Things you can do with this FAQ:
-Read it.
-Show it to your friends.
-Stare in awe at it.
Things you can NOT do with this FAQ:
-Sell it.
-Reprint it.
-Distribute it.
-Put it on your site.
This FAQ was written by me, and cannot be referenced or
altered at all without the express written consent of
Jeremy Baumann . This FAQ can be
found at:
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged and
respected that are not specifically mentioned.
=============================================
Last Edited On: May 19 2002
This FAQ will probably not be updated, but as
new things are found, I might decide to update.
This FAQ is for the people, like me, who couldn't
understand the help file that came with the editor.
This FAQ will describe in detail:
-Basic use of the editor
-How to create houses
-How to create warp points
-How to place items fast & easy
-How to create your first mod.
=============================================
**********
*CONTENTS*
**********
[1] Starting Out
[2] Creating Areas
[3] Placing Objects
[4] Linking Areas
[1]===Starting Out====================
By now you have probably had a few ideas on how to create a really
cool house, or something else. With this FAQ you should be able to
create your own houses and dungeons in a snap. First, you want to
load the basics. The question is do you want to edit an existing
mod? ...or make your own mod? What do you want to load as a base?
First install the editor (obvious). If you did a full installation, you
can leave the game CD in, otherwise, put the Construction Set CD in.
Start up the editor. Go to File>Data Files. This will bring up a window.
In this window, you can choose files by double-clicking. If you want
to edit/create a mod you'll need to base it on your main game world.
Double-click on Morrowind.esm. An X will appear next to it. This
means you have selected your game world to edit. Then if you
would like to use a race or class that you've downloaded as an NPC,
double-click on that file so that an X pops up next to it as well.
Now...are you going to edit a mod or make your own?
-To Edit:
Double-click on the mod you want to edit, so that it has a X
next to it. Then click the Set as Active File button. Setting a file as an
active file means that is the file you will edit. Be careful as to not set
morrowind.esm to the active file. Once you save, the only way to undo
your changes is by manually deleting stuff through the editor. Then
click OK. Have patience, it loads alot of the game world into memory.
-To Make Your Own:
Click OK. Have patience, it loads alot of the game world into
memory. If a popup asks you if you are sure you dont want to set an
active file, click YES or OK.
Once it says "Loading Files ... Done!" at the bottom of the
screen, you will want to explore your windows. You must be familiar
with all of these windows to effectivly build anything.
Cell View Window: Every area in the game, even indoors,
has been divided into different cells. You can jump to any one of them
here. Assuming you have played the game, you have seen much of
Seyda Neen. Lets see it from above. Click on the title bar of the window.
Scroll down in the cell view window list until you see Seyda Neen with
a grid number next to it. Double-Click on the Seyda Neen that has -2,-9
next to it. (BTW those numbers specify the cell of Seyda Neen that we
are going to.) Be patient, the loading times are unavoidable.
Viola! You should now see Seyda Neen in the Render Window
which just happens to be next...
The Render Window: This is where you will spend most of your
time (by far). First you want to know how to navigate the window. Placing
a key on the ground in Seyda Neen would be horrible if you had to do it
from a mile above. Click on the title bar of the window. Hold down the V key
and move your mouse forward. Let go of V. Move the mouse to the bottom
of the screen. Hold down the V key and move your mouse forward. Rinse
and repeat until you are close to a building. You should be very close to
the roof of a building. "But even so, how do I look at other buildings?"
you ask. Hold down the space bar and move your mouse to see that you
can change views. Use the spacebar & the V key to move your view around
so you have a zoomed in picture of one of the pink/purple arrows. Then
hold Shift and move the mouse so that you can see the house's door. Use
these three keys to navigate. The only thing is...if you clicked on an
NPC/arrow/house/door/anything and a wireframe came up around it. You
will have selected it. Using the Shift & mouse combe while something is
selected just rotates you around that object. To unselect that object, get a
view of the gray sky, and click once. This gets hairy in places with many
objects, but it seems to be the best way.
Now for....The Object Window!
The Object Window: Click on the title bar of the window to select
that window. You'll notice that it has tabs for everything. The ones you will
be using the most is Static, Light and Door for building. For now, i'll give you
a list of the tabs and what is under each:
Static: (indoor)pieces of houses, (outdoor)houses, tables, chairs, plants (not
alchemy)
Door: loading doors(dont open) & normal doors(do open)
Ingredient: alchemy ingredients (not plants/shells/etc just raw materials like ash
yams, pearls, etc)
Spellmaking: the different effects that can be combined to make a spell , and spells.
Activator: anything you can interact with...beds, boats that float, shrines, waving
banners, etc.
Light: based lights (such as a candlestick), and non-based lights (eerie glows)
Lockpick: obvious
Misc Item: forks, knives, glasses, plates, things that can be taken but serve no
purpose.
Probe: obvious
Repair Item: obvious
Weapon: obvious
NPC: obvious
Creature: obvious
Leveled Creature: creatures based on your level. At level 1-- a mudcrab, at level
25--a daedra lord.
Enchanting: enchanted items
Alchemy: potions.
Leveled Item: items that an NPC would carry on them that is based on your level.
Apparatus: alchemy equipment.
Armor: obvious
Book: obvious
Clothing: obvious
Container: chests, plants (that you get alchemy ingrediants from), desks, etc.
Body Parts: yes...body parts...to create new races from
Aha! It is now time to move on to.....
[2]====Creating Areas==========================
Now lets create an area called test. Click on World>Interior Cell. Click on new.
Name it "A_TEST". Now click ok. Click on has water, and set a height of 25. Click
ok. You should be back at the three windows. Go to the Cell View window and
scroll down till you see A_TEST (should be near top) and double-click on it. The
Render window should be gray. Click on the Static tab on the Object window. Find
"in_c_stone_room_entry". Drag and drop the icon from the object window into
the render window. Viola! You will see a floor with some beams. Use your Shift
button to get a good look at all sides. When building, this step is crucial. Make
sure that the top two buttons on the buttonbar are toggled (pressed down). The
one button looks like a grid on a button, and the one next to it too that looks like
an angle filled in with red coloring. This allows for easier house construction, but
makes it harder to place items "exact". It snaps house pieces together, letting you
quickly build a house. To show you the effects of water in a house we are going to
make a flooded house. Click on the object while holding Z down and try to move the
object. You will notice that it only goes up and down. If you attempt to drag the
object without holding Z it will move side-to-side and far-to-near. Right-click and
hold on the object, and moving from side-to-side will rotate the object. If you hold
Z while rotating the object it will move it upside down and such. Holding X while
rotating affects it as well. Now use the Z key to place the object half in the water,
half out. The water is seen as a darker "blanket" under the object, while the void is
a lighter gray. To help, use these coordinated for the object (8384, 4224, -64). The
coordinates of your object is shown in the lower bar. The three values in
parenthesis have to do with rotating. The first three numbers should
be 8384, 4224, -64. The -64 is the most important. That tells you how far down
to place the object, and will end up landing part of it in the water, as you will
see soon. Zoom in on it once you have it placed correctly. Rotate and find the
two "beams" on the object. That will be our next focus. We are going to put a
door jam there. Find "in_c_djamb_plain_arched" and place that into the window
by drag and dropping the icon from the Object window to the Render window.
Using the right-mouse button, rotate it so it is parallel with the beams and use the
mouse (z to move down) to place it right. You know you'll have done it correctly
when you see from one angle of view, a floor with a doorway & beams behind it.
(It looks good) Its starting to look lik something now. Drag an
"in_c_stone_room_corner" into the mix and rotate it first to see where you could
put it. Put in on one side of the doorway. Then put one on the other side of the
doorway. It is starting to look like a stage set. You should have something that
looks like this soon:
_ _ _
| | > overhead
[][A][] > front view (A being a door)
You'll have to excuse my rudimentry drawings. Now place a "in_c_stone_room_side"
so that the floor of the room looks like a T. Make sure that the wall of the piece you
just placed, is on the outside of the room.
_ _ _
| |
_ >overhead view- walls should look like this from above.
Now place two more "in_c_stone_room_corner"'s one at a time, so that overhead,
the walls look like this.
_ _ _
| |
|_ _ _| >Congrats! You just built a room.
Took me a few hours to figure this out on my own. If you look carefully now, you
can see the water level on the walls. Now go to the doors tab. Find
"in_hlaalu_door" drag it in and place it in the door jam. File>Save.
Don't want to lose your work now. Name it test. Put an "in_c_stone_endcap"
(static tab) at the opposite end of the doorway, to give you a closet. Now you
ask....yeah thats all fine and good, but can I decorate?
That's next, but first a few tips:
(1) Plan out your house first. No blueprints, just a basic idea and where everything
will be.
(2) Dont place tables and such until the ENTIRE house is done. It s*cks when you
have to move a portion of your house to accomidate something as well as your
collection of 140 forks on your bookshelf.
(3) Always use different views to see if a thing in your house has been placed correctly.
(4) If you accidently overlap two floors from two different parts, it'll look like cr*p when
you play.
[3]====Placing Objects=============
Very similar to placing house pieces, but this part will save you a year-and-a-day, if you
don't use some of these quick tips. First drag "furn_com_rm_table_03" to your house.
Unclick the two snap to grid options on the buttonbar. (Y'know the one that had a grid
on it and the one next to it with a red angle) Then just for kicks, try to rotate the object.
Smoother now huh? Try building a house without those two options and i'll see ya
when the next TES game comes out. Get the table into the room you want it to (the big
room, not the closet). When you think its placed roughly in the room. Click and hold
on it and hit F. This will drop the object "tetris-style" to the floor or the first surface
below it. You can use this to place stuff on bookshelves, tables, floors, dressers, etc.
^>From there just drag it to where ever you want it. Change your view to make sure it
isn't clipping (going through) anything. Fairly easy right? Try doing the same with
"light_sconce00_128". The best way to decorate your house is to play with some of
the other objects. Remember, if you place an object and dont want it, hit Delete if it
is selected. If it is hard to select, go into the cell view window, and double-click the
item you want deleted. This will select the item. Then just hit delete. Another thing to
remember is, the larger an object is, the further away it will appear. If you place an object
and don't see it, chances are it is behind the house or room you tried to place it in.
This process will work with NPC's and enemys too. Want a tip? Seen somehing
in the game you want here? Load that section via the Cell View window, click on the object
and take note (in the lower left corner) of the objects catagory (tab) and the name
(catalogue name under the tab). Go back to your house and place it. See the other guides
on GameFAQ's to find the NPC guide and other such guides. Or better yet...play around
with this test.esp and check it out on your own. Once you know how to navigate the
editor...playing around is the only way to learn new things.
"But you said test it. How do I get here, to my house?"
[4]=======Linking Areas==============
Now that you have learned the nuts and bolts of the editor, this should be a snap. Go to
doors and find "in_hlaalu_loaddoor_01". Place it and hit F to make it drop to the floor.
Switch on the "red angle" button on the buttonbar up top. Place the door so that it is
against the back of the closet, but not clipping the wall. Double-click on the door. Using
the options here, you can even set ownership to a door (i.e if someone sees you open it
and you don't own it, you could be attacked). You can set lock level and trap as well as
a key which you can create in the object window under Misc Items. For now just click the
teleport check box. Select Seyda Neen (-2,-9) from the box. Click the "Select Marker" button.
Now don't touch anything yet. Use shift & the mouse to get an overhead view. Keep in
mind that the button you clicked to get here will select the object automaticaly. This
way when you look for it, you can rotate around it. When it is in view, zoom far back
while still keeping it in view. Move the pink arrow, which is the location where the door
will put you, to the center of Seyda Neen. You may need to bring it up with the mouse & Z,
and then drop it with F. Zoom in on the arrow then. From the door section of the Object
menu, bring in "In_De_Shack_Trapdoor". Drop it behind the arrow as shown...
[]=>
Use Z and the mouse to lower it just a bit more so the bottom sinks just a bit into the ground.
Double-Click on it. Click Teleport. Select A_TEST. Get the idea? Click Select Marker. Bring
the marker up with Z. Since there is not much room in the closet, put the arrow facing away
from the closet into the room like so...
_ _ _
| |_
| <=|_|
|_ _ _|
Did you find it a little annoying to find the arrow in Seyda Neen? Get used to it. When linking
to towns, the arrows tend to place themselves clipping buildings, so it might take a while to
move or find. Need some hints?
1) Large rooms = more space to put arrows.
2) When building start from the lowest level.
3) To rearrange the angles of trapdoors and such, use right-click-hold and X or Z.
4) You'll never find anything out if you don't experiment. Create a ESP file for that purpose.
5) Never save a game that you used to test a mod. It may result in wierd errors.
6) You can add a mod when playing through the game, just be careful when omitting a mod
from a saved game. You may encounter duplicate NPC's or worse...monsters.
============================================================
Did you find this FAQ helpful? Anything you were confused on?
Should I add something that you found?
Comments & suggestions go to deww@optonline.net
=============================================================
Thanks to:
-Darketernal78@hotmail.com
For giving me some ideas on future mods.
