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Instructor
Original Poster
#1 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 5:04 PM
Default Trouble creating recolor
I have got to be missing some simple step, because I have done a successful recolor before. Of this same item. Lost it in a hard drive crash. So: I choose the item, start the recolor, save the package. Choose the texture, right click, build DXT1 using my already finished .png. Apply to all sizes. Commit changes. Make needed changes to Texture Mat. Commit. Save file. The result is a .package file that doesn't work. Doesn't show up in game, doesn't show up in Delphy's download organizer. Obviously a flawed package - but what step am I missing? I used the Numenor tutorial to be sure I did it correctly.
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 5:21 PM
Is this an object recolour? And what item? Because every object recolour I've done has just been start recolour, save package, choose texture, build DXT (usually 3, sometimes 5), commit, save. Maybe sometimes I'll have to import an alpha if the PNG didn't have transparency, but I don't recall ever having to apply to all sizes, and I've never needed to make changes to any other resources.
Instructor
Original Poster
#3 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 5:36 PM
I am recoloring the Country Kitsch Column (which is actually a porch railing with columns) in Michelle's MALM white. She has her textures for download on her MTS creator page, and those textures come with instructions on the needed changes to the TXMT to make it match the other MALM white stuff. Many thanks to Michelle!

It doesn't matter if I leave out applying to all sizes. Or if I import instead of building the DXT1. Same unusable package.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 7:09 PM
DXT3 or 5
Sharpen--> NONE
Don't do "apply to all sizes" (DXT does that for you).

I usually keep far away from build mode items, so not sure if this item is one of the "can't recolor like regular items" kind of build mode items (fences, modular stairs, etc.) but if so, they may need to be recolored in a different way. Some buildmode items are annoying like that (hence why I prefer downloading them over recoloring).

But just in case it is a fence or something like that, here's a tutorial that could maybe be of help: https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=461451
Instructor
Original Poster
#5 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 7:14 PM
I'll try DXT3 or 5, although the tutorial by Numenor says to use DXT1 unless the item has transparency. Why no sharpen? Just curious, I didn't use it. And it is Other, architecture - but I have made this EXACT recolor before, and it worked. Lost it in a hard drive crash.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 7:21 PM
I've found DXT1 messes with the quality and makes it grainier, not quite as bad as "import" but not far from it. DXT3 and 5 preserves the texture quality better than DXT1 does. DXT3 is fine for most things (handles black/white and simple greytone alphas), DXT5 handles more complicated greytoned alphas (so better for transparency/glass), but there's little to no quality difference between DXT3 and 5 in the texture.

As for the sharpen, I haven't tested what the different options do, but personally, if I'm already quite happy with the texture, I don't want any messing with it. I can do sharpen etc. in other programs with much more control.

Just out of curiosity, what have you named the file? If you've used certain characters like . or , and some other characters, the game might not read the file properly. Same if the file has the exact same name as another file in your CC folder (two files named "red", for instance - the game might only read the last loaded file)
Instructor
Original Poster
#7 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 8:32 PM
Nope, DXT3 didn't help. Cloning instead of recoloring didn't work. File name cayg-CountryKitschColumn-MALMWhite.package. The file is only 47K, which seems a bit too small. I mean, the .png file for the texture is 96K. 71K for the unmodified texture file. I think my SimPE is simply not creating the .package file correctly. But I have reinstalled it three times. And reinstalled the Sims 2 three times, too. Thinking I might try the .72 version of SimPE from Sourceforge instead of the .75 version from MTS.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 8:47 PM
Just to test if maybe there's something going on with your version of SimPE or CEP or anything like that, I made a simple recolor (it's very pink, you can't avoid seeing it ingame if it shows up). If that doesn't work, I'm guessing something's going on with this item.
Attached files:
File Type: zip  ColumnKitchPink.zip (34.1 KB, 4 downloads)
Instructor
Original Poster
#9 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 8:56 PM
I would really appreciate it! I'm pulling my hair out here! It's not like I have never done a recolor before. But I need to get this fixed! I have other things to recolor - I need blue Steadfast stairs to match the Country Kitsch Column/porch railing in blue.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 8:59 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 24th Feb 2021 at 9:09 PM.
Recolor added above (if you missed it) - If you meant the porch railing, I'm reasonably sure that's the same as a fence, so I think that's a clone-to-recolor item (the tutorial should help with that).

For stairs, at least modular ones, you probably have to clone them to recolor.

Can't find the porch railing, though. Only the column with that name. Does the railing/fence have a different name?
Instructor
Original Poster
#11 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 9:49 PM
The Country Kitsch Column IS a porch railing. It's just badly named. It doesn't classify as a fence in SimPE, but it does in the game. Your pink recolor doesn't show up in my game, either.
Instructor
Original Poster
#12 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 9:54 PM
AAAARRRGGHHHH!!! I have been recoloring the wrong item!!!
Mad Poster
#13 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 10:33 PM
What is it called, both ingame and in SimPE? And do you know where it shows? It could be it draws colors from another item or some such.

If it is a fence (which I'm guessing is the same or similar to a porch railing, if it behaves like a fence in how you build it), you can't recolor it like a regular item. If it doesn't have a MMAT it's not recolorable, and I don't think you can make them recolorable either

(but there are some "recolorable" modular stairs, so I'm not entirely sure, though I think they're designtool-recolorable step by step or some such, so I'm guessing that's a bit different).

---

The mesh for the column is just a column, so it's probably the wrong item if it's supposed to be a railing, but I couldn't find the railing version in SimPE (not by name, at least)
Instructor
Original Poster
#14 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 10:44 PM
Antique Colonial Column Fencing. In game, it's a fence. I can't find it for the life of me in SimPE. I recall it being very hard to find in SimPE from when I did this recolor before.
Instructor
Original Poster
#15 Old 24th Feb 2021 at 11:39 PM
Research FTW!! To see fences you have to open SimPE in advanced mode. And, yes, you must clone them. Going in....
Mad Poster
#16 Old 25th Feb 2021 at 12:01 AM Last edited by simmer22 : 25th Feb 2021 at 2:16 AM.
I always have SimPE in advanced mode (is there even a reason to have it in any other modes? ).

The fences/rails are in "Other/Fences and Rails"
(I always completely forget that the "other" category exists, so took me a while to hunt them down...)

You can't recolor them, only clone them. SimPE greys out the recolor option on the fences. At least that happens for me.
Instructor
Original Poster
#17 Old 25th Feb 2021 at 12:05 AM
And we have success! I might have given up if I didn't KNOW I had made it once before!! Thank you a million times for your patience and helping me work through this. It was, as I originally suspected, operator error. Me being the erring operator.
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