Quote: Originally posted by wilhelmina
Great tutorial!!! Congrats!!! But... I have a tiny newbie problem... how do I put the skin into the package again or... how do I change it so it isn't an .obj file anymore? Because I can't seem to get it... sorry, but I'm kind of a graphics dummy. :P
|
Ok, you need to check out BriAnna's tutorial for creating meshes using
SimPE - you create a savedsim e.g. adult female undies, open up the saved sim package in simpe, get it's name and extract the relevent files from The Sims and cretae your own mesh, then link that new mesh to your savedsim, extract the wavefont.obj from
SimPE - import that into Milkshape for altering, export it back out as another wavefront.obj, then use MTS2 MESH TOOL to convert that .obj file into a
SimPE file to be brought back into your mesh. Please read BriAnna's tutorial, that's how I worked it out - just follow the steps
OK, I've found my copy of it - just follow it step by step; hope BriAnna doesn't mind me re-printing it here for you ... without her none of this would be possible!
New Clothing Mesh Tutorial by WDS BriAnna
This tutorial will help you alter a clothing mesh. The resulting mesh will be a stand-alone file that doesn't overwrite existing meshes and is expansion pack compliant. This has a lot more steps than making an object mesh.
You can only alter existing meshes, and you can not add parts (hats, purses, etc.) to the mesh.
You will need the following:
A.
SimPE 0.15 or later:
http://sims.ambertation.de/
B. Delphy and Miche's Sims 2 Mesh tool:
http://meshtool.modthesims2.com/
C. Delphy's
SimPE OBJ Extracter:
http://forums.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=32166
(To get the obj extractor to show up in simpe:
C1. Open
SimPE C2. In the menu, go to plugins/installed plugins
C3. Select GMDC wrapper and click on it.
C4. Move it up, so it sits directly above the one called Generic Rcol Wrapper
C5. The box should have a check in it.
D. A 3D Program that can read and write obj files. (We'll be using Milkshape for the tutorial).
E. Basic knowledge of
SimPE and Bodyshop. If you don't have this knowledge, make a skin or two with bodyshop and recolor an object or two with
SimPE first. There are tutorials everywhere.)
F. Basic knowledge of the 3d program you picked. I can't teach you how to use every one, but every 3d program has tutorials on the web.
We will remove the hanging back decoration from the full skirt formal dress for this example.
Part I - Creating a temporary texture for testingC.
1. Open bodyshop and choose the item you want to alter. It should be similar somewhat to what you would like to end up with (a skirt for a skirt, pants for pants etc.). For this tutorial we're fixing the full skirt formal with the back piece, so we'll pick that. Export it and name it anything you'd like. We won't be keeping it for the final item, so I'll call it MeshTutorialTemp. Import it to your game (tooltip and category don't matter right now). Close bodyshop.
Part II - Finding the mesh parts.
2. Open SimPe.
3. Open the package file you created in bodyshop. (It will be in my documents/ea games/the sims 2/saved sims and it will be named with a hash number at the beginning, an underscore, and then the name you gave it part 1. For example, 7f835c0e_MeshTutorialTemp.package.)
4. Click on property set in the "Packed Files" window. Then click on the plugin view tab in the middle of the screen. Write down or remember the name from the name (dtString) line. In our case, it's afbodydresslongloose_grayline. We only need the "afbodydresslongloose" part so ignore the "_gray". We're done with this file for a while. We'll get back to it later.
5. Make a new folder to keep your project files in.
6. File-Open "C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Sims3D\Sims06.package"
7. Using the namemap, find the item that matches what you copied down in step 3. [Note: one says lod15 on it. Don't pick that.] Copy the instance field (OxFF70C65F in our case) into the "instance filter" box that's in the top right corner of the screen.
8. Click on "Resource Node" Only one item should appear in the Packed Files list. Right click on it and hit extract. Put it in the folder you made. Clear the instance filter box.
9. You've got the resource node (cres), now repeat steps 5-7 for the shape (in sims05.package), the geometric node (gmnd - in sims04.package), and the geometric data container (gmdc - in sims03.package). Remember to empty the instance filter box each time.
Part III - Building your mesh package.
10. Click new in simpe. Leave long index checked.
11. I'm starting to repeat myself, but make sure your instance filter box is empty.
12. Right click in the packed files window and choose add. Go to your project folder and add all 4 files that show up there. All four files should appear in the packed files window (unless you didn't clear your instance filter box -- but you did right? Do it now if not, and the files will appear.)
13. Save your file in the downloads directory. Call it MESH_YournameAfilenameThedate. For example, MESH_WDSGown020505.package.
14. Click "fix integrity" in the PLUGINS menu. (Note: If there is not a "fix integrity" in the PLUGINS menu, you need a new version of simpe. Go get one, then open this file and proceed).
15. A Scenegraph rename wizard window will open. Type your filename in the ModelName box. For mine, it's WDSGown020505. Click update. Then click OK.
16. Save.
17. Extract new copies of your resource node and shape into your project folder. Name them modifiedcres and modifiedshape so you can tell them from the originals.
Part IV - Pointing the temp skin at the new mesh package.
18. Open the package you made in bodyshop (see step 3 for locating it.)
19. Right click in the packed file window and choose add. Pick only the modified cres and modified shape from step 17. They will appear in the packed files window.
20. Go to the 3D ID Referencing File (3IDR). In the plugin view tab, you will see a button that says package. Click it. A window will pop up.
21. Drag your shape and resource node from the popup window into the list on the left. You will now have two shapes and two resource nodes.
22. Click on the resource node at the top (the one marked [userfile]) and delete it. Click on the shape at the top (the one marked [userfile]) and delete it.
23. Move YOUR shape and resource node up to the top (resource node first, shape second).
24. Click commit. (If you can't see the commit button - resize your window, it likes to hide.
25. Delete the shape and resource node from the PACKED FILES window. (They were added in step 19, just to make changing the reference easier, and we don't need them in this file anymore.) Then Save your file.
(Note: I like to check in bodyshop now to see if my temp skin is showing up in bodyshop. If it is, I can go on. Your mesh hasn't been modified yet, so you don't know if it's actually grabbing the new one, but the important thing is: if it isn't showing up you messed up. Go back and double check steps 17 and 20-23.)
Part V - Editing your mesh (finally!)
26. Open up your MESH package in simpe.
27. Choose the geometric data container. In the plugin view tab, click "Export to OBJ" If the button isn't there, double check the "what you need" section at the beginning of this tutorial, specifically part C.
28. Your obj file will be placed in either your downloads directory (if you opened this package manually) or the C:\documents and settings\yournamehere directory (if you opened it with recent files). [If it isn't in either of those places, check your saved sims and project directories, this thing is a little random. It mostly puts it in the last directory you navigated to, but sometimes the my documents parent folder mentioned.]
29. Open your 3d program, and open up your obj file. (Use import wavefront obj if you're in Milkshape.)
30. Edit your mesh, be creative. Some tips/rules: a. If you're in Milkshape, uncheck the "auto smooth" box in the groups tab before you move anything, or else you'll get all these weird sharp edges. b. Don't delete any vertices, just move them -- you never know which ones are being used for the animation.
As for me, I'm just going to grab the vertices that make up the hangy thing on this gown and move them inside the body where they won't cause more ugly trouble. For anything else, we could probably delete them - but we avoid deleting vertices, remember?
31. Save your file in case you want to make more changes later. Export your obj into your project directory and call it something like mygownforimport.obj.
Part VI - Putting the new mesh into your mesh package file.
32. Open up your MESH package in simpe. Right click on the geometric data container (gmdc) and choose extract. Call it something like originalgmdc.5gd and save it to your project directory.
33. Open Miche & Delphy's mesh tool.
34. Click "sims 3d file" and choose your edited obj file (mygownforimport).
35. Click "load sims 2 mesh" and choose the gmdc from step 32 (originalgmdc.5gd). (You'll have to tell it to show 5gd files at the bottom, it defaults to showing only .simpe files.)The tool uses this as a reference to keep your names and the animation and skeleton data. (By my understanding).
(Note: I've heard that some 3d programs may require you to edit settings with the settings button, for milkshape, I've been leaving everything but overwrite names checked - it works best in my experience. I've also heard that requires you to uncheck "export polygons" for hair. Haven't tried. Let me know. )
37. Click save file (something you can find like editedgown.simpe)
38. Go back into
SimPE and reopen your mesh .package file if it's not already open.
39. Right click on the geometric data container and choose replace. Pick your new .simpe package (editedgown.simpe.) Then click commit. Save.
Go see if it works in the game and bodyshop. If it has weird problems like holes, you probably deleted vertices or moved too many too far. If it is still the old one, repeat steps 34-39 and check that you did part IV correctly. If it's just not quite right visually, repeat step 30, 31, and 33-39 until it's wonderful.
Part VII - You're done! You rock!
40. Now you can go back in bodyshop and pick the new thing (the temp skin) and choose it to make a new skin from. You need to have at least one skin with this mesh in it to be able to choose it in bodyshop (obviously), but that first temp skin (the one still using the maxis texture) can go in the garbage once you've made more.
Additional notes:
You can distribute that MESH_ .package with the .zip/.rar file of any skin that needs it, and it'll overwrite itself if your user already has it - as long as you leave the name alone. So, no need to say "grab my ugly green dress and don't ever delete it if you want the pink one". The skins rely only on the MESH_ .package file and not on each other.
L+K's
Amy xxx