ACCEPTED Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack Revamp (by Step Modifications)

[TechAngel85]

Discussion topic:
Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack Revamp by Step Modifications
Wiki Link

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This is a revamp of Bellaches Pack with cleaned textures, upscales to better match HD DLC sizes, and many corrections to specular maps. Texture sizes are meant to resemble vanilla, however, a new 4K option is provided for the mammoths; since they are such large animals.

[Eliian]

Very nice. Thanks! 

[TechAngel85]

Mod updated with an option to install only the normal maps for users wanting to use the 4K diffuses from xilamonstrr's mod while still getting the improved specular from this mod.

[z929669]

Indeed, I vote to accept this one, as I have been running it preliminarily for a while now.

Screens

[TechAngel85]

Created wiki mod page.

I vote to accept to and drop the other Bellyaches mod we're using.

[DoubleYou]

Yes, of course. 

[z929669]

Marked accepted

[Mousetick]

Installed. I noticed a tiny issue with the FOMOD installer: the preview picture for the horse Yes/No selection shows mammoths

[TechAngel85]

1 hour ago, Mousetick said:

Installed. I noticed a tiny issue with the FOMOD installer: the preview picture for the horse Yes/No selection shows mammoths

Thanks! The mammoth "core files" selection also says "brown" so that's two fixes.

[ButchDiavolo]

Very nice work, Tech! Installed.

[z929669]

@TechAngel85

I'm posting my evidence here, as I abhor doing so on Nexus, given need to use SAAS software to do it in 10x the time.

1. Highland Cows More Wooly mesh + this mod (Step choice for cow)
2. Vanilla mesh + this mod (Step choice for cow)
3. Vanilla mesh + vanilla texture

Look for an example of the transparency issue just to left of and below the sneak 'eye'. Notice it's the same pattern regardless of the mesh used, so it's probably the texture alpha threshold determining this. As I mentioned on the bug report:

Quote

 

I believe it's the alpha test threshold set on NiAlphaProperty versus the alpha threshold in the DDS. The vanilla mesh NiAlphaProperty value is set at 109. As demonstrated in the images, this mesh displays the holes but only with this mod's texture. Vanilla textures don't have the issue. This is visible both in game and to some extent in NifSkope.

The Highland Cows More Wooly mesh NiAlphaProperty is also set at 109, and unlike vanilla, the NiAlphaProperty is also set on the other meshes as well (97; but isn't consequential to this discussion). Same as vanilla: holes present only when the textures from this mod are used and not the vanilla ones.

Resolution:

• Lower the alpha test value of NiAlphaProperty to something < 109 on the wooly mesh (easy to test in NifSkope) ... OR
• I suspect saving out the texture with a lower alpha threshold should also do the trick, since the issue is that the alpha test (set by NiAlphaProperty) during render converts alpha opacity to 0 or 1 according to this threshold. I often get this backwards, but I think the alpha test of the texture works the same way as the mesh, so saving it out with a value of like 100 should fix it. I don't know how to check this value in the DDS, but I imagine the data is there regardless if anyone knows where to look.

 

The spot I'm calling out is not to be confused with some other areas that show intended transparency with the background being the texture under the wooly mesh. (that alpha is so that the hair looks like hair rather than polygons). This particular spot is fully transparent, because you can see the rock wall in there if you look at the full-sized screens.

[TechAngel85]

18 minutes ago, z929669 said:

@TechAngel85

I'm posting my evidence here, as I abhor doing so on Nexus, given need to use SAAS software to do it in 10x the time.

1. Highland Cows More Wooly mesh + this mod (Step choice for cow)
2. Vanilla mesh + this mod (Step choice for cow)
3. Vanilla mesh + vanilla texture

Look for an example of the transparency issue just to left of and below the sneak 'eye'. Notice it's the same pattern regardless of the mesh used, so it's probably the texture alpha threshold determining this. As I mentioned on the bug report:

The spot I'm calling out is not to be confused with some other areas that show intended transparency with the background being the texture under the wooly mesh. (that alpha is so that the hair looks like hair rather than polygons). This particular spot is fully transparent, because you can see the rock wall in there if you look at the full-sized screens.

Yeah, I'm not concerned about the fur layer transparency. Did you see my reply? Can you do this with the texture I posted? My thoughts is the background of the diffuse being black is causing this so that texture basically just fills it in with the averaged color. I still say these look like mesh gaps at the seams where the different parts connect (like the gap on the vanilla body around the underwear). Again, I don't have 3D programs to confirm, but these can't bee seen in Nifskope as the body looks whole after removing the fur branch.

[z929669]

54 minutes ago, TechAngel85 said:

Yeah, I'm not concerned about the fur layer transparency. Did you see my reply? Can you do this with the texture I posted? My thoughts is the background of the diffuse being black is causing this so that texture basically just fills it in with the averaged color. I still say these look like mesh gaps at the seams where the different parts connect (like the gap on the vanilla body around the underwear). Again, I don't have 3D programs to confirm, but these can't bee seen in Nifskope as the body looks whole after removing the fur branch.

I don't think its the darkness of the diffuse but rather the alpha, since, AFAIK, this is where the transparency info is fed to the mesh for alpha test. It's probably not mesh clipping sort of stuff, IMO, since the edges of the holes are very smooth like the rest of the alpha transparency around the hairy parts. It's just like tree leaves. I think the gray values in the alpha are bleeding into the opacity too much with the alpha threshold set by the texture. As I mentioned, you can see it in NifSkope in this area and resolve by lowering that threshold in the mesh.

I'll see if I can't re-figure out how to save out the texture with adjusted alpha threshold using NVIDIA Tools and test it.

[z929669]

Did some testing and exporting with this adjustment resolves at small cost of making some of the wool a bit blockier, but it shouldn't matter much in game.

1. Highland Cows More Wooly mesh + this mod (Step choice for cow)
2. Highland Cows More Wooly mesh + this mod with the altered export format for the orange cow

Note that the fixed image is a bit darker, since I have to grab a screen right during load before brightness is maxed, because the damn hyper cow wants to move instantly.

Bias is additive, and moves the alpha too much at 0.1 (can only increment in the tens and not the thousands). Arrow points to what I would use so the fur remains furry from a distance. I would set this at 110, but it probably won't make much difference.

[TechAngel85]

An update to fix the highland cows will be up shortly.