Replies: 17 (Who?), Viewed: 17968 times.
Pyronium3
Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 10th Sep 2012 at 3:46 PM
Default Supernatural moon phases files.
Hey guys,

thought I'd share these for those of us who've edited the original moon. You'll need to edit each moon phase to fit your original moon, otherwise you'll end up with just your full moon as the edited one.

I've included every moon phase including the full moon glow (for those who want to spice that up too).

You can import these straight into your world.

(If this has been addressed somewhere already, my apologies)
Download - please read all instructions before downloading any files!
File Type: zip Moon phases.zip (128.5 KB, 508 downloads) - View custom content
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auntielynds
Forum Resident
#2 Old 13th Sep 2012 at 11:09 AM
Too cool!

Thanks Pyronium
Margaret Pendragon
Top Secret Researcher
#3 Old 14th Sep 2012 at 2:17 AM
Thank you for addressing this. For the not-so-technically-inclined, is there a tutorial anywhere on what specifically needs to be done with our custom moons?

Are we essentially cutting the original moon image to the various phases and then importing each phase into our world files?
Pyronium3
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 14th Sep 2012 at 11:58 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Margaret Pendragon
Thank you for addressing this. For the not-so-technically-inclined, is there a tutorial anywhere on what specifically needs to be done with our custom moons?

Are we essentially cutting the original moon image to the various phases and then importing each phase into our world files?


I'd suggest, for starters, to refrain to just editing the RGB channel (the actual moon image). If you edit the full moon to your liking, and you manage to keep the same dimensions as the original image (keep the moon the exact same size), you could simply paste that RGB channel to every phase file too.

It's the alpha channel that is unique with each phase. EA's alpha should be just fine for most people, so there's no need to edit that one. This makes editing every phase quite a breeze

If you want to go further with it, you can edit the RGB channel for each phase to, for example, have more shadows in one phase and more highlights in the other. This isn't essential, however.

(also make sure to save the images as DXT5, which will keep the alpha channels detailed)
simsample
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retired moderator
#5 Old 20th Sep 2012 at 1:55 PM
Excellent, most useful- thanks Pyronium3! I was thinking that we could modify these to give correct phases for alien worlds, for example if we make twin moons or if you want a moon like this:
http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/1847800...8523624ba0a.jpg
Pyronium3
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 20th Sep 2012 at 9:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by simsample
Excellent, most useful- thanks Pyronium3! I was thinking that we could modify these to give correct phases for alien worlds, for example if we make twin moons or if you want a moon like this:
http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/1847800...8523624ba0a.jpg


(Sorry for originally posting this in the wrong section!)

And about that: Pretty easily actually, with some creative thinking!

You should be able to make, for instance, twin moons with one orbiting the other:



The alpha would look like this:



With the other phases potentially looking like this (alpha only, you'd need to adjust the RGB image accordingly):







(partly hidden behind the big one)

This is just a rough 'sketch', but it should tell you how you could do something like this. You could then proceed to increase the moon size with the correct INI files, and possibly up the resolution of the original textures to make the larger moon less blurred.
Screenshots
simsample
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retired moderator
#7 Old 20th Sep 2012 at 10:22 PM
Excellent; the moon I was thinking about was one I was playing with when I first got Lunar Lakes (I was getting all sorts of ideas about making Mars, with Phobos and Deimos). So I made two moons completely separated, like this:

So having either static or orbiting twin moons would be possible now, whereas before we were really limited to something more basic.

Excellent work, Pyronium3!
Riptide651
Top Secret Researcher
#8 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 8:03 AM
If you play with the files and have the sun replace them, someone can make a sim version of Tatooine :P
Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather.

GTA V
simsample
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retired moderator
#9 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 12:30 AM
Unfortunately I think it's not possible to have two suns, but it would be fun if you could!
Pyronium3
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 5:12 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by simsample
Unfortunately I think it's not possible to have two suns, but it would be fun if you could!


I tried, and editing the sun texture didn't seem to translate into anything. The sunglare, however, does.

Managed to get an effect like the one in the attached image.

It's sorta tricky to get right, though! You'd probably have to experiment with the sun/sunglare size in the INI to get exactly what you're looking for. (and make the glare into the shape of a sun, opposed to how it looks in my image)
Screenshots
Riptide651
Top Secret Researcher
#11 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 6:19 PM
That is really cool!
Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather.

GTA V
DanBrunetu'
Test Subject
#12 Old 19th Nov 2012 at 1:13 AM
NIce. One question: if i try to use this in the sims 3 seasons (without the supernatural expansion) do i get moon phases ? ... THANKS >>>
simsample
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retired moderator
#13 Old 30th Nov 2012 at 1:56 PM
I seem to remember that you only get the moon phases with Supernatural, can anyone confirm this for me?
bakafox
Field Researcher
#14 Old 1st Dec 2012 at 2:51 AM
Ok I'm having some issues with this- I altered the moon phases, and also altered the halo so it was not white- however, the halo remains white after replacing with my file, and in FRONT of my colored moon- so on full moon, basically, there is this white glow in front of the darn thing. Which turns my creepy red blood moon into a cherubic cocktail pink. My denizens are not amused.

There does not seem to be an alpha channel for the file- just the RGB channels. Anyone else having this issue?
Gauntlet
Test Subject
#15 Old 31st Mar 2013 at 6:05 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanBrunetu'
NIce. One question: if i try to use this in the sims 3 seasons (without the supernatural expansion) do i get moon phases ? ... THANKS >>>


I'd like to know this too. I don't own SN but I would love to use this.
pattskyn
Test Subject
#16 Old 2nd Oct 2013 at 2:57 AM
Default Beautiful work
Quote:
Originally Posted by simsample
Excellent; the moon I was thinking about was one I was playing with when I first got Lunar Lakes (I was getting all sorts of ideas about making Mars, with Phobos and Deimos). So I made two moons completely separated, like this:

So having either static or orbiting twin moons would be possible now, whereas before we were really limited to something more basic.

Excellent work, Pyronium3!


For those of us less technically inclined (but fast studies) can you point me in the right direction to figure out *how* to create twin moons? I'm fumbling through the thread as best as I can trying to follow along (so along a similar vein are there step by step instructions somewhere?) Thanks (and sorry to be such an amateur!) I'm hoping it will make more sense when I dig in and start looking at the actual files/coding. (Waiting to get a new laptop with a graphics card that will actually handle the Sims, but trying to learn as much as I can ahead of time).

Thanks much (and sorry again if this has been posted elsewhere.)
Margaret Pendragon
Top Secret Researcher
#17 Old 7th Nov 2013 at 7:16 PM
^^ I came here to ask the same question. How was Simsample able to get the game to use two moons?
aminovas
Test Subject
#18 Old 29th Nov 2013 at 4:12 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Margaret Pendragon
^^ I came here to ask the same question. How was Simsample able to get the game to use two moons?


Hi! I have been trying to figure this out and have failed. You can see the shadow of two separate normal maps around the two separate moons. That is so cool! I would love to know how to do this, too.
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