Tutorial: Step-by-step Start-to-Finish HowTo mesh guide for TS3

[ellacharmed]

Ok, here it is.
Something to join in the meshing tutorial frenzy, as cocomama has motivated us all to collaborate together with one goal in mind - A complete and comprehensive Meshing tutorial! yay! Go us. :up:

Bear in mind I'm still new at meshing, so if there are errors or inconsistencies - do let me know. If you want to see certain sections, or improvements on other sections, e.g for the FAQ to go into its own file, etc. Maybe the narrative is too long (tl;dr; ?!?!) or it is too graphic-intensive? I applied it to myself as I wrote this as I hated to read documents where it tells me to do such and such but never explained why that setting was chosen or why those options were applied.

Do review and please provide feedback, suggestions and corrections. Criticisms also welcome.

=================================================
Objectives:
This tutorial takes you step-by-step through the process of creating a new table mesh from the original on the left (the 'Sunup Breakfast Table' named TableDiningQuaint) to the final outcome on the right.
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/img/1/5/1/5/0/0/2/MTS2_ellacharm3d_1018381_tut_objective.png

Table of Contents:
70+ pages of graphics-intensive meshing guide, with each section bookmarked
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/img/1/5/1/5/0/0/2/MTS2_ellacharm3d_1018382_tut_toc.png

I have adapted this based off of

Deluxe_Design’s basic Tutorial: Meshing Objects in TS3,
Jwoods’ (and Numenor, Lethe_s & IgnorantBliss) Sims 2 start to finish Object Creation Tutorial V 2.1 and
WesHowe’s 3D Meshing tutorials (http://www.sims2wiki.info/index.php?title=Category:Sims_3_Meshing_Tutorials) from sims2wiki.info & www.customsims3.com (http://www.customsims3.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=4855cb976228d53e2795b6cee4b0f42f&board=20.0) (qns & ans in the forums)
cocomama’s Making of : MODL and MLOD,
lemoncandy’s post#6 The "textures part" in the Converting objects from TS2 to TS3-Collecting mesh and Textures with Simpe,


Why I wrote it:
Primarily, this is to document my own experiences in the meshing process, with highlighted areas where I had difficulties, how I solved them or where the solutions could be found. It's main function was to be an offline repository for when my internet connection is down (and I'd just have to have that missing info - like right nao!) and as reference when I take a break and come back to meshing a few months later and would have forgotten things.

Also, with all the threads asking the same questions on the forums over and over again, I thought I’d pretty it up and contribute and share with the community. Where possible, I’ve included the threadIDs when bits of pertinent information is first referenced, from the Meshing and Modding subforums of Sims 3 Creation and tutorials in Sims2Wiki.

Disclaimer:
Bear in mind the tools are still being developed and evolving, so screenshots may change. I also take no responsibility if installing the utilities listed and modding/meshing resulted in a BFBVFS in your game, messed up your game (because you’ll be testing with adding/removing CC), render your computer unusable, messed up your head when you get nightmares of being chased by squabling dining tables each claiming they are the original and am “The One”.

Preamble:
Pre-requisites:

Read Wes’ 3D Meshing tutorials – this is a MUST – these tutorials will explain all the concept and background material on Milkshape, UV mapping, etc.
s3oc Object Cloner (hereafter referred as s3oc)
A package editor for The Sims 3 game: e.g. s3pe, Postal
An image editing program like: Photoshop(proprietary, costly), Gimp(freeware, open-source), Paint Shop Pro(proprietary, costly), Paint.Net(freeware, open-source), etc [NB: must be able to handle png/jpg/dds picture formats]
DDS plug-in for your image editor of choice
3D modeling program: Milkshape(trialware, cheap), Blender(freeware, open-source), Maya(proprietary, costly), 3D Studio Max(proprietary, costly), Wings 3D(freeware, open-source), etc
Object Plug-in for your 3D model editor of choice: like Wes’ ObjTool to import/export files into/from TS3’s .package files
UVMapping tool: UVMapper Classic(free), LithUnwrap(free), UltimateUnwrap 3D(cost, pay version of LithUnwrap, I think)
and most importantly - a conceptual idea of what you want to create and plenty of patience and perseverance


At time of writing, this tutorial uses the following tools:

s3oc version 0909-19-1830 & 0910-12-1531
s3pe version 0909-12-1009 & 0910-10-1449
Gimp (http://www.gimp.org/downloads/) version 2.6.7 with DDS plugins (http://registry.gimp.org/node/70) for GIMP
Milkshape 3D (http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/ms3d/download.html) 1.8.5 Beta 1 (from here on out called ms3d), with S3 ObjectTool GUI v1.00 and the MilkShape Object plugins v1.00 (hereafter referred to as ObjTool)
LithUnwrap (http://www.sharecg.com/v/5169/software-and-tools/LithUnwrap---Free-UV-Mapper-for-Windows?interstitial_displayed=Yes) v13_2002_0211


Who the tutorial is for:

any person interested in meshing for The Sims 3 with no prior experience in modding and/or meshing;


What this tutorial will tell you:

how to configure your workspace for modding;
how to clone an object;
how to change its texture;
how to change package data – names, descriptions, STBL strings, price, thumbnails, etc;
how to overcome uv scaling issues;
how to correct common issues/mistakes;


Credits and gratitude go to:

Creators of the utilities used as listed above; especially –
Peter & Inge Jones for s3oc & s3pe;
Wes Howe for the ObjectTool and Milkshape plugins and his ever-present willingness to and assistance in answering all our questions;
DeluxeDesign, Jwoods, Numenor, Lethe_s & IgnorantBliss and other modder “pioneers” for their tutorials at MTS – for which this tutorial is based on. I’ve just expanded each part with screenshots and added my own hints & tips from my experiences;
Authors of the tutorials at modthesims.info and sims2wiki.info and the ever helpful fellow forum residents;
and last but not least Delphy and the MTS admins/moderators for creating and maintaining MTS.


Errata:
:new: Well, nobody's perfect :cry: , some typos have been corrected as I added the tutorial into the SimsWiki, including those noted here. My apologies to all for any confusion...
Typo identified in posts#69 & #71! Thanks to It's page 11, Section E.2, step 3.
... - in the tutorial it says "IMD", but it was actually "IMG".


Wikified!
:new: This tutorial has now been wiki-fied!
Any new information as the tools are updated or when I decide to update it with more sections, will be in this Tutorials:TS3_Basic_HowTo_Mesh_Guide.


Instructions:

Download ALL the rar files
remove the "MTS_ellacharm3d_???????_" so the files have same name before the .part?.rar
right-click (or double-click) part1 to extract
pictorial guide of the same instructions available here Game_Help:DFDD5_Extract_from_Archive#Multi-part_files

[lemoncandy]

Wow that looks like some amazing hard work! Thank you for doing this. Must have taken a lot of time.

[Misty_2004]

Oh, bless your heart! If this is what I think it is, it's exactly what I need! I keep reading through tutorials and coming to parts that are either completely irrelevant or don't explain in nearly enough detail what I need. One of my mom's favorite questions for me was, "Do I need to draw you a picture?" I never had the guts to answer her but the truth of the matter was, the answer was "YES!! I need pictures, and lots of them!"

I have never learned how to mesh, and it's something I have been wanting to do for a long, long time.

[Cocomama]

Oh ellacharm3d, its beautifull and so detailed!! Its way past bedtime here, but I had to quickly read through it.
Can't wait to try it out :bunny:

[~Dee~]

I haven't looked at it yet, but if this is what I think it is...I'll give meshing for Sims 3 a try.
I've been waiting for a tut like this,what tells you exactly step by step.
Thank you so much for your hard work.

[orangemittens]

Strong work Ella...a much needed addition to the tutorials for Sims 3 IMO.

Ooo...and if you get the chance...could you update the Glass tutorial PDF's? I added a small warning at the beginning about the bones issue that gave so many of us trouble when trying to apply glass to original meshes.

OM

[ellacharmed]

lol hardest thing was restraining myself not to include every little thing you guys found out! :report: The file size quickly became an obstacle to overcome. Had to do some creative screencaps to lay out the steps without skipping any instructions

Thanks, for encouragement, folks. :bunny:

OM, I'll edit that as I missed out one pic in your series (surprised nobody noticed ;) ). I'll have to try out first and add my 2-cents in in little comments of tips or elaboration, if I may...

[orangemittens]

I'm curious what elaboration you think is necessary...I'm always interested in honing my tutorial building skills and it would help to know what you think is missing.

OM

[ellacharmed]

I'll post in that thread after I've experimented and tried it out. I have a few projects of different object types that could use a glass surface :D

This dining table tut was meant to be a stepping stone, so I didn't get too creative in changing the 1x2 tile to a 1x1 tile table or changing the table's height, shape etc; but with your glass tut - I'm keen to find out what I can and cannot change

[orangemittens]

Ella I look forward to seeing your comments once you have read the tutorial and tried it out.

I guess I'm not clear on what you're saying...are you saying you think my tutorial needs editing and that you plan on doing this editing?

OM

[ellacharmed]

oh, no! I meant edit it to include the pic I missed plus your warning (which is done, btw)

I'd just have my own notes/comments on the procedures based on what you've started for my own use...in a separate copy...and I'll post any findings if I find anything of significance to share

[anouschka]

Hi Ellacharm3d,

I can't open your files zipped. I'm right now at work and the secyrity is perhaps very high. I don't know. I'll try later.

[hazuitokage]

Hi Ella, me too, I've been trying to open it to no avail. I downloaded all the parts many times over (it seems to go ok) but when I click part 1, I get an error message and only one picture.
I really was looking forward to dive into it, as I understand you collected a lot of info :)

[lemoncandy]

MTS renames the files that are uploaded, so the unzipping app can't find the next file to process. Try deleting the first part of the filenames (so that it matches the ones written in the post).

[ellacharmed]

Oh! Sorry, I forgot that part, didn't I? It is because of the numbering appended to the filename at the beginning; the winrar program is looking for files of the same name. Once you've finished downloading, remove the "MTS_ellacharm3d_???????_" and extract part 1 again.

I'll add this to the instructions, thanks for letting me know, guys.

[Misty_2004]

I am just starting to read through the tutorial, and the following brings up a question.

3D modeling program: Milkshape(trialware, cheap), Blender(freeware, open-source), Maya(proprietary, costly), 3D Studio Max(proprietary, costly), Wings 3D(freeware, open-source), etc
It was my understanding that Milkshape is the only meshing program that has the ability for converting meshes to GEOMs (thanks to Wes's plug-in), but that information sounds like there are possibly other programs that will work. Did I miss something? I would absolutely love to have the time to learn how to properly do this with a program where I'm not either on a time limit, or have to purchase to see if I possibly can make it all the way through the learning process. If I'm successful, I have no problem buying a license for MilkShape, but I am a very slow learner.

As an aside, I don't think I'd consider PSP to be a "costly" image editing program. Granted, there are now free ones available like GIMP and Paint.NET, but PSP can often be purchased for under $50, compared to PhotoShop which usually has a price tag of over $600. :)

BTW, I don't think I can express enough thanks for all of the work you put into putting this together. I have written tutorials and know how time-consuming and nerve-racking they are to put together. Thank you, again!

[ellacharmed]

You need milkshape bcos that's the only one that has plugins (for now) for object meshes (I think Wes is working on a Maya plugin, too) There is a GEOM plugin for Blender by Morgade but I haven't tried that. (It is harder to learn Blender than to pick up ms3d, but I'm slowly trying).

Once in ms3d, you can save as any file that your other modeling program can open/import. I know some people use ms3d as a "bridge" only.

Know nothing abt PSP, to be honest, so I don't know how feature-rich the free version is versus the paid one, I just put it out there for wider coverage. I just hate to be needing a tool and then a dialog pop-up telling me it is only for the paid version.

[WesHowe]

The complete list, as I know it, is MilkShape using my plugins and a set from the TSR Workshop (I am not sure is they are completely finished with it), and GEOM only plugins for Blender (by Morgade) and for Maya (by me). Morgade has not been around, I was hoping he would take on the Blender object plugins, we talked about it, but he is doing other things, I guess.

Many of the other programs mentioned, like Wings and 3DS Max, can work using the TSR Workshop and their .obj importer/exporter, or by using my tools and MilkShape as a file converter. Note that .obj format does not support bone assignments, so that step still needs done for most objects. As we have seen.

I know a lot of people would like free choices to work with, but the mainstays of the free software world, Blender, Wings and Anim8or are all much harder to implement plugins or extensions to than MilkShape. fragMotion and Maya are also difficult to work with, and I don't own 3DS Max, so I can't work with it.

[Misty_2004]

I know a lot of people would like free choices to work with
Free is always nice, but I don't mind paying for software if I know it's something that I will use. I don't have a problem with paying for a license for MilkShape, but I do so hate feeling like I'm under the gun with the time-frame of learning what I need to learn with it. :) Thirty days trial is probably long enough for most people, but I'm not so sure it's long enough for me. :lol:

And believe me, I do very much appreciate that there are plug-ins available at all.

Know nothing abt PSP, to be honest, so I don't know how feature-rich the free version is versus the paid one,
A complete, licensed version of PSP usually runs in the neighborhood of $50 to $80, depending on the version. The processes are laid out a bit differently, but in my eight years of using it, and following PhotoShop tutorials for a good amount of the things I've done in PSP there's very little difference in the two programs.

Someone who had experience with both programs at one point made a comparison. Their opinion was that if a person needs an image editing program for extremely professional presentations, then PhotoShop was the way to go. For making Sims content, Paint Shop Pro will do everything that needs to be done. Granted, with every new Sims game there have been new techniques to learn in PSP, but while the method is slightly different in PSP than in PS, the tools are there to do the job, and usually for a price of roughly 10% of what PS runs. :)

I declare, the more I read on the subject of meshing, the more questions start popping up in my fron. I barely had time to glance at Ella's tutorial today, but have to say it looks awesome, and in just the short section I got to look at already answered some questions and pointed to the answers to more of them that I've been trying to find answers to for a good long while now.

[fluttereyes]

I love this tutorial as it goes so indepth, the only problem for me is the same one as all the others. The milkshape part. It says import to milkshape, ok so which to import first? do we import them all at the same time? Or do we work on one then save and work on the next? Everyone seems to skip over a lot of the milkshappe stuff and that's where mine and probably a lot of others are having problmes, never having used milkshape before. Everyone seems to skip over the same basic milkshape stuff like importing, I know the tools but not the correct file to use first or which order I should do them in if there are say 4.

Not asking you to change anything, just a suggestion for another time if you ever feel you could to do all that again, lol. That must have taken you forever and a lot of work has been put into it, it is very much appreciated. Thanks for all your hard work

[ellacharmed]

Do it one by one. Just like you decompile one at a time - so, mesh one at a time and recompile one at a time.

I always work on the main one first - the all 0s one. Then reduce the poly count by deleting unimportant bits or via the directx tool for the others.

Think of them this way - they are quadruplets (a set of 4 twins/offspring) - you can only dress them one at a time, not all 4 at once (unless you're an octopus :p ). They are not a single entity, just a set of four that likes to go everywhere together. :D

Glad it is helping people..I almost chucked it bcos it grew a life of its own and became so big! :lol:

[Cocomama]

Information from WesHowe.

...start with building a working "00000000" MLOD file. After you have that UV mapped, tested and are happy you use the mesh from it to make your "00000001" mesh.(=MODL) That mesh is a same-sized but reduced poly count version.

The MLOD files have everything to do with sunshadows. The MODL is usually group "00000001" (lod1) and it pairs with "00010001" for it's sun shadow. The other lod0 (main) file will be group "00000000" and it pairs with "00010000" for its sunshadow. But the sunshadow mesh is not the shadow, it is the other half of some sort of template the game uses to make a sunshadow by calculation... as the sun moves, the shadow changes, whereas the dropshadow stays the same.
=================================
Conclusion:
1. Make the MLOD 00000000, mesh texture UVmap and export/save that one.
2. Make the new MODL 00000001 = reduced polycount version of MLOD 00000000 use your new saved MLOD 00000000 to make it
3. Make the MLOD 00010000 = sunshadow of MLOD 00000000 use your new saved MLOD 00000000 to make it
4. Make the MLOD 00010001 = sunshadow of MODL 00000001 use your new saved MODL 00000001 to make it

More information about the MODL and MLODs here:
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=373397

[Killc*a]

Thank you! Especially for the UV-Map part.

I'm learning to mesh for three weeks now, read every tutorial, read in the forum and there are so much things I don't know yet.

[popim123erw]

When I tried to expand the file, my expander says its broken. What??

[lemoncandy]

When I tried to expand the file, my expander says its broken. What??
...Maybe learn to read? The answer is a few posts above you. (posts 14 and 15)

[orangemittens]

shwew...tough crowd.

OM

[~Dee~]

I'm sorry to say I've a problem, I downloaded all 5 parts and got rid of the first part of the name as per Ella's instructions and everything was fine.

But when I opened the tut I've quite a few images what are grayed out, like this.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/putti_2006/Image1.jpg

Any ideas?

[ellacharmed]

Does that happen on a lot of pages, Dee?
My only thought is the downloading is not 100% complete so the unrar process is incomplete too. Maybe redownload and unrar again?

It's not happening to other people, so I don't think it is the upload.

[~Dee~]

After 30 images like that I stopped counting, but it's fixed now.
When you said nobody else had that problem I looked further into it and it wasn't your tut, but my old Adobe Reader.
So I downloaded Foxit Reader and everything works as it should now.
Thank you so much for this tut Ella, very much appreciated.

[melanise]

so if i followed these steps but wanted to create my mesh in maya first then pass it over to milkshape how do i go about that what are the steps all i keep seeing is bridge this and that is there a tutorial which explains how to bridge between maya -->Milkshape--> s3pe ?

[ellacharmed]

You need to export from Maya and import into Milkshape in a file format that is available in both. Seems the popular formats are .obj, .smd and Ascii. There will be some things lost in the translation, of course, but I think these would just import the object's vertices and stuff.

I think I saw a Maya Ascii (*.ma) Import line in Milkshape...

Then when you import the (*.s3asc) file using Wes' plugin in Milkshape after the Decompile step, you can just delete the group(s) of the mesh that will be replaced by the one you imported from Maya. Then you'd need to reassign the joints, etc, before you export to proceed to the Recompile step.

Meshers using Maya chime in, please, and answer melanise ....or correct me (Thx for helping out!)

[melanise]

well that makes sence ty very much ellacharm i'll be giving that a whirl but yes plz if anyone goes about object meshing for sims2 or 3 in this way plz let me know xx

Melanie

[kalamity_katie]

Oh! Sorry, I forgot that part, didn't I? It is because of the numbering appended to the filename at the beginning; the winrar program is looking for files of the same name. Once you've finished downloading, remove the "MTS_ellacharm3d_???????_" and extract part 1 again.

I'll add this to the instructions, thanks for letting me know, guys.


I am still having difficulty with the file. I did everything you said. I was using All Zip, so I switched to Win Rar and it still didn't help. What should I do? :cry:

[ellacharmed]

kalamity_katie,
what browser are you using? Have you tried switching to another (Firefox, Opera, Safari, IE8, Chrome)?

If you use a download manager, is it setup to split into more than 3 chunks per file? You need to change it to max of 3 chunks and, then you can only download one file at a time. If it is set as 1 chunk, you can download 3 files at a time.

Try downloading one file at a time anyway. Wait until each completes before starting another, and then remove the numbering and join them up, before you extract the .pdf file.

[kalamity_katie]

kalamity_katie,
what browser are you using? Have you tried switching to another (Firefox, Opera, Safari, IE8, Chrome)?

If you use a download manager, is it setup to split into more than 3 chunks per file? You need to change it to max of 3 chunks and, then you can only download one file at a time. If it is set as 1 chunk, you can download 3 files at a time.

Try downloading one file at a time anyway. Wait until each completes before starting another, and then remove the numbering and join them up, before you extract the .pdf file.

I was using internet explorer, but I will try using my firefox instead and see how that goes. The files were showing when I opened up the zip file in both cases of zip extractors, but they just wouldn't extract. Hopefully using firefox might make a difference. Thank you very much. * crosses fingers *

[Sococo.]

has anyone successfully gone through this entire thing with no probs yet? not seeing any feedback on that front and i think i may be stuck.

i'm a complete newb and have only successfully done one object for sims 2 a couple weeks ago and it was done by following a tutorial step by step XD. anyway here's my issue...

i'm at the UV mapping part in lithuwrap and have tried to import my table .obj that i exported from milkshape. now i'm not sure if this is even an issue as i've used UVMapper in the past and as far as i know it doesn't show the texture images. however when i load my .obj into lithuwrap i don't see the textures images behind the maps the way it looks in the tutorial pdf. so i'm not sure what i'm supposed to be fitting the maps to since there's no picture. what's weird is if i go into the materials menu on the side they're all listed there and the dropshadow image actually shows up, just not the other two.

sorry it's hard to explain this and since i'm new i'm probably using all the wrong lingo and confusing things further XD. hope this makes sense and hopefully i've just missed something small (O_O)

help? thanks in advance!
<3tash.

oh p.s. i included attachments. mine is the big blank blue one heh.

[HugeLunatic]

I've not used Lithunwrap, but you probably need to import a texture. I use Milkshape to map or Uvmapper. Looking at the image it looks like in the toolbar there is a link for Materials. And the image in the tutorial looks like the multiplier dds img from the package. I know in Milkshape you need to select the model and apply the texture to it. But in Uvampper you don't. I'm guessing by the picture on the left you missed a step to import a texture to map to?

[candyapplegirl]

I am still having difficulty with the file. I did everything you said. I was using All Zip, so I switched to Win Rar and it still didn't help. What should I do? :cry:

Katie, I had problems trying to open them, too... and it was just my own misunderstanding of what the instructions are saying to do. Here's what I did, and I finally got it to work:

When you click on each of the downloads, you'll immediately get a box that pops up, giving you the options to "Open" "Save" or "Cancel". Most of the time when you're downloading something, you'll click on the 'open' option, and extract the files you want to download... but this time click on "Save" instead. Save the files wherever you want to put them (I put them in My Documents).

Download all five files like this, but do not try to open them up in Adobe until you've downloaded them all and changed the file names per the instructions.

Once they are all downloaded and the names have been changed, go back to your documents (or wherever you put the files) and double click on Part 1, and double click the .pdf file inside to open.

I hope this helps!

[shawbones]

I am having the same exact problem as Sococo. I have followed the AMAZING tutorial to a "t" and i have the all blue screen in lithunwrap...have you found a way to fix this, or maybe even a workaround?

[ellacharmed]

Sorry for the tardiness in my response.

Sococo, shawbones,
On page 48, step 10 outlines the method to assign a texture/material to groups and you should be getting the "texturized" table as shown in the picture. If you had skipped that part or the textures are somehow not applied (have you selected groups and clicked Assign?), you can do this step in LithUnwrap (although it is a bit more troublesome).

The same thing can be accomplished in LithUnwrap - shown on pages 56-57.

[kalamity_katie]

Ah! I will try this as soon as I get the chance. I feel like such a dope.
Thanks. :turtle:

Katie, I had problems trying to open them, too... and it was just my own misunderstanding of what the instructions are saying to do. Here's what I did, and I finally got it to work:

When you click on each of the downloads, you'll immediately get a box that pops up, giving you the options to "Open" "Save" or "Cancel". Most of the time when you're downloading something, you'll click on the 'open' option, and extract the files you want to download... but this time click on "Save" instead. Save the files wherever you want to put them (I put them in My Documents).

Download all five files like this, but do not try to open them up in Adobe until you've downloaded them all and changed the file names per the instructions.

Once they are all downloaded and the names have been changed, go back to your documents (or wherever you put the files) and double click on Part 1, and double click the .pdf file inside to open.

I hope this helps!

[kalamity_katie]

Woo hoo! I got them to open! Now I need to get to work! Thank you all for getting my brain to understand the directions! I can't believe how easy that was, I feel like a complete dork! I will have to dedicate my first mesh to you, Ella! You did a great job on this! Thank you!

[ellacharmed]

For those having problems downloading and extracting the tutorial, I've added a wiki link to a pictorial guide in the first post. A tutorial on downloading a tutorial, oh! the irony! ;)

[ashillion]

Your tutorial has been very helpful. How do i enable the RGB pattern CASt-ablity?

I cloned an object that has 2 areas of recolor, followed all the steps, Then edited the Footprint and vpxy as shown in another tutorial and my object works and looks good (It wraps in my new base texture), But in game it tells me the object is not recolor-able! < o.O> wha?!?<O.o>.

I have repeated the process over and over and the same result. good looking, wraps the base texture, but no recolor.

I saw a tutorial on "enabling patterns" do i have to do this too? I thought if i was making it use the same number of areas of color as the clone, and used the default img's it would work?

[orangemittens]

What object are you using for your clone? At what point in the process is the recolorability being lost...before or after you edit the footprint & vpxy? Are the recolor channel buttons still present on the final object and just don't work?

[ellacharmed]

Yep, need to know the original object you cloned from..and to add to OM's questions -

You needed to edit the Footprint and vpxy because you made the new mesh bigger/smaller? Did you remember to uvmap the new object to the part mask dds (the colorful one)?
If you just want to enable new channels to make a 2-channel object to 3-channel object, then yes, cmomoney's tutorial would be applicable.
But if you want to retain it as a 2-channel object but you're losing the CASt-ability, then some steps were skipped or this is caused by some other issue...

What version of the tools are you using and do you clone with Defaults checked or unchecked?
If you deviated from the steps, what do you change or what other tool do you use?

[orangemittens]

Lol...it's like we need a standard checklist of questions that can just be copied and pasted into a thread...tool version?-check, additional tools used?-check...and etc.

I feel like an OP could end up feeling grilled/interrogated if I clobber someone with the whole list of what I want to know about their object all at once. But there are so many little things that could be causing their problem that it's hard to figure out sometimes unless you have detailed information. :report:

[HugeLunatic]

If the object is not recolorable, and never was, you won't be able to simply follow cmo's tutorial for enabling channels. Because there aren't any! LoL

I've looked at non-recolorable objects and they have no material stuff in the OBJD.

[ashillion]

So the object in question is the inscription plaque from debug. It's recolor-able in game, but the clone does not retain the materials as you have said about non-recolor-able items.... Is this a flaw in S3oc?

[HugeLunatic]

Possible. Try recloning with renumber unticked and the default only unticked. Then delete any resources (IMG) that you don't change. Then renumber and see if it is recolorable.

[ashillion]

Ok, no go. Cloned again this time No renumber and default only unticked. The OBJD does not retain the materials collections within the grid. The same thing happens when i clone other "tomb build" objects. I think maybe these objects are not fully supported with S3oc.

And as i understand it we do not know how to add materials collections at this time.

[ellacharmed]

Yeah, it's pretty tedious and I'm still trying with the SmokeAlarm (non-recolorable to 2-channels).
I got lost in drilling down to the grid levels and hexcodes, and stopped for a while. :p
I'm thinking cmo's new tut on the Blender nodes thing might help, if only Blender does not crash my sick and old lappy, when I do a render...<*sigh*>

I guess I need to verify if the steps in this tut work error-free on debug objects, but in any case, making things recolorable is out of the scope of this beginner tutorial.
Not trying to pass the buck, but that particular task was not in the tutorial's objectives.

I'm sourcing other ways to create a modular tutorial, so I can easily add more stuff as I learn them without having to mess with .pdfs and .rars and reuploading stuff.
Well, it's on the back-burner of the ever-growing, non-shrinking ToDoList. :giggler:

Good luck on your projects, ashillion! If you figure out the materials thing, let me know, eh? :heyhey:

[Strawb]

I'm having a problem opening my files with MilkShape. I can't import Wes' plugin in MilkShape because it says I am not registered. Does this mean I can't even use the trial version for my meshing? ;_:

( Also, thanks for an awesome tutorial! <3 )

[ellacharmed]

Just glad it is helping people... :up:

Afraid I got no control over Milkshape registration. ;)
If the trial period ended ahead of time, you can email the developer.
Else you need to shell out the $ to purchase it (well worth the investment I tell ya); or adapt the lessons here for Blender (which is free), but the learning curve is a bit steeper.

My plans for a Blender version has to be put on hold as I save up to get a new rig... ;)

[Strawb]

Just glad it is helping people... :up:

Afraid I got no control over Milkshape registration. ;)
If the trial period ended ahead of time, you can email the developer.
Else you need to shell out the $ to purchase it (well worth the investment I tell ya); or adapt the lessons here for Blender (which is free), but the learning curve is a bit steeper.

My plans for a Blender version has to be put on hold as I save up to get a new rig... ;)
Thing is, I downloaded it yesterday and I can use it with the samples that came with it, but I can't import any tools. :s

Blender can't be too hard to learn... :cry:

[HugeLunatic]

Strawb you've mentioned now twice about importing tools or importing Wes' plugin, those plugins are not imported they need to be placed in the C:\Program Files\Milkshape folder. You import the files that are decompiled with the obj tool. Did you place the dll files for Milkshape in the folder? And are you trying to import the files decomiled with the obj tool?

[Strawb]

Strawb you've mentioned now twice about importing tools or importing Wes' plugin, those plugins are not imported they need to be placed in the C:\Program Files\Milkshape folder. You import the files that are decompiled with the obj tool. Did you place the dll files for Milkshape in the folder? And are you trying to import the files decomiled with the obj tool?
I've got msS3Objexp.dll and msS3Objimp.dll in the Milkshape folder. In Section H - Meshing in Milkshape, it says "Import into Milkshape" with a pic of the path File--> Import--> Sims3 Object Import by Wes.

I can see the plug in, but when I click in it, it says I am not registered.

[orangemittens]

What you should be doing: 1. cloning object using s3oc. 2. exporting mlods and modl using s3pe. 3. decompiling mlods and modl using s3ObjTool. 4. opening Mikshape, clicking File button in top left hand corner, scrolling down to pick Sims3 Object Import, navigating to folder where decompiled mlod or modl is, selecting and clicking open.

If this is the sequence of steps you are using, and you have the plugins put in the correct folder, but you are getting a not registered message, then this is an issue you have with Milkshape registration and not with the tools or the plugins.

If you have tried a Milkshape trial in the past, even if it was a different version of Milkshape, and you used it for the trial period but didn't buy it you will get this message.

If you are getting this message and you think it is in error you need to go to the Milkshape website and post about it there. No one here can help you with that.

Registration issues with Milkshape have nothing to do with the tools here or with the tutorial here. To get Milkshape to work you're gonna have to pay or take up your registration issue at the Milkshape site.

[ngermana]

I'm apparently hopeless at this... I can't even get past page 12 of the first part of the tutorial :(

[orangemittens]

Nah...this is hard to learn but not hopeless :) What step is it that's giving you trouble and what is happening at that point?

[ngermana]

I lied... it's not page 12 - it's page 13 lol. Section G is totally 100% Greek to me. I think I'd probably be able to understand what to do if I could only understand how to start. Was I supposed to read DeluxeDesign's tutorial, or would it help if I did?

[orangemittens]

Lol...now you're wanting me to pull that tutorial outta my files and look at it.

What step are you on (meshing wise and not tutorial wise) and what exactly is happening when you get to that step that is causing the trouble?

What clone are you working with?

Off to re-read the tutorial to see where you are.

IMO, you're better off asking questions about this tutorial rather than going back to an outdated tutorial.

[HugeLunatic]

DD tutorial is not necessary, it's less tutorial and more just a list of things to do. It leaves out a bunch of steps that you do need to address.

So the UV Mapping is what is greek? Or just the explanation of what each texture resource is for? Would it help if it used something other than Lithunwrap or Gimp?

UVmapper Classic - http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=79954 Basics on using it.

A basic one in Milkshape - http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=323671

One for Wings - http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=222522

[ellacharmed]

Section G is on Gimp.
In which area are you encountering issues and need an interpreter? (;) Though I dunno Greek either)
- On downloading, installing Gimp?
- On loading a .dds image?
- On general Gimp usage? Everything I learnt about Gimp, I read here http://docs.gimp.org/2.6/en/ and the other tutorials I linked to in the Section N:References.

If you have used other applications, you're welcome to stick to those - like PaintShopPro, Photoshop, Paint.Net, etc...

[ngermana]

This may sound really stupid, but what do I open in Gimp? Lol I asked my husband to help (he's a major know-it-all) but he's being lazy :( In Gimp (Gimp 2?) When I go into my projects folder that I made in the beginning, there is nothing that I can open with Gimp.

[orangemittens]

You should have dds files that you exported using s3pe near the beginning of the tutorial. If you have those dds files in the folder and don't see them when you go to that folder with Gimp then maybe something is wrong with your settings.

If you don't have dds files in that folder just open s3pe, open your new object package, right click on the MODL, from the drop-down select export, then select "to file", then navigate to your folder and save the MODL there. Do the same thing for each of the MLODs in the list. Then try opening them with Gimp.

Is there some other editor program like Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, or Paint.NET that you like to use? If so, try using one of those instead...using Gimp isn't a requirement.

[ngermana]

I exported every single MODL and MLOD file in s3pe, but when I open Gimp and try to find dds files, there are none.

I actually prefer Gimp, I was using it for Sims 2 so I'm pretty used to it. :)

[ellacharmed]

Have you downloaded and installed the DDS plugins for GIMP?

[ngermana]

Okay with some help from the hubby, I got it - in the tutorial it says "IMD", but it was actually "IMG". I don't know if it's that way for everyone, but I tend to follow directions to a T when it comes to stuff like this lol. Thank you so much for your help everyone! I'm sure I'll be back :P

[ellacharmed]

oh dear! :faceslap: what line on what page?
I've to verify I don't copy the error into the wiki version... because most of it is a copy+pasta'd job. :giggler:

[ngermana]

It's page 11, Section E.2, step 3. It's really close to the bottom of the page.

[ellacharmed]

oohh, that was super-detailed :up: Thanks!

[ngermana]

lol np. it's the least i could do for everyone trying to help me :D

[Loolitah]

Hi!

I can't move the cylinder as shown on pages 31~32 and I guess I selected it correctly.

[ellacharmed]

Using the "Move Options"?
What have you tried?

[Loolitah]

I can move it but not as shown.
This is what I could do.
http://i30.tinypic.com/2622hs0.jpg

I guess I should move it in a way that it would overlay the other half and "disappear", they both would look like one half circle, am I right?

[ellacharmed]

Which step are you attempting at this point?

[Loolitah]

I can't get to this
http://i25.tinypic.com/2py97hk.jpg

[ellacharmed]

OK, you have selected the correct half to do step 9, actually. Delete those vertices selected and you can then proceed.

I see where you got confused, the .pdf have some typos and missing information. :) Sorry about that. I've done some corrections in the wiki version here http://www.simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Tutorials:TS3_HTMG_SectH1_Cycle1 that pertains to the section you're currently at.

But, just to point out again that this section does not reach the end-game of making a new table. I included it, as it is a good way to get your feet wet in using Milkshape for those like me who had never meshed before. ;) Cycle2 pages would provide you the steps to do the table.

[Loolitah]

Thank you so much again! Great tutorial, very sweet from you to share it ;D
I'll try that!

[porkypine]

Thank you for writing this all-in-one! I will try it this weekend. There are a lot of things I'd like for my TS3 game that I haven't found. YIPPEE!

[KittyCarey]

HELP Please - I've got to step E of the tutorial, but I don't know what to open in s3pe. Which package file do I open? Where is it?

Sorry for being really stupid, but I really want to edit an object and I can't work out what to do

[orangemittens]

Step D of the tutorial directs you to clone an object. During that process you should have gotten a pop-up box which allowed you to navigate to the folder where you wanted to save your package (when you clone an object with s3oc it creates a package).

Then when you open s3pe and click File you select Open from the drop down list. You should then get a pop-up box that allows you to navigate to the folder where you put your package when you cloned the item in step D. The package you open is the one you made in step D.

[KittyCarey]

I feel stupid: I've found it. Thanks for helping me.

[orangemittens]

Don't feel stupid KC...this is hard to learn when you first start. Glad you got it figured out :)

[KittyCarey]

Help required again: I've managed to alter the mesh itself the way I wanted it, as all I had to do was delete the extra bits, but I can't match it up with any textures. There doesn't seem to be the same set of textures to work with - there are a long list of very confusing image files that don't seem to match what you've shown and don't seem to match the map milkshape is giving me. It's a world object rather than a usual, buy mode one, does this make a difference?

Thanks very much for helping.

[orangemittens]

What is the object you're cloning?

[KittyCarey]

The Chinese city wall - I'm trying to get rid of the outer wall and just have the inner one.

[orangemittens]

I'm not sure which clone you're using because there seem to be several pieces all with names having to do with being a Chinese wall. What is the catalogue name?

I may be misunderstanding what your project is but, if all you're doing is deleting a portion of the mesh and leaving the rest of it as is, you shouldn't really need to worry about changing any mapping. If you don't change the mapping you shouldn't have to worry about changing the IMG's either.

What happens when you just change the mesh and then import the wall without the outer wall into the game?

[KittyCarey]

It's called City Wall - Asian in CAW, and is the edge of the forbidden city in China. The world object is in fact a corner for two walls, an inner wall and an outer wall. I'm trying to get rid of the outer wall, and make two versions of the inner wall: the original corner and a piece that is just a straight side so I can make a bigger 'forbidden city'.

When I tried just deleting the extra bit of mesh I didn't want, it works and the resulting object appears in CAW, but it's all grey and doesn't have any texture, although when I first select it it does appear with the right texture for about a second before the texture disappears. I thought that's all I needed to do, but it's clearly not and I can't manage to work out how to fix it.

Thanks for all of your advice, I really appreciate the help from someone who knows how to do this sort of thing.

[ellacharmed]

Could you post a comparison pic of the mesh ? One as original object and what you see now after the modifications, which is not appearing as you'd hoped?

And is this a Buy mode object or a build mode wall item?
I haven't install all the packs yet after installing my OS, so cannot go ingame and check... :(

[orangemittens]

If the right texture is appearing and then disappears like that you're probably having a caching issue. Did you clear the caches before you put your new object in the game?

What is the catalogue name in s3pe? I want to make sure I'm looking at the same object you're looking at.

[KittyCarey]

Here is my modified version in CAW:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll313/KittyCarey/newCityWall.jpg

and here is the original:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll313/KittyCarey/originalCityWall.jpg

I can't remember what the catalogue name from the ObjTool was - I can't find it in s3pe.

I tried deleting all the caches I could find under Electronic Arts/Sims 3 Create a World/WorldbuilderCaches, but it hasn't helped. Oddly, when I placed the wall by accident in the wrong place and moved back over it, it showed the right texture for about a second again and then disappeared. I haven't tried putting it in the world as it is and playing to see if it appears right in the game.

Thanks very much for all your help.

[orangemittens]

Could you post the package? Did you export the MLODs and MODL using s3pe or some other tool?

[KittyCarey]

I think this should have it attached. I used s3pe and milkshape, as in the tutorial.

[orangemittens]

I looked at the object and I'm thinking the issue with it goes beyond the scope of this tutorial. I see the magnifier IMG and the overlay IMG but I don't see any reference for them in the OBJD material TGI's which is where the reference is for more ordinary items. I'm not sure exactly how the object gets hooked up to the IMG's in-game.

I don't think this is something you're doing incorrectly as much as it is that this object is different than the objects this tutorial was designed to cover. I wish I could help more.

If after trying the object in the actual game, if the issue persists, maybe if you started your own thread in Object Creation you would get more people looking at the problem who have a better understanding of this kind of object than I do. I apologize for not having a better answer.

[Raven Shadow]

Kitty, the object you started with wasn't made the same way regular objects were made.
It doesn't use a Multiplier, Overlay, Mask or Specular.
It's uses regular color textures that are referenced in the MODl and MLOD files where the shader data is kept.

what's happened in your picture is that because the changes you made are not uvmapped exactly the same as the original,
and If you changed the Mesh Groups, this can happen, The game is applying the dirt texture to the object.

As I understand it, you took out a small wall and added a more complex and larger wall, I'm sorry but there just isn't enough information known about how these
objects were made for you to succeed.

Instead I would suggest you export the hirgh and low resolution meshes and clone a regular cast-able object and use it.
You could use the original walls specular to make a Multiplier or burn a new one with Blender.
You could leave it as a CAST-able object or you could combine the original textures into a single Overlay texture.
And you would have to re-UVMapp the entire object, but this way would be doable.

[KittyCarey]

Thanks very much for the advice. I doubt I'll be able to do all those things to make it work as the wall is very large, so I think I'll try to put it inside lots in the world I'm trying to make.

Thank you both very much for having a look at it for me.

[Raven Shadow]

The OBJD has a setting to tell te game an object is large.
Don't let the size of the object put you off making it.

[primative]

Hello Ellacharm3D, or any appropriate moderator,
Newbie, just got sims3 last month.
The learning curve is a little steep, but I think worth the effort. I think the graphics are amazing.
I hope this is the proper forum for this question, I searched quite a lot.
I read most of the tutorials on mesh, not sure what app(s) to get for macbook 10.6.4
I will continue to re/read the tutorials.
I will search 'blender' and others to see which are OSX leopold compatible.

Where do I go to learn about vehicle/boat/ship/rail/streetcar/wagon-team/car-truck object motion, that is, how does one make the guide path?(tracks)(course)? i see there is a sleigh and some gypsy wagons(medieval pack? req.) available om
Are rail sim programs like MTS (spelling?) 'Microsoft Train Simulator' compatible/transferable/usable?
How does one make a vehicle, does one start with a template of some kind, where does one find that, how are the custom vehicles made?
Is this vehicle template found in the sims3 files?
How does one make a ship/boat that navigates? Is an expansion pack needed, like 'pirates'?
There is a marine designer whose work I like, if with his permission, can his hull shapes in mesh be used, what type of apps. do I look for?
Do you have a recommendation for an/the apps. I need, if so.
Thank You, your instruction is appreciated.
primative

[bradyseitz]

Love the tutorial ella. I have meshed a few things for TS2 although I only uploaded one. I seem to be having a problem with some of the textures. I got the three out of s3pe but cannot seem to find the dropshadow image anywhere. I have reread the image sections of the tutorial several times and I must still be missing something.

Brady

**EDIT**

I found the answer while roaming through the meshing FAQs. Maybe at the beginning of the tutorial where you are discussing the Default Resources option, include a note saying that if you need the dropshadows, uncheck the box. That was where I got confused. I left the box checked and could not find the dropshadow image you displayed in the tutorial.

Now that this issue is resolved, I can try again from the beginning. :)

[ellacharmed]

...
I read most of the tutorials on mesh, not sure what app(s) to get for macbook 10.6.4
...
I will search 'blender' and others to see which are OSX leopold compatible.

Where do I go to learn about vehicle/boat/ship/rail/streetcar/wagon-team/car-truck object motion, that is, how does one make the guide path?(tracks)(course)? i see there is a sleigh and some gypsy wagons(medieval pack? req.) available om
Are rail sim programs like MTS (spelling?) 'Microsoft Train Simulator' compatible/transferable/usable?
How does one make a vehicle, does one start with a template of some kind, where does one find that, how are the custom vehicles made?
Is this vehicle template found in the sims3 files?
How does one make a ship/boat that navigates? Is an expansion pack needed, like 'pirates'?
There is a marine designer whose work I like, if with his permission, can his hull shapes in mesh be used, what type of apps. do I look for?
Do you have a recommendation for an/the apps. I need, if so.
Thank You, your instruction is appreciated.
primative

@primative,
Welcome to the meshing madhouse! :bunny:
Vehicles are hard to master as they involve animation.

If you've only started gaming on Sims 3 and in particular modding for this game, then I'd suggest to start mastering meshing and texturing simple inanimate objects like tables, decor, etc.
Once you've covered that, you may want to "graduate" to meshes that have states - ie beds, bookshelves, etc, and then tackle animation.

Yes, you can find the vehicle template in the game, same as finding other objects to clone and the cloning process would copy all the resources you need to have the same animation.
You can check the Downloads section for the vehicles we currently have available for downloading - you'll see dragons, alien spaceships, among others - but they all have the same animations as the vehicles they were cloned from.

For boats, or any other vehicle that is not already present in the game, is not possible at this time as the animation resources are not present. And while there have been progress to figure out animation, it is slow going... you might want to follow rothn's progress with his AnimTool.
And if you know animation (Sims 3 uses the .grannyrig format), you are welcome to help chip away at figuring out the puzzle yourself - we have a Modding discussion forum if you need input or help in hashing things out.

As for OSX and Blender:
- check out this thread TS2/TS3 Tools and Utilities: Solutions for OS X users.
- another member, cmomoney, has various tutorials using Blender.

(To search for any member and checkout their profiles listing their Article + Download contributions, just use the Search tool uptop on the Navigation bar.)

Good luck with your projects, and hope to see some of your creations on this site, soon. ;)

...cannot seem to find the dropshadow image anywhere.

... include a note saying that if you need the dropshadows, uncheck the box. That was where I got confused. I left the box checked and could not find the dropshadow image you displayed in the tutorial.
...

Thanks, brady.
The tools are constantly being updated. It is good to note that what images I captured was how the tool function at that point of time, during the writing of this tutorial. I've tried to keep it updated in the wiki as re-creating the PDF document is a hassle. So, any erratas and additions are in the wiki version.

In any case, wasn't all that clearly explained in section D4 (http://www.simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Tutorials:TS3_HTMG_ChapD_Cloning) (pdf is on page 9)? The blue box in the image did specifically show the box unchecked...
I've added this as a tip in the wiki, anyway. If one person is confused about this, I'm sure there are many others.
Thanks for the heads-up. :up:

[orangemittens]

Brady you'll only need to get the dropshadow once and that's only so you can apply it to your shadow plane in MS to allow you to see what you're doing as you adjust it to fit your object.

After that you can just apply the same one you used before for making adjustments in MS for any new object. The same exact dropshadow is used for every object I've seen and the mesh adjustment will be all you need to do to have it showing right in-game.

[bradyseitz]

Thanks for the help. I have one now and will keep it in a safe place. Now that I have all the images, I will go through the tutorial once again.

[yuichen]

I'm having trouble exporting the Mlod file, saying a bone needs to be assigned. I did what was mentioned in the tip but it still wont export. The mesh is just a simple rotation of a painting to be portrait rather than landscape.

[orangemittens]

If you're using Milkshape and the object has only one joint all you have to do is 1. go to the Joints tab 2. click the SelUnAssigned button and then 3. click the Assign button. Then export your object to overwrite the MLOD.

[yuichen]

I was sure I did that, but apparently not. Thank you :)

[Megs1116]

I am in need of some assistance with s30c, I selected the 'normal objects' from the cloning tab but the only objects that are offered are those from expansion packs and not from the base game. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if I didn't download something entirely but I'd really like to be able to follow your tutorial exactly and unfortunatley the table used is from the base game. Is there anyway for me to fix this?

[omegastarr82]

I am in need of some assistance with s30c, I selected the 'normal objects' from the cloning tab but the only objects that are offered are those from expansion packs and not from the base game. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if I didn't download something entirely but I'd really like to be able to follow your tutorial exactly and unfortunatley the table used is from the base game. Is there anyway for me to fix this?

Uh, go into options and make sure it has the right directory for your base game?

[Megs1116]

Uh, go into options and make sure it has the right directory for your base game?

I'm sorry, I'm not seeing an options tab and what is a directory?

[ellacharmed]

There's a menu option where you need to specify the game folders. This is new, well not so new now, but it wasn't available when I wrote this, almost 2 years ago. I have got to find some time to update this wiki. ;)

I'm not at my Windows machine to tell you the exact path, but it's not that hard to locate. :) Not that many menus to click through, but yes, I believe it is under Options or something. You just need to do this once when you first installed s3oc.