Oblivion Remastered Resources

[AndalayBay]

I figured out how to extract resources from Oblivion Remastered. At this point, I don't know how to edit them and package them as a mod. I am using some of the textures as source files for patterns that I'll use in my retexturing work in Oblivion. They will be an outline that I'll use to draw the patterns in the textures.

I think that to really mod ORe, I'll need to install and learn Unreal Engine. We were looking at it anyway for our game development work.

[Vorians]

Watch this youtube tutorial on meshes (it's long, you might want to skip forward sometimes).

To edit the meshes, you need to extract them using FModel, set up with the USMAP file.

Then install the latest version of Blender and the Unreal PSK/PSA plugin. This will allow you to import the meshes into Blender (I believe they have to be downscaled to 0.01 of their original size as Blender seems to like to gargantuise objects).

Edit as desired, then export as FBX files (3DS Max supports FBX files if you prefer to import into Blender then export to FBX to edit in 3DS Max - I couldn't get ActorXImporter and ActorX plugins for 3DS Max to work properly... or was it only the ActorX plugin to convert back to PSKX files which didn't work, and is in fact not needed since UE handles that conversion? Perhaps ActorXImporter did work, I don't remember now).

Install Epic Games Launcher which requires registering a free account, then from the Launcher install Unreal Engine v5.3.2. Refer to the previously linked tutorial for settings to adjust.

FBX files can be dragged into Unreal Engine's content browser. Then I believe you add the textures into the content browser and link them to the materials (I haven't gotten around to textures yet), and finally there's a process described in the youtube tutorial to package the files up for use in-game. If you aren't replacing existing assets from the original game, then I presently do not know how to make them appear in-game, the tutorial is solely about replacing existing content.

 

Textures extract as PNG, I believe the game uses PNG, so should be straight-forward.

 

Sound files can be extracted as WAV files (double-click the uasset file listed in FModel which opens a preview window and plays the audio, then choose to save the file), but must be converted to WEM files for the game to use them. to convert to WEM, first register a free account on Audiokinetic, then log in to download Wwise. See this youtube tutorial for the conversion process. I have no idea how UE handles lip synch.

[AndalayBay]

Yeah I used FModel to export the textures as PNG files. I couldn't figure out how to export the meshes. I got a few PSK/PSA files, but not the ones I wanted. Getting into that stuff would seriously derail the stuff I'm supposed to be working on!

2 hours ago, Vorians said:

Install Epic Games Launcher which requires registering a free account, then from the Launcher install Unreal Engine v5.3.2. Refer to the previously linked tutorial for settings to adjust.

Why do you need Epic? We just grabbed UE. We have UE 5. I haven't played with it in a while. I'll have to install it again.

It looks like it has an importer/exporter for 3DS Max. I guess that's the ActorX stuff you're referring to.

[Vorians]

I wasn't aware UE could be installed without Epic Games Launcher.

[AndalayBay]

Yeah it's free for poor sods like us. Once you develop a game that nets you your first million, you have to start paying the licensing fees.

You might still need the Epic account for the plugins. I don't know anything about that.

[AndalayBay]

Vorians successfully extracted some clothing meshes from ORe. Just for the heck of it, I applied my new textures to the ORe meshes.

They really went nuts with the new Mania Finery. We have the textures too, so I could retexture them, but we're too busy with Black Marsh at the moment.