i created a custom envcube however it isnt showing up right the original image is showing up as well as the new image this is weird! how do i fix this??

Wow, that sounds ineresting...
Can you post the package here to see how it is?

ToRnado,
yes please, post your package.

Niol, as I already subscibed to ToRnado's thread may look here :D
Yes, it is intresting and useful. Inge and Dr Pixel have some useful info to offer.

lolall,

May check out the wiki for txmt and probably make some suggestions on the new updates...
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Parameters
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Para...CategorisedList
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Para...lySequencedList
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Para...xturalAnimation
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Para.../StdMatCullMode
http://www.sims2wiki.info/TXMT/Para.../stdMatDiffCoef

I remember it by assuming TXMT stands for "texture material", TX - MT, see?
Since its a material property with some parameters that specify some texture stuff (use it or not, which one, blending), so "texture material" works for me.

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Oops, double posted! Bad CatOfEvilGenius!
(deleting following post and pasting it here...)
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Honestly, I don't understand why Maxis did it this way. If only they took out the reference to the texture used (and maybe just a few other things), so much of the material property could be reused and shared between objects. I've made several things that all have the same Phong lighting parameters and environment mapping parameters, they only differed in the texture applied. To reuse the material, had to export it, replace it, change the name, change the darn texture reference, fix integrity, bleh. Maybe I'll make a suggestion to Maxis about it thought I doubt they would change it.

---------------------------------------------------

Layperson's Explanation of Some Things the Material Property Does

The material property, as many have said before, controls specularity, diffuse color, emissive color, environment mapping, etc. While these things are familiar to computer graphics people, to the layperson they may be unfamiliar. The Wikipedia links below explain some concepts behind what the material property does. People can just look at the pictures and get it, though I think reading the math would benefit them too. These sorts of PICTURES are what I think would be good to put into "materials for beginnings", along with cook-book how-to instructions (though not all in one giant thread). We have a bunch in this thread already, but they're not collected into a short beginner tutorial. Phong lighting and environment mapping could easily each have their own tutorial. If these already exist, I'll feel silly, someone point them out to me please.

Phong lighting a.k.a Phong reflection model (reflected color and dullness / shininess)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phong_reflection_model

Environment mapping (fake reflection of "stuff around a mirrored object")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_mapping

Emission (Objects that give off their own light, like real life lamps or the sun, are emissive. Setting the emissive color and emissive power controls how an object "lights up an area" or "glows". The white spheres in the image below are emissive.)
http://www.housepixels.com/aoimanua...ing/gi_emis.jpg

Well, somehow the TXMT still needs to know which texture to use, right? So there needs to be a reference to it some place.

Sure, I'm just not convinced Maxis had to put it in the material. And you don't need one if you're not using a texture (I know, almost everything is textured because that looks nice). Why not have a resource that just says what uses what? For example, it could say this geometry gets that material and that texture. Then you wouldn't need to put the texture reference in the material. Not arguing, it's just my personal preference.

QUESTION:
If you have an object with multiple pieces of geometry, can you / how do you apply a different material to each? If someone already explained this, please give me the post number. Thanks!

Indeed, there're a few ways Maxis did.

Such texture(s) be referenced in matShad files, txmt files, xml files, or behaviour related files.

txmt files are used as a local filter or controller for how the game presents the material normally locally yet possibly globally.

As far as I know, all meshes have a Material Definition even if they don't have a texture. The Material Definition can define the look of an object without a texture, too. If an object doesn't have a working TXMT, it blinks blue in the game.



If the meshes in different GMDCs have different names, you can. Then it doesn't really matter if they are in the same GMDC or not, as long as the mesh subset names are named differently.

I know. I meant, if you don't use a texture, you don't need a texture reference in your material.

I appreciate you answering questions in this thread, all you senior modders here are so helpful.

For setting instructions, may read the early half of this thread or the TS2 wiki or even wikipedia

CatOfEvilGenius,
As a recolorer and skinner - there is value (even if things repeat) to having this data individually - it means I can do something individual with my recolor that the base object did not have - I have modified various settings in the matd section to change the look of an object -- to turn a shiny plastic item into a non-shiny one, and so on.

Sure, I agree, I had to change a TXMT too in order to get the look I want. The thing is, now I've got it, and want to reuse it. If it were a texture, you can choose to create a new texture, or you can use a pre-existing texture (repository method). I think it would be nice to have that same choice with a lot of the non-reference stuff that's stored in the material. As a programmer, I've seen libraries where the texture and material data structures weren't so tightly coupled and you had that choice.

Maxis might have such libraries. We do not have the cool software, packages, or organization tools that they do. So what you see as repetitive structure in every object might be a click of a button for them to insert from a library of predefined settings.

Tiggerypum,
Good point. Done griping about modder convenience not being a goal of Maxis file structure design. [runs off to read more about materials]

Now, I worry the next repository step on the materials in TS3 or later will be like:
00043003 = stdMatEnvCubeMode
00004980 = reflectionkitchenhighcontrast-envcube
03377823 = StandardMaterial



0049 = material type
0498 = property tab

hi,I dont really understand all this is there an easy tutorial to follow, because I done all of that an my bottle does not look like glass it looks pink but not transparent is solid

could you please be so kind to clearly or maybe more plain speaking,to an ignorant like me, because I dont get it,I done what you explain here but still, something is wrong,Im missing somenthing,can you please tell me if is there a very easy tutorial to follow on this
MATD thing please, because I really want to do a transparent object,
thanks thanks :lovestruc

Soloyo, what values did you use for each of those material parameters? Folks could help more if they knew. Do you have texture enable set to true or false? I assume you're not trying to use any texture, you just want to use the material by itself, so make sure texturing is disabled. If you are trying to use a texture, make sure it has an alpha channel (you can make parts transparent) and when building DXT, use DXT3 or DXT5, so you can see untextured parts through the transparent parts of the texture.

soloyo,

it sounds a syntactic error in the parameter settings to me. And, I guess it may be easier to upload it to the repair centre and see if someone comes up to help fix and//or provide you any suggested instructions. After all, this is a discussion and research thread.

Lol, you may just export only the txmt file out for modders to check.

I am sorry all these talking to fix this and that I dont really understand is much easy for me to see and example or a tutorial thank you for answering me, I will do more research about this thanks

I am very sorry but I dont know much about parameters, or anything else, am a person who follow instructions better than discutions, is easy for me to see examples, and i will follow and discover what was wrong but for know I dont know thank for answering but I was especting if someone knew about and easy or easier tutorial to follow, is not something that I really need is just a hobby, thanks

Try http://www.thesimsresource.com/down...page6in89items/
Named "Material definition editing" page 6, it gives some basics.

It is quite a challenge to explain in a simple way a very complex and not totaly discovered matter. For sure, when something is understood, no need to follow blindly instructions without knowing what you're doing. So thanks to those who makes hard researches and try to explain them to noob like us :-)

May also check out... this free tutorial for transparency.

mike19's ''NEW'' Object transparency tutorial ''NEW''
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=220244

thanks, I did so a made a vase looking like a glass, thank you for your answer