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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Feb 2021 at 5:02 PM
Default Store top with two-part mesh, one part not showing in game.
This is a follow-up on my latest post.

Back then I explained that I’m adding preg morphs to Store items (I create a whole new package for each item), and I came across a couple of items that contained a .dds named “transparency map”.

I received a couple of very useful tips, and ran different tests, but I’m still unable to come up with a solution.

The images that I’m showing here are for the Store item ”Show Stopping Style- Studs and Chains Flared Top”:

The mesh for LOD1 - group 1 (the actual top).
The mesh for LOD1 - group 2 (Hanging chains on the front).
Multiplier.
Transparency map (we assume that this is the alpha for group 2).


These are the things I did so far, the “tests” I ran, all with unsuccessful results:

* First I followed CmarNYC’s Tutorial to make transparent clothing meshes. I applied the steps to the “2nd group” mesh, the one for the hanging chains. I don’t have an image for the result in game (I guess I deleted it), but it looked almost like this: the whole “chains” mesh was visible, as sort-of a half-circle hanging in front of the jacket, in a semi-transparent blackish color. It looked kinda cool, as if it was a half circle acrylic accessory, but it was not the right result.

* Then, I just inserted the decrapified package in the game, with no changes. This is what it looked like. As you can see, the chains are perfectly visible, but the mesh for the actual top is, literally, all over the place.

* Next, I took both meshes from the decrapified package, along with the DDS files, applied the correct morphs to both meshes (as wso), and re-packed everything in a new package: this is the procedure I’ve been implementing for all of the +200 Store items I have already done. Here is the result. As you can see, the mesh for the chains is nowhere to be seen, and the mesh for the top is perfectly fine. I did this one twice: for the first one, I used the “transparency map.dds” as an alpha for the chains mesh, while using the one called “multiplier.dds” as the alpha for the coat. I also did another one using the “multiplier.dds” for both meshes, and I also swapped the meshes from “group 1” to “group 2”, just in case it made a difference. All of those tests had the same result, already shown above: the chains mesh is “invisible”.

* Finally, I tried merging both meshes into one, and the results were what I expected: The whole chunk of the chain mesh was visible.

Through these tests, I could see that both meshes are perfectly valid, usable, etc.

Do you have any more ideas on what I can do for both meshes to show in game, properly?

I just want to make it clear: I’m not obsessed with these items, I don’t need them in my game, I’m just trying to learn a bit about CC, and I think that this is a great exercise to learn how meshes and texture files work, depending on what we do with them.

Thanks for taking the time to read this long post. :lovestruc
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Alchemist
#2 Old 10th Feb 2021 at 3:59 PM
Hm, this may not be it, but the chains being a separate layer make me think of this older project of mine, where the dress was in one group and the lace ONLY was in a separate group. Eventually, I found that for transparency like this you need to use a different shader type for the group, in addition to the alpha channel; if you don't, the transparent part just shows the skin (or in your case, the multiplier of the other mesh group). Unfortunately, it's been a looong time so I'm not sure what I did back then.

I believe two Island Paradise tops (the vest with the coins, and the tank top with the loose strips at the bottom) have the same structure, if you're looking for a YA top to clone.

EDIT: just saw in my dress post that you should change the shader of the chain group to "Simhair" for the transparency to work: POST.

Tumblr - more downloads! ◾ CC reuploads / creator backupsTS3 CAS Conversion Catalog - for basegame, EP, SP, and Store clothing!
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 11th Feb 2021 at 10:52 PM
Hi, Thanks so much for your reply! I love your content, BTW.

Quote: Originally posted by sweetdevil
Hm, this may not be it, but the chains being a separate layer make me think of this older project of mine, where the dress was in one group and the lace ONLY was in a separate group.


There is a Store top ("peasant" something) that has the exact same lace on the sleeves, which I also have on hold, pending for a solution for this matter.

Quote: Originally posted by sweetdevil
just saw in my dress post that you should change the shader of the chain group to "Simhair" for the transparency to work: POST.


I took the geom for group 2 (chains, fresh, unused), and changed it to "Simhair". The result was the same as before: the top is perfectly fine, and the mesh for the chains is nowhere to be seen.


Just in case I'm doing something wrong, here are the steps, from start to finish:

* Open the decrapified package with S3PE, and extract all the DDS files, and the base GEOM for all three LODs.
* (probably irrelevant) I open the specular DDS and turn it down almost to black, because... you know. Then I save it again as DDS, of course.
* Convert the GEOMs to WSOs either using Mesh Toolkit or Milkshape. In this case, I used both methods in different tests (just in case).
* Assign bones and morphs with Mesh Toolkit. In this case, I ran two tests: first, I assigned bones and morphs to the "chains" wso, and on the second test, I didn't. Both turned out to have the same result.
* Clone an item in TSRW (in this case, I used the basegame dress with a corset, that has two groups. Then, I just changed the part to "upper body".
* Load the textures in TSRW, define the preset colours.
* Load the meshes for LOD1, change the material properties, so the correct textures are used. Group 2 (chains) uses the "transparency map.dds" as the alpha and diffuse maps.
* Change the categories to my liking, and export as package. Then, I run the package through s3rc and add it to the Mods/Packages folder.
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