LESSON ONE
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
THE CONSTRUCTION SET PRIMER
This is the first in a proposed series of Tutorial Lessons aimed at teaching how to mod TES IV: Oblivion aimed at beginners. It will build up into a Complete Modding Course. Don't worry there are no exams, though there is some homework. It is not intended to aid the transfer of modders from Morrowind nor it is intended for experience modders. Although as the series develops you may find something of interest in them.
INTRODUCTION
I can tell you the exact moment I decided I wanted to try my hand at modding. I was on a quest and was riding my horse along the road from Weynon Priory to Cloud Ruler Temple. It happens quite early on in the Main Quest. The novelty of riding hadn’t yet worn off so I rode everywhere. As I rode higher into the hills on the Orange Road, I came to a narrow bridge. Crossing the bridge I looked to my right, and if my NPC could have fallen off his horse, he would have. The view took in the Imperial City and the Upper Niben with Bravil fading into the distance. I thought to myself, wow, this is where I want to live.
The problem of course was that to the left where the Ideal house location would be,
was a sheer wall of rock. In my imagination those rocks opened up to reveal a perfect
valley and a massive manor house, supported by a wonderful little village. I so wanted
this. I wanted a mod, and since no one was going to do justice to my imagination
like me, I was going to have to do it myself.
I downloaded the Construction Set (CS) and pulled up the Wiki, ready to make my dreams
come true.
Then reality set in.
The Wiki is a very good solid technical manual, but it is not user friendly. All
the stuff is in there, but you need to have a clue what you are looking for. I knew
I was going to have to take small steps to realize my dream.
The first steps we will take will be just that. Little baby steps, that will start
us off in a long journey. Do not be discouraged. Many of the modders producing those
fantastic mods you see on sites like The Elder Scrolls Source have been modding Morrowind
for years and the change to Oblivion has been easier for them.
We ‘newbies’ have a lot of catching up to do. So let’s get started.
I suppose we should begin with the obvious question, what is a mod? A mod is an additional
piece of programming that alters or modifies some aspect of the original game. Bethesda
have made this process easier. They clearly recognize that games like TES thrive
and gain extra longevity by encouraging mods. To aid this they have provided the
interface software called the Construction Set.
YOU WILL NEED TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS BEFORE WE CAN START.
YOU CAN DO SO HERE.
BEGINNINGS
Now just before we look at the CS, let’s load up the game. Select a saved game, any
will do. Now save it two or three times. It is always a good idea to make several
saves before you try modding, or indeed before you activate or deactivate any downloaded
mods. Later we will look at how save games interact with your mod
Once in the game, fast travel to the village of Weye. It’s located just outside the
Imperial City west of the Talos Plaza gate. It actually doesn’t matter where we go
to do this experiment but it makes sense for all of us to be in the same place.
As you look around you see a picturesque village with a few houses and an Inn. Behind
you the Imperial City looms. I’m feeling thirsty, let’s get ourselves a drink. Walk
up to the inn door. The door icon appears. You press spacebar and enter the inn…
only in reality you don’t. The door doesn’t swing open to reveal the interior. This
type of door is called a LOAD DOOR
When you pressed the spacebar the loading screen appeared. This is an in-
Basically it’s model making up the four walls and roof of the building and a model
of the door. The door is special linking object which when activated lets the game
know which interior location you want to jump or teleport to. The two spaces or worlds
are not dimensionally linked. You could store an entire Palace worth of rooms in
a small shed if you liked. It would just be a bit silly. Several mods have used this
idea to produce cool worlds, like ships in a bottle.
[Design note. Now that you know
what to look for, make a note of any locations in the game that you think are cool,
you can then look them up later to see how they did that.
The exterior world of Cyrodiil is made up of a number of tiles or CELLS. Each cell
defines a particular location. These are joined together to form an exterior world.
You know you are passing from one to another because that "Loading Area" bit appears.
In a later lesson we will look at these exterior cells and look at how we can change
these.
In the first few lessons we will concentrate only on interior cells.
Have a look around the bar, note the lack of objects on the bar counter. In this
first lesson we will modify this.
Save your game, and exit Oblivion.
Now start up the CS.
FILES TYPES
In most of these lessons we will concern ourselves with just three file types. Don’t worry the CS writes all the files for you.
<filename>.esm
<filename>.esp
<filename>.nif
For a mod to work the game needs to know 3 things. The file you plan to change. This is called the Elder Scrolls MASTER file, or esm. For all these early files this is going to be the Oblivion master file (oblivion.esm – located in the games data folder). The CS knows where it is. You can think of a master file as a huge list, containing all the objects in the game and their STARTING locations and status.
The CS also needs the name of the Elder Scrolls PLUG-
These are designated as esp files. If you don’t give it a name it will write a new
one. Think of these as a list of changes to the Master file. This lists all the new
and changed objects your mod creates along with their STARTING locations and status.
Why do I emphasize STARTING location. Because one import file type not altered by the CS is your save game. This is a list of the CURRENT location and status of objects. We need to be careful when testing mods that we take into account the save games we use to test. SEE – A Thought Experiment later in this tutorial.
Finally the CS will need information about any objects you add to the world. These
are contained in files called NIF’s, or NetImmerse File Format, and their associated
graphics files called DDS.
The game already knows about thousands of the objects and we can use this library
of image files to populate our world with stuff. Much later in the series we can
look at changing and adding our own NIF files.
THE CONSTRUCTION SET
The developers have left the options for experienced gamers pretty open but it can
be a little awkward and daunting for us newbies.
So here’s what we have to do each time we use the CS. We need to let the CS know what esm and esp files we wish to work on.
Open the file menu. From the options select Data. The Data dialog box should open.
It looks in the oblivion/data folder for all esm and esp files it contains. If you
have no mods installed, the only file to show up will be oblivion.esm – if you have
installed other mods these will show up as files with esm or esp file extensions
depending on how their developers wrote them.
To choose a file, double click on it. Do this to the oblivion.esm file. Leave all
the others unchecked, we don’t want to mess up their hard work. Select Done, and
a dialog warning box pops up telling you that you haven’t selected an active file.
So what is that all about?
Any changes that you make are stored by the CS until you save it. All changed information has an asterisk added. When you save you will need to tell the game the file to save the information to.
The default setup protects the original files so you can’t overwrite them. However if you wish to amend an existing mod you need to activate that file. When you save, the CS will overwrite that file. Generally speaking you should only activate a file when you want to alter it. If you do not acticate a mod, even if you load it, only the ‘new’ changes will be saved.You cannot activate the oblivion.esm file. This protection means we can’t break the game.
In this first tutorial you should only select the oblivion file and click done. At
the warning, click yes. We now have no active file.
The CS will now load the data. This may take a little time depending on your system.
You can see the progress along the bottom of the window. When it has loaded you are
ready to mod.
There should be three mini windows on display. Two on the top and one below. These are the object window, the render window and the cell view window. You can open and close them using the view menu but for most tasks you will want to have all three windows open. Generally we select a cell in the Cell View window, look at it in the render window and drop objects in to the render window from the object window.
Let’s look at the function of these key windows.
The Object window contains a list of all the objects in the game. These are sorted
into categories depending on the objects function. Items/Armor for example, contains
objects that provide combat protection in the game. We will cover each group as and
when we use them. The objects can be edited and customized but we will stick to the
standard objects for now.
The Cell View window contains a list of all the cells or worlds in the game. On the
left is the cell selection lists, on the right the cell contents list which will
be blank until you select a cell. A cell is a location, it could be a room, a set
of rooms or an area of wilderness.
The drop down menu allows you to move from interiors to the different external worlds. We will look at the external worlds in a later lessons. The game defaults to interiors. Take a little moment to shift from one cell list to another to see how the list on the right changes, then when you’re ready to continue, select interiors again.
If you click on the first cell in the list, the abandoned mine, you should see a
list of objects on the right hand side. These are all the elements contained in the
Abandoned Mine cell, ie. all the pots, chests, NPCs and rooms that make up the space
you explore in this dungeon.
Now scroll down the cell selection list to find WawnetInnTavern.
You can speed the process up by hitting the W key to scroll down to the locations
that start with letter W. When you’ve found the cell select it. The Cell contents
list will fill up. If you double click on the WawnettinnTavern cell name the object
will appear in the render window.
THE RENDER WINDOW
The render window is your view into the world you are creating or changing. When you click again on the WawnetinnTavern cell the picture should appear in the render window. It is likely to be a small block in the lower left of the window.
Navigating and manipulating the render window is vital to any mod you make.
Objects are dropped into the world by dragging them from the object list into the
render window.
You then manipulate the objects from that window.
It is therefore crucial that you are able to operate within the window with confidence
or nothing meaningful can be achieved. I suspect this is why so many potential modders
give up. This is a shame, the more modders there are the more mods we will get. This
will make our gaming world more varied and interesting. So don’t give up, stick with
it.
The fact is that for a beginner, using the window can be a pain in the proverbial.
This is because several of the functions are counter-
Intuition suggests left/right and up/down. But it turns out that when using the tool
you are far more likely to want to use the x and y directions. The developers recognized
this so moving your mouse up and down moves the object backwards and forwards. It
is a pain at first but you soon get used to it.
To access the z-
You will need to practice and be able to do two key things in the render window.
Note: Pressing the A key allows you to toggle Bright Light on and off. It's a very
useful thing while working with Interior cells in the Construction Set and has no
influence on the light in game.
1. Move the Camera
The camera is your view of the world inside the CS. To move it you will use a combination
of key and mouse commands.
First click on the grey part of the render screen away from the objects. This is
the standard deselect option. You can also press the D key. I always deselect before
I move the camera. You don’t have to but it does prevent you from moving an object
by mistake if you miss-
Now select the FarmHouseInterior04top object. A multi-
[Aside, double clicking on the block and a dialog box will open giving information
about the block. Check that the name of the object is FarmHouseInterior04top. If
it is not, close the dialog box, deselect and try again. In the central area is some
information about the objects position. This lists the objects x, y, and z coordinates,
and some info about rotation. These should all read -
With the object selected press C. You should now have a view with the block in the
centre of the window. C is your centre tool. It always centers the selected object.
Now lets look at zoom. This is the function of the centre wheel. Scroll in and out
and watch the image in the window.
Zoom out a bit and press T. The render changes to a nice top down view. Again you
can zoom in and out. Till move the camera to give you a top down view of the selected
object. It may however be blocked by objects which are above it.
Another way to zoom is to hold the V key while moving the mouse (no buttons pressed). This is a finer move than the scroll and allows a much closer view. But usually the scroll wheel gets the job done.
Practice using these and when you are ready move on.
Next let’s pan the camera. This allows you to move the camera in the normal mouse
directions. Zoom in so you can get a nice view of the inn. Now press and hold the
centre wheel button or the spacebar on the keyboard. Move the mouse and you can move
the camera about the room. By combining these camera moves you can look at any of
the objects in the window.
Practice makes perfect.
However, it might not be the best view. To complete the camera functions we need
to be able to rotate the camera. This is done by combining the Shift Key and a mouse
move. Do not hold down any of the mouse buttons. The camera rotates about the selected
object. If you have selected the Inn block it rotates about the centre of the block.
Practice this. Now select an object in the inn like a table or a stool. Again try
rotating. Practice selecting objects, viewing them in close up and from different
angles. Remember not to press the left or right mouse buttons. When I started I was
so used to drag and drop I kept doing this in camera moves.
Why shouldn’t you do this? Because this is how we move and manipulate objects in
the world.
Holding the left mouse key allows you to drag objects in the x, y plane. (left, right,
front, back). Combining this with the top view , T can be a very useful techniques.
Make sure snap is disabled first, otherwise the object we're about to move will probably
jump further than you'd like (it's the grid button on the toolbar). Click on one
of the small objects like a beer mug. Use zoom, pan and rotate to get the best view
of it. Now move the mug across the table. Select the mug, go to Top View, zoom out
a little. Left click the mug and drag it to a new position on the table.
Believe it or not you have just done your first mod. It is a mod that shifts the
position of a beer mug in Wawnet Inn. Ok it’s a pointless mod, but it is a mod nonetheless
for that.
Let’s move on to a few more useful keys.
Turn your focus one of the tables. It is good practice in using the camera. Now select
an object on the table. Any will do. We can now look at the cell content list on
the right of the cell view window. Scroll down and you should find the object highlighted.
Right click on it brings up a menu. Select delete.You’ll be prompted to choose whether
you wish to delete or not. Select yes. The object disappears. Let’s try to return
it. If you now use the edit menu (or use CTRL + Z) you will findcan’t undo this type
of deletion. It is permanent.
However, select another object and this time use the standard CTRL-
For this reason I tend to use the CTRL-
There is however, an issue with either method.
Go back to the File/Data menu and again select OK. You’ll be asked if you wish to
save your changes. Select no, and wait until the Oblivion file has reloaded. Go back
to the interior cell for Wawnet, and again select an object on the table. Delete
it, using CTRL-
To delete objects you can select it and press delete on your keyboard.
To cut objects simply select it and press CTRL + X.
You can select multiple objects as well. Deselect (D), then using Left Mouse button
held down draw around the objects in the render window.
Alternatively you can use CTRL + left click in the Cell content window.
Here is another useful key. Select a beer bottle (any object will do though) from the tavern. Hold down the S key and drag away from it. The more you drag, the bigger it will get. If you drag inward, it will get smaller! You can have a lot of fun making big beer bottles. This way of making things bigger or smaller is good to know, because it is handy when placing trees. It should work on any object, including NPCs. (This can make the game unstable, and should be used sparingly)
Clear the table of all objects. If you delete the bar, use CTRL + Z to undo it. (Don’t panic when using the CS, Ctrl + Z is a useful undo tool).
We have now removed objects from the Scene.
As a final part of this lesson, let’s add some objects of our own.
When I first started this was the most frustrating of all the activities. Let’s face
it; this is what modding is really about. We want to add stuff that wasn’t there
before. It can be awkward to get this right; hopefully this guide will ease you in.
Let’s go back to the object window. At first this can be a bewildering thing. There
are just so many things. Again gradually you will learn to use the menu and indeed
the names of your favorite objects.
The objects are to a degree sorted by their function (ammo, apparatus, armor, etc).
For example, Armor and Weapons contain exactly what they say. All the armour and
weapons contained in the game. These are further sorted by type. Ebony, Iron etc.
These are objects you can pick up and equip.
Containers contain all the boxes, chests, and crates that can be used to hold things. Magic contains the potions that you can collect.
In this first tutorial we will look at using:
MISC ITEM
We are going to use the MiscItem menu for now, which can be found under the "Items" group. This contains all the no value and low value clutter that you can pick up but not do anything useful with. Plates, Cups, Bowls and so on. Again there is a bewildering list of bits and pieces. Practice will teach you what most of these are. Objects with names that begin with MQ are quest based items and are best avoided.
Concentrate for now on the stuff related to a class (economic). These usually begin
with the prefix LowerClass, MiddleClass, UpperClass, Lower, Middle, or Upper. Let’s
find a lower class plate and drop it on the empty bar (LowerClassPlate01).
You can scroll through and try to find it. Another way is to narrow the search by using the find text option. In the edit menu select find text. A dialog box opens. Type in ‘plate’ and press go.
After a few seconds you can look under the object tab. Look for references that have the MiscItem description. You can click at the top to sort by description.
Here is where the CS has really missed a trick. Ideally you should be able to drag and drop from here but alas that is not possible. Note the name of the object and then find it in the object list.
Anyway, once you have located a plate that you want (any will do). We will set about putting it on the bar.
If you drag this onto the render screen it will appear. You may have to zoom out a bit to see it clearly. There is very little subtlety here. Trying to put this item on the bar using left click and drag, is a leftclicking drag. There is an easier way, thanks to those shortcut keys.
First select the bar and use T to get a top down view. Zoom out a little so the whole bar can be seen.
Now drag and drop the plate into the render window. You should now be able to move the object so it is directly above the bar. But it’s probably sitting in mid air a good few feet above the bar.
We now want to change the height so that it sits on the bar.
We will learn about 4 techniques today. We should practice all 4, even though some
are harder than others, because all will have some use in time.
1. The first is the mouse method. Hold the Z key and click/drag with the left mouse
button to move the object. The coloured box around the object is a useful guide to
when it is in position. If any part of the coloured border sinks into the bar, you
have gone too far. This is a fairly slow technique and uses a lot of camera changes.
Be patient. You will normally use this technique to position objects on vertical
surfaces like walls rather than horizontal surfaces like the bar.
Stick with it. Practice two or three times. One technique I’ve found useful is this.
Drop the desired object into the render window anywhere. Select it and delete it
using CTRL-
2. The second technique uses references from other similar objects, in this case
the plate we have just placed. Double Click on the plate. Remember those x,y,z co-
Once done, select the bar again, get the top view and drop another plate into the
render window and reposition it above the bar. Now double click on this new plate
and type in the z co-
3. Set up another plate above the bar. We are now going to learn one of the most
important keys in the CS. This is the F key. This causes the selected object to fall.
It will fall until it hits another object. It is a great way to add objects on to
tables, floors etc. Take care though. The object will stop when it hits an object.
Check its height later to see nothing stopped it on the way down.
(handy hint, when decorating an empty room try to work from the floor up. Start with
carpets, then furniture that stands on the floor. Then objects which stand on the
furniture. This way the F key can be really powerful).
4. The last technique is to use the CTRL + D function. This makes a duplicate of
an object in exactly the same position. It’s brilliant for stacking and repeat tasking.
Select one of the plates on the bar and then press CTRL + D. The object may change
appearance. This is a side effect of the doubling. Now select and drag one of these
plates across the bar. You will see the new plate appear. Position it so it does
not collide with any other objects. We now have 4 plates on the bar. Practice if
you like dropping other objects using the F key and the CTRL + D to duplicate them.
The final part of this first lesson involves rotating objects. Select an object that
will clearly show the rotation has occurred. A mug with a handle will do. You rotate
using the right hand mouse button (usually referred as Right Mouse Button, RMB).
But here is the thing rotation occurs only in the z axis. This is the most common
type of rotation and is the easiest to perform.
[To rotate in the x axis use X + RMB] {To rotate in the y axis use Z + RMB}
You can also use the right hand rotation boxes in the objects pop up dialog box. This is best if you want precise angles like 90, 180 and 270 etc.
Practice doing this.
Finally a couple of extra bits
Holding X when dragging an object restricts movement to the x axis only. (Very handy
when hanging stuff on a wall).
Holding Y when dragging an object restricts movement to the y axis only. (Very handy
for stocking shelves).
Now all we have to do is save our handy work. Select File/Save. Call it something
useful like Test-
Load the game and if you want to see the damage you did, activate your mod by checking
the box in Data Files in the window that opens when you start Oblivion. Don’t save
your game or you may make your damage permanent.
Congratulations you have now done your first mod. Ok it’s a useless mod that beats
up a very nice bar, but a mod none the less. More importantly you have learned the
techniques needed to navigate around the render screen and to manipulate objects.
To restore the inn to all its former glory, simple deactivate your mod.
KEY CONTROLS SUMMARY
(LMB=left mouse button, RMB=right mouse button)
Camera
CENTRE WHEEL SCROLL – ZOOM
CENTRE WHEEL HOLD – PAN
SHIFT + MOUSE -
C – CENTRE ON SELECTED
T – TOP VIEW SELECTED
Object
D – DE-
LMB – MOVE X, Y
Z + LMB MOVE Z
X + LMB MOVE X ONLY
Y + LMB MOVE Y ONLY
F – FALL
CTRL X – CUT
CTRL C – COPY
CTRL V – PASTE
CTRL D – COPY AND PASTE IN PRESENT POSITION (DOUBLE)
LMB (FROM DESELECTED) SELECT MULTI-
S -
RMB – ROTATE
RMB + Y ROTATE ABOUT Y
RMB + X ROTATE ABOUT X
Misc
A -
