Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 7th Mar 2020 at 9:00 PM
Default any advice for an aspiring ts2 modder?
hello! as explained in the title, i'd like some advice on where to start out with ts2 modding: specifically body shop cc. any 3d rendering programs that have an easy interface to work with, especially for hair?? or maybe some advice on how to make clean looking textures, or if there's any free texture resources to start out with (please tell me if that sounds iffy lol like i said I'm Very New to this) i've been wanting to do this for a while, and i'd figure i'd get around to it!! so if any body has any advice or experience, i'd love to know!! :P
Advertisement
Mad Poster
#2 Old 7th Mar 2020 at 10:23 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 8th Mar 2020 at 12:37 AM.
Have you had a look at various tutorials? There's a lot of them in the tutorial section here on MTS, and there's also a very handy site here: https://ts2tutorialdatabase.tumblr.com/ which has tutorials from other places around the community.

For texturing you'll need a picture editing program, preferably one that can handle layers, PNGs, BMPs and PSDs (otherwise you'll probably run into some issues). Photoshop is an option on the more expensive side of the scale, while Gimp is free (it's kinda like Photoshop, but doesn't have all the tools). There are also other programs you could use. Stay away from the default Paint, though. Here you can also find tutorals on Youtube for the individual programs. You don't need to be too hung up in Photoshop version, except for any new tools or user interface changes introduced gradually in CS4/5/6 and on - most of the basics are similar from version to version.

For more advanced texturing than slapping on a pattern and calling it a day, you basically have to figure out what you need, and look up a lot of tutorials on how to do it. Youtube is a great tool for this (you can find beginner tutorials on the tool box and outlay, and go from there).

For textures, I tend to use Google searches a lot. For patterns, there's several (more or less) free options, like https://www.colourlovers.com/ or https://www.freepik.com/ where you can get a lot of patterns to start out with.

In the beginning it can be a good idea to learn how to use the original texture as a base/overlay for patterns, because this does ease up a lot on the work. I have a picture tutorial here (the download link at the top - it's a folder with lots of pictures) that shows how to do this, plus how to make a workable seamless texture from a picture. Later, you can advance to make your own shadow overlays with seams and such (there's a tutorial on this, but I can't remember where - it uses a shadow/highlight system that you can probably find Youtube videos on).

3D programs - There's two main ones you may want to look at. Milkshape is the "standard" TS2 one that most tutorials use. Blender 3D is also an option, though you'll have to use a slightly older version with the existing plugins, and there aren't that many tutorials for it. Personally, I have both since they do offer different uses (meshing from scratch and UVmapping plus a few other things is easier in Blender, but Milkshape has a lot of useful tools and plugins, plus at least 95% of the tutorial database - I'll often do meshing in Blender, and if need be import it into Milkshape for a few final touches, especially when working with CAS items). Blender has the advantage of being free, though. Here you can also find a lot of tutorials on Youtube (there's a lot for Blender), and I suggest you look at those showing low-poly modelling and normal smoothing first, because you'll want as few polys as possible for it to be game friendly, but still smooth enough to look good ingame. Low-poly modelling is a very handy skill, and it's better to start low and work your way up, than start extremely high and try to lower it down.

You'll also need SimPE if you want to do any meshing or edit files.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 8th Mar 2020 at 12:16 AM
Quote: Originally posted by simmer22
Have you had a look at various tutorials? There's a lot of them in the tutorial section here on MTS, and there's also a very handy site here: https://ts2tutorialdatabase.tumblr.com/ which has tutorials from other places around the community.

For textures, I tend to use Google searches a lot. For patterns, there's several (more or less) free options, like https://www.colourlovers.com/ or https://www.freepik.com/ where you can get a lot of patterns to start out with.

For more advanced texturing than slapping on a pattern and calling it a day, you basically have to figure out what you need, and look up a lot of tutorials on how to do it. Youtube is a great tool for this (you can find beginner tutorials on the tool box and outlay, and go from there).

For texturing you'll need a picture editing program, preferably one that can handle layers, PNGs, BMPs and PSDs (otherwise you'll probably run into some issues). Photoshop is an option on the more expensive side of the scale, while Gimp is free (it's kinda like Photoshop, but doesn't have all the tools). There are also other programs you could use. Stay away from the default Paint, though. Here you can also find tutorals on Youtube for the individual programs. You don't need to be too hung up in Photoshop version, except for any new tools or user interface changes introduced gradually in CS4/5/6 and on - most of the basics are similar from version to version.

In the beginning it can be a good idea to learn how to use the original texture as a base/overlay for patterns, because this does ease up a lot on the work. I have a picture tutorial here (the download link at the top - it's a folder with lots of pictures) that shows how to do this, plus how to make a workable seamless texture from a picture. Later, you can advance to make your own shadow overlays with seams and such (there's a tutorial on this, but I can't remember where - it uses a shadow/highlight system that you can probably find Youtube videos on).

3D programs - There's two main ones you may want to look at. Milkshape is the "standard" TS2 one that most tutorials use. Blender 3D is also an option, though you'll have to use a slightly older version with the existing plugins, and there aren't that many tutorials for it. Personally, I have both since they do offer different uses (meshing from scratch and UVmapping plus a few other things is easier in Blender, but Milkshape has a lot of useful tools and plugins, plus at least 95% of the tutorial database - I'll often do meshing in Blender, and if need be import it into Milkshape for a few final touches, especially when working with CAS items). Blender has the advantage of being free, though. Here you can also find a lot of tutorials on Youtube (there's a lot for Blender), and I suggest you look at those showing low-poly modelling and normal smoothing first, because you'll want as few polys as possible for it to be game friendly, but still smooth enough to look good ingame. Low-poly modelling is a very handy skill, and it's better to start low and work your way up, than start extremely high and try to lower it down.

You'll also need SimPE if you want to do any meshing or edit files.

ah! thanks! this helps a lot, the real reason i started this thread is that it's hard for me to find tutorials that i could understand, but i'll take a look at these!!
Back to top