[b][size=6]Body Options TexBlend UNP UUNP CBBE
[/size][/b][size=4]for Caliente Texture Blender
[/size][b][size=5]Cleaned - Updated - Merged - HowTo[/size][/b]
[size=3]v5.3.5[/size]
[size=4]by Darklock ([/size][size=3]using resources by[/size][size=4] Lunyra/SvarogNL, Dimon99, Caliente, Zonzai, Leyenda, and 4uDIK)[/size]
I've repaired the UNP and CBBE versions of the 2012-2014 [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/27352]Body Options[/url] add-on for Caliente TexBlend. This is a mod for overlaying and blending in moles, nipples, pubic-hair styles, dirt, and other texture bits, over a "clean" skin texture, as well as mending neck, wrist, and ankle seams. That's what TexBlend is for; it supports numerous image formats and exports proper DDS texture files. This add-on also sets up the TexBlend Library and Source folders for you, and provides a collection of XML configs for different editing and gaming needs.
Separate versions are available for:
* [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6709]UNP[/url] and derived body models like UUNP
* [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2666]CBBE[/url] and its variants.
The original mod has been upgraded in this version, so that:
* It does not overwrite your existing config!
* It does not overwrite CalienteTools executables!
* It writes to the correct directory for the current (as of 2018-10) version of TexBlendUUNP (CBBE users can just move some files afterward).
* It includes all the optional files, already merged in (both sets of pubes, and the moles for the [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36425/]Real Girls[/url], now identified as RG-specific, though they actually work fine on some other textures of about the same complexion). The non-RG moles and stuff are for the original Dimonized UNP textures, I gather.
* It does not include a bunch of obsolete source code from 2013.
* It creates all the TexBlend directories needed for usual operation (with mini-ReadMes for what each folder is for).
* It now also includes a setup and basic usage tutorial (also integrated into the mod description page, but you get a local copy in the main ReadMe).
* It now includes seam-blending textures (corrected in 5.3.5)! These were rescued from the all-but-forgotten 2013 "UNP Texture Blender" fork (also had CBBE files, not that anyone ever noticed), where they were provided only one texture set at a time (you had to download a custom install of UNP or CBBE Texture Blender on a per-texture basis, believe it or not).
* It also includes a whole set of various configuration files for different game setups and editing tasks (e.g. doing multi-pass texture edits versus making a single change to your "live" game textures).
* New: It now includes some custom-tweaked additional files (for UUNP only; see below).
[b][size=5]Requirements[/size][/b]
[b]Short version:
* TexBlend for UUNP or CBBE (or both).
* A body texture set for [U]UNP or CBBE (or both).[/b]
In detail:
* The UNP version is for "TexBlendUUNP", which is installed as part of "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49015]BodySlide and Outfit Studio[/url]", originally by Caliente and now maintained by Ousnius. That is a FOMOD archive installer; select the UNP not CBBE version when installing (even if you also plan to install the CBBE version later; the only way to get the TexBlendUUNP is this way). You need a mod manager of some kind for this (Mod Organizer, or Wrye Bash/BAIN, etc.), unless you understand the FOMOD format and can figure out how to correctly install the parts manually. (If you also want TexBlend for CBBE, it is not included, and is a separate download; see below.) The UUNP version does not actually require UUNP BodySlide; you can use TexBlendUUNP to create UNP textures and just put them right into your game if you are not a BodySlide user.
* The CBBE version is for "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/5737]Caliente's Texture Blender[/url]" which is the same as TexBlendUUNP but for CBBE bodies and textures. (TexBlendUUNP is a currently-maintained "official" equivalent of the CBBE version; avoid using old forks of TexBlend or you may not get the results you desire). It doesn't install to "Data\CalienteTools\" by default, so you'll need to move it (or move the Body Options install to where you prefer to keep TexBlend).
* This is NOT for "UNP Texture Blender" by SvarogNL, an early fork of TexBlend, and not maintained along with Bodyslide and the other Caliente tools; it has not been updated since 2013. If you are still using that, you can use the original Body Options mod exactly as-is with it, however. Then you can manually integrate the new stuff in this version with that old version. I'm not sure why anyone would do that though. Just use the current software.
* This is not INTENDED for TexBlendLite, and may or may not be usable with it. I know nothing about that tool.
* You need at least one set of female body texture files (loose in the file system, not locked up inside a BSA file). Many are available on Nexus; try searching for "UNP texture" and "UNP skin". You can also extract the vanilla textures from "Skyrim - Textures.bsa" and use those, but they don't look very good, though UNP and vanilla share the same overall proportions (CBBE does not).
** The go-to UUNP default is "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6709]Dimonized UNP Female Body[/url]".
** For CBBE, it's the original "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2666]Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition[/url]" included with the CBBE body mod.
** Regardless, this has to be a complete texture set (body, hands, heads). You should find that it has installed femalehead_msn.dds textures in "Data/Textures/Actors/Character/BretonFemale/", etc. (one for each race); if it has not, you can end up with grey or black faces. It should probably also include a female vampire head, in "Data\Textures\Actors\Character\Female\". It need not include per-race vamp heads, nor beast heads.
[b][size=5]Installation[/size][/b]
It is installer-friendly (with one minor manual step for new TexBlend users only), and an easy manual install, too.
If you use the CBBE version, the installed location likely doesn't match where your CBBE version of TexBlend actually is; you'll need to merge them.
Otherwise, all you need to do for UUNP or CBBE versions after installation is examine and (if you want higher or lower resolution, then replace) two files in "\Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\SetDefs\" (or where ever your TexBlend lives if not at that location):
* "BaseBody - HiRes 4K 2K, uncompressed (working) RENAME to BaseBody.xml" -> "BaseBody.xml"
* "BaseHead - HiRes 4K 2K, uncompressed (working) RENAME to BaseHead.xml" -> "BaseHead.xml"
You only need to do that if you don't already have a BaseBody.xml and BaseHead.xml you have configured and which are doing what you want. See the separate "Texture Blender SetDefs XML Config Sets ReadMe.txt" to make sure! For one thing, you don't want to use compression with multi-pass editing. The replacement options are in "SetDefs\Config Sets\". The BaseHead.xml files account for beast heads and the default (Nord) FemaleVampireHead.dds textures, but not custom per-race female vamp heads, since most texture sets do not include them; you can add them manually as needed.
Your installation of TexBlend should already have BaseBody.xml and BaseHead.xml files (thus this mod is trying to avoid overwriting them blindly). The app won't function properly without a set of these files.
[b][size=4]Upgrading[/size][/b]
* To upgrade from the original Body Options mod, uninstall it then install this new one.
* To upgrade from an earlier version of this mod, you can just install over the top of it. The only consequence will be that the ReadMe file was renamed, and some other trivial crap like that, so you could have an old copy of the ReadMe, and an old copy of a config XML lying around. All the new stuff will be installed for you, and you'll just want to examine the two XML files mentioned above and see if they actually suit your needs and the more recent documentation included as to why use particular configs for particular purposes. None of the graphics have changed (aside from a patch in 5.3.5; see next note)..
* If you previously used 5.3.3 or 5.3.4 of the UUNP version, you should remove five files labeled "1K" and "2K" from the "Dimonized UNP Seams" sub-sub-folders. These are accidental copies of the seam blenders for Fair, not UNP, and are thus trash:
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Color\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckColor 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Normal\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckNormal 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Specular\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckSpecular 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\VampireHead\Color\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckColor 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\VampireHead\Normal\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckNormal 2K.png
[b][size=5]Important Warnings[/size][/b]
* Using 4K textures does not work well without an ENB (an actual ENB doing lighting effects, not just the ENB wrapper or injector being used for its memory hack). Without one, colors can shift a little due to limitations of the game engine, and this will exacerbate seam problems. That is, you'll basically get worse graphics from something that's supposed to make the game look better. If you don't use an ENB, stick to 2K or lower.
* DANGER! If you have freshly installed Texture Blender, you will also need to edit its Config.xml to have a correct GameDataPath line, and a TexDataPath line telling it where you want it to save the graphics it exports. This will be true regardless of whether you have this Body Options add-on for it. If you don't do it, and you have a default Data directory location, then TexBlend will work on and overwrite your live game files! Baaad idea. See exact config details in the tutorial section below.
* BodySlide and Outfit Studio (and thus TexBlendUUNP) are still actively maintained as of this writing (there have been two new releases in the last month). After you are done with the configuration of these files, MAKE BACKUP COPIES IMMEDIATELY. The problem is that the BodySlide installer includes default copies of these config XMLs and may overwrite yours, depending on your mod manager. It's unclear whether any further development will happen to the CBBE version of TexBlend; its last update was in February 2013 (as of September 2018). There does not appear to be a Skryim SE version of it, either.
[b][size=5]CBBE Note[/size][/b]
The official Caliente Texture Blender for CBBE installation comes with some "Library\Body and Feet\*\BodyOptions\" folders with a few graphics. The "BodyOptions" are not the same as this "Body Options".
One is a darker and very large nips file, at "Color\BodyOptions\DarkNipples.png"; this is not a duplicate file, and is different from this mod's "Color\Nipples\" files. If you use very chesty models (or just like it) you may want to keep it. It is for comparatively dark skin textures and will not work on pale ones because it includes some of the surrouding smooth breast skin. It does not come with an exactly corresponding normal map. You can try the included "Library\Body and Feet\Normal\BodyOptions\NaturalNipplesByHybridmink" if you like nipples with "milk dimples", since it seems about the right size; or you can use any smoothly-transitioning breast normal map; or go find one with "big enough" well-defined nips; or (if you are skilled) just make your own normal map.
[b][size=5]UNP + CBBE[/size][/b]
If you use both [U]UNP and CBBE or variants thereof (e.g. for different followers), you'll need two installations of Body Options. The two body models, and thus the Body Options overlays for them, have different proportions. The app appears to be the same, features-wise. Given that TexBlendUUNP is currently supported software and the CBBE version has had no updates since 2013, you might want to use a copy the former for both sets of files. I would not try to merge them into one folder, since you'd need to rename all the graphics to start with "UUNP" or "CBBE", which would be tedious.
[b][size=5]UUNP Additions[/size][/b]
[b]
Short version:[/b]
In 5.3.5, I've added the following, for UUNP only (CBBE's proportions are not the same, so these textures won't fit that body):
* Correct Dimonized UNP blending seams.
* 4uDIK Human body skin (including textured normal map) for bush but without the armpit hair. Add-on for the rest of the 4uDIK set.
* Vagina (inner) texture overlays for Bazinga NBB "Naturalistic HDT and Beast HDT" version of Chinese UUNP. Good to include in any follower mod (does not affect other bodies).
* Three new UUNP Special vagina (outer) color overlays for darker skins.
* Puffy nipples normal map overlay with "milk dimples"; for fairly large nips.
* Leyenda subsurface textures with UUNP Special vagina built in, in a matching tone. Addon for the rest of the Leyenda subsurface maps. A full set of those can be used as a replacement for the "bronze sheen"-causing subsurface files in any other [U]UNP skin set. Recommended for new follower mods.
[b][size=4]Detailed Documentation of the Additions[/size][/b]
* Fixed: Incorrect files in the "Dimonized UNP Seams" sub-sub-folders have been replaced. The ones in 5.3.3 and 5.3.4 were accidental copies of the Fair seams.
* Source\Body and Feet\*\4uDIK Human\ - has some bushy Color and Normal maps without armpit hair; this is a good choice if you want the "1970s Penthouse" look (front bush only, or some in the crack, too). These are based on textures from 4uDIK's Human (not to be confused with his Real Bodies a.k.a. 4RB).
** A special feature of this is normal maps that include pubic hair texture for a more 3D look down there, without the overhead of actually rendering a 3D pubic hair mesh (for that, see [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/86447]here[/url] and [url=https://www.loverslab.com/topic/79706-chinese-uunp-pubic-hair-question/?page=2]here[/url], among others). These normal maps can be used with other bushes as long as they more-or-less line up (it's better for bush color to exceed the normal map than vice versa).
** If you are good with an image editor, you can splice just the bush part into some other (e.g. muscular or fatty) body normal map; it would be nice to have that as a normal-map overlay for Body Options, if someone wants to make it.
** The "Color\" texture (main or diffuse map) is overall similar to the UNP default and to Real Girls; it's not extra-pale like Fair, Leyenda, and Pure.
** If you want the "no bush", "less bush", or "hairly all over" versions, those are already provided by 4uDIK's original; what's included here is the "full bush" version without pit hair, missing from what 4uDIK released. As a stand-alone mod, his Human set seems to have vanished, but the entire texture set is available as "Human, Hairy" in all of the UUNP follower customizer FOMODs by ClearanceClarence (e.g. [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/61348?tab=files]this one[/url]).
* Added the inner vagina texture for Bazinga's "Naturalistic HDT and Beast HDT" version of Chinese UUNP (namely the "NBB - Chinese UUNP Special Puffy" BodySlide in the "Naturalistic BodyBuilding" presets). This is primarily for SexLab and perhaps for OSex, but the body is also used for its "puffies". This version pulls this texture from the femalebody_*.dds files. The original version of Chinese UUNP uses separate PhotoTex_*.dds and PubHair_*.dds files. I don't use "mature animation" mods, but am including it because people keep asking for it on forums.
** For whatever reason, the UUNP labia normal map goes in "Body and Feet\Normal\Priority 0\", so that's where I put the NBB Chinese UUNP one.
** [b]Modders:[/b] I advise blending this texture into yours for follower mods so no one pesters you later about lack of compatibility with [that version of] Chinese UUNP; it has no effect on use of your texture files by other body meshes. First add the regular UUNP outer-labia texture, already provided to you by TexBlendUUNP, then add the Chinese UUNP one in a second pass. That goes in another unused area of the Body and Feet texture file (femalebody_1.dds), opposte the UUNP vag; TexBlend will just handle it for you. You should always include at least the standard UUNP vag texture, or anyone who uses Unified UNP Special in BodySlide with your skin is going to get a weird pale strip where the labia are. Pick the variant that is a bit darker than your base skin, and test it to make sure it doesn't look freakish. For the Chinese UUNP thing, there's just one color, since it's the inner pink. It's mostly visiable with penis, dildo, etc. collision animations, but Chinese UUNP's more detailed ladyparts modeling make a little bit of it visible if you just get "up close and personal" (e.g. with player.SetScale 0.5 to get short enough), or with various poses.
* Also included are three new variations on the standard UUNP Special vag color (diffuse map) tetures, for darker skins. These were actually pulled from Chinese UUNP files, and set up for use by me with all of UUNP.
* And now included is a puffy nipples normal map, with "milk dimples". This was also extracted from Chinese UUNP, and should be usable with any fairly large nipples texture set, though it may not blend seamlessly with the overall femalebody_msn.dds provided by every single set out there; you'll just have to try it and see, and maybe do some Photoshop/GIMP work on it if it's not quite right in some case.
** If you're a CBBE user with image editing skills you can probably adapt this to CBBE (though TexBlend for CBBE already provides something similar in its "BodyOptions" sub-folder).
* Another add-on: Leyenda subsurface (a.k.a. "glow/detail") maps (2K), in the "Source\Body and Feet\Skin\Leyeda\" folder, with standard UUNP vagina detail texture blended in, in a tone that matches the anal/genital area of the main Leyenda subsurface body texture. Versions are included for both his fairly dark (kind of metallic-blood-looking) subsurface maps, and his nearly-black set (used for suppressing that "bronze shine" effect you can get if you don't have an ENB or proper ENB settings, yet without killing off all subsurface by making the file just black or empty).
** They have nothing to do with the usual subsurface maps that look like muscles with the skin pulled off, and need to be used with the rest of the matching Leyenda Skin subsurface map set to avoid a mismatch.
** From what I can tell, part of the point of Leyenda's maps for the body was for that area to look rather rosy without relying on the diffuse (main color) map to just blatantly colorize it, but have it be ENB-dependent.
** At any rate, these files are included because the "official" UUNP vagina overlays don't come with subsurface files, but this femalebody_sk.dds is going to look weird without one because of how "hot" Leyenda made that part of the body. And the one I found "in the wild" that someone else made had a badly mis-matched UUNP labia texture overlay, which looked ridiculous, so I just fixed it.
** A complete Leyenda subsurface map set can be used as a replacement set for any UNP-based skin like Fair, Real Girls, etc. (i.e., keep the diffuse, normal, and specular maps of the other set). It's just not for CBBE.
[b][size=5]A Basic How-to Tutorial[/size][/b]
Image files used by TexBlend have to go in specific folders, like "Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Body and Feet\Color\" and so on.
There are two sets of directories: "Library", for layers you want to try applying to skins, and "Source", for base skin textures to layer on top of (when not using your game's already-installed base files).
Inside each of these is a matching set of sub-folders: "Body and Feet", "Hands", "Head", and (optionally) "BeastHead" and "VampireHead". Inside each of THOSE is a matching set of sub-sub-folders: "Color" (*.dds), "Normal" (*_msn.dds or in some other games *_n.dds), "Skin" (subsurface scattering, *_sk.dds), and "Specular" (*_s.dds). However, you can put any supported image formats in here; these filename patterns are what the output will be. You can create arbitrary folders inside these, to organize your texture overlays. The "Normal" folders support race-specific subfolders such as "Breton". They also support layer-priority folder naming, e.g. "Priority 0"; you'll need to read the full TexBlend docs from Caliente for details on that; with the UNP version of TexBlend, you'll already have "Library\Body and Feet\Normal\Priority 0" in place.
Additionally, if you want to edit the per-race normal maps (e.g. to smooth the appearance of Breton, Dunmer, and/or Orc), the "Head\Normal\" folder can have race subfolders like "BretonFemale", etc. Most people never bother with this; it's much simpler to install one of the many "Smoother Breton", etc. mods and just leave those replacements in place. Sadly, this feature only works on normal maps. The game won't let you do something like make all Bretons have freckles, though there are mods that can make this possible, with some work.
This mod will set up all these TexBlend directories for you (with very short reminder ReadMe files in them about what they are for, plus some tips about "Color" and "Skin"), other than it does not create the race-specific ones since 99.9% of people are not going to need them.
You can see from what this mod puts in "Library\Body and Feet\Color" how to add whatever other files you want like tattoos and so on you've downloaded as modders' resources, or pulled out of some other mod like SlaveTats and various RaceMenu add-ons, or created on your own. Many work, as long as they have alpha. Just try. Example: some stuff from Frecklemania 2 will work but much of it will not, having no alpha channel, unless you work it over in an image editor. You can even use raw PSD (Photoshop) files, though they are slow. For fastest operation, export them as PNGs first. I don't recommend exporting images from Photosop or GIMP as DDS files to use as overlays, since it's very easy to export the wrong exact DDS variant for the kind of texture in question; let TexBlend pick the right one when it exports.
Remember that many image formats do not support alpha channels (transparency and blending). You cannot save something as a JPEG or GIF and expect it to work in TexBlend for layering; you need a layered, alpha-supporting image format like Targa (TGA, which is huge), TIFF, PSD, or PNG (or DDS of course).
It is best to work with uncompressed textures, for best quality. Use the largest you can manage, and then use DDSopt, Ordenador, or Skyrim Mods Complex Optimizer to optimize, compress, and optionally scale down the resulting DDS files when you're satisfied with what TexBlend has produced. Unless your system is very weak, you're probably fine using unoptimized and uncompressed textures for testing purposes, but you don't want to run an entire game full of them or you'll run out of VRAM and then crash to desktop pretty quickly.
By default, TexBlend will operate on your currently installed game-wide default body files. That is, it will OVERWRITE your live game data (and not just for the player character) every time you do a texture experiment. This is exceptionally foolhardy. You need to edit TexBlend's Config.xml file to point to your real game data for where to get your default textures from, and to some "holding tank" folder for where it should output its changes so you can examine them and work on them further. This is especially needed when doing multiple changes because they all have to be done one at a time. For example, my Config.xml has the following, since I moved Skyrim out from under "Program Files (x86)" where it causes numerous problems (Google it):
[code]<GameDataPath>C:\Users\Darklocq\Desktop\The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition\Data\</GameDataPath>
<TexOutputPath>C:\Users\Darklocq\Desktop\The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition\Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\TexBlend Export\</TexOutputPath>[/code]
Note that the trailing backslashes at the end of these paths are required.
To provide the tool with a selection of base skin parts to work with when you don't want to use your game-wide basic one (e.g. some green skin you're working on for your Moss Elves race or whatever, or Fair Skin Complexion for a particular follower when you normally use Real Girls), you have to put copies of the textures in the appropriate "Source" sub-folders. If you don't need to mess with normal, subsurface ("skin"), or specular maps, you only need to put anything in the "Color" sub-folders, e.g. a femalebody_1.dds in "Source\Body and Feet\Color", and so on for the other body parts (if you even plan to modify them, e.g. for face and foot moles or tattoos or whatever).
TexBlend works in stages. A typical example: You have a "shaved" and "clean" body, and want to apply bush and some moles. Copy the base body texture into "Source\Body and Feet\Color\", and your pubes and moles files into "Library\Body and Feet\Color" (this mod already provides some). Fire up TexBlend, wait for it to load resources. Pick "Body and Feet" at the top, then "Color". Check off the option to use the game default source files.. Now you should see your body texture become available in the Source box at lower left. Double-click the texture to load it into the first preview pane. Now pick, say, the bush texture first and double click that to load it into the second preview pane. Click preview to blend them into a demo in the third preview pane. Click that preview to see a bigger mockup of it. If it looks right, generate the texture. (Or skip the preview part - it takes just as long to generate the preview as to save the final blend; the preview is mostly for when you're modifying your live game files directly.) In Windows Explorer, go to that texture file was exported and name it something like "WIP.dds" or whatever, and move it into "Source\Body and Feet\Color". In TexBlend again, exit the "Color" category and come back to it, to reload what's available for that section, and you should see your "WIP.dds" now. Repeat the intial steps, but this time pick that new body texture, and then apply your moles texture to it, and export again. You now have a bushy, moley texture file you can test; either backup your existing game-wide one and replace it with this, or give it to some specific NPC like a follower mod you have who has their own texture files. Quit TexBlend and start up the game to go see how it looks. If satisfied, use one of the DDS optimzers to make this texture file not be ridiculously large.
Be aware of resolution sizes. It looks fine to apply a 4K texture on top of a 1K one - TexBlend will downsample the 4K overlay to 1K. It looks like ass (not the good kind of ass) to do it the other way around, though it will probably work out fine if your ultimate texture file is going to be 1K in your live game. But blowing up a 1K tatoo for a 4K texture is going pixellate terribly if you leave it at 4K. At any rate, the XML config files in the SetDefs folder are where you control the output resolution. Body Options now includes a whole bunch of sets of XML configs for different editing and gaming needs, in "SetDefs\Config Sets\".
Another word of warning: If you're trying to apply larger or smaller nipples to a body or add deep scars, you are going to need corresponding normal maps (those metallic-rainbow looking texture files that end in *_msn.dds or *_n.dds in some games), or it's not going to look right. The 3D effect on the body isn't going to correspond closely with the actual texture, leading to utterly smooth, fake-looking scars, or nipples that seem distorted. It's way beyond the scope of this ReadMe to cover generation of realistic normal maps. A time-saver is to download a whole bunch of skin texture sets for your body model (UNP, and UUNP, etc.), and - at least for nipples - look for one with a normal map that either has a smooth transition from surrounding breast tissue to the nipple tip, or one that has a defined areola that is about the same size as what you want to use, though be aware that the abdominal and other musculature varies widely from body normal map to body normal map, so you could get undesired appearance changes if you don't pay attention. The nipples area may also vary widely in realism, from Barbie-smooth, to very bumpy.
If you take an afternoon, you can install every major body texture mod for Skyrim as "Source" files for TexBlend so you have all of them already available. It doesn't even make the app take noticeably longer to start up, though setting it up the first time is very tedious (it's lots of renaming and moving files, e.g. to have names like "Source\Body and Feet\Color\Leyenda\Bush3 Nips2 Moles (2K) femalebody_1.dds" instead of just "femalebody_1.dds"). The extra-tedious part is getting all the normal, specular, and subsurface files named sanely and put into the right sub-folders.
Seam blending: Now included are faded alpha-channel overlay textures by SvarogNL for several popular UNP body textures. If you have a custom head and are getting an ugly neck seam, for example, you can blend the neck area with these files. See the notes [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30759?tab=description]at the page of the old "UNP Texture Blender" fork[/url] for how to do this, though it's written for directly editing your live game files, which is not actually a safe proposition. It needs to be done with head and body textures, and is done separately for vampire heads. Each blend job must be applied to Color, Normal, and Spectral.
Ankle and wrist seams are not included, nor are beast-race heads; if you know your layer and alpha work, you can see from the included neck seams how to create those if you need them. Also not included are "Skin" (subsurface) texture blenders since they're not generally needed. The only use-case I can think of is if you were trying to use the very dark, suppressed-subsurface ("anti-bronze effect") *_sk.dds files provided by Leyenda Skin, yet keep a high-subsurface-scattering file for the face. Probably not recommendable anyway.
A CBBE version is also provided as a separate download (with fewer available blending files). The ones for CBBE itself (as opposed to third-party skin sets like Real Girls) were designed in late 2012 to early 2013, so they pre-date CBBE v3. The CBBE version of TexBlend comes with some modern blenders for that version of CBBE, so you should be all set. The other ones included in the CBBE version of Body Options are for things like SG Texture Renewal and Mature Body Texture.
A hack: If you study the XML config files, you'll see that you can custom-define a new type of "body part" besides "Head", "Body and Feet", etc., and specify whether is has alpha, and so on. Thus, you can actually use this tool to blend other things, like an armor cuirass.
A workaround: Body Options has a bug (or misfeature), by which it blows up standard-proportions 2048 x 1024 (or 4096 x 2048, etc.) rectangular hand files to make them square (2048 x 2048, etc.) This is harmless in-game, but it makes judging the quality of the output difficult (and deciding on differences, e.g. comparing three different mole or tattoo textures blended onto the same hands). Plus it wastes disk space and VRAM. Use GIMP or Photoshop with the right plugins (or a natively DDS-capable image editor) to make them rectangular again (in the same proportions as the original hand texture file you used as the base, and without compression if you want to work on the same file further).
[b][size=5]History[/size][/b]
* 5.3.1 - Initial public release
* 5.3.2 - Added all the necessary default Library and Source folders for TexBlend to work properly for new user. Updated documentation with some tutorial materials. No other changes.
* 5.3.3 - Added default VampireHead folders. Added the hard-to-find neck seam blending textures. Updated the ReadMe. More details for CBBE users. Removed accidental inclusion of duplicate files in "Library\Body and Feet\Color\Color\", including some old copies of files that are from the TexBlend installation itself, not from Body Options.
* 5.3.4 - CBBE version completed. Both versions now include XML configuration sets. ReadMe updated.
* 5.3.5 - UUNP version: Replaced incorrect "Dimonized UUNP Seams" files. Included more vag graphics, for darker skins and one version of Chinese UUNP. Added puffy, dimpled nipples overlay. Added Leyenda and 4uDIK Human add-ons. ReadMe updated (and a path in it corrected). Minor tweaks made to the mini-ReadMes in the Source and Library subfolders. CBBE version: No changes, no new release; 5.3.4 is current.
[b][size=5]Credits[/size][/b]
Beyond the new documentation and XML sets, and supplying some additional merged textures, I claim no credit for this other than moving some stuff around, renaming it, and removing resources that never should have been included in the original (since they'd overwrite important files!).
The original mod was created by SvarogNL (Lunyra).
SvarogNL's mod page credits Caliente for Texture Blend and for CBBE, and Dimon99 for UNP; and I credit SvarogNL. Zonzai, creator of the Real Girls texture, was left off of the original mod's credits, despite some of Zonzai's textures being used. In recent versions, some textures from the anonymously produced ChineseUUNP have also been included; so, credit to whoever did that behind the scenes. In 5.3.5, some add-ons are included that are based on original files by 4uDIK and Leyenda (HeroeDeLeyenda), and anyone they may be crediting. And that's just about everyone involved, unless some of the non-RG textures actually came from someone else. I can't read SvarogNL's mind; if you need to be credited for something, just let me know. :-)
[b][size=5]Permissions[/size][/b]
[b][size=4]Software[/size][/b]
The original restrictions imposed by Lunyra/SvarogNL apply in theory: You cannot use the new material the mod provides in any mod offered for sale without explicit permission, NOR (according to the sticky post at the original mod's Posts page) use it for SteamWorks mods at all. However, this probably has no impact on anything, because the textures were ultimately Dimon99's and Caliente's and Zonzai's.
I'm not aware of any restrictions imposed by Caliente, Dimon99, or Zonzai with regard to mods that ultimately use their textures and meshes, which are not related to SvarogNL at all.
Nothing I've added to this mod, code-wise, is proprietary or restricted in any way; it's just some folder structure and file naming.
SvarogNL's actual work was the XML configuration (which I have now completely replaced), some initial "gathering" of materials in a particular directory structure (also replaced), and some alpha-layer modification (a derivative not original work) of the original texture files. That only applies to the TexBlend setup itself. Plus there was the source code for SvargoNL's variant of TexBlend itself (also a derivative work), not included here, since it's obsolete.
So, if you create a follower using this, SvarogNL's conditions shouldn't restrict you in any way from releasing that follower mod on SteamWorks. You just can't release Body Options, or some other tool containing Body Options files that date to the original SvarogNL version, on SteamWorks.
[b][size=4]Documentation[/size][/b]
My instructional materials are dual-licensed under the [url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.en.html]GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) 1.3[/url] and the [url=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-By-SA) 4.0 International License[/url]. This means you can do anything you want with it, with credit, provided that what you do with it also released, if made public, under a compatible license. For example, if you work some of my material into a "Skyrim Modders' Manual" PDF you sell for real money on SteamWorks, it must nevertheless be permissible for others to redistribute that PDF for free and to reuse parts of it as they see fit in other works (even competing ones) under a compatible license.
What this means on Nexus: If you work my how-to stuff (or a modification of it) into your own guide for TexBlend, then it also has to be explicitly released as GFDL or CC-By-SA licensed, or both, and not subjected to Nexus reuse/redistribution limitations (i.e., you can't say your guide cannot be put on other sites, or can't be modified without permission).
In short: You cannot turn my work into something proprietary. My intent is that it be reusable freely, [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_libre]in the sense of "freedom" as well as in the sense of "free beer"[/url].
[b][size=4]A "Modding Politics" Note[/size][/b]
(Nothing to do with this particular mod; it's a general community statement.)
All these "don't you dare re-use my trivial game crap without begging my permission first, even though I probably won't even be on this site in 6 months and will ignore you" asshats do a tremendous amount of harm to the entire modding community. It severely pisses me off that Nexus and some other mod sites pander to them and permit childish conditions like no uploading to other sites, no reuse without permission, etc. At very least, they should be OFF by default and should warn when turned on that it will limit the positive impact that your mod will have and be more likely to result in it being forgotten in a short amount of time. Restrictive mods just inspire others to do what you did but better and freer. (An exception is the "no reuse in other games" thing; this is necessary for anything using or based on vanilla resources because various game companies like Bethesda doesn't allow that reuse, even between their own games in Betheda's case.)
And no, this is not an invitation for debate/trolling from mod control freaks; you all basically just need to GFYS. Fortunately, you're a dying breed. The modding community has learned a lot from the wreckage caused in the Morrowind and Oblivion days by modders being overly restrictive and ultimately causing the death of huge chains of mods. Why? Mod A was posted to site X, with a rule that it cannot be uploaded anywhere else. A hundred later mods required it as a dependency. Then site X went down, as most mod sites do eventually (9/10 of Morrowind mod sides have been dead since around 2010), and Mod A is no longer available anywhere, ever (legally, anyway). So all 100 other mods are now dead.
Every time you turn on the option at a mod site to forbid uploading to other sites (unless your use of someone else's material with such a restriction forces your hand) or to not permit reuse without asking you first (at an e-mail address you'll lose in a few years), you are making it likely that this pattern is going to repeat. [i]You are breaking the work of future modders.[/i] You need to stop. It's like releasing a book and forbidding people to read it in New Jersey or to quote from it in a blog post without calling you first at a phone number you'll probably abandon by next year. Just plain stupid.
[/size][/b][size=4]for Caliente Texture Blender
[/size][b][size=5]Cleaned - Updated - Merged - HowTo[/size][/b]
[size=3]v5.3.5[/size]
[size=4]by Darklock ([/size][size=3]using resources by[/size][size=4] Lunyra/SvarogNL, Dimon99, Caliente, Zonzai, Leyenda, and 4uDIK)[/size]
I've repaired the UNP and CBBE versions of the 2012-2014 [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/27352]Body Options[/url] add-on for Caliente TexBlend. This is a mod for overlaying and blending in moles, nipples, pubic-hair styles, dirt, and other texture bits, over a "clean" skin texture, as well as mending neck, wrist, and ankle seams. That's what TexBlend is for; it supports numerous image formats and exports proper DDS texture files. This add-on also sets up the TexBlend Library and Source folders for you, and provides a collection of XML configs for different editing and gaming needs.
Separate versions are available for:
* [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6709]UNP[/url] and derived body models like UUNP
* [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2666]CBBE[/url] and its variants.
The original mod has been upgraded in this version, so that:
* It does not overwrite your existing config!
* It does not overwrite CalienteTools executables!
* It writes to the correct directory for the current (as of 2018-10) version of TexBlendUUNP (CBBE users can just move some files afterward).
* It includes all the optional files, already merged in (both sets of pubes, and the moles for the [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36425/]Real Girls[/url], now identified as RG-specific, though they actually work fine on some other textures of about the same complexion). The non-RG moles and stuff are for the original Dimonized UNP textures, I gather.
* It does not include a bunch of obsolete source code from 2013.
* It creates all the TexBlend directories needed for usual operation (with mini-ReadMes for what each folder is for).
* It now also includes a setup and basic usage tutorial (also integrated into the mod description page, but you get a local copy in the main ReadMe).
* It now includes seam-blending textures (corrected in 5.3.5)! These were rescued from the all-but-forgotten 2013 "UNP Texture Blender" fork (also had CBBE files, not that anyone ever noticed), where they were provided only one texture set at a time (you had to download a custom install of UNP or CBBE Texture Blender on a per-texture basis, believe it or not).
* It also includes a whole set of various configuration files for different game setups and editing tasks (e.g. doing multi-pass texture edits versus making a single change to your "live" game textures).
* New: It now includes some custom-tweaked additional files (for UUNP only; see below).
[b][size=5]Requirements[/size][/b]
[b]Short version:
* TexBlend for UUNP or CBBE (or both).
* A body texture set for [U]UNP or CBBE (or both).[/b]
In detail:
* The UNP version is for "TexBlendUUNP", which is installed as part of "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49015]BodySlide and Outfit Studio[/url]", originally by Caliente and now maintained by Ousnius. That is a FOMOD archive installer; select the UNP not CBBE version when installing (even if you also plan to install the CBBE version later; the only way to get the TexBlendUUNP is this way). You need a mod manager of some kind for this (Mod Organizer, or Wrye Bash/BAIN, etc.), unless you understand the FOMOD format and can figure out how to correctly install the parts manually. (If you also want TexBlend for CBBE, it is not included, and is a separate download; see below.) The UUNP version does not actually require UUNP BodySlide; you can use TexBlendUUNP to create UNP textures and just put them right into your game if you are not a BodySlide user.
* The CBBE version is for "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/5737]Caliente's Texture Blender[/url]" which is the same as TexBlendUUNP but for CBBE bodies and textures. (TexBlendUUNP is a currently-maintained "official" equivalent of the CBBE version; avoid using old forks of TexBlend or you may not get the results you desire). It doesn't install to "Data\CalienteTools\" by default, so you'll need to move it (or move the Body Options install to where you prefer to keep TexBlend).
* This is NOT for "UNP Texture Blender" by SvarogNL, an early fork of TexBlend, and not maintained along with Bodyslide and the other Caliente tools; it has not been updated since 2013. If you are still using that, you can use the original Body Options mod exactly as-is with it, however. Then you can manually integrate the new stuff in this version with that old version. I'm not sure why anyone would do that though. Just use the current software.
* This is not INTENDED for TexBlendLite, and may or may not be usable with it. I know nothing about that tool.
* You need at least one set of female body texture files (loose in the file system, not locked up inside a BSA file). Many are available on Nexus; try searching for "UNP texture" and "UNP skin". You can also extract the vanilla textures from "Skyrim - Textures.bsa" and use those, but they don't look very good, though UNP and vanilla share the same overall proportions (CBBE does not).
** The go-to UUNP default is "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6709]Dimonized UNP Female Body[/url]".
** For CBBE, it's the original "[url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2666]Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition[/url]" included with the CBBE body mod.
** Regardless, this has to be a complete texture set (body, hands, heads). You should find that it has installed femalehead_msn.dds textures in "Data/Textures/Actors/Character/BretonFemale/", etc. (one for each race); if it has not, you can end up with grey or black faces. It should probably also include a female vampire head, in "Data\Textures\Actors\Character\Female\". It need not include per-race vamp heads, nor beast heads.
[b][size=5]Installation[/size][/b]
It is installer-friendly (with one minor manual step for new TexBlend users only), and an easy manual install, too.
If you use the CBBE version, the installed location likely doesn't match where your CBBE version of TexBlend actually is; you'll need to merge them.
Otherwise, all you need to do for UUNP or CBBE versions after installation is examine and (if you want higher or lower resolution, then replace) two files in "\Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\SetDefs\" (or where ever your TexBlend lives if not at that location):
* "BaseBody - HiRes 4K 2K, uncompressed (working) RENAME to BaseBody.xml" -> "BaseBody.xml"
* "BaseHead - HiRes 4K 2K, uncompressed (working) RENAME to BaseHead.xml" -> "BaseHead.xml"
You only need to do that if you don't already have a BaseBody.xml and BaseHead.xml you have configured and which are doing what you want. See the separate "Texture Blender SetDefs XML Config Sets ReadMe.txt" to make sure! For one thing, you don't want to use compression with multi-pass editing. The replacement options are in "SetDefs\Config Sets\". The BaseHead.xml files account for beast heads and the default (Nord) FemaleVampireHead.dds textures, but not custom per-race female vamp heads, since most texture sets do not include them; you can add them manually as needed.
Your installation of TexBlend should already have BaseBody.xml and BaseHead.xml files (thus this mod is trying to avoid overwriting them blindly). The app won't function properly without a set of these files.
[b][size=4]Upgrading[/size][/b]
* To upgrade from the original Body Options mod, uninstall it then install this new one.
* To upgrade from an earlier version of this mod, you can just install over the top of it. The only consequence will be that the ReadMe file was renamed, and some other trivial crap like that, so you could have an old copy of the ReadMe, and an old copy of a config XML lying around. All the new stuff will be installed for you, and you'll just want to examine the two XML files mentioned above and see if they actually suit your needs and the more recent documentation included as to why use particular configs for particular purposes. None of the graphics have changed (aside from a patch in 5.3.5; see next note)..
* If you previously used 5.3.3 or 5.3.4 of the UUNP version, you should remove five files labeled "1K" and "2K" from the "Dimonized UNP Seams" sub-sub-folders. These are accidental copies of the seam blenders for Fair, not UNP, and are thus trash:
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Color\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckColor 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Normal\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckNormal 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Head\Specular\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckSpecular 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\VampireHead\Color\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckColor 2K.png
** Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\VampireHead\Normal\Dimonized UNP Seams\UNPNeckNormal 2K.png
[b][size=5]Important Warnings[/size][/b]
* Using 4K textures does not work well without an ENB (an actual ENB doing lighting effects, not just the ENB wrapper or injector being used for its memory hack). Without one, colors can shift a little due to limitations of the game engine, and this will exacerbate seam problems. That is, you'll basically get worse graphics from something that's supposed to make the game look better. If you don't use an ENB, stick to 2K or lower.
* DANGER! If you have freshly installed Texture Blender, you will also need to edit its Config.xml to have a correct GameDataPath line, and a TexDataPath line telling it where you want it to save the graphics it exports. This will be true regardless of whether you have this Body Options add-on for it. If you don't do it, and you have a default Data directory location, then TexBlend will work on and overwrite your live game files! Baaad idea. See exact config details in the tutorial section below.
* BodySlide and Outfit Studio (and thus TexBlendUUNP) are still actively maintained as of this writing (there have been two new releases in the last month). After you are done with the configuration of these files, MAKE BACKUP COPIES IMMEDIATELY. The problem is that the BodySlide installer includes default copies of these config XMLs and may overwrite yours, depending on your mod manager. It's unclear whether any further development will happen to the CBBE version of TexBlend; its last update was in February 2013 (as of September 2018). There does not appear to be a Skryim SE version of it, either.
[b][size=5]CBBE Note[/size][/b]
The official Caliente Texture Blender for CBBE installation comes with some "Library\Body and Feet\*\BodyOptions\" folders with a few graphics. The "BodyOptions" are not the same as this "Body Options".
One is a darker and very large nips file, at "Color\BodyOptions\DarkNipples.png"; this is not a duplicate file, and is different from this mod's "Color\Nipples\" files. If you use very chesty models (or just like it) you may want to keep it. It is for comparatively dark skin textures and will not work on pale ones because it includes some of the surrouding smooth breast skin. It does not come with an exactly corresponding normal map. You can try the included "Library\Body and Feet\Normal\BodyOptions\NaturalNipplesByHybridmink" if you like nipples with "milk dimples", since it seems about the right size; or you can use any smoothly-transitioning breast normal map; or go find one with "big enough" well-defined nips; or (if you are skilled) just make your own normal map.
[b][size=5]UNP + CBBE[/size][/b]
If you use both [U]UNP and CBBE or variants thereof (e.g. for different followers), you'll need two installations of Body Options. The two body models, and thus the Body Options overlays for them, have different proportions. The app appears to be the same, features-wise. Given that TexBlendUUNP is currently supported software and the CBBE version has had no updates since 2013, you might want to use a copy the former for both sets of files. I would not try to merge them into one folder, since you'd need to rename all the graphics to start with "UUNP" or "CBBE", which would be tedious.
[b][size=5]UUNP Additions[/size][/b]
[b]
Short version:[/b]
In 5.3.5, I've added the following, for UUNP only (CBBE's proportions are not the same, so these textures won't fit that body):
* Correct Dimonized UNP blending seams.
* 4uDIK Human body skin (including textured normal map) for bush but without the armpit hair. Add-on for the rest of the 4uDIK set.
* Vagina (inner) texture overlays for Bazinga NBB "Naturalistic HDT and Beast HDT" version of Chinese UUNP. Good to include in any follower mod (does not affect other bodies).
* Three new UUNP Special vagina (outer) color overlays for darker skins.
* Puffy nipples normal map overlay with "milk dimples"; for fairly large nips.
* Leyenda subsurface textures with UUNP Special vagina built in, in a matching tone. Addon for the rest of the Leyenda subsurface maps. A full set of those can be used as a replacement for the "bronze sheen"-causing subsurface files in any other [U]UNP skin set. Recommended for new follower mods.
[b][size=4]Detailed Documentation of the Additions[/size][/b]
* Fixed: Incorrect files in the "Dimonized UNP Seams" sub-sub-folders have been replaced. The ones in 5.3.3 and 5.3.4 were accidental copies of the Fair seams.
* Source\Body and Feet\*\4uDIK Human\ - has some bushy Color and Normal maps without armpit hair; this is a good choice if you want the "1970s Penthouse" look (front bush only, or some in the crack, too). These are based on textures from 4uDIK's Human (not to be confused with his Real Bodies a.k.a. 4RB).
** A special feature of this is normal maps that include pubic hair texture for a more 3D look down there, without the overhead of actually rendering a 3D pubic hair mesh (for that, see [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/86447]here[/url] and [url=https://www.loverslab.com/topic/79706-chinese-uunp-pubic-hair-question/?page=2]here[/url], among others). These normal maps can be used with other bushes as long as they more-or-less line up (it's better for bush color to exceed the normal map than vice versa).
** If you are good with an image editor, you can splice just the bush part into some other (e.g. muscular or fatty) body normal map; it would be nice to have that as a normal-map overlay for Body Options, if someone wants to make it.
** The "Color\" texture (main or diffuse map) is overall similar to the UNP default and to Real Girls; it's not extra-pale like Fair, Leyenda, and Pure.
** If you want the "no bush", "less bush", or "hairly all over" versions, those are already provided by 4uDIK's original; what's included here is the "full bush" version without pit hair, missing from what 4uDIK released. As a stand-alone mod, his Human set seems to have vanished, but the entire texture set is available as "Human, Hairy" in all of the UUNP follower customizer FOMODs by ClearanceClarence (e.g. [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/61348?tab=files]this one[/url]).
* Added the inner vagina texture for Bazinga's "Naturalistic HDT and Beast HDT" version of Chinese UUNP (namely the "NBB - Chinese UUNP Special Puffy" BodySlide in the "Naturalistic BodyBuilding" presets). This is primarily for SexLab and perhaps for OSex, but the body is also used for its "puffies". This version pulls this texture from the femalebody_*.dds files. The original version of Chinese UUNP uses separate PhotoTex_*.dds and PubHair_*.dds files. I don't use "mature animation" mods, but am including it because people keep asking for it on forums.
** For whatever reason, the UUNP labia normal map goes in "Body and Feet\Normal\Priority 0\", so that's where I put the NBB Chinese UUNP one.
** [b]Modders:[/b] I advise blending this texture into yours for follower mods so no one pesters you later about lack of compatibility with [that version of] Chinese UUNP; it has no effect on use of your texture files by other body meshes. First add the regular UUNP outer-labia texture, already provided to you by TexBlendUUNP, then add the Chinese UUNP one in a second pass. That goes in another unused area of the Body and Feet texture file (femalebody_1.dds), opposte the UUNP vag; TexBlend will just handle it for you. You should always include at least the standard UUNP vag texture, or anyone who uses Unified UNP Special in BodySlide with your skin is going to get a weird pale strip where the labia are. Pick the variant that is a bit darker than your base skin, and test it to make sure it doesn't look freakish. For the Chinese UUNP thing, there's just one color, since it's the inner pink. It's mostly visiable with penis, dildo, etc. collision animations, but Chinese UUNP's more detailed ladyparts modeling make a little bit of it visible if you just get "up close and personal" (e.g. with player.SetScale 0.5 to get short enough), or with various poses.
* Also included are three new variations on the standard UUNP Special vag color (diffuse map) tetures, for darker skins. These were actually pulled from Chinese UUNP files, and set up for use by me with all of UUNP.
* And now included is a puffy nipples normal map, with "milk dimples". This was also extracted from Chinese UUNP, and should be usable with any fairly large nipples texture set, though it may not blend seamlessly with the overall femalebody_msn.dds provided by every single set out there; you'll just have to try it and see, and maybe do some Photoshop/GIMP work on it if it's not quite right in some case.
** If you're a CBBE user with image editing skills you can probably adapt this to CBBE (though TexBlend for CBBE already provides something similar in its "BodyOptions" sub-folder).
* Another add-on: Leyenda subsurface (a.k.a. "glow/detail") maps (2K), in the "Source\Body and Feet\Skin\Leyeda\" folder, with standard UUNP vagina detail texture blended in, in a tone that matches the anal/genital area of the main Leyenda subsurface body texture. Versions are included for both his fairly dark (kind of metallic-blood-looking) subsurface maps, and his nearly-black set (used for suppressing that "bronze shine" effect you can get if you don't have an ENB or proper ENB settings, yet without killing off all subsurface by making the file just black or empty).
** They have nothing to do with the usual subsurface maps that look like muscles with the skin pulled off, and need to be used with the rest of the matching Leyenda Skin subsurface map set to avoid a mismatch.
** From what I can tell, part of the point of Leyenda's maps for the body was for that area to look rather rosy without relying on the diffuse (main color) map to just blatantly colorize it, but have it be ENB-dependent.
** At any rate, these files are included because the "official" UUNP vagina overlays don't come with subsurface files, but this femalebody_sk.dds is going to look weird without one because of how "hot" Leyenda made that part of the body. And the one I found "in the wild" that someone else made had a badly mis-matched UUNP labia texture overlay, which looked ridiculous, so I just fixed it.
** A complete Leyenda subsurface map set can be used as a replacement set for any UNP-based skin like Fair, Real Girls, etc. (i.e., keep the diffuse, normal, and specular maps of the other set). It's just not for CBBE.
[b][size=5]A Basic How-to Tutorial[/size][/b]
Image files used by TexBlend have to go in specific folders, like "Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\Library\Body and Feet\Color\" and so on.
There are two sets of directories: "Library", for layers you want to try applying to skins, and "Source", for base skin textures to layer on top of (when not using your game's already-installed base files).
Inside each of these is a matching set of sub-folders: "Body and Feet", "Hands", "Head", and (optionally) "BeastHead" and "VampireHead". Inside each of THOSE is a matching set of sub-sub-folders: "Color" (*.dds), "Normal" (*_msn.dds or in some other games *_n.dds), "Skin" (subsurface scattering, *_sk.dds), and "Specular" (*_s.dds). However, you can put any supported image formats in here; these filename patterns are what the output will be. You can create arbitrary folders inside these, to organize your texture overlays. The "Normal" folders support race-specific subfolders such as "Breton". They also support layer-priority folder naming, e.g. "Priority 0"; you'll need to read the full TexBlend docs from Caliente for details on that; with the UNP version of TexBlend, you'll already have "Library\Body and Feet\Normal\Priority 0" in place.
Additionally, if you want to edit the per-race normal maps (e.g. to smooth the appearance of Breton, Dunmer, and/or Orc), the "Head\Normal\" folder can have race subfolders like "BretonFemale", etc. Most people never bother with this; it's much simpler to install one of the many "Smoother Breton", etc. mods and just leave those replacements in place. Sadly, this feature only works on normal maps. The game won't let you do something like make all Bretons have freckles, though there are mods that can make this possible, with some work.
This mod will set up all these TexBlend directories for you (with very short reminder ReadMe files in them about what they are for, plus some tips about "Color" and "Skin"), other than it does not create the race-specific ones since 99.9% of people are not going to need them.
You can see from what this mod puts in "Library\Body and Feet\Color" how to add whatever other files you want like tattoos and so on you've downloaded as modders' resources, or pulled out of some other mod like SlaveTats and various RaceMenu add-ons, or created on your own. Many work, as long as they have alpha. Just try. Example: some stuff from Frecklemania 2 will work but much of it will not, having no alpha channel, unless you work it over in an image editor. You can even use raw PSD (Photoshop) files, though they are slow. For fastest operation, export them as PNGs first. I don't recommend exporting images from Photosop or GIMP as DDS files to use as overlays, since it's very easy to export the wrong exact DDS variant for the kind of texture in question; let TexBlend pick the right one when it exports.
Remember that many image formats do not support alpha channels (transparency and blending). You cannot save something as a JPEG or GIF and expect it to work in TexBlend for layering; you need a layered, alpha-supporting image format like Targa (TGA, which is huge), TIFF, PSD, or PNG (or DDS of course).
It is best to work with uncompressed textures, for best quality. Use the largest you can manage, and then use DDSopt, Ordenador, or Skyrim Mods Complex Optimizer to optimize, compress, and optionally scale down the resulting DDS files when you're satisfied with what TexBlend has produced. Unless your system is very weak, you're probably fine using unoptimized and uncompressed textures for testing purposes, but you don't want to run an entire game full of them or you'll run out of VRAM and then crash to desktop pretty quickly.
By default, TexBlend will operate on your currently installed game-wide default body files. That is, it will OVERWRITE your live game data (and not just for the player character) every time you do a texture experiment. This is exceptionally foolhardy. You need to edit TexBlend's Config.xml file to point to your real game data for where to get your default textures from, and to some "holding tank" folder for where it should output its changes so you can examine them and work on them further. This is especially needed when doing multiple changes because they all have to be done one at a time. For example, my Config.xml has the following, since I moved Skyrim out from under "Program Files (x86)" where it causes numerous problems (Google it):
[code]<GameDataPath>C:\Users\Darklocq\Desktop\The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition\Data\</GameDataPath>
<TexOutputPath>C:\Users\Darklocq\Desktop\The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Legendary Edition\Data\CalienteTools\TexBlendUUNP\TexBlend Export\</TexOutputPath>[/code]
Note that the trailing backslashes at the end of these paths are required.
To provide the tool with a selection of base skin parts to work with when you don't want to use your game-wide basic one (e.g. some green skin you're working on for your Moss Elves race or whatever, or Fair Skin Complexion for a particular follower when you normally use Real Girls), you have to put copies of the textures in the appropriate "Source" sub-folders. If you don't need to mess with normal, subsurface ("skin"), or specular maps, you only need to put anything in the "Color" sub-folders, e.g. a femalebody_1.dds in "Source\Body and Feet\Color", and so on for the other body parts (if you even plan to modify them, e.g. for face and foot moles or tattoos or whatever).
TexBlend works in stages. A typical example: You have a "shaved" and "clean" body, and want to apply bush and some moles. Copy the base body texture into "Source\Body and Feet\Color\", and your pubes and moles files into "Library\Body and Feet\Color" (this mod already provides some). Fire up TexBlend, wait for it to load resources. Pick "Body and Feet" at the top, then "Color". Check off the option to use the game default source files.. Now you should see your body texture become available in the Source box at lower left. Double-click the texture to load it into the first preview pane. Now pick, say, the bush texture first and double click that to load it into the second preview pane. Click preview to blend them into a demo in the third preview pane. Click that preview to see a bigger mockup of it. If it looks right, generate the texture. (Or skip the preview part - it takes just as long to generate the preview as to save the final blend; the preview is mostly for when you're modifying your live game files directly.) In Windows Explorer, go to that texture file was exported and name it something like "WIP.dds" or whatever, and move it into "Source\Body and Feet\Color". In TexBlend again, exit the "Color" category and come back to it, to reload what's available for that section, and you should see your "WIP.dds" now. Repeat the intial steps, but this time pick that new body texture, and then apply your moles texture to it, and export again. You now have a bushy, moley texture file you can test; either backup your existing game-wide one and replace it with this, or give it to some specific NPC like a follower mod you have who has their own texture files. Quit TexBlend and start up the game to go see how it looks. If satisfied, use one of the DDS optimzers to make this texture file not be ridiculously large.
Be aware of resolution sizes. It looks fine to apply a 4K texture on top of a 1K one - TexBlend will downsample the 4K overlay to 1K. It looks like ass (not the good kind of ass) to do it the other way around, though it will probably work out fine if your ultimate texture file is going to be 1K in your live game. But blowing up a 1K tatoo for a 4K texture is going pixellate terribly if you leave it at 4K. At any rate, the XML config files in the SetDefs folder are where you control the output resolution. Body Options now includes a whole bunch of sets of XML configs for different editing and gaming needs, in "SetDefs\Config Sets\".
Another word of warning: If you're trying to apply larger or smaller nipples to a body or add deep scars, you are going to need corresponding normal maps (those metallic-rainbow looking texture files that end in *_msn.dds or *_n.dds in some games), or it's not going to look right. The 3D effect on the body isn't going to correspond closely with the actual texture, leading to utterly smooth, fake-looking scars, or nipples that seem distorted. It's way beyond the scope of this ReadMe to cover generation of realistic normal maps. A time-saver is to download a whole bunch of skin texture sets for your body model (UNP, and UUNP, etc.), and - at least for nipples - look for one with a normal map that either has a smooth transition from surrounding breast tissue to the nipple tip, or one that has a defined areola that is about the same size as what you want to use, though be aware that the abdominal and other musculature varies widely from body normal map to body normal map, so you could get undesired appearance changes if you don't pay attention. The nipples area may also vary widely in realism, from Barbie-smooth, to very bumpy.
If you take an afternoon, you can install every major body texture mod for Skyrim as "Source" files for TexBlend so you have all of them already available. It doesn't even make the app take noticeably longer to start up, though setting it up the first time is very tedious (it's lots of renaming and moving files, e.g. to have names like "Source\Body and Feet\Color\Leyenda\Bush3 Nips2 Moles (2K) femalebody_1.dds" instead of just "femalebody_1.dds"). The extra-tedious part is getting all the normal, specular, and subsurface files named sanely and put into the right sub-folders.
Seam blending: Now included are faded alpha-channel overlay textures by SvarogNL for several popular UNP body textures. If you have a custom head and are getting an ugly neck seam, for example, you can blend the neck area with these files. See the notes [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30759?tab=description]at the page of the old "UNP Texture Blender" fork[/url] for how to do this, though it's written for directly editing your live game files, which is not actually a safe proposition. It needs to be done with head and body textures, and is done separately for vampire heads. Each blend job must be applied to Color, Normal, and Spectral.
Ankle and wrist seams are not included, nor are beast-race heads; if you know your layer and alpha work, you can see from the included neck seams how to create those if you need them. Also not included are "Skin" (subsurface) texture blenders since they're not generally needed. The only use-case I can think of is if you were trying to use the very dark, suppressed-subsurface ("anti-bronze effect") *_sk.dds files provided by Leyenda Skin, yet keep a high-subsurface-scattering file for the face. Probably not recommendable anyway.
A CBBE version is also provided as a separate download (with fewer available blending files). The ones for CBBE itself (as opposed to third-party skin sets like Real Girls) were designed in late 2012 to early 2013, so they pre-date CBBE v3. The CBBE version of TexBlend comes with some modern blenders for that version of CBBE, so you should be all set. The other ones included in the CBBE version of Body Options are for things like SG Texture Renewal and Mature Body Texture.
A hack: If you study the XML config files, you'll see that you can custom-define a new type of "body part" besides "Head", "Body and Feet", etc., and specify whether is has alpha, and so on. Thus, you can actually use this tool to blend other things, like an armor cuirass.
A workaround: Body Options has a bug (or misfeature), by which it blows up standard-proportions 2048 x 1024 (or 4096 x 2048, etc.) rectangular hand files to make them square (2048 x 2048, etc.) This is harmless in-game, but it makes judging the quality of the output difficult (and deciding on differences, e.g. comparing three different mole or tattoo textures blended onto the same hands). Plus it wastes disk space and VRAM. Use GIMP or Photoshop with the right plugins (or a natively DDS-capable image editor) to make them rectangular again (in the same proportions as the original hand texture file you used as the base, and without compression if you want to work on the same file further).
[b][size=5]History[/size][/b]
* 5.3.1 - Initial public release
* 5.3.2 - Added all the necessary default Library and Source folders for TexBlend to work properly for new user. Updated documentation with some tutorial materials. No other changes.
* 5.3.3 - Added default VampireHead folders. Added the hard-to-find neck seam blending textures. Updated the ReadMe. More details for CBBE users. Removed accidental inclusion of duplicate files in "Library\Body and Feet\Color\Color\", including some old copies of files that are from the TexBlend installation itself, not from Body Options.
* 5.3.4 - CBBE version completed. Both versions now include XML configuration sets. ReadMe updated.
* 5.3.5 - UUNP version: Replaced incorrect "Dimonized UUNP Seams" files. Included more vag graphics, for darker skins and one version of Chinese UUNP. Added puffy, dimpled nipples overlay. Added Leyenda and 4uDIK Human add-ons. ReadMe updated (and a path in it corrected). Minor tweaks made to the mini-ReadMes in the Source and Library subfolders. CBBE version: No changes, no new release; 5.3.4 is current.
[b][size=5]Credits[/size][/b]
Beyond the new documentation and XML sets, and supplying some additional merged textures, I claim no credit for this other than moving some stuff around, renaming it, and removing resources that never should have been included in the original (since they'd overwrite important files!).
The original mod was created by SvarogNL (Lunyra).
SvarogNL's mod page credits Caliente for Texture Blend and for CBBE, and Dimon99 for UNP; and I credit SvarogNL. Zonzai, creator of the Real Girls texture, was left off of the original mod's credits, despite some of Zonzai's textures being used. In recent versions, some textures from the anonymously produced ChineseUUNP have also been included; so, credit to whoever did that behind the scenes. In 5.3.5, some add-ons are included that are based on original files by 4uDIK and Leyenda (HeroeDeLeyenda), and anyone they may be crediting. And that's just about everyone involved, unless some of the non-RG textures actually came from someone else. I can't read SvarogNL's mind; if you need to be credited for something, just let me know. :-)
[b][size=5]Permissions[/size][/b]
[b][size=4]Software[/size][/b]
The original restrictions imposed by Lunyra/SvarogNL apply in theory: You cannot use the new material the mod provides in any mod offered for sale without explicit permission, NOR (according to the sticky post at the original mod's Posts page) use it for SteamWorks mods at all. However, this probably has no impact on anything, because the textures were ultimately Dimon99's and Caliente's and Zonzai's.
I'm not aware of any restrictions imposed by Caliente, Dimon99, or Zonzai with regard to mods that ultimately use their textures and meshes, which are not related to SvarogNL at all.
Nothing I've added to this mod, code-wise, is proprietary or restricted in any way; it's just some folder structure and file naming.
SvarogNL's actual work was the XML configuration (which I have now completely replaced), some initial "gathering" of materials in a particular directory structure (also replaced), and some alpha-layer modification (a derivative not original work) of the original texture files. That only applies to the TexBlend setup itself. Plus there was the source code for SvargoNL's variant of TexBlend itself (also a derivative work), not included here, since it's obsolete.
So, if you create a follower using this, SvarogNL's conditions shouldn't restrict you in any way from releasing that follower mod on SteamWorks. You just can't release Body Options, or some other tool containing Body Options files that date to the original SvarogNL version, on SteamWorks.
[b][size=4]Documentation[/size][/b]
My instructional materials are dual-licensed under the [url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.3.en.html]GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) 1.3[/url] and the [url=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-By-SA) 4.0 International License[/url]. This means you can do anything you want with it, with credit, provided that what you do with it also released, if made public, under a compatible license. For example, if you work some of my material into a "Skyrim Modders' Manual" PDF you sell for real money on SteamWorks, it must nevertheless be permissible for others to redistribute that PDF for free and to reuse parts of it as they see fit in other works (even competing ones) under a compatible license.
What this means on Nexus: If you work my how-to stuff (or a modification of it) into your own guide for TexBlend, then it also has to be explicitly released as GFDL or CC-By-SA licensed, or both, and not subjected to Nexus reuse/redistribution limitations (i.e., you can't say your guide cannot be put on other sites, or can't be modified without permission).
In short: You cannot turn my work into something proprietary. My intent is that it be reusable freely, [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_libre]in the sense of "freedom" as well as in the sense of "free beer"[/url].
[b][size=4]A "Modding Politics" Note[/size][/b]
(Nothing to do with this particular mod; it's a general community statement.)
All these "don't you dare re-use my trivial game crap without begging my permission first, even though I probably won't even be on this site in 6 months and will ignore you" asshats do a tremendous amount of harm to the entire modding community. It severely pisses me off that Nexus and some other mod sites pander to them and permit childish conditions like no uploading to other sites, no reuse without permission, etc. At very least, they should be OFF by default and should warn when turned on that it will limit the positive impact that your mod will have and be more likely to result in it being forgotten in a short amount of time. Restrictive mods just inspire others to do what you did but better and freer. (An exception is the "no reuse in other games" thing; this is necessary for anything using or based on vanilla resources because various game companies like Bethesda doesn't allow that reuse, even between their own games in Betheda's case.)
And no, this is not an invitation for debate/trolling from mod control freaks; you all basically just need to GFYS. Fortunately, you're a dying breed. The modding community has learned a lot from the wreckage caused in the Morrowind and Oblivion days by modders being overly restrictive and ultimately causing the death of huge chains of mods. Why? Mod A was posted to site X, with a rule that it cannot be uploaded anywhere else. A hundred later mods required it as a dependency. Then site X went down, as most mod sites do eventually (9/10 of Morrowind mod sides have been dead since around 2010), and Mod A is no longer available anywhere, ever (legally, anyway). So all 100 other mods are now dead.
Every time you turn on the option at a mod site to forbid uploading to other sites (unless your use of someone else's material with such a restriction forces your hand) or to not permit reuse without asking you first (at an e-mail address you'll lose in a few years), you are making it likely that this pattern is going to repeat. [i]You are breaking the work of future modders.[/i] You need to stop. It's like releasing a book and forbidding people to read it in New Jersey or to quote from it in a blog post without calling you first at a phone number you'll probably abandon by next year. Just plain stupid.