A guide to editing Character Meshes
When replacing meshes for characters such as Squadmates or well known characters you have to edit what is called a pcc. It is these files we edit in order to put our characters into new outfits or give them a new hairstyle.
If you are looking to edit hair colour, eye colour or skin tint then I advise this tutorial: How To Change Hair, Eye, and Skin Color for NPCS
Originally I was going to write a small section about Patching but then realised it was a broader subject that could do with its own tutorial which is where this Mounts, Patching, Moddesc oh my comes in.
I definitely class this is a companion piece to this guide/tutorial due to these types of mods having a high need for compatibility patches. But also because I explain Mounts and how they work, so you get a better idea of why your mod may not be showing if you have another installed for the same character.
As sometimes the pcc's we use for these characters are shared between multiple characters.
So I suggest a read of this tutorial as it gives a good idea of how patching works in Mass Effect modding, as well as some tips on creating Installation Groups for your mods. The example is for patches but groups can be used when making multiple outfits for one PCC so users can then choose what they want but not accidentally install two of the same option.
However don't be discouraged as modding and seeing your mod in action is a great feeling. This is just to give you a heads up on Mounts, Patching and ModDesc for creating groups so you don't feel overwhelmed later if it comes up.
I also highly suggest to check any patches for the games for files that have been fixed so your mod can include those fixes instead of overriding them. Due to your mod mounting higher than the Patches.
I also suggest the LE3 Community Patch's optional Framework if it has a character you want to edit included.
Legendary Explorer
- Asset Database
- Package Editor
- Mesh Explorer
- TFC Compactor
ME3 Tweaks Mod Manager
- ASI Manager (Streaming Levels HUD)
GIMP (or your preferred photo editing software but for this tutorial I will be showing GIMP as it is what I have access to)
From this point onwards I will assume you have your meshes ready for import if not follow these tutorials;
The Streaming Levels HUD ASI is super handy to help work out what PCC you want to edit.
You can find it in ME3 Tweaks Mod Manager > Mod Management > ASI Mod Manager (see image 01)
Once open click on the game you want to install the ASI for, then click on Streaming Levels HUD and then install ASI (see image 02)
Then in game you get to the area you want to edit. On top left you will green and yellow text such as image 03 below. In my case I went to the area Garrus is to see what PCC's are being used there.
So why do we do this? We do this to better work out what PCC we may need to edit in the area we go to. So when we use asset database we can compare what we search for there with what is being used in the scene we take screenshots of to see currently used packages in that area/scene. This is especially helpful when you are looking for one specific location/scene to edit.
Now for companions or others such as Joker or Anderson we need to edit all PCC's their meshes show up in, in order for our edits to show up. Unless you are just editing one instance of them, however its still good to use Asset database. As it is a great tool to use to find these PCC's if you know what you're looking for.
In Legendary Explorer go to the utilities tab and the asset database (see image 04)
If you have already scanned the game to create the database for the game you're editing it will look something like this (see image 05)
For more detailed information on the other tabs we won't be using in this tutorial for Asset Database including setting up the database see this guide Finding in game assets quickly by Kinkojiro
However if you want to generate a new database go to Database and generate new database (see image 06)
Some are straight forward but I will still write them, others have unique code names. So this list will show what they are known as usually in packages as well the short hand used in their unique meshes and textures. When not listed it means they don't have a unique mesh/texture and instead use generic outfits that are shared, and/or use morphs to define a unique face.
When not using unique assets this does make it a bit harder to locate their packages but this is where the ASI I showed you how to install comes in handy.
Table below is for LE3.
| Character | Package | Assets |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley | Ashley | Ash/Ashley |
| Garrus | Garrus | Gar/Garrus |
| Kaidan | Kaidan | Kai/Kaiden |
| Liara | Liara | Lia/Liara |
| James | Marine | San/James |
| Javik | Prothean | Prn/Pro |
| Tali | Tali | TLI/Tali |
| EDI | EDI | EDI |
| Jack | Jack | JCK/Jack |
| Aria | Aria | ARA/Aria |
| Cortez | Cortez | N/A |
| Brooks | Femme | FTL |
| Joker | Joker | Joker |
| Anderson | Anderson | Anderson |
| Hackett | Hackett | Hackett |
Please be aware some characters use outfits with generic names rather than part of their character name. Such as Jacob's armour is called HMM_ARM_MEDe. But if you can locate their files, you are halfway there. Another part of this tutorial will be showing how to find what else they use via references.
| Character | Package | Assets |
|---|---|---|
| Thane | Assassin | THN/Thane |
| Jack | Convict | JCK/Jack |
| Grunt | Grunt | GNT/Grunt |
| Jacob | Leading | JCB/Jacob |
| Legion | Geth | LEG/Legion |
| Garrus | Garrus | GAR/Garrus |
| Samara | Mystic | Sam/Samara |
| Mordin | Professor | MOR/Mordin |
| Tali | Tali | TLI/Tali |
| Kasumi | Thief | KSM/Kasumi |
| Zaeed | Veteran | Zad/Zaeed |
| Miranda | Vixen | Mir/Miranda |
Now we have our list we can search for the character we want to work on, in my LE2 examples I will be using Garrus as there is something else I want to show as LE2 has some unique issues that in this case are luckily an easy fix.
However first lets open up another Asset Database and in one type in the search with the Files tab open the character we're searching for using the tables above to better find them. And here is the why I have in some cases two instances of Asset Database open. It is so I can have both File tab open and the meshes tab open, this way we can compare to see what PCC's actually have the meshes we want to edit in them.
As in some cases we may have PCC's with the character name that don't actually require editing due to not housing the meshes we want to edit. You could just use the meshes tab but to be on safe side I do have both open in order to compare on what needs editing and what doesn't need editing. (see image 07)
Now we click on the mesh in my case TUR_HED_PROGarrus_Damage_MDL as his armours don't have his name in them and then I compare the list of usages on the right with meshes to the list of PCC's in my file search. (see image 08)
So now to explain which we use when there are more than one, why? Simply that with Legendary Edition patches were made as separate "DLC" and therefore mount higher than the basegame so if we were to use the basegame version of the file we wouldn't have any fixes done in the DLC_METR_Patch01. So if you ever see that latter name when there are duplicates always use that version instead.
In the Image 08 below I show this highlighted in red. Highlighted in green is the mesh I mentioned and highlighted in yellow are the PCC's I would require. As you can see comparing the right list to the left we do not need to edit the LOC_INT files as they do not contain the meshes.
Now we know which ones we want right click on the PCC name on either file tab or meshes tab and click open in Windows explorer (see image 09)
Now copy this pcc into your mods folder, repeating until you have all the PCC's you require to edit (see image 10)
Now for characters like Garrus he has two unique head meshes in LE2 this means I also need to check what PCC's that is in, as that is another mesh I would need to edit. Especially since the mod I am creating will be editing the head. If you want to see the mesh you're clicking on Press Toggle Mesh Rendering at the bottom of the middle bar, with doing this I can see when clicking on TUR_HED_PROGarrus_MDL that is the other mesh I would need to edit. (see image 11)
Now as you can see we can now see the mesh in the middle section, as well as another PCC I would require to edit (see image 12)
Now before I start editing these files once I have all the ones I need I copy them to a seperate folder somewhere else, usually my workspace folders. So in case I mess anything up I don't have to do all that again to get the file. Only slightly increases the workflow speed but also a nice thing to do if its a character I also regularly make mods for, as then I have a starting point each time.
And when I successfully make edits that could then work as a base for other mods I also tend to back those up into their own folders as well. (see image 13)
So now we know how to use asset database and the asi, we can now start making the edits we want to make on the files for our mod idea. For this which is a LE2 mod I will be showing replacing the head, outfit which also include importing new textures and editing material colours. So this will be a combination of import and cloning.
Now for LE2 the first rule is remember when importing a mesh always use Import as Single LOD. I will be covering this again in the steps but stating it now as well. As it is an important part of LE2 mesh modding.
I will also be showing how to fix a common bug when editing meshes in LE2, it does happen in LE3 as well and the fix will work there as well but it happens much less in LE3 than it does in LE2. It now has the name of melting face bug and you will see why when we come to editing the head on its own, before we touch outfits.
Everything shown in this section can be used for LE3 as well, except LE3 does not have a Import as Single-LOD requirement, only when the same bug shows up. Though some still use that automatically as well due to fixing the YAW issue if you forgot to fix it in UDK.
Another thing you must know before moving onto modding LE2 characters is that squadmates do not have their own Non-Combat outfits for down time like they do in LE3. Instead whatever armour you choose is what they wear on the Normandy for example.
So if you're planning to make a LE3 mod that just edits their down time outfits, all you need to edit is the _NC variant of their packages. These are the files your squadmates use when on the Normandy and when roaming about in places where they are not wearing armour, such as some citadel scenes.
If using the LE3 Community Patch Framework you will also have NPC files for characters such as Joker.
I am starting with the head to show the bug that happens when you are only editing the head. This is so if you decide you only want to edit the head you will know how to fix the bug.
So we want to first open Package Editor (see Image 14)
Now with Package Editor open we can open our package files by either going to File > Open then locating the PCC in our mod CookedPCConsole folder (see Image 15)
or dragging our PCC onto the right side of the Package Editor Window (see Image 16)
Going back to our LE2 Character File Names List/LE3 Character File Names List we can compare to the file. Such as to make those lists I compared the files.
In this instance because I am editing Garrus I want to go to BIOG_TUR as TUR is short for Turian and then BIOG_TUR_HED_PROMorph as this is where his head is located. Then open it up and then open up PROGarrus and click on TUR_HED_PROGarrus_Damage_MDL(SKeletalMesh) as this is the head mesh for Garrus as its post recruitment scene so he already has a scarred face. If we click on the Mesh tab we will see the mesh like he did in Asset Database (see Image 17)
Now we're going to edit the names of the meshes and textures first, while I wouldn't have a different version between romance head and default head, this is a way for you to have differences in each scene without the game possibly loading it from another PCC that is streaming in.
So we go to Tools > Convenience Tools > Search and Replace Names (see image 18)
In the first pop up window we want to write the part of the asset names we want to edit, so where it says search text type part of the asset name you want to change, for example mine is HED_PROGarrus and when ready press OK (see Image 19)
And now in next window we want to write what we want it changed to, so for me I change replacement text to HED_PROGarrus_ROM ROM being for romance since this is one of his romance PCC's and when ready press OK (see Image 20)
On next popup press OK, this is just a warning references can break. I personally have not ran into this. But doing this at the start does make it easier to start fresh in case it does. (see image 21)
Then you will get a message telling you how many names were replaced, you can press OK (see Image 22)
Now lets move onto textures so when we import the mesh the textures will look correct on the mesh.
In my case the textures I need to replace to my Saren based ones are;
TUR_HED_PROGarrus_ROM_Damage_Norm TUR_HED_PROGarrus_ROM_Damage_Diff TUR_HED_PROGarrus_ROM_Damage_Spec
So we click on the first one, go to the texture tab and where it says Texture Cache: with a drop down menu below? We want to change that to Create new TFC and then click on Import from File (see Image 23)
and then we locate our texture in our folders and then click Open (see Image 24)
And then this window will pop up (see Image 25)
In mine it says Textures_DLC_MOD_Saren_as_Garrus. It should automatically add the name of your DLC mod onto the end, do not change that. Then press OK
Now Repeat for your other textures making sure to switch the drop down menu on the Texture Cache to your now new TFC (see Image 26)
Now when we come to the Spec if you are using a texture you made for LE3 you may need to edit the texture to match LE2 Spec. So first extract the vanilla texture using Export to File (see Image 27) then export it to whatever folder you want.
This is also a good way to compare the Diffuse and normal maps as well if required, in this case for me I only need to compare my spec map to Garrus' default spec map.
Now open the textures in your preferred editing software, mine is GIMP as its the one I have access to. Now with both textures in your editing software we want to split the layers into their channels. For my ME3 spec I made for Saren it has alpha, however LE2 is using DXT1 which means no alpha. We can see what format a texture is in if we go to the properties tab while the texture is selected in Package Editor as seen in Image 28
Now I know in GIMP I would need to decompose my ME3 texture to RGBA and the LE2 texture to RGB as DXT1 has no alpha channel.
So with both textures open I go to Colors > Components > Decompose (see Image 29)
On the next popup for the texture with an Alpha I would choose Color Model: RGBA (see Image 30)
Then we can see on the right panel the channels have been broken down to layers, the first active one being the Red channel (see Image 31)
Now decompose the other texture, for mine it is Color Model: RGB (see Image 32)
Now if want to compare side by side rather than switching between windows first close the non decomposed versions of the textures, as we will be recomposing the one we are editing when ready. Then go to Windows > Untick Single-Window Mode (see image 33)
- this will mean you can compare side by side rather than switching between the windows, but only do this if you want. This is just part of my process I thought I would share but is not at all required.
Now make edits to your texture comparing red channel to red channel, green to green, blue to blue and alpha to alpha as well if required. For example I can see my Spec already needs adjusting on the Red channel. My spec left side and the default/vanilla spec's red channel on the right (see image 34)
Once done we are ready to pack our textures back into one layer and all channels applied together. Go to Colors > Components > Compose (see Image 35)
Then choose the format you require such as for me it is RGB, also in this window you will see your layers listed below the choice, this shouldn't need touching unless you moved your layers around. When ready press OK (see Image 36)
Now export your texture and import it into the Package as we previously did for the other textures.
If you imported a texture multiple times and this was the only edit you was going to do then we would use TFC compactor in order to remove any unused textures such as our previous imports. Such as if you noticed afterwards your imported texture was in a different format to the one you imported over which would cause some visual issues in game.
For example the texture might show up as extremely bright or be extremely dark.
Now if we were finished with our meshes and textures we'd want to use TFC compactor to remove any unused textures from the process (see image 37)
Once the screen opens you will see something like this in image 38
- where it says Select base compaction directory, click on it and navigate it to your DLC_Mod folder
As you can see in Image 39 mine now says DLC_MOD_Saren_as_Garrus as that is my DLC folder, this is also what is ticked on the left as that is what it will be looking through to unpack and then repack.
Below you will see a section that says Staging Directory this needs a folder that is empty but also on a drive with space so it can unpack in this folder and repack.
Mine is D:\MELE\My MELE Mods\tfc
Now once this is all sorted we should be allowed to click on Compact TFC, if everything is working it will repack your TFC
Now we want to import our edited/new mesh. So to open Mesh Explorer from within the Package Editor so it goes straight to our mesh right click the mesh name, and open in Mesh explorer. In my example I am right clicking on our renamed TUR_HED_PROGarrus_ROM_Damage_MDL(SKeletalMesh) (see Image 40)
Now for importing the mesh over the mesh we are editing, right click on the mesh and click Replace from single LOD from UDK (see image 41)
- Don't worry if textures look messed up, once we import the mesh they should look correct
- always use Replace single LOD from UDK for LE2, and in 3 use it if the meshes get issues.
Now if I was to load the game to this scene, the mesh due to having a unique name it should show up with my edits, however Garrus is one of the characters that runs into an unfortunate bug these days named Melting Face bug. If it happens to turn out a character who doesn't have the face bug you will be okay just editing the head mesh,
This bug in LE2 happens to multiple characters including non squadmates, so if you ever run into it and you will know if you do. This is why I advise to test your mesh edits in both cutscenes and when first entering a place, or when they are idle. Such as Miranda at her desk or Garrus doing his calibrating.
For characters such as Jack, Garrus, Grunt, Miranda, and some others part of their face mesh will look like its stretching or melting. Some more were discovered as initially we believed it was just Garrus and Miranda, then someone experienced it with Grunt and then with Jack. So I am sure others will run into it as well, this is why its good to be aware of this bug if you plan to make character mods that edit their meshes.
If you run into this bug, thankfully there is an easy fix. May take some time depending on amount of Packages you needed to edit, but if you already fixed this as I am telling you, then you should be fine. As I am bringing this up before you even import your head mesh.
The fix is Export the Body Mesh as Export Mesh as UDK.
Then we import the same body mesh with Replace single LOD from UDK and then import our head mesh the same way. This will fix the melting bug.
So recap;
- Export Body Mesh as Export Mesh as UDK
- Import Body Mesh as Replace single LOD from UDK
- Import Head Mesh as Replace single LOD from UDK
Now you should not have the melting face bug.
If you were planning on just editing the head mesh you are now finished, and if you haven't already please read Mounts, Patching, Moddesc oh my that I link again now, but also linked at the beginning of the tutorial.
Editing the body mesh is the same method as editing the head mesh, so in this next part I will be showing you how to use cloning, and changing references.
In this case with cloning if the textures aren't imported over the original texture it means texture mods that edit those same textures will edit your mod as well. As long as it is installed before MEM mods. If you don't want the texture able to be edited, after we have finished cloning export the textures and import them straight back in to your DLC tfc like previously with the head. This will give it a new ID.
So since I've shown editing a character in LE2 now we will edit a character in LE3 since as I said most things follow the same rules, except if importing a mesh we only need to really use Replace single LOD from UDK if we run into issues such as melting face, though it is less common than in 2.
So for this example I am going to show editing a Non Combat PCC, in this case the one for James "BioH_Marine_00_NC" as if we look at our list from earlier James is Marine in the files.
If we want to give a character an existing mesh in the game then we can do it via cloning, and then changing the references.
So with both packages open side by side, the one you are cloning from and the one you are cloning to, locate the assets in the package that has the assets you want to use, and then the folder in the package you are editing you want to clone them to. Drag the asset from the package that has them to the package you are editing for your DLC mod. Clicking clone all references on the pop up window (see image )
- if your materials, textures and mesh are all in different sub folders with other textures and materials, first drag the folder and then its sub folders using Add Only button on pop up window (highlighted in yellow in image 42) and then the material over and clone all references and then the mesh.
Now save, I advise saving each step that is a success so you don't have to repeat this step.
Now lets change the material and mesh references to our cloned material and mesh. We could use Tools > Convenience Tools > Replace all references to selection or do it manually.
- For the material I only advise using this when the material has more than two or three references
- if there is only 2 manual references (not counting the mesh references as manually we don't have to change those) takes same time as using this tool and then editing the mesh back to its original material. Why would we edit the material back? in cases of some meshes that get shared with others there is a chance the wrong material would load for them if the package you are editing gets streamed in before their file.
- For meshes I definitely advise using this tool as it is quite handy.
So manual, right click the original material and then Find References (see Image 43)
The window that pops up now shows our references, the ones I highlight in Image 44 are the ones I want to edit. So we double click on the first reference.
Now on this reference where it says Parent click on this, then in the box above where it shows the number same as the box in my case 1953 (see image 45)
Now we want to change that number to the one that matches your material and then click Set (see Image 46)
Now if you didn't close the references window make it visible again and go through each of the materialconstant refererences until it matches your mesh.
In some cases if your mesh has more materials you will want to clone the material constant by right clicking it and clicking clone (see image 47)
In your new cloned materialconstant change the Parent to the next material on your mesh. the material order must match the material order of the mesh.
Now we want to make sure the skeletalmeshcomponent has all the material constant references, it is the asset above your material constant, open up Materials tab in this, click on it again just to make sure it is highlighted and press Add Array Element until you have the amount you need. (see Image 48)
Click on our new item under materials and in the box above as before change the number to match the number of the new material constant and click set (see Image 49)
Repeat for each materialconstant reference the original material had.
Now for the mesh in package editor highlight the mesh by clicking on it and then go to Tools > Convenience Tools > Replace all references to selection (see image 50)
The window that pops up type in the number of the mesh on your keyboard and it should find it then press enter and it should select the number you typed, if not try again or scroll to find it and press OK (see Image 51)
It will then tell you how many replacements it made.
Now when you load your mod in non combat areas they character should be wearing the outfit you gave them.
Now say you have a mesh that is using a material that has tints, so takes the colour from the material rather than the texture itself. Now you want to edit it, I am hoping to show just how to do that in this quick part of the tutorial.
You will need to change the name of the material, the colours, apply your mod and test in game a few times till you get the exact colour you want.
Click on your material and here is where you need to change the colours (see Image 52)
As you can also see this is where the emissive is, so you can change the colour here to match your outfit as well. So we will first use the emissive as an example.
This is what it looks like by default in the game (see Image 53)
So now lets open up the emissive section until we the Linear Colour (see Image 54)
Open up the linear drop down menu by clicking on it, then personally I use the Advanced tab and as you can see its showing the blue that we saw in game (see Image 55)
Pick the colour you want and if you want to already click on the others to change their colours. This is another reason why its good to look at the mesh in game, this way when looking at these tabs you might be able to work out which is which. Then test in game again (see Image 56)
Keep editing until you're happy with the colours. This concludes this tutorial I hope it was useful.