NIF Versions and the latest version of Blender

topsecret

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I think it's been known for a while that the latest version of Blender and NIF tools will import unit NIFs but won't export them properly. Recently while working on something I discovered that there may indeed be a reason for this and may have cracked the code to using the latest version. I'm not 100% confident on this but hopefully this works.

I noticed exporting LHs didn't have the same problem as units, so I suspected there might be some difference, and that's when I discovered this thread from almost 15 years ago. WarKirby was trying to merge two NIFs of different versions (4.2.2.0 vs 20.0.0.4) and snipperrabbit!! posted this:

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 ...

Apparently LHs use 20.0.0.4, but units use both 4.2.2.0 and 10.0.1.0

This is likely the reason NIFs won't export, as the new version of the NIF tools for Blender unfortunately don't allow you to pick different versions for a single game.

So far I've been able to export more when using the "Sid Meier's Pirates" game which exports 10.0.1.0 (instead of using Civ4 under "Scene" which exports 20.0.0.4)


I will do a video if I can confirm this is indeed the problem but we may be able to use Blender 3.x again.

(See THIS POST)
 
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Hey, I wanted to pop in and update this. I was wrong about changing the game, it does not work properly with most NIFs.

I was incorrect about my earlier supposition, but I DID discover a workaround - we can use the new blender versions.

You must delete the texture files in order to get the files to export under the Civilization IV game. Then you can just paste them back in via NifSkope later!

I may upload a video of this later this week.
 
but I DID discover a workaround - we can use the new blender versions.

You must delete the texture files in order to get the files to export under the Civilization IV game. Then you can just paste them back in via NifSkope later!
Lightbulb.png


You are amazing~!! :banana: :thanx:
 
Exactly the way I proceed. I was persuated it was just because I didn't know how to do it correctly :lol:
 
Exactly the way I proceed. I was persuated it was just because I didn't know how to do it correctly :lol:
Ha! Good job, I struggled with this for a while before finally putting the pieces together :D

I suspect it has to do with the way Leaderhead textures are processed versus unit ones, but I have no proof.
 
Hello, I am a newbie in modding of Civ4 and 3d modeling, and as many others I had (and still have) some troubles with Blender. I downloaded the add-on supporting .nif files and actually was able to make and export my model of the building I made from scratch (pic 1), but when I tried to see it in Civ4, it showed nothing in Civilopedia, just icon image and python error. And when I tried to reimport the .nif file to Blender and see what was going wrong, it firstly showed me the bunch of errors (pic 3), and when I went to the Shading folder, it showed me my model with black texture and different "parenting links"? (my bad, idk how to call it in English). I have no idea what I did wrong despite searching through all the information I could get, so decided to ask an advice here. Used Blender and add-on versions are the same from your last video, and NIF version is set to be 20.0.0.4. I'll appreciate your help, thanks in advance. Also thanks for your tutorials, they help a lot to recreate my own ideas in civ :)
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If you made a new model, you still have to perform a NIF swap. Please make sure:

You watch this video here for information on the proper version of the tools:

And that you take your exported NIF and NIF swap it onto an existing building file.

This video does not explain it exactly, but it has some notes about pasting in NIFscope:
 
If you made a new model, you still have to perform a NIF swap

And that you take your exported NIF and NIF swap it onto an existing building file.
Could not try your tip and reply to it this week, so I just tried them, AND IT WORKED, thank you so much :D I thought before that NIF swap will be useful only for making units quickly, so did not even think of using it. Sharing the result then, my Sanchi Stupa model :)
 

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