I'm trying to follow this tutorial, and I've got a problem. Forgive the dumb, but I don't see anywhere to import a GMDC. I'm under Geometric Data Container > Groups, and...now what? I've got my three groups on the mesh in Blender, and imported properly into SimPE the way I've done other things, but now I'm not sure where to go or what to do.

Right-click the GMDC in the Resource View, and export it from there. When you need to import it again, right-click and do "replace".

In Milkshape, use the "Sims 2 Unimesh" import/export (it's the same as for clothes, it preserves the skeleton and bone assignments).

Don't use the "import/export" down in the Plugin View - that one only works for OBJ meshes.

Does this not work for Blender at all? I'd hate to have to learn yet another program just as I got a primitive grasp on one, but I'll do it if needed.

EDIT: I tried to follow the tutorial, but now it doesn't have doors at all.

There are plugins for Blender that works for body meshing, but I'm not sure how well it works for objects. Can't give you any guarantees on that (I still use Milkshape, mostly out of habit).

The import/export functions should be roughly the same, so if you find a Blender tutorial for body meshing, you can try the same methods for objects in Blender.

I think these are the newest plugins: https://modthesims.info/d/612164/up...ender-2-79.html

Unfortunately, they don't work in Blender past 2.79 and I have 2.81 or 2.91 (two separate installs).

In addition, the UV mapping isn't working in the SimPE preview on the doors now, and in-game, it just straight up doesn't have doors at all and is completely unselectable.

If you want to use the plugins, you'll have use the 2.79 version of Blender, it seems. There were some older ones, but those are for really old versions of Blender, so I doubt those are any useful.

If you ever want to make 4t2 conversions or TS4 meshes or any of the sort, it's also one of the versions that works with Sims4Studio (I think 2.76 to 79 works? Not sure - I currently have 2.76 which I do know works). The 2.8++ versions won't work with that program (you can make meshes in the newer versions of Blender, but if you want to use the plugins, you have to transfer the mesh to the older version that has the plugin and continue working on it there).

The problems you're finding sound like what can be expected when the mesh can't properly find the animated parts.

Not sure about the UVmapping. Most likely the map got messed up somewhere along the line, or the texture did. Could also be that some of the mesh is mapped outside of the "designated UV area" - a square that's usually the place where the UVs tend to be placed inside. If they're outside it, sometimes the texture won't show (although this is usually more of an issue with CAS items like hair - it's rarely an issue with furniture).

According to Blender, they're mapped properly.

I'm including both the mesh files (obj and 5gd) as well as the package so maybe you can help me through this.

Extracting and then importing the mesh into Milkshape from the "cutedresser_MESH" file, it does seem to be mapped correctly and has joint assignments, although there are some issues here and there.

The "armoire.5gd" file in the zip file does not seem to have any joint assignments, however. Could be it's lacking the XML file?

One thing you have to keep in mind with animated objects is that you should keep the placement and size roughly the same as the original item, and the joints should be placed roughly in the same spots as the original object, or the rotation of the animations won't work properly or might not look good. On the original, the closet doors are in line with the closet joints, but they aren't like that on your closet, so it's possible the doors will not animate properly. Also, the closet itself (non-animated parts) should be assigned to joint02 and not joint00.

As for the textures not working, you have to keep in mind that if you change names of mesh groups/subsets, you also have to change names of a lot of other things, so it's best to keep the names from the original item, unless you're adding a subset (which you're probably not doing). Otherwise the textures won't work. You don't want to change the "filenames" or the subset names unless you have to, because everything in the file is referenced elsewhere, especially subset names. Only change them when you know what you're doing and have an actual reason to do so. Best keep the mesh subset names the way they were.

Also, have you given the item new GUIDs? All the OBJDs need new GUIDs (box next to the blue "Get GUID"). Just checking. This could be one of the reasons why things aren't working properly.

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When I make animated items, I import in the EAxis item with the skeleton, then import in the item I'm working on, but keep the original EAxis item in the view just so I have something to work from, copying joint assignments and object placement from it as I go along, and then remove it when I'm done. It makes everything easier, because I can see where the joints and animated parts used to be and are supposed to go on the new item. Just a tip

I do that latter bit in Blender, leaving the original item for lineups. As I said, I'm not used to MilkShape in the slightest and I'm usually sitting there going "aaaa how do function thing", but I always leave it in place in Blender right up until the export stage just to be sure the handles especially are in the right place.

It is possible I'm missing the XML file, as I'm not sure how to import that separately and not have it make a new resource, after having exported. For other items (counters mostly), I've found that when I give the sub-items new GUIDs, it completely breaks, so I haven't done that. (Package edit sounds intensify as I try this. It didn't work and reassigning the non-animated to joint 02 also did not make it clickable again. May have to reclone.)

If you could give me some pointers in how to properly assign the doors to the texture, that would be fabulous as well, using the image that they're mapped to. The original didn't have separate models in the DataContainer.

You can ignore the "Orig/fallback/Diagonal/Grid align" GUID boxes further down. Don't do anything to those.

You only give new GUIDs to the area next to the "Get GUID" line. But you do have to give new GUIDs to all the OBJDs or the object won't work properly, or it tries to overwrite the original object, or won't place properly, etc.

Make sure you ONLY change that GUID area, and don't do "fix MMATs" for the extra ones. The "fix MMATs" should only be done to the main GUID, which on your object is on the OBJD without a number at the end (the 0,0 or 0,1, etc, are extra GUIDs/OBJDs for multi-tile objects).

(I think counters only tend to have one OBJD/GUID, so not sure about that...)

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When I opened it in MIlkshape, the armoire (original) had the left door to joint04 and the right door to Joint03 (from front view) and everything else was linked to Joint02, so that's where I have that info from. I know from previous objects that the Joint02 is often used as the first joint, for unmoving items. The 00 and 01 joints tend to be a base for the structure of the rig/skeleton, so I rarely see anything assigned to those.

I'm not familiar enough with the GMDC plugins in Blender to help you through the process. I think there are some tutorials on how to use the plugins, which you can adapt to this use. I know my way around Milkshape, though.



You need to fix the names in the GMDC - change them back to the original names. You can do so in the "Groups" tab in the GMDC
doorright --> armoire
doorleft --> armoire
clothes --> armoireclothing_clothing

(You can have several subsets named the same, as long as they're part of the same subset and they're meant to use the same textures)

You basically have to make sure you don't change the subset names, or that you change the names before exporting, or after importing. They have to match up with the rest of what is in the file, so the textures can find what they're referencing.

Okay, I did that and it's pulling the proper textures, but I'm unable to test the animations as it's now completely unclickable and I have no idea why.

I'm guessing that's probably because the animations aren't exporting properly. Are you still using Blender, and are you using the 2.79 version? Have you read all the information about the plugins? There's a lot you might have to do that could be important before exporting the file.

Kind of hoped there were some newer Blender tutorials, but there aren't a lot ot pick from. Most of them are really old (10+ years) so quite outdated, and can't find any that shows object animation spesifically. I think there's one or two for clothes and maybe a couple for posing/animations, but there's little else.

I was using the same file I'd exported from MilkShape earlier, with the xml this time, rather than try to hope Blender works right, just to see what even happened. Just as an experiment, I named the doors "armoirequaint_drawerhandle" instead of "armoire" as the object I was cloning from had them named, and the textures are still where they're supposed to be, but the entire thing is still unclickable. I then restored something I'd deleted and that didn't work, either.

As you can expect, this is frustrating, since the "good objects to clone from" list had said dressers were medium difficulty and required "an extra step", singular.

Did you fix the GUIDs like I said above? The unclickable thing is probably because you need to do that.

My next issue is to somehow make it EP ready.

EP-ready? You mean that it works for all EPs? If you have all EPs and cloned an armoire with all the EPs selected in SimPE, it should already be EP-ready. If you lack some EPs, it depends which ones you don't have, and what kind of object you're making. Sometimes it matters, other times it doesn't.

When it comes to items that can be found in the basegame and/or early games, examples are Pets (for pet-compatibility like scratching/destroying/beds/etc.), FT + AL (I think? for new options in the bookshelves), Seasons and FT (I think? for fridge options and stoves), OFB (for shelves, possibly some toys), and most likely some I've not mentioned. Not sure if armoires need EP options, maybe except Seasons for the outerwear option?

If you mean BG-compatible, I think there's a tutorial for that somewhere.

I'm a dumb-butt, for some reason I managed to not see the fact it had the Seasons/FT options. Thank you for all your tremendous help! This has been very informative and should help not only me but others in the future!