Milkshape, bumpmaps, hair animation

[lolocka]

Hi all, hope you have a nice day today :) and I will have it too if someonne of you advice me :)
I created some meshes but I am stucking in my creation long time only because I cant find answer on my question.
I create my meshes in Milkshape. I export obj file in Simpe, then I edit it in Milkshape and finaly I use meshtool to get simpe file to be able to change gmdc. It's good way, but I want to add new parts to my meshes. The problem is that as soon as I use unimesh plugin in Milkshape I loose bumpmap and I dont want to loose it.
I ask Paf how he creates his meshes, he was so kind and answer me that he export smd file in simpe and import it to Fragmotion, but I dont have Fragmotion and if I buy it, it would take me long time until I am able to make something in it :cry:
So my question is: It is possible to make meshes with new parts added by me using only Milkshape without loosing bumpmap? Or will I always have to only slightly edit maxis meshes? :cry:
My second question is about hair animation.
It is possible to animate hair it in Milkhape? I try to assign some hair part for example 50% to left head and 50% to head, but when I do it, that part is invisible in game.
Thank you for your patient for reading my quite long post written with my bad english :)

[OwaizooDE]

1-
make the mesh with sims2unimesh for adding groups and how you want and when you are done with editing
export as gmdc and replace in simpe ... (you know how to)
then export each group as .smd
and import it back as .smd (replace the older group in window that pops)
example
if i have 2 groups
body
body_alpha
what i would do is
when done repalcing gmdc
export body as 1.smd and other group as 2.smd
then i import 1.smd back and choose 3 bones per vertex and in window that pops i choose replace and in groups i choose body
same will be done with 2.smd but when replacing i would replace other group

2-

as for hair animation
see here
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1000219#post1000219
(see this first)
post#63 by dr pixel


if you want it to move like maxis then see this thread
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=151722 (see this second-because to amke your hair meshes hair animation like maxis ones then first you do real head rotation assignment as told by drpixel-(link above)
then with unimesh bonetool you do the third assignment (the moving animation one) (but u add it as third one over real head rotation so this way animtions looks good-as it can move and has real head rotation)
sorry if i didnt explain well
my english is not so good

[lolocka]

Thank you for your quick reply. I cant wait to come home and try it :rofl:
It looks so simple :rofl:

[OwaizooDE]

yes these steps are easy...

[SnowStorm]

Be warned if you have a mesh that has an alpha group, you will very likely loose the fat morph on all but one group. To get around this you need:

1-After you export all your groups as smd replace the gmdc with an original maxis gmdc that had one group. I usually just use the bodynaked, topnaked, bottomnaked gmdc's.
2-Then import the body smd, and replace the current body (top to top/bottom to bottom) (Selecting the proper bone, checking add bumps, and selecting the morph files)
3-Then import the alpha layers and ADD them. This retains all the morphs. (Selecting the proper bone, checking add bumps, and selecting the morph files)

Note this is best done with the qa versions of Simpe & the SMD mesh importer/exporter that is available from Simpe's site.

[lolocka]

I just came home and tried it. I imported, using unimesh importer, maxis mesh and I changed shoes, assign vertex and export by unimesh. Then I replace gmdc, commit and export smd. but when i import smd back (I check 3 bones per vertex and create bumpmapnormal) some error shows me in simpe
------------------------------------------------------------------
Message:
Input string was not in a correct format.

SimPE Version:
Default (0.58.2.20950).

Exception Stack:
System.FormatException: Input string was not in a correct format.
at System.Number.ParseSingle(String s, NumberStyles style, NumberFormatInfo info)
at System.Single.Parse(String s, NumberStyles style, IFormatProvider provider)
at System.Convert.ToSingle(String value)
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.Importer.GmdcImportFromSmd.LineParser(ImportedGroups grps)
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.Importer.GmdcImportFromSmd.LoadGroups()
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.AbstractGmdcImporter.Process(Stream input, GeometryDataContainer gmdc, Boolean animationonly)
at SimPe.Plugin.fGeometryDataContainer.StartImport(OpenFileDialog ofd, GeometryDataContainer gmdc, String defext, ElementSorting sorting, Boolean animationonly)
at SimPe.Plugin.fGeometryDataContainer.button1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)

Source:
mscorlib

Execution Stack:
at System.Number.ParseSingle(String s, NumberStyles style, NumberFormatInfo info)
at System.Single.Parse(String s, NumberStyles style, IFormatProvider provider)
at System.Convert.ToSingle(String value)
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.Importer.GmdcImportFromSmd.LineParser(ImportedGroups grps)
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.Importer.GmdcImportFromSmd.LoadGroups()
at SimPe.Plugin.Gmdc.AbstractGmdcImporter.Process(Stream input, GeometryDataContainer gmdc, Boolean animationonly)
at SimPe.Plugin.fGeometryDataContainer.StartImport(OpenFileDialog ofd, GeometryDataContainer gmdc, String defext, ElementSorting sorting, Boolean animationonly)
at SimPe.Plugin.fGeometryDataContainer.button1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

What now? :rolleyes:

And one more thing. When I import by unimesh importer it asks me: create blend groups? I click yes. Do I need to make all changes in both groups? in body and in fat morph? or only in body?

[Jasana_BugBreeder]

Judging from your country, most likely your last error is due to that dot-vs-comma problem - your locale has comma as digit separator, while smd exporters expect dot. Go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Regional Options and change local to English there, or change 'decimal symbol' to period and 'digit grouping symbol' to comma on the Numbers tab of that dialog.

[SnowStorm]

Yes you need to modify both if you wish your mesh to morph properly. But you need to keep them in-sync. (The vertices of body non-moprh need to be in the same order and number as body fat/preg). If you create the blend groups but don't modify the morph, and you have added/deleted vertice you will get the exploding mesh during morph syndrome.

[lolocka]

Judging from your country, most likely your last error is due to that dot-vs-comma problem - your locale has comma as digit separator, while smd exporters expect dot. Go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Regional Options and change local to English there, or change 'decimal symbol' to period and 'digit grouping symbol' to comma on the Numbers tab of that dialog.

I did what you advice me and now it works :D
You are genius, big thanks to you

[lolocka]

Yes you need to modify both if you wish your mesh to morph properly. But you need to keep them in-sync. (The vertices of body non-moprh need to be in the same order and number as body fat/preg). If you create the blend groups but don't modify the morph, and you have added/deleted vertice you will get the exploding mesh during morph syndrome.

Thank you :)

[lolocka]

I have problems with vertex assigment. I dont know which vertex should belong to which bone.
I'd like to ask someone to be so kind and make something like that

http://www.simskins.net/Tutorials/Adding_Shoes/Imagenes/08.jpg
http://www.simskins.net/Tutorials/Adding_Shoes/Imagenes/09.jpg

but for whole body

[SnowStorm]

That's pretty big request as there are 1000+ vertices and upto 50+ bones in a normal body used. Your best bet would be to pull in a maxis mesh via the unimesh plugin that is similiar and study it's bone assignments for the area you are having issues with.

[tiggerypum]

And that sims skins bone assignment thing is not good anyway, it lacks the detail of multiple bones assigned to individual vertices, which is used all the time in sims meshes. Indeed Snowstorm is correct, you must look at a Maxis mesh to get ideas for how it works. I will load a Maxis mesh into a separate milkshape session so I can go back and forth between the mesh I'm working on and my sample mesh.

But there's almost NEVER a reason for you to be making mass assignments on a mesh: Using Unimesh you can preserve almost all the bone assignments on a body, and on subsequent parts that you read in from other body meshes. That is the recommended way to work with sims 2 bodies now, not using obj format at all. Then just adjust the bone assignments where, say, you join different bodies together - because each mesh can have slightly different assignments. Most bodies have 1500 vertices and more, and the assignments on the trunk region of the sim get fairly complex.

[lolocka]

:faceslap: sorry for my stupid request :faceslap:
I didnt know it is so complicated.
I opened maxis mesh and only now I noticed sellect assigment button.
When I click on it it shows me what vertex is assign to what bone.
I was so happy when OwaizooDE wrote me how to make meshes but now I see I need to learn many many new things.
Thank you for your help. I hope I can post some nice new mesh on MTS2 soon