Alex195, you have made several posts like this, and people have directed you to tutorials. Take a look at the tutorials you have been linked to by other people, follow them step by step, and then, if you have a specific problem, ask. But you can't just go around asking for help "to do anything". You have been helped as much as anybody can at this point.

Numenor, thanks for your help.
Yes, I already did what you proposed, but it does not work.. well, I will clone it again, maybe I have forgotten something.

I meanwhile started to make a curtain and realised something strange: each Maxis curtain seem to have only the alpha channels instead of a texture, so I can't build my own. At the end, the game always uses the old texture... (?)
I'm using the latest SimPE version - is there a bug or are curtains built that way?

Chrissy - I'm afraid that including a light in a non-lamp object is more diffucult that you thought... And probably my explanations on the LGHT thread were not clear enough.

Basically, your stairs lack almost every element needed to get a working light; you imported a LGHT file, anc correctly linked it to each CRES; but you forgot to assign the right name (walldecksconce_point) to each lightRefNode (the name of the node can be set in the cObjectGraph tab of the LightRefNode).

Then, you tried to follow my suggestion ("Import the semiglobals"), but there was a misunderstanding: I didn't mean the GLOB file (there can be only one in each package!). I meant to import the semiglobal BHAVs (and not all of them: only the ones actually needed to turn the lamps on and off). BTW, importing the LampGlobals (the BHAVs), is not enough: they need to be linked to the existing menus ad functions of the object, so that they are actually executed...

The explanation would be too long, and this is not the right place; I tried to quickly add some light functions to your package, but the job is too hard to be done quickly, sorry...

Simka - I think we have to clear up something about the semi-transparent images.

A normal image (a picture, a texture, anything) can optionally contain an Alpha channel; the main image can have as much colours you like, while the Alpha is a greyscale image that represent the "transparency map" of the main image. Each pixel of the main image is associated to the corresponding pixel of the alpha; the brighter the "alpha pixel", the more visible the "main pixel".

An alpha image can be embedded in the main image: i.e. the file will be only one (for instance, only one .png file), but the .png file actually contains *two* different images; one image is always visible, and the alpha is "stored" into the so-called "Alpha Channel" of the main image.
Note that we can correctly talk about "alpha image" only if it is embedded into a normal image: if you *extract* the alpha, but when extracted it becomes a plain greyscale image; since it is not "associated" to a main image any more, it can't be considered any more a "transparency map" of any main image: it is just a stand-alone grayscale image.

That said, what you say about the Maxis curtains can't be true: in a package you can find a simple, solid image (without any transparency map), OR you can find a semitransparent texture (an image that contains a transparency map), but you CAN'T find the transparency map alone...

If your cloned curtains show up the old Maxis textures, no matter what you do, then the problem is different: ther is a link in your package that points to the Maxis textures.
Please note that it's quite frequent in curtais to have links like these: many 1-tile curtains are originally linked to the 2-tiles version, and borrow its textures.

The first thing to try is to clone the curtain activating the option "Create as stand-alone". Then, export the image contained in the package as .png (other formats, like the .bmp, do not support the embedded alpha channel.
Lastly, use your paint program to edit the image and the embedded transparency map. This last subject can't be explained here: I rely on your knowledge about the usage of your preferred paint program.

I am having trouble with one inverted (?) face in this object - nothing I have done seems to be able to correct it - I've deleted the face..deleted the vertices, replace both, remodeled the area totally, and yet, this one face remains stubbornly invisible when I get it into SimPE preview. If someone could take a look and if not fix it at least tell me if they can see where I went wrong, that'd be great. Btw - this object has a high vertex/face count due to the handle (you'll see when you get there) but if I want a smooth realistic looking handle I can't see any other way to achieve it.

Which face is it that turns invisible? I can't tell because there is no package file, only the .obj.

Shoot..sorry..the art isn't ready for it..I changed the object but haven't changed the art so it'll look a bit wierd (things misaligned etc) but the face is obvious

OK...I assume you mean the plate on the front....the vertices were reversed....so I reversed them again...

Remember that the SimPE preview will NOT draw backfaces.....but the game will....IF you change the stdMatCullMode to none in the MMAT (of the postbox texture). ( I forgot to change it before I repacked it with the fixed GDMC, so you will have to do it).

Also, I reduced your polycount considerably by using theDirectX Mesh Tool (only on the handle) ....your new object now has only 1712 poly's -1002 less) and I doubt you will see any difference with the handle's shape.....

( method: I first seperated off the handle, turned it into a seperate group by duplicating it, then ran the DirectX tool on the dupliction, deleted the 'old handle....then regrouped the 'new handle and pb ..and renamed it back to the original subset name.)

I think if you now remap the texture file (and change the stdMatCullMode to none) it will appear as you want in the game.

Like I said.....don't always 'believe what you see in the preview ....using the stdMatCullMode method you can make the game do what you really want.

let me know how it works out

Bob

Thank you I'll post a link here when it is done.

I remapped the object and had a couple of things I managed to fix, one being it was very reflective. The last thing is a puzzler - the entire texture map is being used as a filler on two parts of the object - the mail slot and the notice board. I thought at first I had used the wrong texture map so I did it again in UVMapper and it was the same. I went through the forum but couldn't find anything similar. I didn't want to come back here and bug you again but I have exhausted my options, I think. It still has too much reflection but other than that and the tiling problem, it looks OK

I think what you've made is different and i don't think that you should worry about the reflections

to reduce the shinyness on your mesh you should change the parameter of 'reflectivity' from 0.05 to 0.5 in the chrome MATD.

reflectivity can hold the following values:
0 = non-shiny (matte)
0.5 = average
anything between 0 and 0.5 is more shiny than 0.5 whereas the lower the figure the higher the reflectivity of your object

The reflections are a minor thing..it's the texture map being tiled in miniature on the object itself that is the real problem

I've had similar texture issues when parts of the mesh were not mapped properly. Occasionally I, by accident, had two of the same mesh on top of each other, and only one them was uv-mapped. Parts of the other mesh would appear as if they were using the whole texture.

Make sure you did not import the uv-mapped object on top of the non-mapped one. That's a mistake I made at first. If that's not the case, make sure all the parts of the mesh are properly mapped.

You know..I just had a horrible thought - I **may** have had a copy open in Blender, decided to restart and opened the saved master file again without deleting the one I was working on first. If you don't delete the workspace, Blender just loads the file on top of whatever is already there, and since they are the same shape, at the same view and size, it would be impossible to know if there were two of them occupying the same space..umm..it's starting to get a bit Quantum now..

change the Reflectivity in the Material Definition ....the values go from 0.01 - 0.99 (can't remember which way round is the high or low) ...but that will stop the shineyness.... the Apple Sculpture you used is very reflective (as it is supposed to be chrome) so it will be the other end of the scale.

Also look at the stdMatSpecCoef, the stdMatEmissiveCoef (read the wiki for explanations of their values) and remove the stdMatEnvCubeTextureName entry, and change the stdMatEnvCubeMode from relective to none.... all these values are explained in the wiki

OK, nothing made a difference..and I changed the clone from the sculpture to something else and it was the same. It seems that mesh is totally screwed up so I am just going to redo it from start. Thank you all for your help, advice etc. I'll get there, even if I have to draw the thing in crayon...

....:laugh: ....how many times have I thought that myself!.... anyway, good luck and remember that whatever you clone...it clones the Material Definitions as well... so, if the original object is shiny, your new object will be unless you cange the settings in the Mat.Def.

(What I usually do is open another object's Mat Def... that has the same shineyness/colour that I want....then copy and paste all the values to match into my new object.....good luck!!

(also I forgot to mention the Speculative Power....thats also really inportant)

The frustration is all part of learning experience and to be cherished. I tell myself that, anyway. It seemed like such a simple object at first too..lol Anyway, I have learned to pick my clone donor more carefully. This is important. Once again, thanks..

I am a bit late yet here is the unshiny MATD for your object

Awww..thank you chrissy I deleted everything to do with it but I downloaded the one you fixed and am going to use it - I need to redo the front to fix that other problem but but I'm putting it aside for a few days. Some things are better looked at from a distance.

Hi there everyone I just posted my very first object set and had a request from someone asking me if i can convert it to an All Ep set how the heck do i do that, heres a link to my thread any help would be greatly appreciated, i'm soooo not used to these programs yet...

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=127485

Since those are all recolors on Maxis objects, as far as I can tell, which EPs are required for each item depends on which EPs the recolored objects are from. The bed, for example, is from University, so there is no way a recolor can be made to work without University. The other objects appear to be base game objects, so no EPs should be required for them. If you download the list of CEP object from the CEP thread, you can tell by the names of the objects if they came with the base game or an EP (the complete list includes all objects, not just CEP ones), and then edit your download page page to clarify what people need for each object.

Alex195, please don't make the same posts in multiple threads, one thread is enough, we will find it. In this case, posting in the tutorial thread is enough since your question is about the tutorial table.

Doesnt show up in game when I have my other lamp i created. I made a floor lamp, and a table lamp, but when both are in the game only the floor lamp works. Help?
Edit: I was advised to post this here to get help.

O and you can download my floor lamp in the downloads section