Numenor, you say "leave all the cloning option to their default state" in Object Workshop... Not to sound stupid, but what are the default states? I think, since version 0,58 of SimPE there has been a "set default" option that I have used, now I have no idea what they were in the begining before I changed everything to my liking >_<

Look at the screen for the default options.

molto grazie, MaryLou; now I will finally be able to make counters (yay!)

BBB, thanks for asking, and MaryLou, thanks for answering
When I first wrote this tutorial, SimPE *did* have an automatic default state for the cloning options; now SimPE remembers the last settings, and the default options can only be set by hand, by clicking the "Set Default" link in the Cloning window.

Now I've edited the tutorial to include a screenshot and more accurate info.

Okay 2 questions:

1. Ive been at this for almost 9hrs now, it just WONT WORK!!
How exactly do I change the mesh of the counter finish and not the top, without changing the UV map and still get a diffrent color on the top?

If I do a new counter finish with the top there, but never touching it or moving it, it still wont look like the original UV map. The counter top pieces ends up at the bottom instead of the top in the UV map. And if I choose to only export the counter finish from SimPE and not the top, the tops texture is all messed up.
And if I dont even open UV Mapper and just change the texture, it will look right exept from the pattern on the originals counter finish showing thru my texture.
Gaah!! Please help.

2. If/when I get this working, can I use my finnished counters on my site for selling?

And last but not least Thank you very much for these, I dont even want to think about how hard it would be if I had to clone the Maxis Counters all by myself! LOL

This is a great tutorial!! Thank you!

But I have a question / problem.

Everything is fine until step 5. The Scenegraph Renaming Wizard never pops up. Do I need to download something else? Or am I just missing something in the directions?

Thank you for your help!!

Double check that the cloning options are exactly like the ones shown in step 3; don't rely on the "set default" link, check them by yourself. In particular, if the first (set custom group id) or the second (fix cloned files) are NOT checked, then the Scenegraph Rename wizard may not show up.

If the cloning options are exactly as shown, and still the wizard doesn't open up, you can force it open using the Fix Integrity function.

I'm sure this is something I should already know, but I just can't work it out. The shadows on my counters are white.

I'm talking about the shadows on the handles which are in the tslocator GMDC. Once I've edited them so they fit my new counterfinish, UV mapped them and reimported them with the joints in place and all they turn up white instead of black. Why? I can't find a texture map or a material definition for them anywhere in the package.

What am I missing or doing wrong? Please.

Tiara07, I know this is a little late, but in case you or any one else is still looking here's how I managed to keep the countertop UV map in place:

Export the original mesh (both countertop and counterfinish) and import it into your 3D editor. Edit the countertop the way you want it (leaving the flat area intact like Numenor mentioned), but don't touch the counterfinish. When finished export it and give it a name like 'CountertopEdited', so you know what it is. Import it into SimPE and replace the original countertop.

Now draw up your new counterfinish. You can use the original mesh as a base, just make sure to delete the countertop part before exporting and UV mapping. Give it a name like 'NewCounterfinish' when you export it from your 3D editor. When you UV map it make sure it only takes up room on the bottom half of the map and on the sides of the top half of the map (i.e. around the countertop). Then import it into SimPE only replacing the counterfinish.

In short: Import the countertop and the counterfinish separately, making sure that the countertop is inherently the same as the original countertop, whereas the counterfinish can be a completely new one. That should do it.

Those damn shadows! Yes, I know well the problem you describe; unfortunately, I don't know a solution for it...
Every time I tried and edit the mesh of a shadow, it turned white... In the end, I usually decided to get rid of the shadow at all (for example, by painting the handle shadow directly over the counter texture).

I know that MaryLou has spent countless hours battling with the white shadows when we were creating the CounterCulture/Groovy/Colonial kitchen sets (lol! I used to call her "Mistress of the Shadows" ); perhaps she has some good advice to give us... -

That's okay, Numenor. I'll work it out with the textures instead like you suggest. And it reassures me that you've had the same problem. If even you can't work it out then I don't have to be embarrassed about it either.

Thanks for taking your time to answer. (And for making those templates in the first place. They are simply lifesavers )

LOL
The shodws: these terrible unknowns

This can be a easy solution when the shadows are in the same GMDC, but is not always the best solution because often the shadows are in a own separate GDMC, and is not easy to delete them at all, without get the game crashing.... they are managed by the files cres....

About the counters the easy way should be don't touch them in anyway, but this is more limited when we make a new shape for the counters and they need also custom shadows. Shadows on the counterfinish and the coutertop, shadows on the walls (right, left, behind) and on the ground (floor)
We have to edit the shadows and make their autonomous txmt and texture.

When we clone a counter the shadows borrow the orginal TXMT, as you can see inside the shape, that often is not include a texture for the shadows, also if you use these template the shadows use the original TXMT that do NOT include a texture.
We have to add them: texture and txmt.
This is not a simple addition to make, and I can suggest to Numenor to update their templates to include its own txmt and texture, so none will have this problem in the future, or if he prefers, to add these my files as attachment with the relative instructions.

In the meantime I try to explain how, to make easy the work I have provided the two files that are required.
- Download the files attached
- Import them inside your package: right click on the space bar "Name" (in the Resource List) -> Add (look at the screen)

- Edit the TXMT:
1) you have to change its name, is most important because each TXMT must have its unique instance to prevent conflicts.
Change the name in the "Filename" for the TXMT and also in the Tab "Content" -> Description ; click Fix TGI and then Commit and Save
(look at the screen)
2) you have to change the name of the texture: in the Tab "Properties" edit the string "stdMatBaseTextureName" change its value with your new texture name, commit and save ( the name must be the same, of course, you'll give to your new shadows texture)
Then go to the Tab "File List" and change the name in the Filename with yours texture, commit and save (Look at the screen)

- Edit the texture: change the name in the "Filename", click Fix TGI and then Commit and save again look at the screen.
Now export the texture, you have to edit it for your shape, and "Import": DON'T use the DDSutilites, instead use "right click on the texture" ->and than "Update all Sizes" and Commit and save again.

- Edit all the Shape files that should use this your custom txmt: in the tab "Parts" change the "Material Definition File" for the subset of the shadow that use the custom material. Commit and save.


(EDIT - attachment removed: now included in the templates downloadable from the first post)

09 FEB 2008: UPDATE. The templates now include the modifications suggested and the files provided by MaryLou in Post #61: the cloned counters will have working shadows!

Thanks a million to our Mistress of the Shadows

Hi, thank you for the great templates
But I seem to having some problems,
the sink bowl seems to disappear into the countertop
and when ever you put applicanaces under the counter, it has a strange line going up the side of the counter top
I don't recal ever editing the counter top but I can't work out what else could cause the issue, I have a bad feeling I must have and now I have ruined it!
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/...blemkitchen.jpg

As for the sink hole, you probably have edited the mesh of the countertop, or remapped it. You must not change anything in the countertop: I suggest that you extract the original countertop from the template and import it again in your new counter (in the nodrawer gmdc), replacing the faulty one.

Regarding the line in the top when you place an appliance, the suggestion is the same: I think that the countertop in the mesh counteronly has been modified. Replace it reimporting the originl from the template.

thanks Numenor,
I am pretty sure I did not edit the mesh, so it must be the UVMap,
I will let you know how I go with this, Thanks Heaps

I want to download a kitchen and for it works in my game, I need the (your) Numenor's Clone Templates for kitchen counter. I download it but the kitchen's objects still blue. Can you help me please? ( the kitchen is here : http://modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=278085)

Thank you!

there is a misunderstanding: if you just want to use that kitchen set by Bubbybooz, you DON'T NEED to download these templates. The templates have just been used by Buggybooz for creating his counters, and for this reason he credited me; but you don't need it (remove the templates from your downloads folder!).

If some or all the items included in Buggybooz' set flash blue, be sure to have the file "BB_KitchenBasic_Counter.package" in your downloads folder: it's required for the entire set to work properly. If this suggestion doesn't solve your problem, you have to ask directly to Buggybooz for assistance.

Thank you Numenor!

Hi Numenor. Thanks for this tutorial, I just started making my first counter set, finally took the courage to do it, but I'm having a glare problem when I see my objects in game. The counters have a glare inside and outside a house, could you point me to the right direction on how to fix this?
Thanks, I'm attaching an image so you can see what I'm talking about.
Any help is welcome. thank you.

One word: smoothing

Milkshape is reknown for its ability to mess up the smoothing (a.k.a. the normals), rearranging them in a very personal way. I usually try fixing the smoothing with UVmapper Pro, as last step before reimporting in Milkshape. But UVmapper Pro only works in OBJ format, thus losing all the joint assignments, and you can't use it with animated meshes.
I have two suggestions:

1) *IF* you have UVmapper pro, and *IF* those big drawers are not going to actually open, then you could export (as OBJ) the counterfinish only from Milkshape, import it in UVmapper, apply the correct smoothing, and lastly import the counterfinish in the GMDC using the "update" option from the drop-down importing menu.

2) If, on the other hand, those counterfinish meshes are animated, or you don't have UVmapper, then you can use the Milkshape menu "Vertex -> Unweld"; this will force Milkshape (and the game) consider each face as a separate face, thus solving the smoothing problem; the flat surfaces will look fine, BUT the round parts will not be smoothed any more (in this case, the handles may look less rounded on a very close inspect, though I think it will be mostly unnoticeable).

Probably there are other solutions, but I'm not a great mesher, and use Milkshape the least I can -

Thanks for the info Numenor
I use 3ds Max to make my meshes, so I will check my smoothing options and try it again.
I will let you know the result.
Thanks a lot!

I am attempting to build a specific cottage cabin plan that has some really cool counters in it. I have the mesh completed but am not sure, after reading your tutorial through if it will work. A render of the two counters side by side is attached.

What I did was extract the epicurious cabinet mesh, remove the back peice from the counter top, duplicate each of the peices of the mesh to create the back section. The back section will need no animations but it does cut through part of the counter top. I would prefer to have both counter top peices - the main and the extra on the back side use the same texture as well as the counter finishes using the same texture. There will be a left and a right counter that would be used only as such. I would prefer to set it up so that both left and right revert to the epicurious counter corner - if placed in a corner. I am very curious too, if what I have done will screw with the sink placing abilities. Any thoughts?


Latest news:

I got the texture worked out and the sink placement working properly, but I did not use the meshtool so the cabinet doors and drawers do not open. Is there a way to fix this without losing my current meshing?

I seem to have a problem with my counter the corner cabinet didn't show up, the templete did. As you can see from the picture it really looks funky. I tried to do exectly as the tutorial said but I must have missed something.
I did not ajust the countertop but it still looks wrong
Oh yes thank you for the tutorial, I'm sure I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong. (maybe)

http://upload.modthesims2.com/newattachment.php

I see that the corner is NOT the only problematic piece. The one with sink is wrong, too; and in the picture I can't see the "drawers" counter (if it exists). I tried downloading the package from the link you've posted, but it doesn't work; will you please attach it to your post, instead of posting a link?

As you can see all is working now execpt the sink. And this I don't know what the problem is since it had been working before. Any help will be appriceated. Thank you.
I wasn't sure of which files to send so I sent the milkshape one also.