.Nif Texture Question

Okay guys, I am sorry if this has already been posted, but I have been searching for about three days and haven't been able to locate an answer.

I am planning on purchasing a 3-d printer for cosplay, and have been playing around with .nif files from Skyrim. My question is, once you convert the .nif mesh to .obj, are you only able to print the mesh .obj files? As in, are MTL texture files 2d without a 3d substance to them, making them unprintable? I've figured out how to open the .nif files in nifskope and apply the correct textures to them, but when I export and open in 123D it's a very rough model with tons of polygonal edges. Am I doing something wrong, here? I am guessing the texture files do not actually add a physical texture to the mesh, only color, or am I wrong and doing ten thousand different noob mistakes?

Also, if my assumption is correct, how would I go about actually adding the MTL texture so it will convert over and physically print as literal texture? I am not opposed to learning or hours of research, I just don't want to drop a fortune on a printer and then find out I didn't know what I was doing and end up having it sit in storage for months while I learn ins and outs.

Hi,
The texture is in essence a 2D image mapped onto the coordinates of the 3D mesh.
First realize that to 3D print texture you need a very advanced 3D printer. These work with .obj or vrml files, meshlab can do the proper file conversions.
If you are planning to only print the occassional object, I recommend getting a consumer-level printer and hand painting and finishing with XTC3D.
Which printer are you planning to buy?

Thank you for the reply!

This is what I kinda feared. I kept telling myself it wouldn't be as simple as pulling the .nif files, repairing the holes, and hitting print. I don't actually need a printer to do "texture" in the correct sense, that's just painting which I plan on doing with an airbrush. However, the meshes from the game look nothing like the actual armor piece and are missing so much detail.

I was planning on a Robo R1+ refurb for my first, but I think I will hold off on it until I learn how to 3-d model the perfect cosplay pieces I want first. By the way, how much would it be to commission someone to 3-d model what I am asking if I can provide the .obj files?​Thanks again for the reply!

The Robo R1 is a good printer! And it looks quite professional, good enough to put it in the living room.
There are tools you can use to smoothen out your models and do the mesh repairs.
With proper finishing even low-poly models can look good for cosplay. Also consider using polyester filler to smoothen the printed parts further. This gets very hard and adds weight to the item. You can further add details with jigs, dies and stamps into the filler.
For a detailed 3D model for a cosplay artefact commissioned to an artist you have to think in the range of $250-500.
Thanks

Thanks again!

Yeah, I've done a lot of research and the robo looks like one of the best, out-of-the-box, plug and prints out there. I've seen the mods you can do to it and I'm positive I can do them.

I'm pretty familiar with adding details, as I've been building the Daedric set of armor using pepakura and Bondo. I was hoping I could save a massive amount of bondoing /Sanding time by ripping the nif files for print, however the skyrim nif meshes are exactly the same as the pepakura files, so I wouldn't really be saving myself very much work.

I'll have to figure out how to model the meshes in that case, which will probably take me a couple months. That price range actually sounds reasonable considering my learning curve (I had no idea what obj, nif, or mtl files were until four days ago). Could you point me to a site where I can request a commission from a reputable source?

Thanks again, by the way :D

thanks you for share!