How to add new outfits for Squad Mates in LE3 & ME3
by munchyfly
This is an in-depth (or tries to be) & noob friendly (again, tries to be) guide on how to add new outfits for Squad Mates.
As an example, in this tutorial, I will be adding Tali's Casino outfit which I have already released HERE. Please do not re-upload my mod.
Please let me know if any information is lacking or even wrong. I am terrible at writing tutorials (I prefer videos since I'm more of a visual learner sadly).
Thursday, September 26th, 2024: Added some pertinent information regarding package names.
Friday, May 5th, 2023: Updated to include the new features provided by ME3Tweaks Mod Manager..
- The names used in this tutorial are not required. As I said, this is just an example. You can use any naming convention you want aside from the already imposed rules.
- Big thanks to Mgamerz for the feature and the documentation.
- I am not aware of any limits to how many armors you can add in one mod. If you wish to stress test this, make sure you have a vanilla backup of your game and your mods.
- ...is made on LE3. I do not play the original trilogy anymore but I'm told it should work the same way.
- ...assumes you have all your meshes and textures ready for use. Padme4000 made an awesome tutorial on how to setup your items for import.
- ...does not cover mesh & texture editing.
- ...assumes you know how to import meshes and textures. If not, I suggest you read this tutorial fully or skip to Step 16.
- ...assumes you have a backup of your game.
First off, we need to make a new DLC. For this, you need the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager.
If you don't have developer mod enabled already, go to Actions > Options > Enable Developer Mode.
Under Tools, go to Generate new DLC mod (Starter Kit) > Mass Effect 3 (Legendary Edition).
In newer versions of the Mod Manager, you can now tell it to auto-generate the required files for Squadmate Merge (awesome feature and a time saver!). Simply tick the box for your desired character, as shown below.
NOTE: I have not tested if you can do more than one character at the same time. That is outside the scope of this tutorial.
Fill out the form with the info you want. Remember to use a unique Mount Number. You can check which Mount Number is in use in the sidebar or through the Known DLC List.
This file is the one that will add the outfits for you. It's is a regular JSON file that you can edit in a text editor (like Notepad++, Sublime, VSCode etc.).
I personally recommend Notepad++.
Open the newly generated SquadmateMergeInfo.sqm in your text editor to view it.
This is it's structure:
{
"game": "LE3",
"outfits": [
{
"henchname": "Tali",
"henchpackage": "BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00",
"highlightimage": "GUI_Henchmen_Images_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO.Tali0Glow",
"availableimage": "GUI_Henchmen_Images_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO.Tali0",
"silhouetteimage": "GUI_Henchmen_Images_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO.Tali0_locked",
"deadimage": "GUI_Henchmen_Images.PlaceHolder",
"descriptiontext0": 0,
"customtoken0": 0
}
]
}game = the game you are adding the outfit to. Accepted variables: ME3 or LE3
henchname = the code for the squadmate you want to add the outfit for. The following are accepted:
| Squadmate | Code |
|---|---|
| James | Marine |
| Tali | Tali |
| Garrus | Garrus |
| EDI | EDI |
| Liara | Liara |
| Ashley | Ashley |
| Kaidan | Kaidan |
| Javik | Prothean |
henchpackage = The name of the main file where your assets will reside.
highlightimage = The image that shows when you select a squadmate. This value is taken from the SFXHenchImages_[MOD FOLDER NAME].pcc (see below for more information). No need to add the PCC name.
availableimage = The default image shown during the squad selection screen. This value is taken from the SFXHenchImages_[MOD FOLDER NAME].pcc (see below for more information). No need to add the PCC name.
silhouetteimage = The image that shows when your character is unavailable. This value is taken from the SFXHenchImages_[MOD FOLDER NAME].pcc (see below for more information). No need to add the PCC name.
deadimage = The image that shows when your character has died during the storyline. This value is taken from the SFXHenchImages_[MOD FOLDER NAME].pcc (see below for more information). No need to add the PCC name.
descriptiontext[0] & customtoken[0] = are related to strings. I personally don't use any of this so I won't cover it in this tutorial.
Since the mod manager already set up the file for us, there is no need to edit this file UNLESS you change the PCC names. If you want to (just in case someone else has the same name in their mod), you can but remember to update SquadmateMergeInfo.sqm if you do.
Right-Click on the mod you just created and select Open mod folder.
Navigate inside your DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO to the CookedPCConsole folder.
As you can see in the image, the Mod Manager has already generated all the necessary files for your mod.
-
BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00: Is used when you are in combat.
-
BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00_Explore: Is used when you are outside of combat (holstered weapons etc.) during missions.
- BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00_Explore_LOC_INT: Language files. Even if you play in one specific language, DO NOT DELETE THE OTHERS. That will cause issues for other users.
- SFXHenchImages_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO: Contains the GUI images.
- DO NOT remove the XX numbering at the end.
- If you want to rename the packages, I suggest limiting yourself to only adding AFTER the DLC name and BEFORE the XX numbering at the end.
- Alternatively, you can use the XX numbering to identify your armors should you choose to: 00, 01 etc. Always start with 00.
- DO NOT rename the GUI package.
Now we are going to import our assets. There are two ways to do this section.
First, open up BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00.
This is the longest method.
Navigate to BIOG_QRN_ARM_TLI_R. Inside you will find a folder called TLIa.
Right-click on it > Clone Tree
You should now have a folder called TLIa_0 and it's assets in yellow.
Now we are going to rename these new assets.
On the right side, go to the Metadata tab. In the first field, type any name you want, then press ENTER. You will get a prompt to add this new name. Select OK. Then at the bottom, click Save Changes.
Repeat the process for all of the new assets you just cloned.
Save your file.
Now you can import your mesh(es) and texture(s).
Remember to import the GUI Images. You should also rename these. These, however, are not stored in a TFC, rather they are Package Stored.
In order for the game to recognize these new assets, we now need to change the references from the default files to the new ones.
Inside TLI_CSNO, jot down (wherever you like) the numbers beside the materials (MaterialInstanceConstant) & the mesh (SkeletalMesh).
Now go inside the TLIa folder.
Right-Click on the first material > Find References
A pop-up will show, telling you where this assets is being referenced. You can keep the pop-up open and work at the same time.
In this case, the material is being referenced in 3 different places. You can ignore the mesh reference as we will be changing that as well.
Double-click on the first line. It will take you to where the material is being referenced.
Go to the Properties tab. Select the line which says Parent. Inside the little box above it, insert the name of the new material you just cloned. So in our case, we input NUMBER, which is the first material and ENTER or press the Set button. The box will now change to reference your new material.
Repeat this for the other two lines.
Now you will repeat this process with the other material & the mesh.
For the mesh, when you select the reference, under the Properties tab, you will replace the value located under SkeletalMesh.
You can tell what you have to replace since it will show you the name & number of the asset.
Repeat the process for the BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00_Explore file. It's good practice to use unique names so, for example, in the Explore file of this tutorial, you can type in TLI_CSNO_EXPLORE and so on.
Once your all done with all that, it's recommended that you pass your mod through the TFC Compactor. This will greatly reduce the size of your mod while maintaining the quality. It's not a required step for your mod to function but it's good practice.
Open the TFC Compactor...
...,set the staging folder and navigate to your mod folder, where your CookedPCConsole folder is.
Wait for the program to scan the PCCs inside your folder, then click the Compact TFC button at the bottom.
Once it's done, "TFC Compaction Complete" will show up at the bottom left.
IMPORTANT: If your adding more than one outfit in one mod, you should ALWAYS have all the PCCs inside the CookedPCConsole folder BEFORE running TFC Compactor. The Compactor removes any unused references so if you don't have all the PCCs in the same folder, the TFC will not contain the texture information for those that aren't present.
I personally have switched to this method recently but since it's almost the same as the one above, I did not include any images and is WAAAAAAY shorter. This method is quicker, since it basically skips the References part above UNLESS you need to add more materials to your mesh. Then you will have to reference them in the pawns, as shown above.
If need be, I can try and elaborate this further down the line but, like I said, both methods are almost the same.
- Navigate to
BIOG_QRN_ARM_TLI_R. Inside you will find a folder calledTLIa - Rename that folder AND the assets inside of it to whatever you want. Example:
TLIa_Combat - Replace your assets like above.
-
Repeat the process for the
BioH_Tali_DLC_MOD_TLI_CSNO_00_Explorefile. It's good practice to use unique names so, for example, in the Explore file of this tutorial, you can type inTLIa_Exploreand so on.
The reason we need to rename the assets is because the game can load the same assets from, let's say, the vanilla files and read those instead of the ones you just replaced. That will lead to the game using the meshes, materials and/or textures from the vanilla file instead of yours. So instead of our new casino outfit showing up, her default purple textures and/or mesh could show up instead.
AAAAAANNND, your done! Install your mod and check it in-game to make sure everything is working.
This has been my TED Talk on Squadmate outfits. I hope it helped! Have fun adding new outfits!
- You can add multiple outfits at once! Yes, you read that right. Here is an example from my James New Armors mod (which you can find HERE):
{
"game": "LE3",
"outfits":
[
{
"henchname": "Marine",
"henchpackage": "BioH_Marine_DLC_MOD_JNA_BF_00",
"highlightimage": "GUI_MARINE_BF.James0Glow",
"availableimage": "GUI_MARINE_BF.James0",
"deadimage": "GUI_MARINE_BF.James0",
"silhouetteimage": "GUI_MARINE_BF.James0",
"descriptiontext0": 204993,
"customtoken0": 25
},
{
"henchname": "Marine",
"henchpackage": "BioH_Marine_DLC_MOD_JNA_N7_00",
"highlightimage": "GUI_MARINE_N7.James0Glow",
"availableimage": "GUI_MARINE_N7.James0",
"deadimage": "GUI_MARINE_BF.James0",
"silhouetteimage": "GUI_MARINE_N7.James0",
"descriptiontext0": 204993,
"customtoken0": 25
}
]
}