Oblivion Mod:Programs and Utilities

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This page lists commonly used programs and utilities for modding and managing mods for Oblivion. Each entry has a brief description of the program's main functions.

"The Essentials"

These are the most commonly used programs and utilities, created specifically for managing and using mods with Oblivion.

• Better Oblivion Sorting Software (BOSS) — Automatic load ordering tool
• LAA Patch — Allows Oblivion to use more than 1.8GB of RAM. Warning! Recommended only for 64-bit users with more than 3GB of RAM
• Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) — Load ordering, mod installation, archive invalidation
• Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) — Offers extended scripting functionality for Oblivion mods
• Python File Format Interface (PyFFI) — Mesh optimization tool
• TES4Edit — A tool for editing, browsing and comparing plugins' records
• Wrye Bash — The most versatile mod management utility made for Oblivion
• TES4LODGen — Branch off of TES4Edit that let you generate LOD data according to your active mods
• TES4LL — Lets you generate distant landscape LOD and its corresponding normal map and color map according to your mod lists

"The Insiders"

These are applications and utilities made specifically for Oblivion and used by many members of the Oblivion mod community.

• ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated! — Archive Invalidation: BSA-Redirection (for those who do not use OBMM or BAIN)
• The Elder Scrolls Construction Set (TESCS) — Modify, edit, and make plugins; cell rendering; view models and icons
• Face Exchange Lite — Modify your character's face, hair, name, etc. even for an existing save
• Insanity's Oblivion Launcher — Quickly access and launch many essential Oblivion utilities
• Interactive Map of Cyrodiil and Shivering Isles — View all default world map locations, Keep notes of your travels
• Land Magic — Still in the early stages, but resolves land tears created by mod conflicts, useful...
• Oblivion Animation Fixer — Fixes one of the known causes of slow animations, equivalent of Bash's repair abomb
• Oblivion Mod Remover — Uninstall manually installed mods
• Oblivion PyFFI Automator — This tool offers a resume/pause feature and keeps a record of all changes
• Oblivion Save Game Manager — For those users that do not want Wrye Bash but still want advanced save mgmt....
• Oblivion ScreenShot Manager — Tired of those bmps cluttering your Oblivion folder...
• Pluggy — Extension for OBSE
• TES4Files — Mod packaging, BSA creation, Mod uninstallation
• TES4Gecko — Plugin merging, Plugins comparison, Plugin splitting, Masters list editing
• TES4LODGen — LOD Generator: generates LODs based on the game's current load order
• TESsnip — Low-level plugin editor
• Oblivion Cell Grid Map — Block, subblock, and cell coordinates. Use TES4Edit to track down the cells.

"The Outsiders"

These are applications that are commonly used for various purposes related to PC games, from providing compatible codecs to free modelling tools.

• Blender — 3D Modeling, animation
• Driver Cleaner — Really cleans up those old drivers
• Game Booster — Facilitates toggling certain, specified background processes
• GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) — Highly complex, free photo editor
• K-Lite Codec Pack — An Oblivion-friendly codec pack, has lots of variety, and can fix FFDShow...
• SetFileDate 2.0 — A file redater utility
• Notepad++ — A free, extremely useful text editor, with syntax highlighting
• NifSkope — Modeling
• Python File Format Interface (PyFFI) — Binary level file editor (primary Oblivion use: optimize meshes)
• Paint.NET — A very good free image editor that can be used to edit DDS files
• Screenshoter — A free screenshot application that supports BMP, JPG, and PNG formats

External Links

• Blender 3D: Noob to Pro — Wikibooks
• BlenderWiki
• GIMP DDS Plugin — Google Code
• GIMP Normal Map Plugin — Google Code
• Mental Elf's Website — Home of TES4Files and a few other utilities and mods
• UESP Interactive Oblivion Map — A detailed, online map of Oblivion's worldspaces: Cyrodiil and the Shivering Isles