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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Nov 2004 at 11:22 PM Last edited by Haegemon : 4th May 2005 at 5:30 PM.
Default COOKBOOK TUTORIAL - Change default body skins.
By HAEGEMON

The proces it's easier than thought but needs some hard work. It works and don't produce crashes. The result can be added or removed easily from the ''../Mydocuments/Download/EAGames/TheSims2/Downloads'' folder.

Tools needed:
Bodyshop SimPE Hexeditor (unless your SimPE hexeditor could work, mine can't)


SOME BASICS

Custom skin:
In the Bodyshop build a custom skin. From: Create elements->start new project->genetics->skin tune->export.
(Notice that there are 4 slots by default skins, this has importance later)

Once exported the maps can be edited in the ''Projects'' folder, using a graphic editor. When ended compile from Bodyshop and you'll got a ''*.package'' file.


HARD PART

Lets work:
First we have to select the files we want. It's not necessary to pack all of them. We can pack only the female skins or only male skins for example. It depends what we wanna do.
The *.package file must be opened with the SimPE. Inside there are some ''folders'' and a lot of files, but we're interested only in two of them:

Material Description?
Texture Image


The second one contains the texture maps we edited before. The problem is how to know what files are those we want. Due to the package is a custom ''clon'' the names are unknown. For this reason we need the ''Material Description?'' folder.
Using SimPE (Uncompressed Data) on the text side, we can find 3 names:

1. The name of the image we edited. Ex. tfbodysoft-top (Between Rows 0x00000030-0x00000070)

2. The name of image texture in the package. (Is NOT the name around the row 0x00000040-60 that is the ''group'' which is common to all the files in the package. We need the internal name of the other file.) Look around the row 0x000001C0. Look for something called MatBaseTextureName. Next to it there is something like this ##0x7ff9598f for example. This is the name of a texture in the ''Texture Image'' folder.

3. The name of the default. (This way if something is wrong the program charges the default archive). Look at the end of the text around the row 0x00000590. Something like this afbodynaked-nudecut-s1 for example.

Write the names in a *.txt properly to remember better, and don't mix the file names.
Then you must go to the ''Texture Image'' folder. There you have to look file by file at the beginning of the text for those files you want. Those you wrote. The others can be deleted (You should have a backup).


Meanings of the default names (some guide):

afbodynaked-nudecut-s1 (Example)

The first 2 letters means age and gender (1one: a=adult, t=teen, e=elder. 2one: f=female, m=male).

The word after the line means body form (nudecut=in form, nude=normal, nudesoft=chubby).

The last line are the number of slots I mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial (s1=white, s2=tan, s3=med, s4=dark, there is a s5 but I'm not sure about what means, I think it's the alien skin.)


MAKING DEFAULT

The files you want must be extracted from the *.package file. You obtain two types *.simpe and *.xml, the second useless. You have to open the ''simpe'' files with a hexeditor (it's like the screen used until now with the SimPE but lets you edit the file), and have to change the name of the files (edited map files) at the top of the text for the original default(gamecore) files. Remember you wrote them, as I said before. If not you must start again.

Example:
............l'J.
.CImageDatal'J..
....cSGResource.
........##0x7ff8
598f!0x3celbadd
_
txtr............

This is something you can find. You must only change the undelined letters. The result must be something like this for example. (Remember that if you're naming the skin of a teenfemale the original must be the related skin.)

Example:
............l'J.
.CImageDatal'J..
....cSGResource.
........tfbodyna
ked-nudesoft-s1
_
txtr............


Some times the default name is shorter that the space that the oldest name used.

Example:
............l'J.
.CImageDatal'J..
....cSGResource.
........tfbodyna
ked-nude-s1_txtr
....
............

IMPORTANT: The space left must be edited but not using the ''.'' button (it has diferent binary meaning). If you look at the left side of the SimPE screen, you'll see that there are in that positions ''00 00 00 04 00 00 02'' more or less. You have to put in the space left that kind of serie (it depends how looks you file). If you doubt put it ''00''.

Then re-pack the files again with the SimPE adding into a new file and save.

Thats all. It worked to me.
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Slacker of Immense Slackness
retired moderator
#2 Old 17th Nov 2004 at 1:08 AM
Sexy thanks for the tute

<:3))~~ Loverat
"In some cultures what I do is considered normal"

www.loverat.net Check it out for other recolours & lot uploads =D
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 17th Nov 2004 at 1:10 AM
where do i put Hexeditor when i download it?...

"I'm offended by your attempts to not offend me"
"Anatidaephobia: The fear that somehow, somewhere, a duck is watching you."
"Where in the rhyme does it say Humpty Dumpty was an egg?"
♥Robyn♥
Lab Assistant
#4 Old 17th Nov 2004 at 1:26 AM
Hahaaaa but now there is a TXTR importer so you should just be able to open the packages Duddly released and replace his textures with your own.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 17th Nov 2004 at 6:05 PM
@Fro99ie123-> Put it where you want. SimPE has a built-in hexeditor but this don't work to me, instead I used an independent hexeditor. Download one, whatever (I use HHD Hex Editor v2.0). It's another program. This means you don't have to put it in any special place.

Edit: You can unite the hexeditor program with SimPE through Extra->options->External Hex... (from SimPe)

@snazza->Not so easy. I anlyzed Duddly's work to experiment myself. Due to I had only 3 Duddly skins and I couldn't find the last one I had to develope it by my own. This let me do this tutorial for the community due to Duddly didn't.
Well..., that his packages contains the textures he did, but this textures are edited and have inside the names of the default textures. The textures you try to use to replace haven't and the game may don't recognize them as default.
Maybe I'm wrong but I don't tryed this extractor yet.




[ Edited 17-11-2004 11:23PM ]
Test Subject
#6 Old 30th Nov 2004 at 9:44 AM
I simply extracted each of Duddly's using the extractor in SimPE. I then pasted over his the textures I wanted, then imported them again. This way, I got the textures I wanted but retained the names of his files.

I have yet to test it, but we shall see shortly.

*Edited Update*

It didn't work... I think I did something wrong, however. When I changed the textures, they showed with a purple tint to them... very weird.

I want to put Doe's Skins into my game, I like those the best, but I can't get them as default. I'll keep working with SimPE, but if someone could do it for me, I would be eternally grateful.

[ Edited 30-11-2004 10:02AM ]
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 2nd Dec 2004 at 10:41 AM
Unfortunately when you import with TXTR Extractor or SimPE, the quality is not as good as when you use Bodyshop. :/
Test Subject
#8 Old 4th Dec 2004 at 1:39 AM
found what i was looking for

the following should help clarify some things that i found missing from the above tutorial:

http://www.modthesims2.com/forum_viewtopic.php?34.25449
[ Edited 04-12-2004 05:54AM ]
Test Subject
#9 Old 3rd Jun 2005 at 11:55 AM
Where do you get SimPE from?
Field Researcher
#10 Old 4th Jun 2005 at 1:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by little_miss_sims
Where do you get SimPE from?

http://sims.ambertation.de

Nebulosa
"trying to keep the green mist as far away as possible from my nose"
Test Subject
#11 Old 14th Jun 2005 at 7:14 PM
I'm having a problem making custom skins. I can find and alter the body skins for all body types and both sexes. But, I can't find female faces at all. Can someone help me figure this out, please?
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 31st Jul 2005 at 7:49 AM
What type of mesh is this? Are these actaul skins, like nude skins?
Test Subject
#13 Old 10th Dec 2005 at 6:33 PM
Is there any way of improving the quality of imported skins thru SimPE? It bugs me when I get pixely retextures.
Test Subject
#14 Old 22nd Jul 2006 at 4:35 PM
Im still confused I guess I wasnt meant to make skins.. ):
Admin of Randomness
retired moderator
#15 Old 22nd Jul 2006 at 8:31 PM
The current easy way to make default skins is to start with a default skin package someone has already made and then replace all the textures in it with the ones you want. The nvidia dxt utilities will import textures into SimPE better than 'import' does and thus no pixelation.

"Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." - Ronald E. Osborn

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