Tutorial:Creating Custom Sliders - Revision history

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Nysha: Created page with "{{BodyshopTutorial|Modding}} {{BodyShopMeshingTutorialsHeader}} {{CrossGameLink | Sims2Link= | Sims3Link=Tutorials:TS3 GENCAS Tutorials }} This tutorial will explain how to m..."

2017-04-08T10:50:59Z

Created page with "{{BodyshopTutorial|Modding}} {{BodyShopMeshingTutorialsHeader}} {{CrossGameLink | Sims2Link= | Sims3Link=Tutorials:TS3 GENCAS Tutorials }} This tutorial will explain how to m..."

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{{BodyshopTutorial|Modding}}
{{BodyShopMeshingTutorialsHeader}}
{{CrossGameLink
| Sims2Link=
| Sims3Link=Tutorials:TS3 GENCAS Tutorials
}}

This tutorial will explain how to make custom face sliders for use in Bodyshop and CAS. The sliders created with this tutorial create inheritable facial features, and can be used on uploaded sims without downloaders needing to download the slider in order for the sim to display properly.

This method was developed by [http://simnopke.tumblr.com/ Nopke], who also provided invaluable help in writing this tutorial, and created the template resources. Thankyou!

This tutorial is divided into two parts. The first part covers the basic process of making a simple, working slider: follow this part! The second part contains additional instructions on adding more advanced features to your slider, such as having different settings for different ages and genders. If you feel a bit out of your depth, you may want to ignore the advanced section until you feel more comfortable with the basic process. Otherwise, by all means, dive in and break things!

=You Will Need=
* [http://sims.ambertation.de/en/2009/04/11/simpe-07344-qa-for-everyone/ SimPE]
* A 3D editor which you are comfortable using (this tutorial uses [http://www.milkshape3d.com Milkshape])
* A graphics editor such as Photoshop or [https://www.gimp.org GIMP]
* [http://simfileshare.net/download/210523/ Nopke's slider template set]

=The Basics=

==Creating a Slider Mesh==
In this section you're going to modify a default face mesh, to create the features that you want your slider to give a sim when the slider is pulled all the way to the left (down). When the slider is pulled to the right (up), the game will automatically mirror all the changes you've made to your mesh.

--IMAGE - afface mesh--

In nopke's slider templates, you'll find the default adult female face mesh, as either an OBJ or an MS3D file. Luckily for us, TS2 only needs one mesh for a slider - the changes you make to the adult female face will be automatically adjusted, by the game, to work on sims of other ages and genders.

Although the adult female mesh is a good base to use, it's not mandatory - if you want to use a different one, see [[#Using a Different Compare Mesh]] in the advanced section. Make sure to use the mesh from the slider templates; you may have other copies of the mesh lying around, but they do not necessarily have the right vertex numbering, and using them can cause problems with your slider.

There are no explicit instructions for this section, since you can whatever you like to the mesh. Do remember that you can only move vertices around. Don't delete or create any vertices or faces, as this will cause your sim's head to explode (literally).

===Understanding Morph Mirroring===
The mesh you are creating represents the sim's face when your slider is pulled left (down): but since the right (up) effect is also based on your mesh, you need to think about that when you're working on the mesh.

Every change that you make to the mesh will be done in reverse when your slider is pulled right (up). If you've moved the tops of the sim's ears up in the mesh, they'll be moved down when the slider is pulled right. If you've moved the sim's nose right and forward in the mesh, it will be moved left and backwards when the slider is pulled right. Here are some examples:

--IMAGES--

As you can see, this kind of mirroring can cause some unexpected effects. An elf ears slider will make the sim's ears pointy when pulled left, but will make them dented when pulled right. My broken nose mesh worked fine if you look at it from the front, but from the side you can see that, if the mesh puts a big lump in the sim's nose, that lump will also turn into a dent when the slider is pulled right. It's a good idea to consider how your slider will look mirrored while you're meshing, to avoid nasty surprises when you try it out on a sim.

===Finishing the Mesh===
When working on your mesh, you should aim to create the effect you want when your slider is all the way over (100%). That said, you can tweak how extreme the slider's effect is later, so you don't need to spend loads of time tweaking your mesh, unless you're truly a perfectionist.

Once you've finished creating your mesh, export it using the [http://modthesims.info/t/122399 UniMesh Exporter] (or the equivalent plugin for your chosen mesh editor).

==Creating the Package File==
===Setting Up the XFMD===
* Family value
* Groupindex
* Limits and scales (basic)
===Icons===
* Templates
* Alignment... (I might be able to come up with a clever way of making this easy for people, maybe by adding guide lines)
* Instances & linking
===Tooltip===
==Testing==
* Different ages and genders
* CAS and Bodyshop

=Advanced Options=
==Separating XFMDs by Age and Gender==
==Using a Different Compare Mesh==
==Understanding Scales and Limits (the blind leading the blind)==
==Pet Sliders?==

=Common Problems=
=Questions & Comments=

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 Once you've finished creating your mesh, export it using the [http://modthesims.info/t/122399 UniMesh Exporter] (or the equivalent plugin for your chosen mesh editor).
 ==Creating the Package File==
@@ Line 69: / Line 70: @@
 # Press ''Commit''
-[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-2-1 - family.jpg|none|thumb|400px|Updating the family value. Click to enlarge.|alt=Illustration of the steps in "Family"]]
+[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-2-1 - family.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Updating the family value. Click to enlarge.|alt=Illustration of the steps in "Family"]]
 Your slider is now unique! If you put it ingame to test now, it would show up as a separate slider, with a placeholder thumbnail and a slider mesh that doesn't do anything. Let's make it functional, shall we?
 ====Groupindex====
 The next line you'll want to look at is the ''groupindex'' line. This determines which face section the slider will show up in, in Bodyshop or CAS. The default is 0x00000000, which will make the slider show up in the general tab. You can change this by changing the value to:
 * 0x00000001 for forehead
@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 * 0x00000004 for mouth
 * 0x00000005 for jaw
----IMAGE: Handy icon-based reference chart---
+[[Image:Slider_tutorial_-_groupindex_values.jpg|none|frame|Right-click and hit "Save image as" if you want to keep a copy of this chart for reference|alt=Groupindex values and matching face region icons]]
 Press ''Commit''. You don't need to do anything else with the XFMD for now, although we will come back to it later on.
@@ Line 94: / Line 95: @@
 # Click ''Commit''
 Done!
 ==Testing==
@@ Line 103: / Line 108: @@
 * Are you happy with how extreme the slider's effect is? Would you like it to be more extreme, or more subtle, than it is?
 * Look at the sim from all angles. Check for unexpected deformities, which you'll need to fix in your mesh. :)
-* Is it showing up in the right face editing section?
+* Is the slider showing up in the right face editing section?
 * Does it work well for all ages and genders, or are there some you'd like to alter?
 ==Finishing Up==
-Hopefully, you're pretty happy with how your slider is working at this point. If you've looked at your slider and thought "that's not making a very big difference", or "maybe I overdid things a bit?" - that is, you think that your slider's effect is either too big or too small - you're about to learn the easy way of fixing that!
+Hopefully, you're pretty happy with how your slider is working at this point. If so, or if you're generally happy but want to make the slider's effects a bit more extreme/subtle, then read on - just a few more steps to go!
 ===Tweaking the Limits===
 Go back into the XFMD: you'll see four lines near the bottom called ''negativelimit'', ''negativescale'', ''positivelimit'', and ''positivescale''. You can use these lines to change how extreme the changes your slider makes are.
+[[Image:Slider_tutorial_-_section_2-4-1_-_limits_values.jpg|none|thumb|750px|The limit and scale values. Click to enlarge.|alt=The default limit and scale values in the XFMD]]
 Scales and limits are very complex: see [[#Understanding Scales and Limits (the blind leading the blind)]] for a full explanation of how they work.
-Ordinarily, though, you can use them very simply. Let's imagine that you've tested your slider in-game, and while it looks fine going up (right), when you pull the slider down (left), the changes you've made are too extreme: you want to tone them down. You can do that by changing the mesh; but you can also do it by changing the slider limit.
 Imagine that your slider is part of a scale. At 0 on the scale is the default EA face, with no changes at all. At -1 on the scale is the mesh you made, and at 1 on the scale is the mirrored version that's automatically created by the game:
----IMAGE---
+[[Image:Slider_tutorial_-_scale_1.jpg|none|frame]]
-If you want to make the slider less extreme, you can change the limit of the slider, so it will only go halfway to the mesh you made, by changing the negativelimit to -0.5. The scale now looks like this:
+If you want to make the slider less extreme, you can change the limit of the slider, so it will only go halfway to the mirrored version, by changing the positivelimit to 0.5. The scale now looks like this:
----IMAGE---
+[[Image:Slider_tutorial_-_scale_2.jpg|none|frame]]
 So far, so good! But you can also increase the limit, so that the slider goes ''further'' than your mesh. This will take the changes you made to your mesh and exaggerate them further. So, for example, if you set the negativelimit to -2, you'll get this:
----IMAGE---
+[[Image:Slider_tutorial_-_scale_3.jpg|none|frame]]
 Theoretically, there's no limit to how far out you can set the limits. If you want to make a slider which immediately makes your sim's ears the size of a small car, you can - though I'm not sure anyone will want to download it. ;)

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 There are lots of properties in the XFMD, but you'll normally only need to use a handful of them. If you'd like to know what the rest do, take a look at [[#Advanced Options]].
-[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-2-1 - XFMD.jpg|frame|none|alt=Plugin View of an XFMD resource|The highlighted lines are the only ones we need to work with, for the time being.]]
+[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-2-1 - XFMD.jpg|thumb|750px|none|alt=Plugin View of an XFMD resource|The highlighted lines are the only ones we need to work with, for the time being.]]
 ====Family====
 This value is what makes the slider unique, and prevents it from overwriting any other sliders. You need to create a new family for each slider you make.
 # Open the ''Tools'' menu and select ''Object Tools'' -> ''Hash Generator''
@@ Line 70: / Line 68: @@
 # Select the ''family'' line in your XFMD, and paste the hash value you just copied into the Value box.
 # Press ''Commit''
 Your slider is now unique! If you put it ingame to test now, it would show up as a separate slider, with a placeholder thumbnail and a slider mesh that doesn't do anything. Let's make it functional, shall we?

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 There are lots of properties in the XFMD, but you'll normally only need to use a handful of them. If you'd like to know what the rest do, take a look at [[#Advanced Options]].
 ====Family====
 ---IMAGE---

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ==Creating a Slider Mesh==
 In this section you're going to modify a default face mesh, to create the features that you want your slider to give a sim when the slider is pulled all the way to the left (down). When the slider is pulled to the right (up), the game will automatically mirror all the changes you've made to your mesh.
 In nopke's slider templates, you'll find the default adult female face mesh, as either an OBJ or an MS3D file. Luckily for us, TS2 only needs one mesh for a slider - the changes you make to the adult female face will be automatically adjusted, by the game, to work on sims of other ages and genders.
 Although the adult female mesh is a good base to use, it's not mandatory - if you want to use a different one, see [[#Using a Different Compare Mesh]] in the advanced section. Make sure to use the mesh from the slider templates; you may have other copies of the mesh lying around, but they do not necessarily have the right vertex numbering, and using them can cause problems with your slider.
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 Every change that you make to the mesh will be done in reverse when your slider is pulled right (up). If you've moved the tops of the sim's ears up in the mesh, they'll be moved down when the slider is pulled right. If you've moved the sim's nose right and forward in the mesh, it will be moved left and backwards when the slider is pulled right. Here are some examples:
---IMAGES--
+[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-1-1 - ears compare.jpg|frame|alt=Example of normal and mirrored pointy ears morph| Pointy ears become denty ears|left]][[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-1-1 - nose compare.jpg|frame|alt=Example of normal and mirrored broke nose morph|none|Rotation becomes a pain in the neck (or nose, in this case)]]
 As you can see, this kind of mirroring can cause some unexpected effects. An elf ears slider will make the sim's ears pointy when pulled left, but will make them dented when pulled right. My broken nose mesh worked fine if you look at it from the front, but from the side you can see that, if the mesh puts a big lump in the sim's nose, that lump will also turn into a dent when the slider is pulled right. It's a good idea to consider how your slider will look mirrored while you're meshing, to avoid nasty surprises when you try it out on a sim.
@@ Line 50: / Line 52: @@
 This section is the easy bit - assembling a working slider file and inserting your mesh into it.
-Make a copy of sliderTemplate.package (from nopke's slider template set), and rename it to whatever you want. Open the file up in SimPE. You should see three panels in the SimPE window - the Resource Tree in the top left, the Resource List in the top left, and a panel with a plugin view tab at the bottom. If that's not what you see, click the blue ''Reset Layout'' button.
+Make a copy of sliderTemplate.package (from nopke's slider template set), and rename it to whatever you want. Open the file up in SimPE. You should see three panels in the SimPE window - the Resource Tree in the top left, the Resource List in the top right, and a panel with a plugin view tab at the bottom. If that's not what you see, click the blue ''Reset Layout'' button.
----IMAGE---
+[[Image:Slider tutorial - section 2-2 - SimPE setup.jpg|frame|none|If you can't see the underlined bits, press the reset button.|alt=SimPE window with correct layout, showing location of the reset button]]
 ===Setting Up the XFMD===

@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 ===Icons===
 One of the trickiest bit of the process of making sliders is creating icons. You need to create four images:
 * '''Bodyshop +''': These are the icons for the + (right) side of the slider in Bodyshop
@@ Line 145: / Line 146: @@
 ---IMAGE---
 The icons in these boxes need to line up perfectly - otherwise they'll jump around when you click the slider buttons. In the slider template set, you'll find a set of images you can use to construct your images.
-* Templates
+Bear in mind that the CAS icons are bigger than the Bodyshop icons - so you'll want to make a larger version first, and then shrink it down for the smaller version (enlarging a smaller icon will cause blurriness).
-* Alignment... (I might be able to come up with a clever way of making this easy for people, maybe by adding guide lines)
-* Instances & linking
+If you want to make your icons match the EA ones, the simplest way is to to make a '''dimensions''' image, with a line drawing of the relevant area of the sim's face in '''#xxxxxx''' and the changes highlighted in '''#xxxxxx'''. You can download some of the EA icons '''here''', in case you want to use parts of them for your own image.
 ===Tooltip===
 ===Testing again===
-* CAS and Bodyshop
+Your slider is finished! Test it again, in both CAS and Bodyshop - make sure to check that your icons are the right way round and that they don't jump around when you click on them. Test the slider thoroughly in CAS, if you haven't already done that since duplicating the XFMD. If all is well, you're done!
 =Advanced Options=

@@ Line 202: / Line 202: @@
 ==LOD15==
 ==Separating XFMDs by Age and Gender==
 ==Using a Different Compare Mesh==
 ==Understanding Scales and Limits (the blind leading the blind)==

@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 You will probably need to use trial and error to get the limits where you want them; just keep tweaking them, and then testing in Bodyshop, until you're happy.
-===Creating the CAS version===
+===Creating the CAS Version===
 Once you're happy with how your slider is working in Bodyshop, it's time to enable the slider for use in CAS. Enabling the slider for CAS involves making a copy of the XFMD, so it makes sense not to do this until you've got the XFMD set up how you want it. If you want to try any of the [[#Advanced Options]], do that before you continue with this section.
@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 ===Icons===
 * Templates
 * Alignment... (I might be able to come up with a clever way of making this easy for people, maybe by adding guide lines)