Need Help: Fixing a common problem with particle Effects

Hello,

i often encounter a similar problem when units use certain effects, for example Amurite units (from FFH) have a flame in their left hand, but whenever the flame gets in front of the body, the body is rendered before the flame, making it the flame disappear although it is in front of the body.

I know that in general this problem can be fixed by changing NiNode ancestry, i.e. setting the child nodes in correct order. the main problem however is that usually the shape of the body is attached to an much earlier node then the flame, which is attached to the bone node of the left hand.

does anybody know a way to solve this issue?

Move the entire skeleton (the skeleton bone tree) down in the tree ...

a bit longer: in the children order of "MD NonAccum" the node (means also the parent node if the node is deeper in the tree) with transparency (the particle effects use transparency - but this rule also applies to meshes) should be below the node with the model

and if i mixed the things - it´s the opposite - but the order in the children array is important. So - in most cases - you only have to reorder the children.

sometimes it could be necessary to play around with the flags - copy the values of effects which are known to work.

And if i missunderstood your problem (something i consider as possible), please attach a pic of the problem.

We are talking about the same problem, but i don't know how to apply your fix.

Usually MD NonAccum is the parent node of the NiTriShape:



MD NonAccum is also the Starting Node for the skeleton, i.e. MD NonAccum -> BIP -> BIP Pelvis -> BIP Spine -> ... -> BIP L Hand -> Scene Root (the particle effect)

The problem is that if i move the Scene Root node of the particle effect, i have to detach it away from the left hand, which causes other issues.

I don't know of a single model where this problem is actually solved.

I attach the model in case you want to take a loot at it. If this problem could be solved i could fix this issue with tons of models.

it seems that if i attach the effect to MD NonAccum and place in the hierarchy below the mesh it works. but this brings a much bigger problem: the effect does not work with animations, where previously the flames will move with the hand it is now fixed and does not care what the hand does.

i looked through all FFH models and they ALL have this issue. Very very annoying a way to fix this would be really awesome.

omg i am so dumb i did not read the most important part of your answer:

(means also the parent node if the node is deeper in the tree)

Click to expand...

i simply had to switch the nodes in child hierarchy of MD NonAccum (i.e. first comes node 461 then 11)

now i can fix this for all the models that use such effects in Master of Magic

Thank you!

glad to read

the information was already public but lost in the deeps of the forum - i forgot to add them to the nifskope tutorial OP

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8814635&postcount=36

(and i think this pic had spared you some of your trouble)

and btw - before you have to do the work twice - i already did this for 3 units (BoA, Govannon, seraph)

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8836490&postcount=2644

too late already fixed it for 40+ units