SKSE overlay for actor info and appearance templates
๐ Installation | ๐จ Configuration | ๐๏ธ Building | ๐ค Contributing
An SKSE plugin that renders floating nameplates above NPCs and creatures, displaying names, levels, and custom titles. Features a tier system that assigns unique visual styles based on level, from simple gradients to shimmering rainbows and particle auras. Every aspect is customizable: fonts, colors, effects, distance fading, and more.
Important
Skyrim SE 1.5.97 - AE support is available but untested.
- Built and tested against Nolvus Awakening 6.0.20. The deploy script assumes
D:\Nolvus\Instance\MODS\overwrite, editDEPLOY_PATHindeploy.batto match your setup. - If you experience frame drops, type
glyphin the console to toggle the overlay off.
/* ============================================================================================== *
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* ######## ########## ### ### ### ### โ โ โ โ โขฟโฃฟโฃฟโ โฃธโฃฟโฃฟโฃฟโ โ โ โฃฟโฃฟโฃฟโ โ
* โ โ โ โ โ โฃฟโ โขฐโฃฟโฃฟโฃฟโกโ โ โ โ โขปโกโ โ
* โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โขฟโฃฟโฃฟโฃฟโฃถโกถโ โ โ โ โ โ
* << S K Y R I M P L U G I N >> โ โ โ โ ปโฃฟโกฟโ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ
*
* ============================================================================================== */
---
config:
look: handDrawn
theme: mc
themeVariables:
fontSize: 18px
layout: elk
---
graph LR
classDef gradient fill:#1e3a5f,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#e2e8f0
classDef vertical fill:#1a3350,stroke:#60a5fa,color:#e2e8f0
classDef diagonal fill:#172e48,stroke:#93c5fd,color:#e2e8f0
classDef radial fill:#14283f,stroke:#38bdf8,color:#e2e8f0
classDef shimmer fill:#3b1f7e,stroke:#a78bfa,color:#e2e8f0
classDef chromatic fill:#2e1a6e,stroke:#c084fc,color:#e2e8f0
classDef pulse fill:#4c1d95,stroke:#e879f9,color:#e2e8f0
classDef rainbow fill:#064e3b,stroke:#34d399,color:#e2e8f0
classDef conic fill:#065f46,stroke:#6ee7b7,color:#e2e8f0
classDef fire fill:#7c2d12,stroke:#f97316,color:#fef3c7
classDef sparkle fill:#713f12,stroke:#facc15,color:#fef9c3
subgraph Basic["๐จ Basic Effects"]
G["๐จ Gradient"]:::gradient
VG["โ๏ธ Vertical"]:::vertical
DG["โ๏ธ Diagonal"]:::diagonal
RG["๐ Radial"]:::radial
end
subgraph Advanced["๐ Advanced Effects"]
S["๐ Shimmer"]:::shimmer
CS["๐ฎ Chromatic Shimmer"]:::chromatic
P["๐ Pulse"]:::pulse
end
subgraph Special["๐ฅ Special Effects"]
RW["๐ Rainbow Wave"]:::rainbow
CR["๐ Conic Rainbow"]:::conic
F["๐ฅ Fire"]:::fire
SP["โจ Sparkle"]:::sparkle
end
- Gradients - Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and radial color blending
- Shimmer - Moving highlight bands with chromatic aberration option
- Rainbow - Animated wave and conic rainbow patterns
- Fire/Sparkle - Dynamic elemental effects for legendary tiers
Customizable tiers with unique visual styles per level range:
| Tier | Default Title | Style |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | ๐ฟ Lost Wanderer | Simple gradient |
| 4-8 | โ๏ธ Apprentice | Progressive effects |
| 8-12 | ๐ก๏ธ Radiant | Ornaments + particles |
| 12+ | ๐ Legend | Full rainbow + all effects |
- ๐ซ๏ธ Distance-based fading - Smooth alpha and scale transitions
- ๐งฑ Occlusion culling - Names hidden behind walls
- ๐ Glow effects - Soft bloom for readability
- โจ๏ธ Typewriter reveal - Characters appear one-by-one
- ๐ฟ Side ornaments - Ornate scrollwork for high tiers
- โจ Particle auras - Stars, sparks, wisps, runes, orbs
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Language | C++23 |
| Graphics | D3D11 |
| Overlay | ImGui |
| Font Rendering | FreeType 2 |
| Assembly | xbyak |
| Framework | CommonLibSSE-NG |
| Logging | spdlog |
Pack the build output into the SKSE folder structure and install with your mod manager:
Data/
+-- SKSE/
+-- Plugins/
|-- glyph.dll
|-- glyph.ini
+-- glyph/
+-- (assets)
Mod Organizer 2: Install from archive and enable.
Vortex: Drag and drop the archive, deploy mods.
Edit Data/SKSE/Plugins/glyph.ini โ press F7 in-game to hot reload.
---
config:
look: handDrawn
theme: mc
themeVariables:
fontSize: 18px
layout: elk
---
graph LR
classDef display fill:#1e3a5f,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#e2e8f0
classDef distance fill:#1a3350,stroke:#60a5fa,color:#e2e8f0
classDef effects fill:#3b1f7e,stroke:#a78bfa,color:#e2e8f0
classDef particles fill:#2e1a6e,stroke:#c084fc,color:#e2e8f0
classDef tiers fill:#064e3b,stroke:#34d399,color:#e2e8f0
classDef template fill:#7c2d12,stroke:#f97316,color:#fef3c7
subgraph Display["๐ Display"]
FMT["๐ Format"]:::display
FONT["๐ค Fonts"]:::display
VERT["๐ VerticalOffset"]:::display
end
subgraph Distance["๐ Distance & Fade"]
FADE["๐ซ๏ธ FadeStart/End"]:::distance
SCALE["๐ ScaleStart/End"]:::distance
SCAN["๐ก MaxScanDistance"]:::distance
end
subgraph Effects["โจ Visual Effects"]
GLOW["๐ Glow"]:::effects
TYPE["โจ๏ธ Typewriter"]:::effects
ORNA["๐ฟ Ornaments"]:::effects
end
subgraph Particles["๐ซ Particle Aura"]
STAR["โญ Stars"]:::particles
SPARK["๐ฅ Sparks"]:::particles
WISP["๐ป Wisps"]:::particles
RUNE["๐ฎ Runes"]:::particles
ORB["๐ต Orbs"]:::particles
end
subgraph Tiers["๐
Tier Definitions"]
TIER["๐จ Colors & Effects"]:::tiers
LEVEL["๐ Level Ranges"]:::tiers
end
subgraph Template["๐ค Appearance"]
NPC["๐ง TemplateFormID"]:::template
PLUGIN["๐ฆ TemplatePlugin"]:::template
end
- CMake 3.10+
- C++23 compatible compiler (MSVC 2022+)
- vcpkg
- Skyrim SE 1.5.97
- SKSE64
- Address Library for SKSE Plugins
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/lextpf/glyph.git
cd glyph
# 2. Build
.\build.bat
# 3. Deploy to Skyrim (adjust path in deploy.bat)
.\deploy.batOutput: build/Release/glyph.dll
---
config:
look: handDrawn
theme: mc
themeVariables:
fontSize: 18px
layout: elk
---
graph TB
classDef core fill:#1e3a5f,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#e2e8f0
classDef hook fill:#2e1f5e,stroke:#8b5cf6,color:#e2e8f0
classDef render fill:#134e3a,stroke:#10b981,color:#e2e8f0
Main["๐ main.cpp"]:::core
Settings["โ๏ธ Settings"]:::core
Hooks["๐ช Hooks"]:::hook
Renderer["๐จ Renderer"]:::render
Effects["โจ TextEffects"]:::render
Main --> Settings
Main --> Hooks
Hooks --> Renderer
Renderer --> Effects
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
main.cpp |
Plugin initialization, SKSE interface |
Hooks.cpp |
D3D11 and HUD menu hooks |
Renderer.cpp |
World-to-screen projection, tracking |
Settings.cpp |
INI parsing and configuration |
TextEffects.cpp |
Visual effect implementations |
glyph/
|-- src/ # Source code
| |-- main.cpp # Entry point, SKSE interface
| |-- Hooks.cpp/h # D3D11 present and HUD menu hooks
| |-- Renderer.cpp/h # World-to-screen projection
| |-- TextEffects.cpp/h # Visual effect implementations
| |-- Settings.cpp/h # ini parsing and configuration
| |-- Occlusion.cpp/h # Raycast visibility checks
| |-- ParticleTextures.cpp/h # Particle sprite atlas generation
| |-- AppearanceTemplate.cpp/h # NPC appearance copying
| |-- DebugOverlay.cpp/h # Debug HUD
| |-- RenderConstants.h # Shared rendering constants
| |-- PCH.h
| +-- Version.h
|-- skse/plugins/ # Runtime assets
| |-- glyph.ini # Default config
| +-- glyph/
| |-- fonts/ # Custom fonts
| +-- particles/ # Particle sprites
|-- external/ # Third-party sources
|-- CMakeLists.txt # Build configuration
|-- CMakePresets.json # CMake presets
+-- vcpkg.json # Dependencies
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Names don't appear | Check SKSE is loaded (getskseversion in console) |
| No names in combat | Intended behavior - overlay disabled during combat |
| Performance issues | Reduce MaxScanDistance, disable complex effects |
| Fonts not loading | Verify paths in INI, ensure TTF format |
Check Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/SKSE/glyph.log for errors.
Contributions are welcome! Please read the Contributing Guidelines before submitting pull requests.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Make your changes
Run tests andensure the build passes- Commit with descriptive messages
- Push to your fork and open a Pull Request
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.