Help with Hair fix - HP officially rocks. :)

[bethgael]

Well, my few brain cells are doing something awfully wrong, because I'm stuck at the first instance.

So, I'm at this point at the tute you've linked for me:

Export it as a BodyShop project, then import it back into the game with no changes. (OK) Close BodyShop, then go to your Saved Sims folder and copy the new .package file into the work folder. (OK) Next, create a new mesh .package for the adult version of the mesh, and link it up to the BodyShop .package as explained here : http://www.modthesims2.com/article.php?t=139819

Over to that tute:

Geometric Data Container (the good old GDMC that we get the mesh from)
Geometric Node (GMND)
Resource Node (CRES)
Shape (SHPE)

[snip]

Once you have gathered your GDMC, GMND, CRES, and SHPE files, and 'fixed integrity', you need to save out your modified CRES and SHPE files, and insert them into your hair recolor file to point to your new mesh.

Right. No problem. Except I can't find the GDMC, GMND, CRES, and SHPE files so I can do the "fix integrity" step, before being able to associate it with the bodyshop recolour. I'm sure I'm (obviously) missing a step somewhere, but I'm doing it with the exact same steps as in the dressmesh tutes (and managed not to mess that up hehe).

I'm going to apologise for the horrendously large capture pic, now.  :?
 
This is what I get when I try to do the "find resource" on what I have presumed is the Property Set: afhairmessedup_black. NB: there is no file with "Property Set" any where in the name, and hitting the "property set" tab on the left gave me the mesh names af, etc. I don't know if this is normal, of course. *grin* As you can see, there's no GMDC, etc files coming up on the find resource search.



What have I missed? The only thing I haven't done for this screenshot as in the dress tutes is I didn't do File > new first, but that didn't change the finder result, so I wanted you to see what I actually had.

I'm presuming (probably wrongly) that I'm supposed to do something with the alpha layers to get the GMDC, etc files from. Or is it that I'm working off a custom mesh?

Your avatar totally rocks.

TY.

[HystericalParoxysm]

You are searching for afhairmessedup_black - this will only return names that contain the _black part.

If you want to find the mesh for that, you'll need to just search for afhairmessedup

Easy shortcut for getting your parts:

Open SimPE and File - New.  

Tools - PJSE - Body Mesh Tool - Extracting Stage.  

Click Browse and find the recolour package you made in your SavedSims folder.  

Sit back and watch as it grabs any mesh parts associated with that recolour (for hair it'll get all ages - for bodies just the one) and plops them into your new file.  No extracting, no adding, just parts.  If you're doing hair, you can then delete the extraneous ages that you're not currently working on, Fix Integrity, save, and away you go.  

In my day we walked uphill both ways in the snow to gather mesh parts.

If you have an MSN, PM me your info - I can help ya there if ya like.

[bethgael]

MY god. That was much easier.

Will pm:) PM'd

[bethgael]

I am so sorry to ask for help again. I have to stop trying to work on this until 1am.

 :oops:  This time, I know I've done it properly. I worked through a maxis mesh so I had extra practice (and it worked, yay, and there was much rejoicing!), fixed my issues with the file confusion and have tried to do the reno hair extraction and bodyshop file linking three times now. The first time I completely mucked it up but after deleting everything and starting again, the next two times have given me the exact same result.

The original hair is supposed to look like this:



I end up with this:



AND I've noticed my new file is smaller than the original extracted bodyshop file (only by about 15 kb though), but I figured that was because I've deleted the teen, child and toddler meshes on my working file.

I am remembering to delete the extra shpe and cres files. I am also almost 100% sure I'm getting the correct 3D ID ref file for the elder, ya and adult files to plug the modified into. I am taking Dr Pixel's advice to check on the mesh at this stage using a cloned sim rather than in the "New Project" section of Bodyshop.

I don't know if it's relevant, but the meshes and file names still all reference "af, yf etc" but the resultant hair is male (there are a bunch of m files but they seem to be referring to textures). The mesh has come out in the same way for the adult, ya and elder ages.

What have I mucked up this time?

And I'm wondering if it wouldn't just be easier to start again from scratch...

[Caedre]

nevermind

[fourohfourerror]

Beth, I don't know anything about meshing (still stuck on the very first meshing tut on MTS2), but that hair looks really cool without the ponytail!

[Tchannie]

Beth, I don't know anything about meshing (still stuck on the very first meshing tut on MTS2), but that hair looks really cool without the ponytail!

Yeah I agree. I prefer it without. ^^

[graniaomalley]

Beth, I don't know anything about meshing (still stuck on the very first meshing tut on MTS2), but that hair looks really cool without the ponytail!

Yeah I agree. I prefer it without. ^^

Yeah, that hair looks like what I was looking for earlier.

[yamikuronue]

I agree. The ponytail looks rather fake and flat compared to the lovely hair texture

[HystericalParoxysm]

Ohhh...  Okay, see, I took a big dose of Retardin, and thought you were working on a... intermediate experimental other thing with the messedupthingie.

The shortcut thingie is for Maxis meshes, not custom ones. Custom ones you already have the parts together.

She used the afhairmessedup mesh as the base for hers - you don't need to make a new mesh package and link anything to recolours for the edit - nor should you do so if you want it to work for any existing recolours.  Just open her mesh file, extract the GMDC, and edit that.  Save the new GMDC out of Milkshape with a new name, then replace it in the original mesh file, commit, save.

[bethgael]

Use her actual mesh. Check. Thanks HP.   My god.... so it actually wasn't me this time. This is me doing a happy dance. Seee?

I wonder why that didn't occur to me... I guess the fact I was loading Plicka's actual hair into bodyshop meant that I thought the mesh I was accessing was hers. man, what a lot to take in.  :shock:

The good news is, I know how to link a new mesh to a texture inside out now.

Everyone who prefers no ponytail

Yeah, it's not bad, eh. But I'm trying to fix the gappy Reno hair *grin*

I may actually try to improve the ponytail as well. And I'll be lightening the recolour, cos, well, that red is a bit baugh.

And then I'll try animation.

Then I shall take to my bed for a week. I have eschewed sleep for attempted meshing. I am officially addicted.

So I may play with the shaggy hair too. No neck gap there....

EDIT: Omfg. :x  

What can go wrong will....

Opened Plicka's mesh in SimPE. OK. Extracted GMDC to working folder. OK. Opened Milkshape. OK. Made sure settings were correct there. OK.

File > Import > Sims2 Unimesh Import V4.07 > GMDC file

ERR: Too many P4 Block A Data Items

No files shown in the windows.

Then, horror of all horrors (), when I go to close Milkshape:

Model has been modified! Do you want to save?

I'm suspecting that whatever Plicka used to modify her mesh, there's a compatibility issue with the most recent versions of MS/Unimesh. Or not. Or I'm an idiot. Or the cosmos is trying to tell me something...

(I don't have Pets installed. I do have the other EPs).

[Not Paper]

I tried fiddling with that mesh, too, and experienced the same problem-- so it's not you.
To get it to open in MilkShape, I had to export it from SimPE as an OBJ file, then import it into MilkShape as an OBJ file.
But, that didn't seem to work so well when it was time to put it back in the game. (Maybe that's because I tried to be daring, and add animation. Or, more likely, it's because I forgot to put in the comments.)

So, if you try bringing it in as an OBJ, be sure to apply the proper comments!
I think I'm going to try fixing it again, too. The more the merrier, I hope.

[bethgael]

Let me know how you go -- and how you did it, if HP doesn't come up with something. This mesh has become my personal Everest. It will be done, dammit, if I have to create the frackin' feckin' thing all over again from scratch, frammit.

No, I do not have an obsessive personality. Not at all. No, really. Erhm... *notes fangurl avatar* Never Mind.

And to think it all started so simply... Sims 2 Reno story idea. Cool. Hair mesh. Cool. Gappy inside-brain images! Hoi vey! Fix it. Can't be that hard, right? Learning curve... OK.... but no.... Nothing's ever simple... I feel like Mal from Firefly

[Soup Parrot]

LOL Beth, no you don't have an obsession your just preoccupied with fixing the problem.  

[bethgael]

hehe. Yes, but I want my Reno story to have pictures. *pout*  :oops:

I have pm'd Plicka at MTS2 in the hope that she may be able to shed some light on what she did to put it together, that may have caused the milkshape load issue, if it's not a compat. thingy.

If it can't be fixed, then I am going to spend my time making a new one, I think. May as well put the new skill to use (I use the word "skill" very lightly and with extreme reservation). I'd already made a new recolour for it, too, as the colour with the download is very dark (compare the pics above with my avatar). I also made a recolour of a left-ear pirate earring I picked up. I'd hate to waste it.

/wondering uselessly how hard it would be to make the EMT accessory he carries... hmmm..

Or I could try something simpler, like, oh, say, quantum physics.