Is there any way of telling wich side (north or south) the problem is at ? You know, when placing an object there's always one (or more) green (or red if not placable) square on the floor with a triangle pointing in one direction... Does this triangle help to keep north and south apart ? Or should I just try at random luck ?

I think there is, but I can't remember which way is which. But which mesh editor you're using? In Milkshape, at least, you should easily be able to see which way the faces are facing.

It won't work ! I've retried the entire cloning precedure starting from the "Artefact by Ergo" window and decreasing it's height to 1/3 of the original (I know it's exactly 1/3 because I used AutoCAD to resize the mesh). I've been very careful with the directions of the meshes, but still I get the same result as before : one side shows glass, the other doesn't. However, comparing my window with the original one, it seems mine is like a double layer of glass... which probably means both glass meshes are facing the same way. But I can't turn one of them around, though I tried ! Another difference is the missing shadow around the window, on both sides of the wall. Maybe these meshes are facing the wrong direction too. Would you mind taking a look at my package ?

In answer to your question : I'm using both Anim8or and AutoCAD to create/change meshes. Anim8or because it's fairy sipmle to use (with .obj files) and AutoCAD because it allows me to work very precise (using .3ds files).

Yes, one of the glass meshes was facing the wrong way. I fixed that and now it should be working OK. I don't know how to do it in Anim8or, but it's a very useful thing to know how to do when you deal with meshes, to invert the faces or do something else that has a similar effect.

As for the shadow, it appears to be invisible. I'm not quite sure why that is happening.

I noticed that your window is using the same textures as the original Maxis window. In that case, you could make the file size smaller by deleting the unused texture images, material definitions and material overrides from your package, and only leaving the ones for the shadows and wallmasks. I deleted the diagonal wallmasks from your package, by the way, since the diagonal ones are not used by the straight version and are unnecessarily included in the package.

Thanks a million ! I'll check it out as soon as I can. (Can't play at work, right.)

Too bad the shadows don't work, but that's the way it will be then...

The fact that my window is using the same textures as the original was originally not my intension : it just happened to be that way. Probably because I cloned a window that was already using textures from another Maxis-original.

Like I said, before : Thanks a million ! It works just fine.
Yesterday I made another window-clone, and it all worked out just fine at the first try. I really don't get what went wrong with my Flat Artefact window.

I have yet another question, but I don't know where to post it. I would like to know if it is possible to create (with SimPE) another 'half-wall' object ? I would like to create a 'quarter-wall' (half the height of the half-wall) that is able - like all other walls - to be textured with the normal wall textures. Can it be done ?

Sorry, but I don't think I know the answer to your last question. I don't know if it's possible to create an actual 1/4, but there are always ways around it, like creating windows that make the wall look as if it's a 1/4 wall, and so on.

Awesome tutorial It was really easy to follow!
Here's a pic of my window. :bandit: I need to adjust the wall mask on the diagonal one now...

Cool, congratulations!

Hi All,

I would like some help...PLEASE...sob,sob...

I have two windows that have 'issues'. The first is Numenor's extracted CAS Loft window, which looks great and we like, but doesn't allow light to flood into the room. The second is the High Tech Loft which I resized to look like the CAS Loft in hopes of fixing the light issue. It looks perfect in SimPE's preview pain and in Milkshape, but it acts like there is no wallmask. To add to this dilemna, the frame is black on one side and gray on the other. I have no idea on this last part, as last night it was black on both sides. You can see the transparent image of the whole window until it is placed on the wall, then it becomes just a frame. Also last night it was flooding light properly from just the frame. Then my medication kicked in and I had to go night-night.

IgnorantBliss said I could post these here (?) and see what you all thought. Be kind this was my first window meshing extravaganza. I thought I would get my toe wet in working with cloned window meshes, but I fell in and now I am drowning in puzzlement. I need a remedial course in windows 101.

Anyway, attached are the two window files - See what you think.

Thank you so very much to All here,

HeartDeco

I don't think I can help with the extracted CAS window, but I took a look at the other one.

The reason the frame looks different on each side is because you have the glass mesh in the shape of the frame on one side. So, one side has two frame meshes, of which one has the material definition of the glass, and there is no flat glass on that side. You can easily fix that by deleting the wrong glass mesh and importing the correct one.

As for the wallmask issue, I'm not sure. I assume you deleted the 4 other wallmask textures that were in the package, the ones called CAS and diagonal? Maybe try leaving in the CAS ones and see if that fixes it. If that still doesn't help, try cloning some other 2-tile window, like the Independent Expressions, Inc., "Showcase" Shop Window, import your meshes and textures into that one, and see how that works.

That's is what I am doing now. Yes, I caught the glass frame problem, it also happened with the CAS loft window. I was able to fix the second one and now I have a third, full size Loft as well. The loft windows are very quirky for some reason only Maxis knows, I am sure, but I am determined to conquer them.

Thank you so much, I will let you know.

HeartDeco

Hi!

I need some help with making windows.

Everything seems perfect until I place my window in the game and then the whole wall appears to be pink. I gather there is a problem with the wallmask but after trying everything I could think of still no luck! I need help - in the preview in SimPE everything is perfect - it's as soon as I try to place the window on a wall. What am I overlooking? I tried to follow your tutorial but I use Blender instead of Milshape so got a bit lost.

Pink walls? You're right, there are most chances that there is a problem with the Wallmasks (which are not shown in the SimPE preview: there's why the preview is perfect).
Compare the names of the textures with the references contained in the TXMTs (in both the Péroperties and in the File List tabs): the references must be identical to the texture name, without the _txtr extension en with the ##0x1C050000! prefix.
Also, double check if the first part of the TXMT names (the part before the first underscore) is identical to the CRES name.

How do you get the shadow invisible on the diagonal?

Invisible? You mean you don't want any shadow at all? Then you can just delete all the shadow related files from the diagonal package (the mesh, texture, material definition, Shape reference)

Thats what I finally ended up doing thanks. Because I had left the shadow in the straight but blacked it out, yet the diagonal was still picking up the original shadow - I presume from the maxis window, as there isnt anything in the diagonal package for the shadow other than the shape ref and the gmdc part, nor was there a txtr image. My problem was that the shadows were twice as dark on my windows as on the maxis windows and I couldnt figure out why so I just decided to get rid of them all together, I am having enough problems as it is lol.

btw could you take a look at my window package in Object repair and tell me specifically what is wrong with it? I cant figure it out and dont see any difference between what Numenor fixed for me and mine that I rebuilt. Please please please, I would really like to learn how to do this, thanks.

I already did take a look at it and made a post about it there .

yes and you ROCK!

Too-black shadows always happen to me as well. I solve it by re-importing the shadow texture as the alpha and then they look right...

I will try that thanks! Currently I reduced the size of the shadow and that helped a little because now its barely poking out from behind the frame, which really doesnt solve the issue.

ignorant bliss i just got this crazy idea while working on my new seemless double hung window ..Is there a way to animate a window say a double hung so that you can open it and shut it ???? My bottom pane on the double hung was off target slightly and it looks really cool opened up and if there is a way to animate it so that you can open or close it i really would love to know how to do it any help would be appreciated...

I don't know of an actual animation, but, back in the day, Inge modified one of my window meshes so that it appeared to open and closed. What she did was combine two meshes, an open and closed one, into the same package, and made it so that only one mesh was visible at a time. The meshes switched at a certain time each day. I don't know how she did it, but it had something to do with BHAVs, which I'm not very familiar with. The windows can be found at Pixel Sims (link in sig).

ok , im not that into this stuff yet to start messing with Bhav's so i think what i will do is make two seperate windows one closed and one open this way if you want to place an open window next to a closed window you can or have any combination of the two ...This is prob the easiest way as once i get the original closed one done all i have to do is edit the 2 pane meshes in the second window.. Thanks for everything !

Okay. I have been trying this tutorial(very nicely done and really much appreciated :-D)however, I cannot seem to get it right. I'm having the same problem with it saying that "Cannot Be Placed On Diagonal Wall" but I've checked my GUIDs because I know that's been the number one problem with that issue around here but they seem to be right to me. I've attached my files and if someone could give them the once over and let me know what's wrong then I would really appreciate it!