Tutorial - change how your companion smile

[alako]

I made a custom Vilja face but I really hate how she have a big V-shape smile every time I talk to her. So I found a way to change her default smile.

Oblivion use 4 level of smile depending on the NPC mood, they are DispHappy4, DispHappy3, DispHappy2, and DispHappy1. 4 will cause a big V smile on NPC's face, 1 should be no smile. The basic idea here is to edit the tri file which contains the emotion animation of the NPC's race and replace DispHappy4 and DispHappy3 animation with DispHappy2.

First you need a 16bit editor. I use UltraEdit Text Editor here (you can get a free trail from their website).

1) Find the head tri file. This is typically located in the race head meshes folder. For example, my vijia use moonshadow elf, so the tri file needed is located in C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data\meshes\characters\Moonshadow Elves\Head\MoonshadowHead.tri

2) Right click on the edit screen and select Hex Edit.

Your edit screen should turn into some kind of alien language.

3) Right click again, and select Replace.

4) Replace DispHappy4 and DispHappy3 with DispHappy2.

5) Save the file, and you are done!!!

This should also work with their angry emotion as well. Simply replace DispAnger4 and DispAnger3 with DispAnger2 (maybe it's DispAngry, I am not quite sure).

This should work with all races.

[roy12]

I wonder if this works with the FFRace headmesh.

I'll try it with either Notepad++ or Xvi32, thanks.

[alako]

I tried this on Chocolate elf and Moonshadow elf, they both works. So I guess it work for all races.