Quick list - Click name for more details -
Disclaimer: All remarks here are my opinion. They should not be considered authoritative. The way things are with computers these days, one program that is great for me won't even work on someone elses rig. So if you can do something that I can't, and I have mentioned it here, let me know and I will add it to my comments. Also, I assume things like everyone that comes to this site hangs out where I do. So when I talk about talking to others and whatnot, I am refering to the various forums I hang around. Mainly the official forums and the Silgrad ones of course. Whenever making any changes using any of these programs to nif files or textures, it is always a really fantabulous idea to have copies in a cozy warm place other, elsewhere, not where you are working. This isn't meant to be a complete list of all programs everywhere so if I left something out it is because I don't use it or know of its existance.
WinAmp hahaha gotta have music
Usage: Opening Nif files from the Tes Construction set CD. This program is great if you are working with files on the CD. There are a number of limitations. It is a quirky worker. Names of textures have to have the same length as the originals. Nif names do not. There is a nice feature called something like - Preserve Names. What it means is that if you want to reskin a bunch of statics that use the same files, you won't have to retype all of the names in. You will have to retype some of them. It isn't perfect, however it has some features like the ability to copy/paste within itself and from the clipboard. This feature is lacking in some other programs. It also has trouble saving to alternate directories and gets confused and crashy when trying to open something from the hard drive. The interface is simple and easy to get around. I reccomend it for beginers that are messing around with stuff from the CS cd and don't need anything fancy.
Usage: An industry standard. Anyone that talks about reskinning will tell you to grab this program. Make sure you have the most current version. This program is used by everyone who does this sort of thing. It is perfect for doing small jobs. If you have one or two things then it is faster and simpler than using some of the other tools. It is not good for doing large projects, such as tilesets. The version I have does not support copy/paste which means you have to type stuff in over and over. Tedious. It will open most nif files including some home made ones. The current version can also remove some of the interesting tints on items like the Ebony Pauldrons which are notoriously green. It can open from anywhere and save anywhere. This flexibility makes it more useful than other programs mentioned especially if you are working on some of those home made nifs that aren't on any CD. While it has its shortcommings, it is a must have. I recommend this for anyone that wants to get into retexturing and needs more stability and flexibility with their file locations.
Usage: Hexeditor. I chose to include this under the Nif Apps, because when nothing else will work, this will. For anyone that isn't familiar with Hex editors and their use, it is gibberish at first. Once you understand a few things about what they do and how to work with it, it isn't so bad. There are a lot of free editors on the internet and everyone has a preference. The interfaces can be very different and going from one program to another isn't always easy for people like me who can use one but don't dream in hexigesimal code. If you decide you need a hexeditor then take some time to find out about them so you can get one that fits your needs. XVI32 is simple enough yet not. It is freeware and Christian is a great guy. Didn't know that till after I had been using the prog for a year so don't get any ideas. haha. A lot of things can be done to nif files with these. It will open anything. Not just nifs. Anyhow, if you run into serious problems with a Nif and nothing else has worked, get a hexeditor and run to a forum where people know about such things.
Usage: Command line utility. When it became known to me, that textures could be used in subdirectories, this program became one of my bestest friends. There is nothing out in the world of Morrowind meshing, that can do, what this program does. (To my incomplete knowledge). In one little line of code, you can add the texture path to an entire tileset, or several! at once. Type. Blam. Done. That fast. That awesome. It comes with great documentation. I would not have understood it without the examples. Thank you thank you thank you. I can't say enough about it. For people that get scared about command prompts, consider the upside. Instant new tilesets. Of course you have to do the textures and all. It doesn't do that. It can change the way you work by killing the amount of time you have to spend in some other programs. You only type it once. I know I am being a little redundant and all but I can't tell you how many projects I didn't do because of the thought of all that typing. I recommend this for people that can follow some direction and can patiently ask questions. If you are familiar with command line then get this yesterday. It is not great for begginers or people that think a command line is something in a drama. Unless...If your creative urges are massive and it is overwhelming your fears then you can learn and use it well. Anyone can. - I WONT do large projects without this program.
Usage: Massively useful tool to rename textures, meshes, icons and it will alter the names in an ESP/ESM. READ the documentation. This along with the program by JOG are my two bestest friends. Have five thousand candles that need unique names? No problem. Want to see a list of what files use what? no problem. The only thing this program won't do is fancy texture paths (according to the documentation it will, so this one may be my own incompetance). It has a user interface that is ultra simple. The only thing about this prog that bothers me is I have to have an esp to see all that good info. Other than that it is a slice of heaven. I put everything where the directions tell me too, and click. I have a list of every texture used by every mesh and every icon I am working with for a particular esp/esm. That list is stored in a plain text file. One column has the old name, so if I forget what I am doing I look to the right. The column on the left is where I make all the name changes. This program is perfect for working on large mods that contain a lot of different items. Toss in a tileset and all the plants and ingrediants of Tamrial no problem. The list presentation is well organized and with the search and replace function of a text editor like WordPad or Notepad you can have everything done in a night or less. It does take time as you are the one doing the renaming of each file. However you have total control. The only limits other than the texture paths (maybe not) is the 32 character path/name limit imposed by the game. So it isn't really a problem. I recommend this program for anyone that can follow the directions in the documentation. This is another one that is perfect for big jobs. I wouldn't use it for one or two items. I use it for anything over ten. Really, this is an awesome tool. Thank YOU!!!!
Usage: Commercial program I use in creating and manipulating textures.
Usage: Commercial program I use in creating and manipulating textures.
There is no point in reviewing these programs individually. They both work well but can't do everything. There are a lot of programs out there that are free and do what these programs do. RedWoodTreeSprite has an excellent page called modding on a $0 budget. Go check it out if you don't want to spend money. If you have the big bucks, get Photoshop. Not because it is better or the industry standard, but the little extras that you can get for it are made for it. While PSP and CPP can use some or most of the plugins or little extras, it is hit or miss. If you don't have the big bucks and want something that will do most everything, get PSP. It is simple and there are workarounds. Corel will not work with DDS files. So don't even think about it. I still use it for Alpha Channels. No other program is easier to use for this. Other than that, from all the reading I have done, it is a matter of taste. With any program, including the free ones, the more familiar you are with a program, the better your work will be.
Back to Jump Page