Differing nif versions. Help needed

[WarKirby]

I'm trying to add some extra mesh components to an animated improvement in FFH, the Ring of Carcer.

But it seems that the nif is a rather old version, and not compatible with nifs generated by blender.

When I try to paste an object into the target nif, using nifscope, I get the following error:

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Paste Branch
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Nif versions differ!

Current File Version: 4.2.2.0
Clipboard Data Version: 20.0.0.4

The results will be unpredictable...
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Continue Cancel
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If I click Continue anyways, it comes up with a variety of different errors depending on what I try to paste in, fromthe simple ""unknown block ""
to more bad-sounding things about infinitely recursive arrays.

The point is in general, that it won't work. I've tried it the other way too, pasting things from the old nif into another, but it's a no go as well.

I see two possible solutions here

1. Fixing the nif. Does anyone know of any tool/script/application that I can use to make an old, outdated nif, compatible with a current one? Or failing that, some way to extract the data and move it into a current nif. Surely there must be some method of porting data between different versions,

2. Recreating this improvement in another nif. I can copy the mesh data no problem through importing into/exporting from blender, but the animation data is lost, and I don't even know where to begin with that. As near as I can tell, it has no kf. It has uv controllers and uvdata blocks. The animation is entirely texture-based, giving the effect of shimmering lights. I'm not sure how I'd recreate it, though if anyone knows that could be a good alternate way forward. Perhaps point me to a tutorial about texture animations in nifs ?

Can anyone provide assistance or advice here ?

 

[achilleszero]

Not sure about with Blender, but with 3dMax, when you export a nif you can choose the nif type/version. Both Blender and Max are capable of comparable things, so I would think there is way to do it with Blender. Last time I messed with blender I remember having to configure the script to the correct nif version used by Civ. So I guess you could try to import it into blender and then export it using the correct version.

 

[Lord Tirian]

I can copy the mesh data no problem through importing into/exporting from blender, but the animation data is lost, and I don't even know where to begin with that. As near as I can tell, it has no kf. It has uv controllers and uvdata blocks. The animation is entirely texture-based, giving the effect of shimmering lights. I'm not sure how I'd recreate it, though if anyone knows that could be a good alternate way forward. Perhaps point me to a tutorial about texture animations in nifs ?

The problem is that the older versions do texture animations in a pretty different way than the newer ones - different nodes, different structure, can't just copy it over. I used texture animations in two of my models so far (here and here). The animations are, in both cases, on their own object and the nif-files are made with the newest versions, as far as I can tell.

More importantly, if you simply replace the shape data in the animated part with whatever you have, you get your shape with a moving animation, from there, you can carry on with fiddling with the NiFloatInterpolators, which control the position of the texture (also, the controller allows you to specify whether it's a U or V-directed motion, or rotation or scale - it just moves the texture below the UV-map, so you have to set up the unwrapping properly).

Sorry that I don't have a lot more to offer - my approach to old nifs was so far trying to recreate it, but my models keep animated and non-animated parts apart, so I hope they can be of some help and guidance. The thing with Blender is, as far as I can tell, that it's no good at animating a texture, couldn't figure out how to do this yet.

Cheers, LT.

 

[WarKirby]

Ah, thank you. That helped me figure it out. I looked again on your advice, and noticed an option to select the export version. Seems to be working ok now.

Although it'd still be nice to know if there's a way to update this nif to the recent version. As previously mentioned, importingit into blender and exporting again isn't going to work because that destroys the animation data.

 

[snipperrabbit!!]

What are you trying to do ?
If you are taking a part from a LH (20.0.0.4) to paste on a unit (4.2.2.0) then you just have to import first your LH part nif in B, then export it as a 4.2.2.0 nif file -you may want to use a different name-, clear your session in B, import your base nif, import your part nif you just made, do the merge, rerig, etc ...

 

[The_J]

Although it'd still be nice to know if there's a way to update this nif to the recent version. As previously mentioned, importingit into blender and exporting again isn't going to work because that destroys the animation data.

I'm sure, that there's somewhere an option to im/export also the animation data.

 

[snipperrabbit!!]

Right ! you can just export as a .kf nif file. But, I really think WarK's problem is that he is messing a LH anim with an unit anim. It would be nice to hear more from him, now.

 

[Ekmek]

the latest version of blender lets you choose your export nif type and both versions are there. just don't use civ4 default.

 

[Lord Tirian]

Right ! you can just export as a .kf nif file. But, I really think WarK's problem is that he is messing a LH anim with an unit anim. It would be nice to hear more from him, now.

Can you do texture animations in Blender? If so, how - because I always had to add it per hand in NifSkope...

Cheers, LT.

 

[WarKirby]

it's not a leaderhead. If anyone here has FFH installed, have a look. It's the Ring of Carcer improvement. it's animation is purely in texture. It's basically just a circle made of shimmery light. And I did try with Export animation selected, that didn't work. The animation was still lost.

But as mentioned, I got it working, by exporting as an older version of the nif, and then just pasting my new (non animated) parts into the original (animated) nif.

 

[snipperrabbit!!]

I'm not sure it was done with blender in the first place. I've read a number of guide on blender but I never saw texture animation mentioned. I've not come to your level, LT but I grab everything I can (and maybe not make a use of).
By the way, I confess that I'm not very familiar with FfH and may have occulted some bits in the OP. Sorry for that !

 

[mechaerik]

There is a very easy way to get around this. Open SceneViewer (NifViewer) and open both in the same window. Open the trees, then drag the file name into the other tree. Right click the Scene Root of the tree you exported from, then click remove. Finally, export the File.

If it comes out as a FILE, then rename it to XYZ.nif.

Works like a charm