassed for example.

Example:

float fTimer

i - an int variable is the same as a short variable, but we only use the 'i' prefix so that we can use the 's' prefix to denote a string variable, which we'll talk about in a minute. Int/short variables can only be integers, or whole numbers. If you try to use one to store a value that should be a float, it may round down (truncate) to the nearest whole number or it may just not work. These are the most common variables for our use.

Example:

int DoOnce
int iDoOnce
int bDoOnce
short DoOnce
short iRaidersKilled ; (probably the number of raiders player killed)
int bRaidersKilled ; (probably if the player's killed all the designated raiders, or if they've killed at least one, depending on what you want)

s - a string variable is a weird one. It's text, and requires special treatment. It tends to be stuff the scripting language doesn't really understand and just takes on faith that you do. You probably won't work with these for a while. In general, the content of a string variable is for "human consumption"(such as a message or note) rather than use by the script/program.

Example:

string_var sDogName ; whatever the player typed for a dog's name at some point in your quest, so that it can appear in notes
string_var sBone ; whatever bone/node in the .nif model is relevant to the script for whatever reason

a - array variables are incredible, but an "advanced" technique. It's a steep learning curve but they're easy once you've passed that. They are basically like form lists, but they are made dynamically at run-time via script.

Example:

array_var aNCR ; maybe every actor in the area that is in an NCR faction, or maybe every NCR actor in the entire game, including all loaded mods
array_var aEntry ; this is a standard array variable that could be called anything and still work, but it's typically the name given to a short-lived variable that is used during any number of operations carried out on the larger array that contains all the stuff in the group you're working on.

WARNING: Mixing up references and base objects, especially when assigning them to arrays, is one of the most common and lethal mistakes in Gamebryo scripting. Always double check what the type of value any function you are using to assign them to an array is returning. Unfortunate results can become baked into save game files, causing bloat. The only remedy in such cases seems to be deletion of the ".nvse" file for the "save game" when it occurs, which will affect other mods which depend upon information saved in it with unpredictable results.

r - reference variables can store either a reference form or a base form. Base forms are the original "template" form as it was created in GECK, BEFORE placing it in the game world. Reference forms are specific instances of a base form AFTER they have been placed in the game world. (There can be many reference forms of the same base form.) Their relationship to reference variables is that of a specific actor or object that you'll need to refer to later in your script. (See the GECK Form-ID Base-ID Ref-ID and Editor-ID section.)

Example:

ref rSelf ; often used in GetSelf operations for functions that may require it, like some uses of PushActorAway or KillActor
ref rTarget ; often the choice for functions like GetOwnerLastTarget

Note you can use a different prefix with the same variable name (e.g. see the various "DoOnce" definitions under "i - integer"), and the GECK will treat them as distinct, separate entities. (But note "short DoOnce" and "int DoOnce" are not unique variable names. They are defining the same variable name to the same type.) However, that can get very confusing after awhile and is not recommended as a casual practice. But it can have it's place.

Tip Best Practice Avoiding Save Game Bloat

LuthienAnarion (of the JIP LN NVSE Plugin) reports the game saves data about every reference in every cell you have ever visited. Save files are supposed to get larger and larger as you explore more and more locations (called "bloat"), and their size is something the player should not normally concern themselves with. (Save Files in the tens of MB are common.) Bloat is less of a problem for FO3/FNV than it is for Skyrim because scripts are not included in the save game files. However, script authors should still try to avoid adding to it wherever possible using the following best practices.

Ar Null: As of NVSE 4.6.2, arrays defined in UDF scripts are cleaned up automatically, but those held in other scripts are not. Therefore it is essential to use Ar_Null to clear any local array variables when other scripts terminate to avoid save game bloat.

Sv_Destruct the local string variables or they can cause save game bloat.

Disable does not remove references from the game, just stops them from rendering. Do not rely on Disable to prevent savegame bloat by removing references.

MarkForDelete should be used to remove temporary references from the game. GECK Editor placed objects cannot be deleted.

Excessive use of repeatable quest stages causes load time problems in some cases. The effect should be apparent after only a few hours of play. Low quest delays seem to affect it. Roy Batterian (of TTW, 4GB Patcher, and 30+ mods) has never been able to determine the exact circumstances under which it occurs so he has just quit using them and uses functions instead. Quest stages are "save baked", so perhaps this is behind it.

PlaceAtMe and PlaceLeveledActorAtMe should be used sparingly, as they do create temporary references, so once the player leaves the loaded cell and they are unloaded they will still remain in the save file as scripts cannot run on them to delete or reference them.

Actors should be spawned with spawn markers; having them initially disabled and then enabled will cause them to spawn immediately. If you want to do "waves of enemies" you can disable the spawn marker again and run resurrect on it (provided the spawned actor is dead and the marker is persistent), and then re-enable it.

PlaceAtMe can also cause various havok problems like invincible creatures that have effect shaders and other weirdness: the Reavers in the "presidential metro" of Fallout 3 is a good example of this bug. It can also cause crashing due to memory problems and other stuff. (See any mods with waves of enemies created this way; e.g. Someguy2000's The Better Angels exhibits this issue).

Tons of lootable items also cause save bloat as the state of the items is "baked" when they are taken.

Dropped items get "save baked" too, so it's best to put them in a container.

There is also the GECKWiki article Causes of CTDs authors should be aware of as well.

TIP Assigning and Testing variables

Thanks to Mktavish of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:

Assigning a value to a variable and then attempting to use that variable immediately afterwards usually doesn't work reliably. This is because the game engine appears to need at least one frame between the assignment and then being able to have that assigned value available in the variable in the same "action block" (e.g. "GameMode", etc. block).

The solution is to first check if the variable is set to other than it's default, and if not to then set the variable, and process the "true" condition the next frame. For example:

short DoOnce

Begin GameMode

if (DoOnce > 1)

; Already done once, so leave immediately.

Return

elseif (DoOnce == 0)

set DoOnce to 1 ; to be processed next frame

else

; do whatever when the value of "DoOnce" is "1", including calling another script (e.g. "QuestScript") if needed.

set DoOnce to 2 ; signal this has already been done.

endif

end

Other variations on this idea can be implemented as well. A timer can be implemented if longer than one frame's delay seems to be needed. Remember that "GameMode" block processing is cumulative in effect from frame to frame.

Note that there are only 3 blocktypes that will continually read the code lines in successive frames:

Each having specific circumstances when they are running. All other blocks (e.g. "On<Event>") are one frame occurrence events. See also TIP: Block Types (Multiple vs Single Frame processing).

TIP Adding Items to Actors aka Leveled Lists

Thanks to Ladez of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:

So you've created this fantastic new item (weapon / armor / clothing, etc.) and want it to start appearing in the merchant inventories or NPC loot. How to go about it without manually placing it in every individual's inventory is the question.

The answer is "leveled lists". These are lists which can populate inventories of actors when the Player has attained a specified level of experience. The subject is addressed in the Nexus Forum thread Adding Items to Levelled Lists/GRA and should answer most of your questions, but here is the summary.

The basic process is covered in the GECK Wiki under the topic "

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 </div>
-There is a lot of unique vocabulary related to creating mods in the following material, such as the distinction between "meshes", the 3D framework of objects (saved as '''Nif''' files); and "textures", the surface "skin" over the "mesh framework" (saved as '''DDS''' files).  [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide] (TESTG) site has a [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary glossary] and several pages devoted to explaining these to new mod creators and users.  Rather than explaining them here, please reference that site when you need clarification.  (This article does a lot of that: referral to other existing resources.  Why reinvent the wheel?)
+There is a lot of unique vocabulary related to creating mods in the following material, such as the distinction between "meshes", the 3D framework of objects (saved as '''Nif''' files); and "textures", the surface "skin" over the "mesh framework" (saved as '''DDS''' files).  [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide] (TESTG) site has a [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary glossary] and several pages devoted to explaining these to new mod creators and users.  Rather than explaining them here, please reference that site when you need clarification.  (This article does a lot of that: referral to other existing resources.  Why reinvent the wheel?)
 == <span id="Programs_and_Tools"></span>Programs and Tools ==
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 * [http://www.gimp.org/ GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program] (freeware.) A cross-platform image (texture) editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more operating systems.  Provides extensions through integration with many programming languages including '''Scheme, Python, Perl,''' and more.  The result is a high level of customization as demonstrated by the large number of scripts and plug-ins created by the community.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61538/? Hairs - Eyes - Races Auto - Patcher] (Mod.) Extracts all the hair / eyes / races records from every plugin loaded in your load order - then, it rewrites the list of eyes and hairs for every race found. So, if you untick / unflag a hair mod from your load order, these records won't be loaded by the game itself and consequently won't be found by this mod because they don't exist.
-* [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] TESTG site wiki.
+* [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] TESTG site wiki.
 :* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58562 FNVLODGen] "View While Distant (VWD)"/"Level Of Detail (LOD)" landscape ''object'' generation tool.
 :* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61035/? Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator TES4LL] landscape ''mesh'' and ''texture'' LOD generation tool.
 * [http://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview Maya] (1 month free trial, $185/month or $1470/year subscriptions, 3 yr student/educator license.)  Animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software by '''AutoDesk'''.
 * [http://store.steampowered.com/app/441770/MindTex_2/ MindTex2] ($20) by '''Frozen Flame'''.  MindTex is a '''normal map''' generation utility for game developers and 3d professionals. Built to rival the competition in quality without the steep price, whether you want to generate a ''normal'', ''height'', ''specular'', ''gloss'', ''self-illumination'', ''occlusion'', or ''reflection map'', you can easily do it in seconds flat from a single source texture with MindTex.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66826 Mod Kit - Resource for Modders] by '''pixelhate'''.  Some nif & textures used as references in various Modding situations, including the "invisible activator".
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/64746 NIF tangents and binormals updater] (freeware) by '''zilav'''.  A command line tool to batch update tangents/binormals in Oblivion, Fallout 3, New Vegas, Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition and Fallout 4 format NIF meshes.  The one in '''NifSkope''' doesn't handle degenerate normals, such as if your NIF has a lot of texture tiling. It also gives all around better results especially for people who use '''Blender''' and cannot reset the normals and smooth them because it lacks the features to do so.
 * [http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/NifSkope NifSkope] (freeware.) A graphical program that allows you to open NIF files, view their contents, edit them, and write them back out again. You can use it to quickly make changes to specific properties of a NIF file such as changing the texture, adding translucency, and more. A 3D view of the contents of the NIF file allows you to preview your changes instantly. You can even create texture templates, and import & export OBJ files. (Note: This link is the latest release and may not be the best choice for FO3/FNV.  A fully compatible version of this tool (v1.0.22) is already included in the '''Blender v2.49b package''' linked here.)
@@ Line 128: / Line 129: @@
 :* [http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/33271/? BAIN User Defined Language for Notepad++] by The_Catman
 :* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/62793/? Notepad++ Syntax Highlighter] (freeware) by '''DoctaSax'''. "Language" Plugin for GECK editor syntax.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/67395 RuntimeScriptProfiler] by '''lStewieAl - shadeMe'''.  An NVSE plugin to profile script execution. Ported from '''shadeMe''''s '''Oblivion''' plugin.
 === <span id="Sound_and_Voice_Tools"></span>Sound and Voice Tools ===
@@ Line 140: / Line 142: @@
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/60733/? Tree LOD billboard creator for xLODGen] by zilav
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/34703/? xEdit/FNVEdit] (freeware.) A generic tool called '''xEdit''' which is renamed for working with specific games.  The latest "stable" release is on the Nexus, generally under the game name version or as "TES5Edit".
-:* [http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/3750-wipz-tes5edit/& xEdit discussion page] contains links to latest '''''UPDATES''''' "development/test" and '''''DOWNLOAD''''' "experimental (bleeding edge)" versions.
+:* [https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/3750-wipz-tes5edit/& xEdit discussion page] contains links to latest '''''UPDATES''''' "development/test" and '''''DOWNLOAD''''' "experimental (bleeding edge)" versions.
 :* [http://tes5edit.github.io/docs/index.html Tome of xEdit] Current Online manual for all games.
 :* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/38413/? xEdit/FNVEdit Training Manual] (PDF.) Older docs that generally apply to all '''xEdit''' versions for other games.
@@ Line 263: / Line 265: @@
 "Base ID is the number assigned to a template for an object that is used to create many instances of that object. For example all bottle caps in the game have exactly the same Base ID. This ID is used in scripts or the console with commands that create new instances of an object, like ''additem'' or ''placeatme''." - [http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Form_ID Form-ID on The Vault wiki].  You could think of it as the "parent" of each "child reference".  Any change made to a Base-ID affects '''''every''''' reference back to that Base-ID.  Which is why you need to make a "copy" of a Base-ID and change it's Editor-ID (which forces a change to the Form-ID) when you need to make a variation of an object.  Otherwise you are changing ALL instances of that object in the game.  (Don't try to change a Form-ID directly yourself.  Let the GECK handle it.)
+''Base forms'' (another way of referring collectively to "Base-IDs") are fine to use in scripts, by the way.  They're just used in different situations by various functions.  For example: The ''StopQuest'' function will always operate on the ''base form'' of the quest.  The same with anything involving [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Form_List Form Lists].  But you wouldn't want to use a ''base form'' when you only want to affect a specific instance ("reference") of an object.  AGAIN: Actions on a ''base form'' affect ALL instances of that form.
 "A Reference ID is a FormID assigned automatically to a Reference [instance] by the GECK when an object is placed in the Render Window [in the right pane of the GECK].  Reference IDs are required to uniquely identify each instance of an object in-game. The Form ID column of the Cell View window lists Reference IDs" - GECK Glossary.
@@ Line 273: / Line 277: @@
 Note it is the ''persistent flag'' on the Reference that is mandatory in order for a RefID to become included in the search list for scripts/targets/whatever.  (See [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/Creating_a_New_Persistent_Reference GECK: Creating New Persistent Reference].)  Otherwise the list of refs to search through would be way too huge and cause engine lag.
+<span id="MapIsNotTerrain"></span>
+====The Map is not the Terrain and the ID is not the Record Number====
+It is common to refer to the text form of the "IDs" for records ("Editor-ID", "Rec-ID", "Form-ID", and "Base-ID") as if they were the record identifiers used by the engine.  These are "labels" given (or not) by each mod author when they create the record solely for the benefit of us "numerically challenged humans".  For this reason, it is assumed they must be unique between plugins.  While this is a good practice, and something to be encouraged for the benefit of those searching out records by those references in tools such as '''GECK''' or '''xEdit''', it is important to understand that, like a "map", the text labels for those records are not the actual "terrain"; nor the "record number" actually used by the game engine.  It can't afford to leave something that critical up to fallible humans.  The '''GECK''' automatically assigns "record numbers" sequentially when you create a new record, and the "mod index" hexadecimal pair at the beginning of that record, consisting of the "current load order index" of the plugin makes it unique between plugins.  (See [http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Help:Form_IDs Help:Form IDs] for an explanation of how to interpret the "mod index" from a Form-ID or record number.)
+Think about that for a minute.  The '''GECK''' only knows about plugin files you chose to load for that editting session.  Typically that will consist of the "FalloutNV" EXE and ESM, possibly some DLC if your plugin requires assets from it, and the plugin you are working on.  How is it going to know what other plugin "ID" text labels there are to determine yours are unique?  From one session to another you might load a different series of plugins.  It can't predict that "load order" for certain, and the '''GECK''' itself doesn't care.  Which is why the "mod index" couplet at the beginning of the record number is so clever and crucial to ensure uniqueness between plugins.
+This is proven out by examining any record in '''xEdit''': the "ID" label is a text data field within the record, just like any other "value".  (For example: the "Script" record variable "SLSD - Local Variable Data" identifies each "variable name" based upon it's "index value" within an array of variables specific to that script with the "text name" stored as "SCVR - Name" data.  You have to identify the "record number" before you can determine the "text name"; and not the other way around.)  A test was conducted to confirm that the text "Ref-ID" label did not have to actually be "unique" between plugins.  The same "Ref-ID" label was given to the same object in two different plugins, and the game had no problems differentiating between the two.  Not even when one plugin removed the "persistent object" by the "Ref-ID" they had in common, the same object from the other plugin was unaffected.  It did not matter if one plugin was made dependent upon the other.  Because they were records from different plugins, the engine could tell them apart.
+Consequently, always bear in mind that when someone is speaking in terms of one of the forms of "ID", they are often meaning "as a way of identifying the specific record number".
 <span id="Tip-refVar"></span>
 ====TIP Reference Variables explained====
 : Thanks to '''vforvic''' of the Nexus "Fallout 3 Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 495: / Line 512: @@
 :*Set "Max Linear Velocity" to "1068".
 :*Set "Max Angular Velocity" to "31.5700".
-:Now the weapon should drop to the ground.
+:The weapon should now drop to the ground.  NOTE: If you don't see these options either you are looking under the wrong '''node''' or are using a version of '''NifSkope''' other than the one recommended up under the [[#Programs_and_Tools|Programs and Tools]] section.
+:''Mopp shapes'' are used for '''static collisions''' (i.e. anything that doesn't move: like fences, walls, etc.). They can be used for movable objects, but are far more performance intensive (depends on the collision poly count) than '''convex''' or '''box''' shapes.
+:The ''BSXFlags'' entry is crucial to this behavior.  It must be found / placed under the '''BSFadeNode''' in '''NifSkope'''.  You need to have the '''Use BSFadeNode Root''' option checked in your "paint" type program when exporting the NIF. (It's on the upper right area of the '''NIF Export''' options of '''Blender'''.)
 :For other object types, look in NIF.XML located in the '''Blender foundation\blender\.blender\scripts\bpymodules\pyffi\formats\nif\''' folder or the '''NifSkope''' documentation files in the "Doc" folder of it's installation folder. Search for ''bhkRigidBody''. It has a good listing and some simple explanations of the options.
 </div>
 &nbsp;
 <span id="Tip-HeadPartsRotated"></span>
 ==== TIP Head Parts Rotated ====
 It's not known why head parts changed between FO3 and FNV, considering that so much else in the game engine is identical, but they did. If you port a head part (hat, glasses, facemask, etc) from FO3 to FNV or from FNV to FO3, or make a new open helmet/hat/head accessory that uses a existing mesh, whether it's a simply a clone or a retexture, it tends to equip sideways (rotated by 90 degrees).
@@ Line 555: / Line 576: @@
 <span id="MashingMeshes"></span>
 ==== TIP Mashing Meshes ====
-:Thanks to '''madmongo''', '''M48A5''', and 'RoyBatterian'''of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooters" forum for the basis of the following:'''
+:Thanks to '''madmongo''', '''M48A5''', and '''RoyBatterian''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooters" forum for the basis of the following:'''
 <div class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice_Box" style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;  border:1px dashed #DAA520;  color: lightgray;  background-color:#333333;  padding:3px;  word-wrap: break-word">Suppose for example you want to place the model of a particular pistol into a holster for display purposes. (This "pistol" will not be usable. It's for aesthetic purposes only.) Some call this process "mashing" two meshes together (e.g. mashing the pistol into the holster). The process is similar for other sorts of "mashing".
 The basic procedure is first go into '''NifSkope''' and remove all of the unneeded "animations" and "collision" and such so that you are left with just the (in this instance: "weapon") source mesh. Save that to some new nif (you can delete this temporary nif later).
@@ Line 572: / Line 593: @@
 (You can do the same basic thing to make a wearable rifle slung over your back. Just edit the rifle's mesh so that it is located on the back where you want it, and weight it 100 percent to the spine bone. If I recall correctly, the spine bone you want is just the one called spine, not spine1 or spine2.)
+'''aghjax''' adds:
+<div class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice_Box" style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;  border:1px dashed #DAA520;  color: lightgray;  background-color:#666666;  padding:3px;  word-wrap: break-word">
+When your '''NifSkoped''' mashup CTDs: "You very likely broke some branch dependencies. You have to compare them to a working NIF preferably from the [sources] you used to see what is out of place. And make sure you don't have duplicate ''Scene Roots''."
+</div>
 </div>
 &nbsp;
 <span id="Tip-MovableObjects"></span>
 ==== TIP Movable or Static custom objects in cell ====
 :Thanks to '''madmongo''', '''davidlallen''', and '''Tefnacht''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 706: / Line 733: @@
 Assuming you want to make your own landscape from scratch, the first step is just creating the world space. Click on "World | World Spaces" in the GECK, and when that form comes up, just click "New" on the left hand side to give your new region a name, and fill in the blanks. Exit out of that, and save your mod, because the next step will usually crash the GECK.
+<span id="Tip-WorldspaceHiLites"></span>
+==== Highlights of the Worldspace ====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">This is a summary of various points raised elsewhere in this section for quick reference.  Some details may vary.  Be conservative.
+* If I remember correctly, the maximum map size is 128x128 cells. It might be 128x64. Weird things start to happen if you go over that size.
+* Keep all land height above 14,000 or you can have LOD issues.
+* If you are using the landscape editor, be gentle. If you try to shape the landscape too quickly, you tend to create landscape tears.
+* If you have water, don't forget to add a water texture in your worldspace. "Data\Textures\Water\wastelandwaterpotomac.dds" tends to work well for many different water types (river, lake, etc). I've never tried to make ocean water with it though.
+* If you ever get an error where it says that part of the landscape height is out of bounds, the '''GECK''' will helpfully tell you that it can fix it. It can't. Your landscape is totally hosed at that point. Hopefully you saved an earlier version of your mod to go back to.
+* If you make an ESP larger than 16 MB and you add something with a reference ID number of some sort to it, you will break your mod. The '''GECK''' will NOT give you any error whatsoever when you do so. When you try to load your mod, you'll crash the game. When you try to load the mod in the '''GECK''' to fix it, you'll crash the '''GECK'''. Hope you saved an earlier version of your mod somewhere that you can go back to.
+* There are several ways to avoid the 16 MB bug.
+:* The first is to create your landscape first, then place all objects into the worldspace, create all interiors, etc. After all that is done, then paint your landscape, add navmeshes, conversations/quests, etc. Landscape, navmeshes, and quest things can all be safely added above the 16 MB boundary. This works well enough for fairly simple mods.
+:* The second way involves setting your '''GECK''' up in networked developer mode, which is not how most people set it up.  This has instructions for setting your '''GECK''' up in networked mode. There are some errors in these instructions, but as far as I am aware, they are the best instructions you'll find anywhere on the net:
+::* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Version_Control Version Control].
+:* In networked mode, the 16 MB bug still applies. So create your worldspace, check that in to version control, then add stuff, and check those changes in. When you do this, the '''GECK''' will automatically place ID values below the 16 MB boundary. I'm sure there are still size limits in there somewhere, but I have yet to hit them using this method, even in mods that contain multiple worldspaces.
+* The '''GECK''' tends to crash when working with larger mods anyway, so keeping the bulk of your mod checked in to version control and only working on small bits of it helps fairly dramatically in preventing '''GECK''' crashes.
+* In the regions section of the '''GECK''', there is an option to automatically navmesh the entire region. You may find this tempting, but DO NOT EVER USE THIS FEATURE. It is the most broken thing in the '''GECK''' that I have found yet to date. I did actually get it to correctly navmesh a region once. And only once. It was a fairly simple landscape and there wasn't much on it yet. SCOLS make the navmesher crash. Sometimes it will navmesh inside the region boundaries, sometimes, for no reason whatsoever, it will navmesh OUTSIDE your region boundaries instead of inside. Either way, if it screws up, it completely borks your entire navmesh for the entire worldspace. It also tends to crash in an endless loop constantly popping up a box with the error message "Get Jean!" over and over until you kill the '''GECK''' in the task manager.
+* Instead, the best you can do with navmeshing is to use the automatic navmesher for a single cell. When you click on the navmesh toolbar to bring it up, the cell auto navmesher is the first question mark from the left, just to the right of the finalize checkmark button. In the navmesh dialog, click the check box to enable height map generation mode, uncheck remove overlapping and remove thin areas, and you'll get about the best performance that you can out of it. A 64x64 worldspace is 4,096 cells. If you can use the auto navmesher to do 4 cells per minute, that's 1,024 minutes, or a bit over 17 hours just clicking on the navmesh button over and over and over and over. If you don't use heightmap generation mode, the navmesher has a tendency to fail to navmesh across bumpy roads and easily walkable surfaces.  (If you set the auto navmesher to '''Height Map Only''' mode, it works a lot faster and a lot better, and will usually navmesh across roads just fine. It will still navmesh across fences though.)
+* The '''GECK''' will not render your worldspace unless there is something in it. But it's really hard to put something in it if you can't see anything. It's kind of a catch 22. I usually drop the little airplane into it, which I delete later. After that, go to an interior cell so you can get the render window to work properly again, then go to your little plane, and now finally you can see your new landscape. When editing your new landscape, always go to a part of your worldspace that has something in it first. If the first thing the '''GECK''' has to render is a section of worldspace with no objects in it, it goes right back to the render bug where you don't see anything except a gray blob (I think it's actually rendering water everywhere, stupid '''GECK'''...).
+* If you paint your landscape or use the raise/lower tool in the render window (not the worldspace height editor), you can end up with black squares just outside of the area you were editing. Those black squares will be persistent, in that you can move away from them and they'll still be there when you come back, but they aren't really there. It's just yet another '''GECK''' bug.
+Welcome to the buggiest parts of the '''GECK'''. Save often. Keep backups.
+</div>
 <span id="Tip-CenterOn"></span>
@@ Line 765: / Line 835: @@
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">When either creating or editing a worldspace, you need to generate LOD ("Level of Detail") mesh and textures to reflect those changes.  But first you need to be sure you understand the difference between VWD (View While Distant) and LOD (Level of Detail).  See the [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] page on "The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)" site.  (The "FNV" version of "TES4LODGen" mentioned there is [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58562 FNVLODGen], and along with [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61035/? Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator TES4LL] can be used as an alternative to creating LODs in the '''GECK'''.  The "LOD/VWD Overview" page provides a TES4LL process sequence.)
+">When either creating or editing a worldspace, you need to generate LOD ("Level of Detail") mesh and textures to reflect those changes.  But first you need to be sure you understand the difference between VWD (View While Distant) and LOD (Level of Detail).  See the [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] page on "The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)" site.  (The "FNV" version of "TES4LODGen" mentioned there is [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58562 FNVLODGen], and along with [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61035/? Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator TES4LL] can be used as an alternative to creating LODs in the '''GECK'''.  The "LOD/VWD Overview" page provides a TES4LL process sequence.)
 The following articles provide guidance on using the '''GECK''' to generate LOD files:
@@ Line 771: / Line 841: @@
 * [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/World_LOD World LOD] GECKWiki page.
 * [http://www.truancyfactory.com/tutorials/fallout3/fallout_lod.html Generating LOD Data for Custom Worldspaces in Fallout 3]
+Make sure your "ground level" is above the "water heightmap" or your LODs will be "gray blobs".  (See [[#TIP_Static_Water_goes_into_Interior_cells_only|TIP Static Water goes into Interior cells only]].)
 The folders used for LOD output files are laid out on the description page of "FNVLODGen".  The key to finding those for yours would be looking for subfolders with the name of "''yourworldspace''".
@@ Line 1,039: / Line 1,111: @@
 === Animation ===
 [When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]
-* [http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/21983/? ACCESS: Animated Computers Consoles Electronics and Security Systems Resource] Resource Mod.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/28326/? Adult Animation Tutorial For Noobs] by '''Coronerra'''.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/21983/? Animated Computers Consoles Electronics and Security Systems (ACCESS)] FO3 Resource and PDF Tutorial.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/9700/? Artorp Object Animation Tutorial] Video and Blender KF files.
 * [[Avoiding_Blender_animation_pitfalls|Avoiding Blender animation pitfalls]] Nexus Wiki article.
@@ Line 1,053: / Line 1,125: @@
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/48521/? Weapon Animation Tutorial] PDF by '''Toasty Fresh'''.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/63770/? Nifskope Testing Skeleton] by clanky4. Mod for testing animations in NifSkope only.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66968 Weapon Animation Patching Tutorial] PDF with separate "screenshots" file by '''benja'''.
 <span id="Tip-AnimationSummary"></span>
@@ Line 1,233: / Line 1,306: @@
 </div>
-<span id="Tip-NoobBlender"></span>
+<span id="TIP: BlenderExport"></span>
-====TIP New to Blender====
+====TIP Blender Export Settings====
-: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following.
+: Tnanks to '''AusAllerWelt''' and '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout New Vegas "GECK and Modders" Forum for the basis of the following:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
-style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">The '''Blender Noob to Pro''' tutorial included in the Blender v2.49b package under the [[#Programs and Tools|Programs and Tools]] section is a good resource.
+">For "Fallout New Vegas" (and "Fallout 3") you want to set the default "export" settings for Blender as follows (assuming you are primarily working on '''Armor''' meshes), and then make adjustments as circumstances require.
-Some tips that maybe aren't obvious when you are starting:
+[[File:BlenderExport_Fig.png|frameless|800px|BlenderExport Figure]] <br clear=all>
+If you start with the default settings (click the "Restore Default Settings for Selected Game" button on the lower left), click on ''Creature'' under '''Collision Options''' (top middle right), then click on either the ''Cloth'' or ''Skin'' setting just below that. Then make sure that the ''Use BSFadeNodeRoot'' setting under '''Shader Options''' (top right) is '''unchecked''' (not selected).
+You can select the ''Shadow Map'' setting under '''Shader Options''' (top right) if you'd like, but you need to go into '''NifSkope''' afterwards anyway so you can set the ''Shadow Map'' '''Shader Option''' setting there, because this version of Blender always gets the following in particular "wrong". Either way works.  (Using later versions of Blender brings their own problems.)<br>
+After you export your model, go into '''NifSkope''' to fix the '''Shader''' settings.
+* For any '''armor parts''' (i.e. "not human skin"), the '''Shader Type''' needs to be set to ''SHADER_DEFAULT'' and ensure ''SF_SHADOW_MAP'' and ''SF_REMAPABLE_TEXTURES'' are both '''checked''' (selected).
+* For any '''visible human skin''' body parts (arms, legs, etc,) the '''Shader Type''' needs to be set to ''SHADER_SKIN'' and ensure ''SF_SHADOW_MAP'' and ''SF_FACEGEN'' are both "checked" (selected).  Blender will usually set the rest of the flags correctly.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-BlenderBlackTexture"></span>
+==== TIP Imported NIF texture appears Black ====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">Mesh files (*.NIF) internally point to the texture file (*.DDS) designed for them.  The "vanilla" and DLC game art assets (both mesh and texture files) are stored in "Bethesda Software Archive (BSA)" files instead of under the game "Data" folder tree while using the same folder structure.  (Some mod's do this as well.)  As '''Blender''' has no idea what a BSA file is, it can't find the texture file to display it.  If '''Blender''' can't find the texture file, it just shows the image with a "black" texture.  In order to see the textures for your mesh while looking at it in '''Blender''' you will have to extract the texture file(s) from the BSA into the appropriate folder under "Data\textures" first.  Be careful to extract such files to some other location than the game "Data" folder first, and then manually copy them to the correct "Data" folder to avoid accidents.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-NoobBlender"></span>
+====TIP New to Blender====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following.
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">The '''Blender Noob to Pro''' tutorial included in the Blender v2.49b package under the [[#Programs and Tools|Programs and Tools]] section is a good resource.
+Some tips that maybe aren't obvious when you are starting:
 * Make sure you select all before exporting. Blender only exports what you have selected. Also, make sure you have the export options set properly for what you are doing. If you are making a static, click on the static button (at the top near the middle) and then below that click on the button for the closest material type (wood, metal, etc). If you are making armor, click on "creature", because armor and human skins and creature skins are all basically the same thing.
 * Statics and clutter items need a collision mesh. Armor, clothing, and human and creature skins don't need a collision mesh, but they do need to be parented to an armature (aka "a skeleton").
@@ Line 1,486: / Line 1,590: @@
 If you want your Actor to be about a foot shorter, that's about 84 percent at the default height of about 6 feet, so set their height to "0.84".
+</div>
+<span id="TIP-AIPackageBasics"></span>
+==== TIP AI Package Basics ====
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">You need to understand the difference between an [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=GetCurrentAIPackage AIPackage] and an [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=GetCurrentAIProcedure AIProcedure].  Also, check out the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Category:AI_Functions Category:AI Functions] to understand the less obvious things you can do with them.  (Take the time to read the linked wiki pages.)
+First you have to chose the correct type of [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Category:Packages Package] to use; investigating how each is intended to be used and actually functions in practice for your purposes.  Remember: only one '''Package''' will run on any given Actor at a time; but that package can have several '''Procedures''' within it to deal with different circumstances.  While there is overlap between the two, note that '''Procedures''' is a longer list.  Don't get ahead of yourself: work on and refine each '''Procedure''' by itself before you attempt to combine them into a comprehensive '''Package'''.  (You will use "condition flags" to control which gets used when.  More on this later.)
+For example: "Stalking" would be a '''Procedure''' that is more than just a simple "follower" script because you want the Actor to try to remain unnoticed. For one thing, you might want to use an "Escort" or "Guard" base package instead of "Follow". "Sneaking" is inherently slower than normal movement, but NPCs "cheat" by "teleporting" when they get too far away from the target they are following.  (You  might not have noticed this unless you checked on companions behind yourself frequently in rough terrain.)  But you might find you need to shift in and out of "sneak" mode.  Various '''Target Followers''' may affect what you need for the effective trailing distance to avoid having aggressive ones attacking your "stalker".
+Once you get that functional, you might want a "flee" '''Procedure''' that will keep that Actor at a proper distance from the '''Target''' without losing track of them so it can resume "following".  A "special case" to test is if your "stalker" is fleeing while the '''Target''' changes cells.  In which case, what are you going to have your "stalker" do to "pick up the scent" of their '''Target''' again?
+When the Actor gets far enough from the '''Target''', they then might need a '''Procedure''' to find somewhere to "hide" (break line-of-sight from the '''Target'''), wait a reasonable amount of time for any followers to stop "searching for enemies", and then resume the "Follow" / "Stalk" AI procedure.
+AI packages are in a [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=AI_Packages_Tab priority list] of "conditions".  ("Conditions" are just variables, often called "flags", you define and set to control things.  A common use is a "do once" variable in a "quest" script.  You are going to need to "set" and "clear" a number of them for this to indicate when to use only one procedure or package at a time.)  The first package that meets all of it's conditions as "true" then is used.  While the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=AddScriptPackage AddScriptPackage] and [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=RemoveScriptPackage RemoveScriptPackage] functions might seem appropriate to  generally use, they have major limitations.  (See [[#TIP_Using_AI_Packages|TIP Using AI Packages]] and the linked description for more details on this.)  Just adding a package does not place the package within the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=AI_Packages_Tab priority list]; instead it overrides the list for immediate implementation but goes away once completed and won't matter after that as it's conditions are never evaluated after that point.  Typically you will want to place your package in the [https://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=AI_Packages_Tab AI Packages Tab] list of packages for your "stalker" Actor, set the appropriate "conditional flag variables", and use the "Evaluate Package" (EVP) function to cause the list to be processed again to determine which is now the "first true" package.  Note that you do not use EVP with '''AddScriptPackage'''.  That function performs the equivalent immediately when called.
+Each '''Package''' needs to consider that it may encounter conditions that require another '''Package''' or '''Procedure''' to take precedence and execute.  You do not simply "resume" an AI package where you left off.  It starts over whatever the current situation is when it gets invoked.  That could be in a completely different cell than where it left off.  This is why it is important to keep your "condition flags" current and updated as things change.
+See also:
+* [[#TIP_AI_Packages_and_Distance|TIP AI Packages and Distance]]
+* [[#TIP_Making_NPCs_move_aka_AI_Packages|TIP Making NPCs move aka AI Packages]]
 </div>
 <span id="Tip-GetDistance"></span>
 ====TIP AI Packages and Distance====
 : Thanks to '''EPDGaffney''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 1,673: / Line 1,803: @@
 <span id="Tip-NPCMovement"></span>
-====TIP Making NPCs move ''aka '''AI Packages'''''====
+====TIP Making NPCs move aka AI Packages====
 : Thanks to '''madmongo''', '''EPDGaffney''', and '''FiftyTifty''' of the Nexus FalloutNV 'New Vegas GECK and Modders' and '''kingbeast88''' of the 'New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting' sub-forums for the following basic summary of how to get NPCs to move:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
@@ Line 1,687: / Line 1,817: @@
 See also [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/How_Are_Packages_Evaluated How Are Packages Evaluated].
+===== Following =====
 So, if you want your NPC to '''Follow''' you, it's necessary to script the following in the NPC's conversation quest (replace "MyNPCREF" with the NPC's actual Ref-ID, obviously):
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
@@ Line 1,732: / Line 1,863: @@
 Note that you want to set variables to enable your packages, and also clear variables to stop the other packages from trying to run. You want to set it up so that the only condition that evaluates to '''true''' is the one that's for the package you want the NPC to run. For example: if you want the NPC to follow the "default" package, you need to enable the '''IsFollowingDefault''' variable while disabling both the '''IsFollowingLong''' and the '''Wait''' package variables.
+===== Conversations =====
 The ''HasBeenHired'' variable would be used to enable or disable various conversation options, and would also be set when the NPC is hired and cleared when the NPC is fired (and again, an ''.EVP'' would be done to get the character to ''sandbox'' when not hired so they don't just stand there like an idiot).
@@ Line 1,743: / Line 1,875: @@
 The way this was done in the vanilla game (and the [[:File:EPDGaffney_AIPackage-GoingHome.png|AIPackage-GoingHome_Fig-01]] image here) was using quest variables, whereas '''trilioth''''s tutorial uses script variables.  Follow the tutorial, as based on the preceding steps you should have these variables in your object script, not your quest script.  The way you create the package is the same otherwise.  (See [[:File:EPDGaffney_AIPackage-GoingHome.png|AIPackage-GoingHome_Fig-01]].  {{Thumbnail_enlargement_message}})
-<span style="text-align: left; color: red; background-color:#fff5f5;">(WARNING: There is a bug in GECK on versions of Windows after Win7 that causes the columns under the "Conditions" tab to be collapsed to the left and appear to not be present.  Accessing this field in the "AI Package" form consistently causes this bug to trigger, and it then affects other "list box" type fields in other forms.  Please see the [[#Issue:_GECK_is_missing_text_in_fields|Issue: GECK is missing text in fields]] entry for suggestions on dealing with this.)</span>
+<span style="text-align: left; color: red; background-color:#fff5f5;">(WARNING: There is a bug in '''GECK''' on versions of '''Windows''' after Win7 that causes the columns under the "Conditions" tab to be collapsed to the left and appear to not be present.  Accessing this field in the "AI Package" form consistently causes this bug to trigger, and it then affects other "list box" type fields in other forms.  Please see the [[#Issue:_GECK_is_missing_text_in_fields|Issue: GECK is missing text in fields]] entry for suggestions on dealing with this.)</span>
-For '''Patrol''' packages your NPC needs to be linked to your first "X marker" in the navmeshed patrol path.  (See the [[#Tip-NavMeshExteriors|TIP: Navmeshing Exterior cells.]])  All "X markers" in the patrol path need a ''unique ID'', need to be ''persistent'', and linked to each other in the succession you wish it traversed. "Idle markers" can be used but need ''duration'' times set and need to be made ''persistent''.
+===== Package Types =====
+For '''Patrol''' packages your "Patrol Leader" NPC needs to be linked to your first "X marker" in the navmeshed patrol path.  (See the [[#Tip-NavMeshExteriors|TIP: Navmeshing Exterior cells.]])  All "X markers" in the patrol path need a ''unique ID'', need to be ''persistent'', and linked to each other in the succession you wish it traversed. "Idle markers" can be used but need ''duration'' times set and need to be made ''persistent''.  Patrol packages might be buggy with idle markers: they worked in Fallout 3, but in the experience of mod creators have issues in '''New Vegas'''.  For parties of more than one Actor, the remainder should "Guard" the "Patrol Leader" in order to react to threats to that Leader.
-To make a new '''Patrol''' package with a unique ID: Just edit a base package to your liking; then change the Editor-ID name.  GECK will create a new form.  Make sure the package type is '''Patrol''', the ''starting location'' is a linked reference (e.g. "X marker"), and flagged ''repeatable''. Then give the NPC the new package and link your NPC to the first marker in the patrol path.
+To make a new '''Patrol''' package with a unique ID: Just edit a base package to your liking; then change the Editor-ID name.  '''GECK''' will create a new form.  Make sure the package type is '''Patrol''', the ''starting location'' is a linked reference (e.g. "X marker"), and flagged ''repeatable''. Then give the NPC the new package and link your NPC to the first marker in the patrol path.
 An NPC not waking up from sleep is an indication the time schedule conflicts with another package.  All it should need is a package type of '''Sleep''', a ''schedule time'' and ''duration'' (do not allow the times to overlap with other packages), flag enable ''fallout behavior'' & for ''location'': the ''name of a cell'' or a linked reference (which needs to be selected) or a ''near reference'' (if you have multiple beds for instance and don't care which they use).
-'''Exterior sandbox''' type packages need a package type of ''sandbox'', and a ''wander location'' set with a ''radius''.  Set whatever flags you want in: ''allowed behavior'', enabled ''fallout behavior'' in flags, and a non overlapping time scheduled.
+''Sandboxing'' chooses things completely at random, including just standing where they are and picking idles from the idle manager.  '''Exterior sandbox''' type packages need a package type of ''sandbox'', and a ''wander location'' set with a ''radius'', rather than just in a particular cell.  Set whatever flags you want in: ''allowed behavior'', enabled ''fallout behavior'' in flags, and a non overlapping time scheduled.
-When you send someone away (i.e. "no longer hired" or "go home"), set the "GoHome" package to be a "sandbox" type instead of "travel", and they will automatically run off to the "home" location to sandbox there.  The game scripts often teleport actors to that location first when they want to avoid encountering "hostiles" enroute.  Be sure you first set the conditions you are using as appropriate (i.e. "not hired", "available for hire", etc.) before an ".evp" command to take immediate effect.
+You'll also want to avoid locking/unlocking doors in ''packages'', as this is completely broken and unreliable in '''New Vegas'''.
+When you send someone away (i.e. "no longer hired" or "go home"), set the "GoHome" package to be a "sandbox" type instead of "travel", and they will automatically run off to the "home" location to sandbox there.  The game scripts often teleport actors to that location first when they want to avoid encountering "hostiles" enroute.  Be sure you first set the conditions you are using as appropriate (i.e. "not hired", "available for hire", etc.) before an ".EVP" command to take immediate effect.
 Be very careful using "[http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/AddScriptPackage AddScriptPackage] <packagename>". In practice, whenever an NPC teleports (fast travel, goes through a door, etc) they tend to stop running whatever AI package was added through '''AddScriptPackage''', and then use a suitable sandbox package. It's a useful function for some things, but it won't work in cases like this (traversing cells).
@@ Line 1,759: / Line 1,894: @@
 If your NPCs take off for parts unknown when following a package, make sure you have a "North Marker" placed in the cell.
-To make the NPC go back to Goodsprings (for example), you need a package that sends him there. The condition for the package will be similar to "<CompanionREF>.HasBeenHired == 0". You don't necessarily need to make an Xmarker the destination. You can have the package be a sandbox inside the "Goodsprings Saloon" cell if you want. Then he'll just sandbox around inside the Saloon whenever he isn't hired and he'll go back there if you fire him.
+To make the NPC go back to Goodsprings (for example), you need a package that sends him there. The condition for the package will be similar to "<CompanionREF>.HasBeenHired == 0". You don't necessarily need to make an Xmarker the destination. You can have the package be a sandbox inside the "Goodsprings Saloon" cell if you want. Then he'll just ''sandbox'' around inside the Saloon whenever he isn't hired and he'll go back there if you fire him.
 See also [[#TIP-AIPackages|TIP: Using AI Packages.]]
+===== Teleporting and Following Navmeshes =====
+In order  for a companion to ''teleport'' to you when you go through a door (or otherwise ''teleport'' elsewhere, as when using '''Fast Travel'''), all the companion needs is to be set as ''your companion'', i.e. you executed the script command '''SetPlayerTeammate 1'''.
+Additionally, for a companion to follow you, the companion needs to have a ''follow package'' and that package needs a conditional variable on it which is "true", and all other packages that the companion has need conditions that are "false" at the same time so that they will not run instead of the ''follow package''.
+For example. let's say your NPC has a ''follow package'' and a ''wait package'', and a variable '''npc_following''' and a variable '''npc_waiting'''. The ''follow package'' has the condition '''"if npc_following = 1"''' and the ''wait package'' has the condition '''"if npc_waiting = 1"'''. If you '''"set npc_following to 1"''' and '''"set npc_waiting to 0"''', and then execute an '''EVP''' command on the NPC, then they should follow you. If you want them to ''wait'', '''"set npc_following to 0"''' and '''"set npc_waiting to 1"'''. If you accidentally set both variables to 1 then either package could execute (depending upon their sequence in the packages list), so the NPC might follow you or they might not. If you accidentally set both variables to 0 then the companion will not do anything.
+The other thing that might stop a companion from moving is if they aren't on a valid '''Navmesh'''. If the area that they are in isn't '''Navmeshed''', then they will just stand there.
 </div>
@@ Line 1,840: / Line 1,984: @@
 <span id="Tip-FaceFeatures"></span>
 ====TIP Switching Custom Facial Features====
-: Thanks to '''rikkurikku''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+: Thanks to '''rikkurikku''' and '''Budong''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
 style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">For example: Let us say you want to switch between the normal actor's face, and one that is "bloodied".  Set up your "bloody" face version texture as a different race and use the ''[http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetRace SetRace]'' function to switch, followed by "Update3D" to refresh the display in-game.  This applies to both the Player and NPCs.  See [[#TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures|TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures]] regarding creating a "custom race" and the appropriate folders.<br>
+">For example: Let us say you want to switch between the normal actor's face, and one that is "bloodied".  Set up your "bloody" face version texture as a different race and use the JIP ''[http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetRace SetRace]'' function to switch, followed by "Update3D" to refresh the display in-game.  This applies to both the Player and NPCs.  See [[#TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures|TIP: Custom Race & Skin Textures]] regarding creating a "custom race" and the appropriate folders.<br>
-When switching among custom facial features (such as eyes or hair), switch to a "vanilla" feature first, and then switch to a new "custom" look.  The GECK gets confused if you try to switch straight from one custom feature to another.
+'''Budong''' added:<br>
+If you want to ensure compatibility for everyone, you can accomplish the same thing entirely without needing the JIP NVSE Plugin.  Set up one race for your "healthy" NPC, and another race for the "injured" NPC.  Link them to one another via the ''YoungerRace'' and ''OlderRace'' options in the '''RaceEditor''', then call the ''AgeRace'' function to visually clobber/heal them. Entirely vanilla and will work for everyone.
+When switching among custom facial features (such as eyes or hair), switch to a "vanilla" feature first, and then switch to a new "custom" look.  The '''GECK''' gets confused if you try to switch straight from one custom feature to another.<br>
 </div>
@@ Line 1,859: / Line 2,007: @@
 * See also sections [[#Dialogue & Lip-synch|Dialogue & Lip-synch]] and [[#Scripting|Scripting]] for related info.</div>
-<span id="TIP-AIPackages"></span>
+<span id="Tip-TempCompanion"></span>
-====TIP Using AI Packages====
+==== TIP Turn a Temporary Companion into a Permanent one ====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
 style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">
+">Supposing you want to turn a "temporary" quest companion into a permanent one (for example '''Corporal Halford''').  How would you go about it?
+The recommended tutorial, which includes using a companion wheel, is: [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/45278 Advanced Companion creation guide with Companion Wheel].  Since the NPC already exists and has a quest for hiring, you don't need to make the hiring quest part of the tutorial.  Make sure you use the existing functions as shown in the tutorial instead of creating your own. Those functions are what makes the companion wheel work.  See also [[#TIP_Companion_Wheel|TIP Companion Wheel]].
+When I made a companion out of '''Corporal Betsy''' I found it easiest to make a duplicate and then swap out the duplicate <span style="color: red; background-color:#fff5f5;">once the vanilla quests were done</span>. The advantage of this is that you don't have to hack into the existing quests and dialog, other than to add the hiring option (which triggers the swap) at the appropriate conversation stage.
+</div>
+<span id="TIP-AIPackages"></span>
+====TIP Using AI Packages====
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">
 * You can activate dialogue and travel packages by using the [http://geck.bethsoft.com/index.php?title=AddScriptPackage AddScriptPackage] function, usually in a "dialogue result" or "base effect" script.  This has the advantage that a package added in this fashion will take precedence over all other packages until it is done, and terminate as soon as it is able (check the ''Must Complete'' and/or ''Must Reach Location'' flags to prevent premature termination, but be sure you provide the means to determine it '''''IS''''' completed).
 * <span style="color: red; background-color:#fff5f5;">An actor can have only one script package active at a time.</span>  When calling the function twice on the same actor, the second package replaces the first one added.  Unless the ''AddScriptPackage'' has some constraint on it (''Must Complete'' and/or ''Must Reach Location''), it will be removed the next time the actor reevaluates his package.
@@ Line 1,876: / Line 2,038: @@
 * If the AI Package has a "schedule" or timing (''start time'' and ''duration'') to it's events, make sure that schedule does not overlap or conflict with any other package assigned to the NPC.  A scheduling conflict will prevent either package from running.
+* Be aware that for Actors with the "No Low Level Processing (LLP)" flag set: The Actor does not update its AI unless the player is in the same cell as it.
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">LLP behaves differently, depending on whether the object is persistent or not, and on whether the object is in an interior or an exterior cell:
+* Persistent in an interior: All functions should always work reliably.
+* Persistent in an exterior: If the Actor is in the same cell, or the cell is currently buffered (i.e. within loaded ''uGrids'') - all functions should always work reliably. Otherwise, some functions will fail (example: GetParentCell).
+* Non-persistent in either an interior or an exterior: If the cell is currently buffered - all functions should always work reliably. Otherwise, all functions will always fail.
+Keep in mind an Actor may not be unloaded immediately when changing cells, while persistent ones and quest NPCs marked in their base form will process more frequently.
+If you place an actor in the world with the '''GECK''' and mark that REF as persistent - then they are persistent regardless of the LLP setting. They can always be referenced by a script.
+You can use the '''JIP LN NVSE''' function [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetPersistent SetPersistent] to set a non-persistent (dynamic, aka "spawned") reference to persistent at runtime.
+You might want to also be aware of and test for an Actor's "processing level" with the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/GetActorProcessingLevel GetActorProcessingLevel] function.
+</div>
 See also [[#Tip-NPCMovement|TIP: Making NPCs move (aka "AI Packages").]]
 </div>
@@ Line 1,940: / Line 2,121: @@
 See also [[#Tip-DialogTabs | TIP: Standard Dialog.]]
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-BatchLips"></span>
+==== TIP Batch Lip file generation ====
+: Thanks to '''EPDGaffney''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">So, the lads at the "New California" mod team happened upon an incredibly useful bit of information regarding a hidden functionality for batch generation of LIP files.  The way it works is:
+[[File:GECKFacialAnimation menu.PNG|thumbnail|100px|GECK Facial Animation menu image]]
+# Set up all your WAV files in advance, with the correct names and formatting so that they would be "previewable" in the '''GECK''' for the relevant lines of dialogue.
+#: Then, once they're all done, you can do the batch process.
+# This step is required for '''MO/MO2''' users.  <span style="color:green;background-color:#FFFFFF;">If not using '''MO/MO2''' or a similar "empty Data folder" mod manager, you probably don't need to worry about this step as the folders should already be there under "Data\Sound\Voice".</span>
+#: If you are using '''MO/MO2''', go into your vanilla '''Fallout New Vegas Data''' folder and then make all the hierarchies (e.g. "Fallout New Vegas\Data\Sound\Voice\NewCalifornia.esm\PBODocIsaakVoiceType"), but the audio files don't need to be moved from your '''MO/MO2''' folder.
+#:[[File:GECKFacialRecreate prompt.PNG|thumbnail|100px|GECK Recreate Facials prompt image]]
+#: <span style="color:red;background-color:#FFFFFF;">This was only tested for '''MO2''', but it probably works for other "empty Datafolder" managers such as '''MO'''.  Because '''MO''' and '''MO2''' load everything virtually, it makes sense that the '''GECK''' doesn't know where to put the LIP files unless you make the hierarchy in the vanilla folder.  Users should be able to make LIP files the normal way (individually) as long as the folder structure is there in the vanilla Data folder.</span>
+# Whether you skip '''Step 2''' or not, now click on the '''GECK''' menu bar ''Gameplay | Facial Animation... '' option.  (See [[:File:GECKFacialAnimation menu.PNG|GECK Facial Animation menu image]].  {{Thumbnail_enlargement_message}})
+# You'll be asked: "Do you want to forcibly recreate all facial animation files", and you'll want to choose the "Yes" button.  (See [[:File:GECKFacialRecreate prompt.PNG|GECK Recreate Facials prompt image]].  {{Thumbnail_enlargement_message}})
+# The GECK will put up a progress bar and then appear to freeze as it processes in the background.  After the better part of an hour, it should be finished.  However, in practice, it does the last Form-IDs first, meaning after the first couple of minutes it has probably finished with what was needed, and could be force-quit if desired.  They didn't actually try that; but it crashed on its own once and everything seemed fine.
+:: <span style="color:red;background-color:#FFFFFF;">Dialogue topics that are technically vanilla but are modified to add new dialogue, even for characters that are added by a new ESM/ESP; most notably '''GREETING''' but also any of the combat lines or the iron sights one(s), unfortunately have very low Form-IDs, and as such will be among the last to be generated by this batch process.</span>  Probably easier to do those manually unless you plan to set '''GECK''' to do its work and then leave your PC alone for a bit.
 </div>
 <span id="Tip-Translators"></span>
 ====TIP Conversation or Quest system====
 : Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the following:
@@ Line 1,952: / Line 2,157: @@
 What this means for FNV is that some dialog is spread out through a lot of different quests. If you want to edit '''Doc Mitchell''''s dialog during your initial character creation, for example, that's in the various ''VCGxx'' quests (''VCG01'', ''VCG02'', etc). His healing options are in ''VDoctors'', the same quest as for all of the other wasteland doctors. If you right click on '''Doc Mitchell''''s ID in the GECK and select "Use Info", you'll get a list of topics where his ID is used.
+Being part of a ''faction'' and using an existing ''voice type'' is enough to trigger a lot of the dialog in-game. If you only want your Actor to say what you have scripted them to say, and only that, then give them a unique ''voice type''.  Otherwise, generic dialog may get triggered unexpectedly
 </div>
 <span id="TIP-CuttingLipFiles"></span>
 ====Tip Cutting Lip files to match dialog====
 :  Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 2,049: / Line 2,257: @@
 <span id="TIP-RandomNPCcomments"></span>
 ====Tip Random NPC Comments====
+: Thanks to '''Mktavish''' of the '''Nexus Fallout New Vegas GECK and Modders''' forum for the basis of the following:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
 style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
@@ Line 2,057: / Line 2,266: @@
 If the 150 char limit isn't enough then add another 150 char block in the Response field.
 On the Topic text (at the top) say something like: "Do you have any info on this place?".  Flag it as a top level dialogue; then the priority will determine where it shows in the list of options after their "Greeting".
-If you're not within the maximum distance to any marker then that option shouldn't show up as a dialogue option for the player. - Source: Mktavish, Nexus forums
+If you're not within the maximum distance to any marker then that option shouldn't show up as a dialogue option for the player.
+</div>
+: '''Budong''' added the following alternative method:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">NPC is running this script, which basically waits and does nothing until a random amount of time has passed and then forces the NPC to say something to the Player.
+<pre>
+float m_banterTimer
+float m_banterThreshold
+BEGIN GameMode
+  if m_banterTimer < m_banterThreshold
+    set m_banterTimer to m_banterTimer + GetSecondsPassed
+  else
+    set m_banterTimer to 0
+    set m_banterThreshold to GetRandomPercent*4
+    SayTo player LocationBanter;
+  endif ; banterTimer
+END</pre>
+Then put all the NPC's banter dialog into the topic called LocationBanter.  The '''location-specific responses''' all have a condition using the '''GetInCell''' function to tie them to specific places and are at the top of the topic's stack so they evaluate first but only trigger when the Player is at a specific location; they're also flagged with "once per day" so you don't get spammed by them. The bonus to this method is that you can have '''generic non-location-specific''' dialog at the BOTTOM of the topic's stack, so if the Player is NOT at a landmark, the NPC still makes amusing observations every now and again. (Plus you are not forced into dropping new objects in cells all over the game; it's just the script and the dialog.  Nice and tidy, easy to manage.)
 </div>
 <span id="Tip-SayOnce"></span>
 ==== TIP '''Say Once''' use ====
 : Thanks to '''Mktavish''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 2,078: / Line 2,312: @@
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">Certain bits of dialog are standard, but have to be added from the correct tab in the '''Quest Stages'''.
+">NOTE: Dialog ''quests'' must be checkboxed to "start enabled".  If the ''quest'' isn't "active" the ''topics'' will not be available.
+Certain bits of dialog are standard, but have to be added from the correct tab in the '''Quest Stages'''.
 See the following references:
 * [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Quest_and_Dialogue_Tutorial Quest and Dialogue Tutorial], in particular the "Dialogue Topics" section.
@@ Line 2,117: / Line 2,353: @@
 : This information is compiled from a number of threads, guides, and articles by authors such as '''DrakeTheDragon''', '''throttlekitty''', '''Ghogiel''', '''scanti''', and '''Skree000'''.  It is an overview at best.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66932 Generating EGM files for Headwear and Hairs] PDF tutorial by '''Roy Batty'''.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/9360 The Conformulator] Mod Tool.
 * [[Working with Skyrim head TRIs|Working with Skyrim head TRIs]] (Wiki) for additional tutorials and resources.
 * [http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/20166 Head06 Resource] Oblivion Mod by '''Throttlekitty''' as a reference example.
+Hair NIFs usually have two models inside of them, one called Hat and one called NoHat. Adjust your alternate hairstyle's Hat model so that it doesn't clip through any hat you want the Actor to wear.
 The heads of characters and NPCs in Bethesda games are created using the builtin [http://facegen.com/index.htm FaceGen] tool, which is a licensed '''Singular Immersion ''FaceGen Modeler'''''.  According to the FaceGen site "Customizer" tool [http://facegen.com/customizer_help.htm user manual] the resulting information is stored in the following files.
@@ Line 2,132: / Line 2,371: @@
 EGM, EGT, and TRI extension files are in turn are used to construct "OBJ" (whole head mesh) files.  This is because "faces", "hair", and "helmets" have to be able to "morph" or "conform" to the underlying "head" mesh.  Different heads can be used with the same body to provide the customized faces of PlayerCharacters.
-Note that everything related to the head must be placed in a BSA for it to be processed properly by the game engine.  Otherwise the "loose files" do not get "conformed" to the head mesh properly.  (Use the "BSArch" tool linked in the [[#Packaging_Tools|Packaging Tools]] section to '''''create/update''''' your BSA file.)
+'''Note that everything related to the head must be placed in a BSA for it to be processed properly by the game engine.'''  Otherwise the "loose files" do not get "conformed" to the head mesh properly.  (Use the "BSArch" tool linked in the [[#Packaging_Tools|Packaging Tools]] section to '''''create/update''''' your BSA file.)
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
@@ Line 2,505: / Line 2,744: @@
 === LOD Generation ===
 [When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]
-* [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] Wiki.
+* [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] Wiki.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58562/? FNVLODGen/xLODGen] Tool by '''zilav'''.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/60733/? Tree LOD billboard creator for xLODGen] Tool by '''zilav'''.
@@ Line 2,524: / Line 2,763: @@
 * [[LOD_Generation_For_New_Vegas_and_Fallout_3|GECK: LOD Generation For New Vegas and Fallout 3]] Wiki.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61206/? LOD additions and improvements] Resource mod.
-: NOTE: The GECK LOD generation process uses "decimation" to create it's "low polygon meshes" for LOD/VWD.  Please read the TESTG site sub-topic [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB#The_problem_with_LOD.2FVWD_files The problem with LOD/VWD files] about why this is believed to be less effective than that used in later games such as '''Skyrim'''.
+: NOTE: The GECK LOD generation process uses "decimation" to create it's "low polygon meshes" for LOD/VWD.  Please read the TESTG site sub-topic [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB#The_problem_with_LOD.2FVWD_files The problem with LOD/VWD files] about why this is believed to be less effective than that used in later games such as '''Skyrim'''.
 <span id="Tip-LODGen"></span>
@@ Line 2,532: / Line 2,771: @@
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">Even the casual user of the tool '''xLODGen''' should read the [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] article and the thread [http://taleoftwowastelands.com/content/fnvlodgen TTW: FNVLODGen] to gain an understanding of what is involved.  Among other things the later thread points out that the "green billboards and trees" are deliberately added by '''xLODGen''' to flag that they are missing textures (sort of like the red "!" to flag missing meshes, but specific to LOD).  '''xLODGen''' lists them in it's log when generating LOD.<br>
+">Even the casual user of the tool '''xLODGen''' should read the [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] article and the thread [http://taleoftwowastelands.com/content/fnvlodgen TTW: FNVLODGen] to gain an understanding of what is involved.  Among other things the later thread points out that the "green billboards and trees" are deliberately added by '''xLODGen''' to flag that they are missing textures (sort of like the red "!" to flag missing meshes, but specific to LOD).  '''xLODGen''' lists them in it's log when generating LOD.<br>
 The resulting '''xLODGen.esp''' file needs to remain in your load order.  It should be regenerated whenever you add or remove "background" meshes and textures, as the "load order" affects the "quads" constructed to stitch together the distant view.</div>
@@ Line 2,541: / Line 2,780: @@
 ==== ESM and ESP Files ====
-'''Master''' Files (those with a ".ESM" extension - e.g. '''Fallout3.esm''') and '''Plugin''' files ("TES files" or "mods" for short - files with a ".ESP" - e.g., '''Fallout3mod.esp''') are the core data files of Bethesda games.  A master file acts as a database of all of the data for the world, including object data, dialogue, gameplay settings, object placements, AI settings, landscape, script commands, cells, etc. The '''GECK''' is the tool we use to view and edit master files and plugins for the "Fallout 3" and "Fallout: New Vegas" series.
+'''Master''' Files (those with a ".ESM" extension - e.g. '''Fallout3.esm''') and '''Plugin''' files ("TES files" or "mods" for short - files with a ".ESP" - e.g., '''Fallout3mod.esp''') are the core data files of Bethesda games.  A master file acts as a database of all of the data for the world, including object data, dialogue, game settings, object placements, AI settings, landscape, script commands, cells, etc. The '''GECK''' is the primary tool we use to create, view, and edit master files and plugins for the "Fallout 3" and "Fallout: New Vegas" series.
 (However, not all game data files are '''Master''' and '''Plugin''' files. Textures, meshes, sounds, videos, etc. are all part of the full game. More about these files elsewhere.)
-'''Master''' files and '''Plugins''' are largely identical in format, but have some important distinctions in practice. The main practical difference is that '''GECK''' will not (natively) create '''Master''' files. Nor will it allow '''Plugin''' files to modify other '''Plugin''' files.  (The '''Extender''' and '''PowerUp''' addons overcome this limitation.)  See the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Category:Data_Files GECK: Data Files] entry for more.
+'''Master''' files and '''Plugins''' are largely identical in format, but have some important distinctions in practice. The main practical difference is that '''GECK''' will not (natively) create '''Master''' files. Nor will it allow '''Plugin''' files to modify other '''Plugin''' files.  (The '''Extender''' and '''PowerUp''' addons overcome this limitation.)  However, be aware that when you change an ESP to an ESM, you can only do this properly in '''xEdit/FNVEdit''' so that the '''ONAM''' record is generated; otherwise overrides to cells will not work.  Additionally references by packages to ''markers'' and other scripted objects need to be '''''persistent''''' or they will not work in an ESM.  See the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Category:Data_Files GECK: Data Files] entry for more.
-It is possible for more than one '''Plugin''' file to ''depend'' upon the same '''Master''' file.  They don't even have to be by the same author.  Such '''Plugins''' are called ''dependencies''.  '''xEdit''' (aka '''FNVEdit''') is the primary tool used to identify such "master/dependent" relationships.  (See the wiki article [[Missing_Masters|Missing Masters]].)
+It sometimes helps to think of using ".ESM" files to ''add new things'', and ".ESP" files to ''change existing things or modify existing areas''.  Depending on how you create your "ESM", it might not modify existing things in-game. In other words, if there is an existing navmesh, an "ESP" will overwrite that navmesh, but an "ESM" might not. Similarly, if your "ESM" deletes an object (like a rock) it might work as an "ESP" but the rock might still be there as an "ESM".
+It is possible for more than one '''Plugin''' file to ''depend'' upon the same '''Master''' file.  They don't even have to be by the same author.  Such '''Plugins''' are called ''dependencies''.  '''xEdit''' (aka '''FNVEdit''') is the primary tool used to identify and manipulate such "master/dependent" relationships.  (See the wiki article [[Missing_Masters|Missing Masters]].  '''LOOT''' can also detect such dependencies, but not alter them.)  It can also be used to edit the values of specific records, and to create "compatibility" and "merge" patch files.  (See the wiki [[Merged_Plugin_Guidelines_for_Personal_Use|Merged Plugin Guidelines for Personal Use]] article.)
+If you have a problem with navmeshes after converting an ESP to an ESM, the problem likely is the original navmesh was deleted and your edit needs to be changed to an ''override'' (using '''xEdit/FNVEdit'''), then '''refinalized''' in '''GECK'''.  A navmesh in the ESP will also eventually stop working. It is a known bug in the '''Gamebryo Engine''' and was not fixed until later in '''Skyrim''''s life ('''Creator Engine''').
 <span id="Tip-ESMOnly"></span>
@@ Line 2,566: / Line 2,809: @@
 * Once your mod (as an ESP file) is done: if you then convert it to an ESM using '''FNVedit''' (by toggling the "ESM" field flag of the "File Header") and saving, and YOU DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO IT, it will work. (That's in caps because it's important).
-* Once you change your ESP into an "ESM" in the ''file header'' of '''FNVEdit''', make sure you change the file extension to ESM to match.  '''FNVEdit''' loads files based upon their extension and timestamp, period.  It doesn't care about the internal ESM flag on ESP extension files; they get loaded after other ESMs.  Besides, it confuses your customers: the players.
+* Once you change your ESP into an "ESM" in the ''file header'' of '''FNVEdit''', make sure you change the file extension to ESM to match.  '''FNVEdit''' loads files based upon their extension and timestamp, period.  (But other games may ignore those same attributes and load based upon the "plugins.txt" file sequence.)  Both '''FNVEdit''' and the game engine don't care about the internal ESM flag on ESP extension files; they get loaded after other ESMs.  Fortunately '''LOOT''' does detect such internally flagged ESP files and sorts them with the rest of the actual ESM files.  And since version 4 of '''xEdit''', it's "Sort Masters" option automatically matches them to the current "load order".  Besides, using a different extension from the purpose of the plugin confuses your customers: the players.
-* If you have something like an NPC or a package or pretty much anything in an ESM, and something modifies that NPC/package/whatever in another ESP or another ESM, do not ever change the NPC/package/whatever in the original ESM afterwards. That can really corrupt your mod. You'll also save yourself a lot of headaches if you don't modify things in another ESP/ESM. In other words, if you have an NPC defined in an ESM, but then you place the NPC in the game in an ESP, do not modify the original NPC definition (Base-ID form) in the ESP. You can modify your ''reference'' in the ESP all you want. Just don't modify the original NPC definition.  (If that sentence confuses you, please see the [[#GECK_Form-ID,_Base-ID,_Ref-ID,_and_Editor-ID|GECK Form-ID, Base-ID, Ref-ID, and Editor-ID]] section again for the distinctions.)
+* If you have something like an NPC or an AI package or pretty much anything in an ESM, and something modifies that NPC/package/whatever in another ESP or another ESM, do not ever change the NPC/package/whatever in the original ESM afterwards. That can really corrupt your mod. You'll also save yourself a lot of headaches if you don't modify things in another ESP/ESM. In other words, if you have an NPC defined in an ESM, but then you place the NPC in the game in an ESP, do not modify the original NPC definition (Base-ID form) in the ESP. You can modify your ''reference'' in the ESP all you want. Just don't modify the original NPC definition.  (If that sentence confuses you, please see the [[#GECK_Form-ID,_Base-ID,_Ref-ID,_and_Editor-ID|GECK Form-ID, Base-ID, Ref-ID, and Editor-ID]] section again for the distinctions.)
 * Any NPC you define in an ESP will likely suffer from the infamous "mismatched head/body texture" bug (e.g. a head with one skin texture on a body with a different skin texture). Some people think that all you need to do is edit your INI files and you can fix this bug, but while that works for some mods and people, the solution doesn't work for others. If you don't want your NPCs to have mismatched skin textures, and you want it to be done reliably so it works for everyone, you need to define the NPCs in an ESM, period.  Take the time to plan ahead.
@@ Line 2,609: / Line 2,852: @@
 * [[Gimp_create_old_weathered_posters_and_other_images|Gimp: create old weathered posters and other images]] Wiki.
 ==== How to ''do something'' ====
+<span id="Tip-GMSTs"></span>
+===== How to change '''Game Settings''' aka '''GMSTs''' =====
+: Thanks to '''punchbattle''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">As one might expect, the game has many variables it uses in various functions and algorithms.  Where are these and how can you change them?  They can be altered using either [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/34703/? xEdit/FNVEdit] (freeware) to edit '''GMST''' records or the '''GECK''' to change "Game Settings".
+Example: Change "decapitation rates".
+Making your own mod file:
+# Open the '''GECK''', then go to the upper left menu and click "File | Data..."
+# A list of ".ESM" files should pop up. Check the box next to '''FalloutNV.esm''' and uncheck any other box that might be checked.  (If this is an annoying problem with the DLCS, please see [[#Issue_-_GECK_does_not_automatically_select_FalloutNV_or_some_DLC_ESM_file|Issue - GECK does not automatically select FalloutNV or some DLC ESM file]].)
+# Highlight FalloutNV.esm, then click "Set as Active File", and press OK
+# Once it's done loading up, you should be ready to start editing!
+[But first: change the filename to "make it your own".]
+Editing '''Game Settings''' in the '''GECK''':
+# Click "Gameplay | Settings...".
+# A window should pop up with a long list of game variables. You can type things into the '''Filter''' field to see specific variables.
+These are the ones you're looking for in this example:
+* '''iCombatDismemberPartChance'''
+* '''iMessCrippledLimbExplodeBonus'''
+* '''iMessIntactLimbDismemberChance'''
+* '''iMessIntactLimbExplodeBonus'''
+* '''iMessTargetedLimbExplodeBonus'''
+* '''iMessTorsoExplodeChance'''
+It is believed that '''iCombatDismemberPartChance''' is the base chance a limb will ''dismember'', and the '''iMess...''' values kick in if you have the ''Bloody Mess'' perk. Just put in whatever values you think feel right, and see how things go. It may take a couple of tweaks before you get it exactly where you want it to be.
+</div>
 ===== How to create a challenge =====
@@ Line 2,617: / Line 2,892: @@
 ===== How to create a perk =====
-* [[How_to_create_a_perk|How to create a perk]] Wiki.
+* [http://youtu.be/BLRFMVQkpFQ GECK Tutorial - Perk (Ability)] Video by '''Seddon4494'''.
+* [http://youtu.be/62bHp1_PIdk GECK Tutorial - Perk (Entry Point)] Video by '''Seddon4494'''.
+* [[How_to_create_a_perk|How to create a perk]] Wiki article.
 ===== How to create a Primative ''activators'' ''trigger volumes'' ''multibounds and occlusion planes'' =====
@@ Line 2,696: / Line 2,973: @@
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
 ">Suppose you want an NPC's "home" to be changeable to a new location.  You can either place different xMarkers at the potential sites, or use a "creature" that is initially "disabled" for your Marker.  Static objects like the default XMarker object cannot be moved, but a "persistent creature" set as a "quest object" can be moved and assigned as a "marker".  Then drop the "marker/creature" in the new "home" cell. "Creature" positions are always updated in the game, whereas static objects are not, so you don't need to use the "enable/disable" trick to update their location.  You then assign a "GoHome" travel AI Package to the marker as it's destination, and another "sandbox behavior" AI Package to let it wander the immediate area of the marker.  See the wiki article [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Bethsoft_Tutorial_NPC_population GECK: Bethsoft Tutorial NPC population].</div>
+<span id="NVSEPlugins"></span>
+==== NVSE Plugins ====
+Unfortunately there is neither documentation nor tutorials on creating an NVSE Plugin.  The only advice is to use the older, freeware '''IDA 5.0 Disassembler''' by [http://www.hex-rays.com/products/decompiler/ Hex-Rays] for 32-bit executables, which is hosted on the [http://www.scummvm.org/news/20180331/ ScummVM] site, and your knowledge of "C-like" programming languages.  From that page:
+<blockquote>
+    A recent discussion [Mar 2018] about the most recent IDA Disassembler freeware 7.0 revealed that it no longer supports disassembling older DOS and Windows executables. This is obviously a problem for potential contributors, as well as potential GSoC students wanting to reverse engineer an old adventure game or RPG for their project. The obvious solution is to provide an earlier freeware version that still supports them.
+    Consulting with Hex-Rays, they're kindly consented for us to host one of the earlier IDA freeware versions, for those in the future who wish to use it.
+</blockquote>
 ==== PAINTdotNET ''Normal Maps'' ====
@@ Line 2,710: / Line 2,995: @@
 XML is a "data definition" structure, based upon a "data schema" which was defined by Bethesda.  They didn't publish their "schema", but some things have been learned about it.  However, without a published scheme, you must either use only elements found in other XML files, or be willing to experiment.
 * [http://www.w3schools.com/xml/ W3School's XML Tutorial] Wiki.  Covers various XML standards such as Ajax, DOM, XPath, XSLT, XQuery, DTD, Schema, and Services.
-* [http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php?title=Category:Oblivion_XML Category:Oblivion XML] Wiki (Oblivion).
+* [http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php?title=Category:Oblivion_XML Category:Oblivion XML] Wiki (Oblivion, but still applies to FO3 and FNV).
+* [http://content3.uesp.net/wiki/Tes4Mod:Oblivion_XML/Traits Tes4Mod:Oblivion XML/Traits] Wiki (Oblivion, but still applies to FO3 and FNV).
 * [http://www.loverslab.com/topic/53411-reading-ui-hud-xml-files/ Reading UI & HUD XML files] by '''DoctaSax''' (Adults (18+)Only site).  Covers XML Basics.
 * [http://qxmledit.org/ QXmlEdit] (freeware) XML Editor.  Note the tutorials on this site are regarding the tool's features; not XML in general.
@@ Line 2,756: / Line 3,042: @@
 :::* '''tenpenny'''
 ::* '''npc''' (by type of actor): ''WAV'' '''mono''' files.
-::* '''voc''' (sound effect "voices"): ''WAV'' '''mono''' files.
+::* '''voc''' (sound effect "voices"): ''WAV'' '''mono''' files.  These can be "broadcast" from radios or speakers with the ''playsound'' function in the ''menumode for terminals''.  The sound file length controls the timing.
-:* '''voices''' (Data\Sound\voice): dialog.  ''OGG'' and ''LIP'' '''mono''' files.
+:* '''voices''' (Data\Sound\voice): dialog.  ''OGG'' and ''LIP'' '''mono''' files.  These are "spoken" by Actors as "talking head" dialog.  The '''LIP''' file controls the timing.
 <span id="TIP-AddingASound"></span>
@@ Line 2,811: / Line 3,097: @@
 * '''Seddon'''s video guide on how to make a station is a good one, but its major flaw is that he was operating under the presumption that ''mono WAV'' files were required.  '''You''' must make the above calling convention adjustments if using ''MP3'' or ''stereo'' files instead.
 * '''DorostheConqueror'''s text-based guide is slightly more comprehensive than Seddon's if I recall, but suffers from the same ''mono WAV'' file presumption, and the same adjustments apply.
+* NOTE: Radio stations are similar to dialog in that their ''quests'' must be checkboxed to "start enabled".  If the ''quest'' isn't "active" the ''topics/songs'' will not play.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-MusicAndDialog"></span>
+==== TIP Music and Dialog ====
+: Thanks to '''Glenrhee''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">When you have the problem of your added music won't fade or mute during dialog, probably you have not encoded it correctly.
+# The music has to be in '''mono .wav''' format.
+# It has to be in a CBR (constant bit rate) of 256 or less. Most audio editing programs let you choose to export it this way.
+# It'll sound louder '''out-of-game''' than '''in-game''', so don't lower the volume too much on it.
+Now your music should automatically get quieter when in dialog.
 </div>
 <span id="Tip-BattleMusic"></span>
 ====TIP Replacing Battle Music====
 : Thanks to '''KadoDragon''' and '''DaemonGrin''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 3,021: / Line 3,323: @@
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/56009/? Jokerine's Misc Resources Tutorials and Novac Bungalow: NifSkope Texture Paths by Jokerine] Mod PDF.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/64746 NIF tangents and binormals updater] Command line tool to batch update tangents/binormals.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/56203/? Material and Texture Animations in NifSkope - Tutorial] PDF/DOC download.
 * [http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/NifSkope NifSkope Wiki] Wiki.
 * [http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/984792-tutorial-working-with-the-nicontrollermanager/ NifSkope: Working with the NiControllerManager] Forum Thread.  Alternate images available [http://www.mediafire.com/file/p0srsyrfuaszevp/Tutorial.zip here].
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/45444/? Tutorials on Screenshots, NifSkope, Outfit creation and Posing by jonas opines] Mod.
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/63770/? Nifskope Testing Skeleton] by clanky4. Mod for testing animations in NifSkope only.
+<span id="Tip-AttachLightSource"></span>
+==== TIP Attaching a light source to a mesh ====
+: Thanks to '''MonsterMonkey''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">So, you have an existing mesh that needs a light source added to illuminate only a portion of it.  How do you go about it?
+* Open your mesh in '''NifSkope''', and attach a "new node > ''bsvaluenode''" where you want the light source.
+* Now you'll have to open the '''GECK''', and find ''AddonNodes''.
+: ''AddonNodes'' are particle meshes that can use a light source.
+* ''AddonNodes'' have an '''Index number'''.  You 'll need this '''Index number''' in '''NifSkope''', so make note of the one you want.
+* Now go to '''NifSkope''', and in the ''bsvaluenode'' entry you created, go to the "value" line and write the related '''Index number''' of the ''AddonNode'' you want the mesh to use.
+The thread [http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4522240-attaching-light-to-mesh/ Attaching light to mesh?] has an example of the before and after effect on an image.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-ConvertNIFHeader"></span>
+==== TIP Convert NIF header ====
+: Thanks to '''pixelhate''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">When you want to change the header of your custom mesh from "NiNode" to "BSFadenode" (because it prevents your object from moving, etc.) or vice versa:
+Select the '''NiNode''', <Right Click>, select "Block | Convert", and choose your node type.
+</div>
 <span id="Tip-ModelMashups"></span>
@@ Line 3,056: / Line 3,387: @@
 A: The model determines the lighting in this game.  I'm asking, in the vanilla game was it seamless?  I don't mean the 2D ".dds" texture file; I'm asking, did it look seamless in-game?  [No, it doesn't.]
-(For any unfamiliar graphics related terms, please see the [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary TESTG Glossary].)
+(For any unfamiliar graphics related terms, please see the [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary TESTG Glossary].)
 So, the way it works is an object is lit dependent upon several factors.  The first is the ''normal map'' and its ''alpha channel''.  Obviously, you're telling me these are all the same texture, so that's not the problem here but it is certainly something to be aware of.  The ''normal map'' behaves as you expect, and its ''alpha channel'' is used as the ''specular map''.  Generally, you want that ''specular map'' to be mostly dark, down to drawing distinctly different effects in-game from a portion of a ''specular map'' that is 5% bright and 8% bright, for example (that is, 0% is pitch black, and bringing the RGB values all up 5% from 0 is 5%).
@@ Line 3,150: / Line 3,481: @@
 * [http://www.cipscis.com/fallout/tutorials/beginners.aspx CIPSCIS: Scripting for Beginners] HTML Tutorial.  Does not support "script extender" syntax.
 * [http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/top-15-best-practices-for-writing-super-readable-code--net-8118 Top 15 Best Practices for Writing Super Readable Code] HTML.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/67395 RuntimeScriptProfiler] by '''lStewieAl - shadeMe'''.  An NVSE plugin to profile script execution. Ported from '''shadeMe''''s '''Oblivion''' plugin.  Use this to check how efficient your script is when running.
 [When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]
-* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/Category:Conditions GECK Category: Conditions] Wiki.
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Category:Conditions GECK Category: Conditions] Wiki.
-* [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Category:Tutorials GECK Category: Tutorials page] Wiki.
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Category:Tutorials GECK Category: Tutorials page] Wiki.
-* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/Adding_an_Options_Menu GECK: Adding an Options Menu Tutorial]
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Adding_an_Options_Menu GECK: Adding an Options Menu Tutorial]
-* [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Bethsoft_Tutorial_Basic_Quest GECK: Bethsoft Tutorial Basic Quest]
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Bethsoft_Tutorial_Basic_Quest GECK: Bethsoft Tutorial Basic Quest]
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/45278/? GECK: Companion by Caprius] Mod.
-* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/List_of_Global_Variables GECK: Global Variable]
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/List_of_Global_Variables GECK: Global Variable]
 * [http://youtu.be/3Bauvvmo31g GECK: Making a Counter by Seddon4494] (for tracking scripts.) Video.
-* [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Notes GECK: Notes]
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Notes GECK: Notes]
 * [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDE4yHOz0cQ GECK: Script to Spawn/Enable NPCs at a Certain Time] Video.
-* [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Scripting_for_Beginners GECK: Scripting for Beginners] Wiki.
+* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Scripting_for_Beginners GECK: Scripting for Beginners] Wiki.
 * [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APnz-qdQxfQ Tutorial - Scripting Notes] Video by '''Seddon4494'''.
 * [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLrV-R_0hnY Making something happen every day] Video by '''Seddon4494'''.
@@ Line 3,168: / Line 3,500: @@
 :* [http://www.gribbleshnibit.com/projects/NVSEDocs/# NVSE Documentation] by gribbleshnibit.
 :* [http://geck.bethsoft.com/index.php?title=MessageBoxEx NVSE MessageBoxEx function] Wiki.
-:* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/Con_SCOF NVSE: Con_SCOF]
+:* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Con_SCOF NVSE: Con_SCOF]
-:* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/Debug_Dumps NVSE: Debug Dumps]
+:* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Debug_Dumps NVSE: Debug Dumps]
 :* [http://www.cipscis.com/fallout/tutorials/detecting_keypresses.aspx NVSE: Detecting Keypresses] Wiki.
-:* [http://geck.foesmm.org/index.php/SetDebugMode NVSE: SetDebugMode]
+:* [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetDebugMode NVSE: SetDebugMode]
 * [http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Pip-Boy_3000 Pipboy Tabs]
 * [http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php?title=Performance_Problems TES: Script Performance Problems] TES Construction Set Wiki.  Some things on this site are obsolete information as regards the GECK.
@@ Line 3,218: / Line 3,550: @@
 Using commas to separate function parameters is actually preferable, especially when you use advanced NVSE scripting (CO, arrays, UDFs with dynamically constructed parameters in the call line). Much like extensive use of parentheses, it not only keeps things more readable for yourself, but prevents errors at compile or at run time. It isn't usually needed for simple code, but it's a good practice to get into for when it is needed, so let's please not advise against doing it.</div>
-<span id="Tip-VariablePrefixes"></span>
+<span id="Tip-ShareVariables"></span>
-==== '''TIP Best Practice'''  Type prefixes for Variables ====
+==== '''TIP Best Practice''' Sharing Variables between Scripts ====
-: Thanks to '''EPDGaffney''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+: Thanks to  the contributors to the [http://www.loverslab.com/topic/4320-fallout-new-vegas-geck-scripting-help-101/ Fallout New Vegas GECK & Scripting Help 101] forum on the (Age 18+ gated) "LoversLab.com" site for the basis of the following:
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
 style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">It's easy to get confused as to what sort of values are "valid" for any given variable once you get beyond a simple script, especially if it was defined elsewhere than the current script.  When you "declare" a variable, you give it a "type" which determines both which sorts of values it can accept and how they are stored.  If it's expecting a "reference" then you can't assign it a "number" or "string".  Experienced programmers have learned it's a "best practice" to use "type prefixes" in front of their variable names to help keep them straight.
+">When you want to share variables across more than one script, create a simple "Quest" with a name indicating it's purpose (e.g. "<MyCurrentQuest>VAR").  It doesn't need to do anything (i.e. it can be completely empty), but you need to enable the "StartGame enabled" checkbox.
+Then create a new script to be run when that Quest starts, so name it something related like "<MyCurrentQuest>VARScript", and use the "Script Type" drop down list at the top right of the "Script Edit" shortcut icons to designate it as "Quest" type.
-These "type prefixes" are lowercase letters that go before a capitalized variable name, denoting a specific programming use for that variable.
+Now define any variables you want to use across more than one script or permit others to read for other Mods.
-* b - A ''boolean'' (aka "''bool''") is a variable that can be only true (set to 1) or false (set to 0).  We don't have true ''bools'' in this '''GECK''' programming language, but variables that a programmer knows will only ever be set to true or false can be referred to as a ''bool'' and its name can be chosen accordingly for organizational purposes.  They are technically defined as the short/integer variety of '''type'''.
+Important points to remember:
+* As a general practice: Declare all your variables at the top. If you declare them all over the place when you need them, you'll eventually regret it.
-: Example:
+* Variables declared OUTSIDE the BEGIN blocks retain their value between runs, and in save games. Variables declared INSIDE a BEGIN block will be reset to 0 each time the script is run.  In this "variable declaration script" you do not need or want any "BEGIN/END" blocks.
-<pre>
- short bFoundJohn
+* Prefix your variable with their "function type" to avoid confusion when using them in other scripts.
- int bFoundJohn
-</pre>
-* f - a ''float'' is a variable that can store numbers that are in between integers.  Essentially, numbers that can have decimal values (e.g. "1.001").  Some functions will return a number that is in between two integers, and if you want to store that value as a variable for use in your script, it generally must be declared as a ''float'' variable.  A popular one is '''GetSecondsPassed''' for example.
-: Example:
+* Use "floats" (floating decimal values) or "ints" (integer values), but never "shorts".  The less you have to type the better, and using a "non-int" alias in the '''GECK''' language will cause confusion among those who know another programming language.   Don't expect a "short" to roll over at 32767 or 65535; it will roll over at 2-billion-something just like a regular signed integer.
-<pre>
- float fTimer
+* Use prefixes for ''usage'' and ''functionality'', not "datatype".
-</pre>
-* i - an ''int'' variable is the same as a ''short'' variable, but we only use the 'i' prefix so that we can use the 's' prefix to denote a ''string'' variable, which we'll talk about in a minute.  ''Int/short'' variables can only be integers, or whole numbers.  If you try to use one to store a value that should be a ''float'', it may round down (truncate) to the nearest whole number or it may just not work.  These are the most common variables for our use.
+* All numeric vars in the '''GECK''' language are signed (can be negative).
+* When naming variables, try to be consistent. You don't need to adhere to any naming scheme other than what you like but stay consistent with whatever you do choose to use. Many programmers are "Hungarian Camel Case" users (e.g. "int iMyCount", "short sTheValue", "ref rTheNPC", etc.) following [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_notation#Systems_vs._Applications_Hungarian Hungarian notation].
+* Strive to always put constants on the LEFT. "if (0 == foo)" is preferable to "if (foo == 0)". This is more important in other languages, but it's because statements are evaulated from left to right across a line of code. The practice comes from the C languages, where the first time you write "if (foo = 0)" when you meant "if (foo == 0)" you'll understand why.
+* Use parenthesis generously, but judiciously. You can almost never have too many.
+* Indent your code consistently (makes bug hunting easier). Settle on using spaces or tabs (spaces are heavily preferred as tab stops can vary in spacing on the same line) and stick to it.  If you expect to indent a lot, try to use no fewer than two spaces for readability.
+* Try to be ''explicit'' at all times rather than ''implicit''.  Assuming that version X treats something one way can burn you when version Y changes the default behavior.  A good example is using a function without prefacing it with "Player.". While this may be assumed to be true, it can easily not be true depending on situation. So if you mean to run something on the player, be explicit and say so... never trust implicit compiler/interpreter behavior.
+* Just because you can change something doesn't mean you should. There are tons of globals and gamesettings that can be altered with almost no effort on your part ... with horrible side effects and consequences for everyone else. Try to ALWAYS consider what repercussions your changes could have for other scripters and other modders.  Always try to remember that your playstyle isn't more or less important than everyone else's playstyle. Be considerate in your choices whenever possible.
+* If you've created a mod and find yourself whining about how many bugs your users complain about and you end up spending a ton of time on support ... well, stop putting so many bugs into your mods!  Just remember one word: testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, TESTING. Each hour spent testing will eliminate 5+ hours of support. Well worth the time and effort.
+* Document your mod somewhere.  Maybe not in the scripts themselves (due to size limits), but somewhere. Coming back to a mod you made two years ago can be harder than writing it from scratch. The more documentation you have, the easier maintaining a mod will be.
+* Understand the block types and what functions can and should and can't and should NOT be used in each one. You can easily block thread execution with the wrong function and freeze a quest. Always give your code time to actually work. Many functions take longer than 1 pass (1 frame) to run. If in doubt, create stages and allow your script time to breathe.  (See [[#TIP_Block_Types_Multiple_vs_Single_Frame_processing|TIP Block Types Multiple vs Single Frame processing]].)
+* NEVER NEVER NEVER use a local variable in a '''result script''' if you plan on it retaining a value. That includes ''quest stages, dialogue or any other small fragment of code'' that isn't in a script file. All of these scripts erase their variables after execution.  Also, these fragment scripts act on top of other variables, replacing their scope. So if you have a global named '''iMyCount''' and you declare '''int iMyCount''' in a fragment, you are blocking the global and replacing it with your variable while that fragment is running.  Whenever possible, avoid using local variables in a fragment unless they're "fire and forget" variables that do not need to retain any information.
+There are many more tips from experienced scripters in that thread.  Check it out.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-VariablePrefixes"></span>
+==== '''TIP Best Practice'''  Type prefixes for Variables ====
+: Thanks to '''EPDGaffney''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">It's easy to get confused as to what sort of values are "valid" for any given variable once you get beyond a simple script, especially if it was defined elsewhere than the current script.  When you "declare" a variable, you give it a "type" which determines both which sorts of values it can accept and how they are stored.  If it's expecting a "reference" then you can't assign it a "number" or "string".  Experienced programmers have learned it's a "best practice" to use "type prefixes" in front of their variable names to help keep them straight.
+These "type prefixes" are lowercase letters that go before a capitalized variable name, denoting a specific programming use for that variable.
+* b - A ''boolean'' (aka "''bool''") is a variable that can be only true (set to 1) or false (set to 0).  We don't have true ''bools'' in this '''GECK''' programming language, but variables that a programmer knows will only ever be set to true or false can be referred to as a ''bool'' and its name can be chosen accordingly for organizational purposes.  They are technically defined as the short/integer variety of '''type'''.
 : Example:
@@ Line 3,254: / Line 3,623: @@
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
 ">
-int DoOnce<br>
+short bFoundJohn
-int iDoOnce<br>
+int bFoundJohn
-int bDoOnce<br>
-short DoOnce<br>
-short iRaidersKilled ; (probably the number of raiders player killed)<br>
-int bRaidersKilled   ; (probably if the player's killed all the designated raiders, or if they've killed at least one, depending on what you want)
 </div>
-* s - a ''string'' variable is a weird one.  It's text, and requires special treatment.  It tends to be stuff the scripting language doesn't really understand and just takes on faith that you do.  You probably won't work with these for a while.  In general, the content of a ''string'' variable is for "human consumption"(such as a message or note) rather than use by the script/program.
+* f - a ''float'' is a variable that can store numbers that are in between integers.  Essentially, numbers that can have decimal values (e.g. "1.001").  Some functions will return a number that is in between two integers, and if you want to store that value as a variable for use in your script, it generally must be declared as a ''float'' variable.  A popular one is '''GetSecondsPassed''' for example.
-:Example:
+: Example:
 <div name="Simulated code box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Warning Notice"
 style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px; border:1px dashed #DAA520; color: lightgray; background-color:#424242; padding:3px;"
@@ Line 3,273: / Line 3,638: @@
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
 ">
-string_var sDogName ; whatever the player typed for a dog's name at some point in your quest, so that it can appear in notes<br>
+float fTimer
-string_var sBone    ; whatever bone/node in the .nif model is relevant to the script for whatever reason
 </div>
-* a - ''array'' variables are incredible, but an "advanced" technique.  It's a steep learning curve but they're easy once you've passed that.  They are basically like form lists, but they are made dynamically at run-time via script.
+* i - an ''int'' variable is the same as a ''short'' variable, but we only use the 'i' prefix so that we can use the 's' prefix to denote a ''string'' variable, which we'll talk about in a minute.  ''Int/short'' variables can only be integers, or whole numbers.  If you try to use one to store a value that should be a ''float'', it may round down (truncate) to the nearest whole number or it may just not work.  These are the most common variables for our use.
 : Example:
@@ Line 3,288: / Line 3,652: @@
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
 ">
-array_var aNCR  ; maybe every actor in the area that is in an NCR faction, or maybe every NCR actor in the entire game, including all loaded mods<br>
+int DoOnce<br>
+int iDoOnce<br>
+int bDoOnce<br>
+short DoOnce<br>
+short iRaidersKilled ; (probably the number of raiders player killed)<br>
+int bRaidersKilled   ; (probably if the player's killed all the designated raiders, or if they've killed at least one, depending on what you want)
+</div>
+* s - a ''string'' variable is a weird one.  It's text, and requires special treatment.  It tends to be stuff the scripting language doesn't really understand and just takes on faith that you do.  You probably won't work with these for a while.  In general, the content of a ''string'' variable is for "human consumption"(such as a message or note) rather than use by the script/program.
+:Example:
+<div name="Simulated code box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Warning Notice"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px; border:1px dashed #DAA520; color: lightgray; background-color:#424242; padding:3px;"
+/* Remove the next four 'white-space' lines to restore default white-space processing. */
+white-space: pre-wrap;       /* css-3 */
+white-space: -moz-pre-wrap;  /* Mozilla, since 1999 */
+white-space: -pre-wrap;      /* Opera 4-6 */
+white-space: -o-pre-wrap;    /* Opera 7+ */
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">
+string_var sDogName ; whatever the player typed for a dog's name at some point in your quest, so that it can appear in notes<br>
+string_var sBone    ; whatever bone/node in the .nif model is relevant to the script for whatever reason
+</div>
+* a - ''array'' variables are incredible, but an "advanced" technique.  It's a steep learning curve but they're easy once you've passed that.  They are basically like form lists, but they are made dynamically at run-time via script.
+: Example:
+<div name="Simulated code box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Warning Notice"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 30px; border:1px dashed #DAA520; color: lightgray; background-color:#424242; padding:3px;"
+/* Remove the next four 'white-space' lines to restore default white-space processing. */
+white-space: pre-wrap;       /* css-3 */
+white-space: -moz-pre-wrap;  /* Mozilla, since 1999 */
+white-space: -pre-wrap;      /* Opera 4-6 */
+white-space: -o-pre-wrap;    /* Opera 7+ */
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">
+array_var aNCR  ; maybe every actor in the area that is in an NCR faction, or maybe every NCR actor in the entire game, including all loaded mods<br>
 array_var aEntry ; this is a standard array variable that could be called anything and still work, but it's typically the name given to a short-lived variable that is used during any number of operations carried out on the larger array that contains all the stuff in the group you're working on.
 </div>
@@ Line 3,294: / Line 3,692: @@
 : <span style="color: red; background-color:#fff5f5;">WARNING: Mixing up ''references'' and ''base objects'', especially when assigning them to arrays, is one of the most common and lethal mistakes in '''Gamebryo''' scripting.  Always double check what the '''''type''''' of value any function you are using to assign them to an array is returning.  Unfortunate results can become baked into save game files, causing bloat.  The only remedy in such cases seems to be deletion of the ".nvse" file for the "save game" when it occurs, which will affect other mods which depend upon information saved in it with unpredictable results.</span>
-* r - ''reference'' variables store a reference to an instance of an object placed in the game world.  This is often an actor or a specific object that you'll need to refer to later in your script.
+* r - ''reference'' variables can store either a ''reference form'' or a ''base form''.  ''Base forms'' are the original "template" form as it was created in '''GECK''', BEFORE placing it in the game world.  ''Reference forms'' are specific instances of a ''base form'' AFTER they have been placed in the game world.  (There can be many ''reference forms'' of the same ''base form''.)  Their relationship to ''reference variables'' is that of a specific actor or object that you'll need to refer to later in your script.  (See the [[#GECK_Form-ID_Base-ID_Ref-ID_and_Editor-ID|GECK Form-ID Base-ID Ref-ID and Editor-ID]] section.)
 : Example:
@@ Line 3,309: / Line 3,707: @@
 ref rTarget  ; often the choice for functions like '''GetOwnerLastTarget'''
 </div>
-: Note you can use a different prefix with the same variable name (e.g. see the various "DoOnce" definitions under "i - integer"), and the '''GECK''' will treat them as distinct, separate entities. (But note "short DoOnce" and "int DoOnce" are not unique variable names.  They are defining the same variable name to the same type.)  However, that can get very confusing after awhile and is not recommended as a casual practice.  But it can have it's place.
+Note you can use a different prefix with the same variable name (e.g. see the various "DoOnce" definitions under "i - integer"), and the '''GECK''' will treat them as distinct, separate entities. (But note "short DoOnce" and "int DoOnce" are not unique variable names.  They are defining the same variable name to the same type.)  However, that can get very confusing after awhile and is not recommended as a casual practice.  But it can have it's place.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-SaveBloat"></span>
+==== Tip '''Best Practice''' Avoiding Save Game Bloat ====
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">'''LuthienAnarion''' (of the '''JIP LN NVSE Plugin''') reports the game saves data about every reference in every cell you have ever visited.  Save files are supposed to get larger and larger as you explore more and more locations (called "bloat"), and their size is something the player should not normally concern themselves with.  (Save Files in the tens of MB are common.)  Bloat is less of a problem for '''FO3/FNV''' than it is for '''Skyrim''' because scripts are not included in the save game files.  However, script authors should still try to avoid adding to it wherever possible using the following '''best practices'''.
+[http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Ar_Null Ar Null]: As of '''NVSE 4.6.2''', arrays defined in [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=User_Defined_Function UDF] scripts are cleaned up automatically, '''but those held in other scripts are not'''. Therefore it is essential to use ''Ar_Null'' to clear any local array variables when other scripts terminate to avoid save game bloat.
+[http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Sv_Destruct Sv_Destruct] the local string variables or they can cause save game bloat.
+[http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Disable Disable] does not remove references from the game, just stops them from rendering. Do not rely on ''Disable'' to prevent savegame bloat by removing references.
+[http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=MarkForDelete MarkForDelete] should be used to remove '''temporary references''' from the game.  '''GECK''' Editor placed objects cannot be deleted.
+Excessive use of ''repeatable quest stages'' causes load time problems in some cases. The effect should be apparent after only a few hours of play. Low quest delays seem to affect it. '''Roy Batterian''' (of '''TTW''', '''4GB Patcher''', and 30+ mods) has never been able to determine the exact circumstances under which it occurs so he has just quit using them and uses functions instead.  ''Quest stages'' are "save baked", so perhaps this is behind it.
+[http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=PlaceAtMe PlaceAtMe] and [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=PlaceLeveledActorAtMe PlaceLeveledActorAtMe] should be used sparingly, as they do create '''temporary references''', so once the player leaves the loaded cell and they are unloaded they will still remain in the save file as scripts cannot run on them to delete or reference them.
+Actors should be ''spawned'' with '''spawn markers'''; having them initially disabled and then enabled will cause them to spawn immediately. If you want to do "waves of enemies" you can disable the '''spawn marker''' again and run resurrect on it (provided the spawned actor is dead and the marker is persistent), and then re-enable it.
+''PlaceAtMe'' can also cause various '''havok''' problems like invincible creatures that have '''effect shaders''' and other weirdness: the '''Reavers''' in the "presidential metro" of '''Fallout 3''' is a good example of this bug.  It can also cause crashing due to memory problems and other stuff.  (See any mods with waves of enemies created this way; e.g. '''Someguy2000''''s '''The Better Angels''' exhibits this issue).
+Tons of lootable items also cause save bloat as the state of the items is "baked" when they are taken.
+Dropped items get "save baked" too, so it's best to put them in a container.
+There is also the '''GECKWiki''' article [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=Causes_of_CTDs Causes of CTDs] authors should be aware of as well.
 </div>
@@ Line 3,439: / Line 3,869: @@
 Indenting the beginning and ending statements of "blocks" to the same level helps ensure you have correctly matched them up.  (This is one of the most common syntax errors preventing a script from compiling, and hard to track down otherwise.)
+An "if / elseif /else" structure is a way of handling a series of specific situations where only one condition can be true (or false) and you want to ensure you have covered all the possibilities.  So think of it conceptually as:
+<pre>
+If ("test condition1" is "true") then
+  take action1
+ElseIf ("test condition2" is "true") then
+  take action2
+ElseIf (as many "test conditions" as needed)
+  ...
+Else ;no anticipated conditions are true
+  take some alternative action indicating "no anticipated result"
+EndIf ;this test block is done
+</pre>
+You should always consider what to do if your initial "condition test" fails.  This is where the other statements ("ElseIf" and "Else") come into play.  (They are considered to be part of the same "If / EndIf" block at the same level of nesting, and cannot appear on their own.)  Even if you decide to "do nothing", it is helpful to both yourself and others to employ either an explicit or implied "Else" statement which either displays a message to that effect or simply has a comment just so you know what you anticipated at that point when reviewing the code at a later point in time when you may have forgotten details.
+Use an "ElseIf" only if you want to "test" before you do something in the case where that "condition" may have alternate values.  Otherwise use a simple "Else".
+If you do not want to take any action if none of those "test conditions" are true, but don't need to do something when they all fail, then you don't need an "Else" at all.  However, it is often a good idea to place a "debug" message in an "Else" section to indicate that the tests all failed, at least until you know that part of the script is working as intended.  Otherwise the tests all fail and the "EndIf" terminates the test block with no actions or message and "falls through" to the next line of code; which can give a false impression of "success".
+The main point is that an "ElseIF" requires another test condition.  An "Else" will only process if no other "If" or "ElseIf" statements were true.  It is a "failsafe" for indicating that the test section was processed.
 Finally, note that ''"let < var > :="'' is '''NVSE''' syntax.  (Vanilla uses ''"set < var> to < value >"'' syntax.)  You must have '''NVSE''' loaded when running the GECK (use the '''GECK Extender''': link under [[#Programs_and_Tools|Programs and Tools]]) to use it, (and specify '''NVSE''' as a requirement for your mod if you publish it) or you will get a ''compiler error'' and your users will not be able to get the mod to function correctly without it.  Don't let that stop you as almost everyone has '''NVSE''' installed anyway, but it is important to realize.
@@ Line 3,444: / Line 3,895: @@
 <span id="BlockTypeProcessing"></span>
 ==== TIP Block Types ''Multiple vs Single Frame processing'' ====
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
@@ Line 3,651: / Line 4,103: @@
 When you want to do something affecting multiple Actors, such as providing a particular dialog option or behavior, instead of editing their scripts directly consider using an '''NVSE''' [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Event_Handling Event Handler] instead (functionality added by '''NVSE 4.6+''').
-'''EventHandlers''' provide the very powerful ability to "trick" the game engine into supplementing or overriding the limitations of the standard GECK "On<Event>" functions such as "OnAdd", "OnActivate", or "OnEquip" into running a script to emulate something else in a "User Defined Function" (UDF).  A simple example of this is the "Note EventHandler" script and UDF in [[#Tip-Notes|TIP: Passing a 'Note' to the player]], which is using this technique to "trick" the engine into running a script as if the note had been triggered by an "OnEquip" or "OnActivate" function without ever using that command; in this example instance by a mouse click or key press in a menu.  See also [[#Tip-HotKeyEventHandler|Tip: EventHandler-HotKey]].
+'''EventHandlers''' provide the very powerful ability to "trick" the game engine into supplementing or overriding the limitations of the standard GECK "On<Event>" functions such as "OnAdd", "OnActivate", or "OnEquip" into running a script to emulate something else in a "User Defined Function" (UDF).  A simple example of this is the "Note EventHandler" script and UDF in [[#Tip-Notes|TIP: Passing a 'Note' to the player]], which is using this technique to "trick" the engine into running a script as if the note had been triggered by an "OnEquip" or "OnActivate" function without ever using either command. In this example instance: by a mouse click or key press in a menu instead.  See also [[#Tip-HotKeyEventHandler|Tip: EventHandler-HotKey]].
-Note that just using an '''EventHandler''' isn't sufficient.  The normal activation event will still need to occur. You have to disable interaction with the target Actor first if you want to prevent dialog, somehow.  With '''JIP LN NVSE''' you can use the "SetInteractionDisabled" function.
+Note that just using an '''EventHandler''' isn't sufficient.  The normal activation Event will still need to occur, usually by way of the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Activate Activate] function in your UDF. You have to disable interaction with the target Actor first if you want to prevent dialog, somehow.  With '''JIP LN NVSE''' you can use the [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetInteractionDisabled SetInteractionDisabled] function.
-'''EventHandlers''' on objects are invoked ''before'' the actual event happens; hence the different timing for them compared to script blocks like "OnEquip".
+'''EventHandlers''' on objects are invoked ''BEFORE'' the actual Event happens; hence the different timing for them compared to normal script blocks like "OnEquip" or "OnAdd".  Pay particular attention to any "Notes" on the function description pages for those Events, such as "OnAdd" requiring ''"an item to remain in the new container for at least one frame after it is added in order for the block to trigger"''.  You may need to use the '''JIP LN NVSE''' function [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/SetGameMainLoopCallback SetGameMainLoopCallback] (aka ''Callback'') to delay the execution of the Event trigger block by the number of frames you specify. (From experience, you need at least 2 frames of delay between taking an item and running a script on that item.  You will need to use [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Auxiliary_Variables Auxiliary Variables] (aka ''Aux Vars''), by way of [http://geckwiki.com/index.php/AuxVarSetRef AuxiliaryVariableSetRef] to pass the Reference to the ''Callback'' function.)
-The mod creator should not be concerned about using "script extenders" and their plugins.  Other than providing notice to the downloader of their mod that such are required, there are no "downsides" to using them as far as the game engine is concerned; and they provide fixes to some deep level engine bugs that can only be provided by something working at that level (which mods can't).  Almost any load order with more than a dozen mods is likely to already require their use.  They are a mod creator asset, providing enhanced capabilities.  Utilize them.
+The mod creator should not be concerned about using "script extenders" and their plugins.  Other than providing notice to the downloader of their mod that such plugins are required, there are no "downsides" to using them as far as the game engine is concerned; and they provide fixes to some deep level engine bugs as well as needed functionality that can only be provided by something working at that level (which mods can't).  Almost any load order with more than a dozen mods is likely to already require their use.  They are a mod creator asset, providing enhanced capabilities.  '''Utilize them.'''
-Please see the article [http://www.loverslab.com/topic/39417-tutorial-nvse4-part-5-event-handlers-user-defined-events-udes/ NVSE4+: Event Handlers & User-Defined Events (UDEs) - Part 5] by DoctaSax for details.
+Please see the article [http://www.loverslab.com/topic/39417-tutorial-nvse4-part-5-event-handlers-user-defined-events-udes/ NVSE4+: Event Handlers & User-Defined Events (UDEs) - Part 5] by '''DoctaSax''' for details.
 </div>
 <span id="Tip-HotKeyEventHandler"></span>
 ==== Tip EventHandler for HotKey ====
 : Thanks to '''FiftyTifty''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Mod Talk" forum for the basis of the following:
@@ Line 3,866: / Line 4,319: @@
 Consequently, in order to force the NPC to switch weapons, you may need to temporarily remove their current weapon and any alternative choices you don't want them to use, saving both the baseform of the removed weapon(s) and any timer using either a [http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Category:Tokens Token] or JIP's [https://geckwiki.com/index.php/Category:Auxiliary-Variable_Functions_(JIP) Auxvars] on the NPC in order to restore them after circumstances change again.  (Essentialy this is the same as the "reverse pickpocket" trick to cause an NPC to switch gear so you can steal what they had been wearing.)  See [[#TIP:_Timers|TIP: Timers]] regarding limitations which necessitate this "Token" or "AuxVars" approach.
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-Transformations"></span>
+==== TIP Object Transformation ====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">Suppose you are trying to make a '''Wild Wasteland''' mod where "something" (say a generic army truck) is changed to "something else" (such as a UFO) only if you have '''Wild Wasteland''' as a perk.
+The general way to do something like this is add your army truck and your UFO both to where you want them. Then you have something like an '''xmarker''' that acts as an ''enable parent''. If the '''xmarker''' is initially enabled, then you want the truck to use the '''xmarker''' as an ''enable parent'' as-is, but you want the UFO to be enabled opposite of the '''xmarker''' (there's a check box for this on the ''enable parent'' tab of the reference form). As you continue to add things (aliens, etc) have their ''enable parent'' also be the same '''xmarker'''.
+The '''xmarker''' starts out enabled, so your truck and whatever else is using that '''xmarker''' is enabled and visible. As soon as you disable the '''xmarker''', the truck (and everything else that was enabled) is now disabled and disappears, and the UFO (and everything else) that is using the '''xmarker''' as opposite now becomes enabled.
+So now that everything switches in and out based on whether or not your '''xmarker''' is enabled or disabled, the last piece of this is to actually enable or disable that '''xmarker'''.  To do this, all you need is a trigger with a script that detects whether or not the player has the '''Wild Wasteland''' perk, and disable your '''xmarker''' if they do. You are going to want your trigger area large enough that it will disable your truck and enable the UFO before the player gets too close to it so that the player won't see the transition.
 </div>
 <span id="TIP-MsgVariable"></span>
 ==== TIP Pass a variable number into a script message ====
 <div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
@@ Line 4,308: / Line 4,778: @@
 [When linking to a Video, be sure to check the page sidebar for additional, related subject videos.]
 * [http://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Category:Texturing Texturing Category on Nexus] Wiki.  A large collection of articles on the subject.
-* [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)] Wiki.  A glossary of terminology and summary of various basic aspects related to texture replacements, along with a collection of "The Elder Scrolls" game mods of that nature.  Designed for players rather than mod creators, but useful for beginners.
+* [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)] Wiki.  A glossary of terminology and summary of various basic aspects related to texture replacements, along with a collection of "The Elder Scrolls" game mods of that nature.  Designed for players rather than mod creators, but useful for beginners.
 * [http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/forum/28-textures/ Paint.net Tutorials] Forum.
 * [http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChSDb-rgM7QrW6QvZjOy-VA Paint.net tutorial] Video series by '''yakobelt'''.
@@ Line 4,359: / Line 4,829: @@
 background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
 word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
-">(For an explanation of the specific terms used here, please see the [http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary Glossary] page of the TESTG wiki site.)
+">(For an explanation of the specific terms used here, please see the [http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Glossary Glossary] page of the TESTG wiki site.)
 Suppose you want the '''normal map''' of a texture to provide as much detail as possible.  The key is understanding that it is working on two layers: the RGB "color" one which gives you the surface relief; and the ''Alpha channel'' one which gives you the ''Specularity''.
@@ Line 4,384: / Line 4,854: @@
 '''Paint.Net''' doesn't treat ''Alpha channel'' as a different layer, so it's more difficult to work with. If you are messing around with ''Alpha channel'' stuff, '''GIMP''' is the better choice, IMHO.</div>
+</div>
+<span id="Tip-TextureTransparency"></span>
+==== TIP Saving Texture (DDS) with Transparency ====
+: Thanks to '''madmongo''' of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas GECK and Modders" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">When having difficulty getting a texture file to save with "transparency" (e.g. with '''Paint.Net''' for example), try the following.
+# Save in the DXT5 file format from your paint program's "save dds file options".  (See the [http://www.buckarooshangar.com/flightgear/tut_dds.html Working with DDS/DXT Files] (HTML article) by Gary "Buckaroo" Neely regarding the differences in the various DXT formats.)
+# Open the mesh NIF file in '''NifSkope''' and add the ''NiAlpha'' property to the ''NiTriStrips'' of the mesh that uses the texture.
 </div>
@@ Line 4,393: / Line 4,875: @@
 * [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/images/104855/?changePreference=3 Guide - Blender and NifSkope weapon] by '''SGTbayk47'''.
 * [[Simple_vanilla_ironsights|Simple vanilla ironsights]] Wiki.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66532 Tammer's Guide to NIF-Bashing] PDF and images tutorial by '''mc_tammer '''.
 * [[Texturing_weapons_-_video_tutorial|Texturing weapons - video tutorial]] Video link in the wiki article.
+* [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66968 Weapon Animation Patching Tutorial] PDF with separate "screenshots" file by '''benja'''.
 <span id="Tip-GECKWpnCTD"></span>
@@ Line 4,470: / Line 4,954: @@
 * [http://www.truancyfactory.com/tutorials/fallout3/fallout_worldspace.html Fallout3 World Space] by '''truancyfactory'''. HTML with images.
 * [http://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Bethesda_Tutorial_Navmesh Bethesda Tutorial: Navmesh] Wiki.
-* [http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/3337-skyrim-fixing-navmesh-deletion-using-tes5edit/ Fixing Navmesh deletion using TES5Edit by '''Arthmoor'''.] Thread.
+* [https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/3337-skyrim-fixing-navmesh-deletion-using-tes5edit/ Fixing Navmesh deletion using TES5Edit by '''Arthmoor'''.] Thread.
 * [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ZQtgveKaM Fixing Deleted Navmesh with TES5edit by '''soupdragon'''] Video.
 * [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=babuNn5pzsw Filter for (find) Deleted Navmeshes with TES5edit by '''soupddragon'''] Video.
@@ Line 4,539: / Line 5,023: @@
 * Most players do not want to read/view anything to get a mod installed.  People (well, most of them) never seem to RTFM.  They assume all they need to do is install, and at most then add it in their mod manager to their current game settings.  They will then turn around and complain your mod is "broken" and demand you fix it NOW.  This is a "fact of life" for mod creators.  Plan for it, and reduce your installation complexity upfront as much as possible.
 To that end, learn how to properly package your mod.
+<span id="Tip-BSAFiles"></span>
+==== TIP BSA Files ====
+: Thanks to '''Zilav''' (of '''xEdit''', '''BSArch''', and '''TTW''' fame) in the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Technical Support" forum for the basis of the following:
+<div name="Note Box" class="boilerplate metadata" id="Notice Box"
+style="margin:0px 10px 10px 10px;border:1px dashed #DAA520;color: lightgray;
+background-color:#333333;padding:3px;
+word-wrap: break-word;       /* Internet Explorer 5.5+ */
+">If you have a large number of "loose" asset files associated with your plugin, consider packaging them into a "Bethesda Software Archive (BSA)" file.  This is how the vanilla game provides most of it's files.  It can provide performance improvements for older systems, as well as keeping the "asset" files of your plugin neatly packaged and separate from those of other mods.  As a player, you may find it beneficial to package other mod's loose files into BSAs for your own performance gains.
+According to the GECKWiki page on [http://geckwiki.com/index.php?title=BSA_Files BSA Files], <span style="color: red;
+background-color:#fff5f5;">the GECK doesn't work with BSA files itself.  It requires "loose files".</span>  See that page for other important information.  Things to be aware of:
+# A BSA file can only be 2GB in size.  That is, no more than "2^31 = 2,147,483,648 bytes / 1024 = 2,097,152 KB / 1024 = 2048 MB".
+# Even though FNV distributes their Meshes and Textures in separate BSA files, they can be combined into one.  The only limitations are the overall file size and that the internal folder structure match that at the top level under "Data" (i.e. "meshes", "textures", "menus", etc.).  (This might not hold true for other games, but was successfully done for TTW.  For example: Fallout 4 has it's own format for ''textures only'' archives, so they are kept separate.)  Use the "Fallout - <name>.BSA" files as guidelines.
+# Older BSA tools are not guaranteed to correctly build BSA files suitable for ALL Bethesda games.  (They will probably extract files from them just fine.)  The internal formats have changed from game to game over time and as new discoveries have been unearthed.  [http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/64745 BSArch] (by '''Zilav''') is currently the only tool specifically designed to recognize and ''build'' correct BSA archives for all the Bethesda games.  However, it is "command line" and does not have a Windows "Graphical User Interface (GUI)".
+# You can have multiple BSA files with the same ESP "parent" filename, e.g.:
+#* PluginName.ESP
+#* PluginName - Textures.BSA
+#* PluginName - Textures2.BSA
+#: etc.
+# The engine loads BSA files that match the significant part of the "base name" (up to the first embedded space or punctuation mark).  If you desire to have "spaces" in the significant part of the base filename, use the "underscore" character (_) instead (e.g. "MY_MOD" for "MY_MOD - Textures.bsa").  The secondary (less significant) portion of the filename after the first embedded space must be unique for each subsequent file.
+# Only an ESP can be associated with a BSA.  If the mod does not already include an ESP file, then a "dummy" one must be created using the '''GECK'''.  However, this ESP will take up a slot of the "active plugin cap".  See the '''Skyrim''' thread [http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4591640-update-bsas-and-you/ BSAs and you] regarding these concerns, always bearing in mind that specifics mentioned there apply to '''Skyrim''' and not necessarily '''FNV'''.  The basics still apply.
+#* To create a "master-less dummy ESP": Open the '''GECK''' without loading any files (nothing checked under "File | Data").  Immediately save a "new file" as your dummy ESP name.  This file will have zero bytes and appear to be completely empty.  However, an empty plaintext file will not work instead, so there is something not obvious involved.
+#* FYI: '''Oblivion''', '''Fallout 3''' and '''New Vegas''' load archives by partial name matching, so "Mod.esp" will load all archives named "Mod*.bsa" (case insensitive of course in Windows, but not in Linux!) in alphabetical order. The only exception is the main game master plugin; so "FalloutWhatever.bsa" won't be loaded.  However naming after any DLC if available like "HonestHeartsMyAwesomeArchive.bsa" will work and allows to avoid using dummy plugins.
+#: '''Morrowind''' has no BSA loading by plugins and loads archives listed in the INI file only.
+#: '''Skyrim LE''' loads a single archive by exact name match: "Mod.bsa".
+#: '''Skyrim SE''' loads two archives per plugin: "Mod.bsa" and "Mod - Textures.bsa" (it can contain any assets despite the name).
+#: '''Fallout 4''' loads "Mod - Main.bsa" and "Mod - Textures.bsa".  (Probably others, but not investigated.)
+# Compression in the BSA: Please see that section of the "BSAs and You" thread linked above.
+# You may want to compare folder contents between the original mod distributed files folders and the ones you are packing into a BSA.  For comparing folders, suggest [http://winmerge.org/?lang=en WinMerge].  It can compare both files and folders.
+# Testing your BSA files will require adding the ESP to the "load order", toggling "ArchiveInvalidadtion", and exercising the game as appropriate to ensure the assets are loaded.  Using a "new game" for testing purposes is recommended.
+</div>
+* File Names.
+While your current mod related filenames undoubtedly make sense to you, it is highly likely they were not named with the player or packaging in mind unless you are quite experienced with supporting mods.  The number of mods with the "documentation" in a file simply named "ReadMe.txt" (as if there were no other files with that name, ever) is only slightly less than the total number of mods in existence.  This might work for packaging a mod, but when it is unpacked by a mod manager (which typically place all installed "documentation" into a common "docs" folder) the latest installed will overwrite any already existing with that same name.  Similarly, a number of mod plugin files with disconnected names (e.g. "name1.esm", "name2.esp", "patch-x.esp") when installed into a "load order" get separated and lost in the list of filenames and become extremely difficult to associate with each other unless some care is taken to prefix them with a common string such as the mod name or abbreviation.  And without something to tie the mod abbreviation or prefix to the full package name (such as using both in the "ReadMe" filename), it can become impossible to trace backwards from the individual filename to the mod package name.  Listing all the related plugin filenames and their purpose in a "documentation" file is also a reasonable practice for the benefit of both the author and the user.
+Consequently, you need to give all the individual files in your package a common prefix.  Long path and filename combinatons (up to 255 characters) are not a problem for modern operating systems, so don't be afraid to use them if necessary but try to use some restraint.  This also means you need to ensure that anything which depends upon knowing those specific filenames (such as BSA files) is also updated.
+* Packages.
 Packages can be divided into two categories: "standard" and "private":
 * A "standard" structured package follows the directory structure used by the game: that is vanilla game sub-folders under "Data" (such as "Meshes", "Textures", "Menus", etc.), with possibly additional "mod specific" sub-folders under those (e.g. "Meshes\armor\<ModName>").  Such can be handled by any of the available managers.  Note the current generation of mod managers do not require you to include the "Data" folder itself.  See the wiki article [http://cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php?title=Modding_Etiquette Modding Etiquette].
@@ Line 4,621: / Line 5,143: @@
 *[http://www.gimp.org/ GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program] (freeware.)
 *[http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/61538/? Hairs - Eyes - Races Auto - Patcher by '''Fallout 2AM'''] Mod.
-*[http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] TESTG site wiki.
+*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB LOD/VWD Overview] TESTG site wiki.
 :
@@ Line 4,702: / Line 5,224: @@
 === Refs [[#Details|Details]] ===
-*[http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/4966-wrye-bash-all-games/&page=16 Wrye Bash - All Games] (Thread.)
+*[https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/4966-wrye-bash-all-games/&page=16 Wrye Bash - All Games] (Thread.)
 *[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Tes4Mod:Mod_File_Format Oblivion TES4 Header information] (UESP Wiki.)
 *[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Tes5Mod:Mod_File_Format Skyrim TES5 Header information] (UESP Wiki.)
@@ Line 4,822: / Line 5,344: @@
 *[http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/984792-tutorial-working-with-the-nicontrollermanager/ NifSkope: Working with the NiControllerManager] Forum Thread. Alternate images available [http://www.mediafire.com/file/p0srsyrfuaszevp/Tutorial.zip here].
 *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zijo8ly6pyI One minute tutorial on Shape Keys by OneMinute VideoTutorials] Video.
+*[http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66968 Weapon Animation Patching Tutorial] PDF with separate "screenshots" file by '''benja'''.
 *[http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/48521/? Weapon Animation Tutorial] PDF by '''Toasty Fresh'''.
 *[[#Tip-AnimationSummary|TIP: Animation Summary.]]
@@ Line 4,831: / Line 5,354: @@
 *[[#Tip-AnimationExport|TIP: Animation Exporting.]]
 *[[#Tip-KFActorRotation|TIP: KF edit rotates Actors 90° to right.]]
 *[[#Tip-PlayAnimation|TIP: Play an Animation.]]
 === Refs [[#Armor_.26_Clothes|Armor & Clothes]] ===
@@ Line 4,905: / Line 5,428: @@
 *[http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/5506 CMF Companion Tutorial] RTF by '''Darkfirebird CMF'''.
 *[http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/900821-fnv-companion-tutorial/ FNV Companion Tutorial] Forum Thread by '''trilioth'''.
+*[http://geckwiki.com/index.php/Adding_items_to_vendors GECK: Adding items to vendors] Wiki tutorial.
 *[http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/AI_Packages_Tab GECK: AI package]
 *[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo2FGzSVbkcPedlm9zZ981YvUy7DoSQew GECK: Companion Tutorial playlist by cgy95] Video series.
@@ Line 4,936: / Line 5,460: @@
 *[[#Tip-FaceFeatures|TIP: Switching Custom Facial Features.]]
 *[[#Tip-MakingNPCs|TIP: Trick with making NPCs.]]
 *[[#TIP-AIPackages|TIP: Using AI Packages.]]
 === Refs [[#Dialogue_.26_Lip-synch|Dialogue & Lip-synch]] ===
@@ Line 4,995: / Line 5,519: @@
 === Refs [[#LOD_Generation|LOD Generation]] ===
-*[http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] Wiki.
+*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Category:VWD-OB TESTG: LOD/VWD Overview] Wiki.
 *[http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/58562/? FNVLODGen/xLODGen] Tool by '''zilav'''.
 *[http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/60733/? Tree LOD billboard creator for xLODGen] Tool by '''zilav'''.
@@ Line 5,174: / Line 5,698: @@
 :*[http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Inventory_Reference GECK: Inventory Reference] Wiki.
-*[http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/4280-update-bsas-and-you/ BSAs and You] Thread.
+*[https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/4280-update-bsas-and-you/ BSAs and You] Thread.
 *[http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Pip-Boy_3000 Pipboy Tabs] Wiki.
 *[http://geck.technodeep.net/index.php/Bethsoft_Tutorial_Basic_Quest Bethsoft Tutorial Basic Quest] Wiki.
@@ Line 5,236: / Line 5,760: @@
 *[http://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Category:Texturing Texturing Category on Nexus] Wiki. A large collection of articles on the subject.
-*[http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)] Wiki. A glossary of terminology and summary of various basic aspects related to texture replacements, along with a collection of "The Elder Scrolls" game mods of that nature. Designed for players rather than mod creators, but useful for beginners.
+*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170713081056/http://www.darkcreations.org/testg/wiki/Main_Page The Elder Scrolls Texture Guide (TESTG)] Wiki. A glossary of terminology and summary of various basic aspects related to texture replacements, along with a collection of "The Elder Scrolls" game mods of that nature. Designed for players rather than mod creators, but useful for beginners.
 *[http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/forum/28-textures/ Paint.net Tutorials] Forum.
 *[http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChSDb-rgM7QrW6QvZjOy-VA Paint.net tutorial] Video series by '''yakobelt'''.
@@ Line 5,256: / Line 5,780: @@
 *[[Simple_vanilla_ironsights|Simple vanilla ironsights]] Wiki.
 *[[Texturing_weapons_-_video_tutorial|Texturing weapons - video tutorial by Millenia]] Video link in the wiki article.
+*[http://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/66968 Weapon Animation Patching Tutorial] PDF with separate "screenshots" file by '''benja'''.
 *[[#Tip-GECKWpnCTD|TIP: GECK CTD when editing weapons.]]
 *[[#Tip-WeaponAnimations|TIP: Weapon Effect Animations.]]
 === Refs [[#Worldspace_Creation|Worldspace Creation]] ===
@@ Line 5,264: / Line 5,789: @@
 *[http://www.truancyfactory.com/tutorials/fallout3/fallout_worldspace.html Fallout3 World Space] by '''truancyfactory'''. HTML with images.
 *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=babuNn5pzsw Filter for (find) Deleted Navmeshes with TES5edit by '''soupddragon'''] Video.
-*[http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/3337-skyrim-fixing-navmesh-deletion-using-tes5edit/ Fixing Navmesh deletion using TES5Edit by '''Arthmoor'''.] Thread.
+*[https://www.afkmods.com/index.php?/topic/3337-skyrim-fixing-navmesh-deletion-using-tes5edit/ Fixing Navmesh deletion using TES5Edit by '''Arthmoor'''.] Thread.
 *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ZQtgveKaM Fixing Deleted Navmesh with TES5edit by '''soupdragon'''] Video.
 *[http://geck.bethsoft.com/index.php?title=Category:World_Spaces GECK: World Spaces] Wiki.