Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns - Revision history

Kiwi tea at 15:39, 17 September 2012

2012-09-17T15:39:06Z

Knulclunk: /* Saving Your DDS File */

2011-01-20T05:18:30Z

‎Saving Your DDS File

Kc8iqw: /* Vectors and Rasters */

2009-09-01T01:29:23Z

‎Vectors and Rasters

Kitanne: /* DDS Files */

2009-08-22T16:02:28Z

‎DDS Files

HystericalParoxysm: Tweaking wording slightly for clarity

2009-08-14T09:06:40Z

Tweaking wording slightly for clarity

HystericalParoxysm at 13:28, 25 June 2009

2009-06-25T13:28:28Z

HystericalParoxysm at 06:17, 25 June 2009

2009-06-25T06:17:22Z

HystericalParoxysm at 21:44, 24 June 2009

2009-06-24T21:44:29Z

HystericalParoxysm at 21:41, 24 June 2009

2009-06-24T21:41:48Z

HystericalParoxysm at 21:30, 24 June 2009

2009-06-24T21:30:03Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <big><big>Note from HP: I am currently rewriting major sections of this tutorial.  My apologies if anything is weird or unclear or unfinished for the time being.  I will be finishing it ASAP.</big></big>
@@ Line 129: / Line 131: @@
 There is a Q&A thread for this tutorial on MTS, found [http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=343139 here].  Or if you have general questions on pattern creation that don't directly relate to this tutorial, please post them in the main [http://www.modthesims.info/forumdisplay.php?f=595 Patterns Forum] on MTS.
-[[Category:Sims 3]]
+{{TS3ModdingHeader}}

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 ===Saving Your DDS File===
-Blah
+When saving your .dds file there are several format options. DXT5 ARGB 8 works with Delphy's Pattern Packager.
-−
 ==Make a Package==

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * '''Raster images''' are the most common type you will encounter.  These are things like gifs, jpeg/jpgs, pngs, bmps, etc., and just about every program that does images (Photoshop, Gimp, Paint.NET, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) can open and edit them.  They are one specific size and contain just the data on what pixels are present.  You cannot resize them larger than they already are without them looking bad and with a loss of quality.  If you size them down, you cannot size them back up again easily without that same loss of quality.  You cannot usually easily separate out parts of the image like a background vs. foreground, especially if the colours in the image for background and foreground are very similar.
-* '''Vector images''' are less common.  They are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, and CorelDraw.  Rather than being just the pixels, they are more a set of instructions on how to create an image - the angles, spaces between, fills, and layering.  Raster images can be sized up and down easily with no loss in quality.  You can easily choose different parts of the image and hide them, change their colours, delete them, or move them around.  While vector images are extremely versatile in how they can be edited, you will usually have to convert a vector image to a raster in order to make use of it in a project - but if you ever need to edit it again, you still have your vector.
+* '''Vector images''' are less common.  They are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, and CorelDraw.  Rather than being just the pixels, they are more a set of instructions on how to create an image - the angles, spaces between, fills, and layering.  Vector images can be sized up and down easily with no loss in quality.  You can easily choose different parts of the image and hide them, change their colours, delete them, or move them around.  While vector images are extremely versatile in how they can be edited, you will usually have to convert a vector image to a raster in order to make use of it in a project - but if you ever need to edit it again, you still have your vector.
 You will need to colour-separate different parts of an image with very clean separations to make patterns.  Because of this, many patterns will benefit from being recreated in a vector format first.  Having a vector version of your image will allow you to change the parts of the image black and white or greyscale quite easily, adjust layering, and go back and edit without having to mess about with selections.  Creating a vector image can be time-consuming, but the quality of the result is often worth it.  Plus, then you have a nice vector version of your pattern that you can use for a desktop background or whatever else you desire later on.
 ====DDS Files====

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 ====DDS Files====
-A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games, including both Sims 2 and Sims 3.  DDS files usually contain one large image plus many smaller versions of the same image.  These smaller versions are called "mipmaps" and are used when zoomed out in-game, for better performance.  DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed.  Compressed versions can be smaller in file size, but are often lower in quality.  You will need to save your images in DDS format for importing into Delphy's Pattern Packager.  DDS plugins are available for most graphics programs.
+A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games, including both Sims 2 and Sims 3.  DDS files usually contain one large image plus many smaller versions of the same image.  These smaller versions are called "mipmaps" and are used when zoomed out in-game, for better performance.  DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed.  Compressed versions can be smaller in file size, but are often lower in quality.  You will need to save your images in DDS format for importing into Delphy's Pattern Packager.  DDS plugins are available for most Windows graphics programs. Mac users will have to use a separate conversion program such as SquishDDS or Graphic Converter.
-−
 ===Difficulty Level===

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
-See how the red is the background, and how the other channels layer on top of it?  Where the other channels were white, they show up.  Where they were black, they are fully transparent.  Though this pattern has no greyscale, you can also do shades of grey (instead of pure black/white) to do partial transparency.<br clear="all" />
+See how the red is the background, and how the other channels layer on top of it?  Where the other channels were white, they show up.  Where they were black, they are fully transparent.  Though this pattern has no greyscale, you can also do shades of grey (instead of pure black/white) to do partial transparency.
 By using this channel separation, you can do just about any pattern you can imagine.  But getting a particular image set up channel-separated like that can be tricky, and that's what the bulk of this tutorial will cover.
@@ Line 108: / Line 110: @@
 You can ignore the Background Filler swatch for most purposes - that's used for areas of the Red channel (background) where you have no background, but the Background Filler colour cannot be changed in-game using the colour palettes.
-You can set your default colours for your pattern here on the Palette 1-4 options.  1 is Red, 2 is Green, 3 is Blue, and 4 is Alpha.  Note that the image displaying your texture will not change accordingly - if you need to preview these colours, it's best to do in your vector document, or just to save with whatever colours and decide on your colours in-game and then save a copy after with better colours.  You can always copy the RGB values into the blanks in the palette popup.
+You can set your default colours for your pattern here on the Palette 1-4 options.  1 is Red, 2 is Green, 3 is Blue, and 4 is Alpha.  You can preview your colours here, but they may be slightly different from what you get in-game.  For best results, leave the Pattern Packager open, go in-game, tweak the colour choices, and then save a copy after with better colours.  You can always copy the RGB values into the blanks in the palette popup.
 Leave the tickboxes for "use default specular map" and "make this pattern a decal" as default - specular ticked, decal unticked.

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 * [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Single Colour Patterns|Single Colour Patterns]]
-* [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns 1|Multi Colour Patterns (Simplest Method]]
+* [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns 1|Multi Colour Patterns (Simplest Method)]]
 * [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns - Vectored|Multi Colour Patterns (with Vectors)]]
 Once you have finished getting your image edited into a channel separated pattern, come back here to finish up your image and to get it working in the game.
 ===Saving Your DDS File===

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
-[[Image:CustomPattern-1a.jpg|right|500px]]Here's an example, using one of the game's patterns.  You can see how the separate parts of the pattern are done as different pieces.  The red channel serves as a background, and each of the other channel (green, blue, and alpha) are layered on top of it.  The order of the layering is important - I'll go into that later.<br clear="all" />
+[[Image:CustomPattern-1a.jpg|center|500px]]
@@ Line 24: / Line 27: @@
 ====Necessity of Channel Separation====
-'''<font color="red">For most patterns, you cannot just import an image directly without major editing!</font>''' You must have the channel-separated versions so that you can recolour each part of the image separately!
+'''For most patterns, you cannot just import an image directly without major editing!'''
-The only images that you do not need to channel-separate are single-colour patterns such as wood or wicker.  Even so, there are some tweaks that you should do to the channels before importing images of those type.
+You must have the channel-separated versions so that you can recolour each part of the image separately!  The only images that you do not need to channel-separate are single-colour patterns such as wood or wicker.  Even so, there are some tweaks that you should do before importing images of that type.
-There is no "easy import" option - it just doesn't work that way!  Doing a custom pattern can be a time-consuming process that requires care and thought, as well as quite a bit of effort.  It is just NOT usually possible to just use any old pattern and just import it straight away without channel separating.  It looks crappy and doesn't work right.  Having done several, I can see why they didn't just give us a tool to make our own, as it's not easy or quick.
+There is no "easy import" option - it just doesn't work that way!  Doing a custom pattern can be a time-consuming process that requires care, thought, and effort.  It is just NOT usually possible to just use any old pattern and just import it straight away without channel separating.  It looks crappy and doesn't work right.  Having done several, I can see why they didn't just give us a tool to make our own, as it's not easy or quick in most cases.
 So if you say "gosh that looks complicated, can't I just import my image?" I will come to your house and fill your computer with dirty socks.
@@ Line 37: / Line 40: @@
 In this tutorial, there are a lot of references to vectors and rasters.  This may be the first time you have encountered these terms.
-* ''Raster images'' are the most common type you will encounter.  These are things like gifs, jpeg/jpgs, pngs, bmps, etc., and just about every program that does images (Photoshop, Gimp, Paint.NET, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) can open and edit them.  They are one specific size and contain just the data on what pixels are present.  You cannot resize them larger than they already are without them looking bad and with a loss of quality.  If you size them down, you cannot size them back up again easily without that same loss of quality.  You cannot usually easily separate out parts of the image like a background vs. foreground, especially if the colours in the image for background and foreground are very similar.
+* '''Raster images''' are the most common type you will encounter.  These are things like gifs, jpeg/jpgs, pngs, bmps, etc., and just about every program that does images (Photoshop, Gimp, Paint.NET, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) can open and edit them.  They are one specific size and contain just the data on what pixels are present.  You cannot resize them larger than they already are without them looking bad and with a loss of quality.  If you size them down, you cannot size them back up again easily without that same loss of quality.  You cannot usually easily separate out parts of the image like a background vs. foreground, especially if the colours in the image for background and foreground are very similar.
-* ''Vector images'' are less common.  They are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, and CorelDraw.  Rather than being just the pixels, they are more a set of instructions on how to create an image - the angles, spaces between, fills, and layering.  Raster images can be sized up and down easily with no loss in quality.  You can easily choose different parts of the image and hide them, change their colours, delete them, or move them around.  While vector images are extremely versatile in how they can be edited, you will usually have to convert a vector image to a raster in order to make use of it in a project - but if you ever need to edit it again, you still have your vector.
+* '''Vector images''' are less common.  They are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, and CorelDraw.  Rather than being just the pixels, they are more a set of instructions on how to create an image - the angles, spaces between, fills, and layering.  Raster images can be sized up and down easily with no loss in quality.  You can easily choose different parts of the image and hide them, change their colours, delete them, or move them around.  While vector images are extremely versatile in how they can be edited, you will usually have to convert a vector image to a raster in order to make use of it in a project - but if you ever need to edit it again, you still have your vector.
 You will need to colour-separate different parts of an image with very clean separations to make patterns.  Because of this, many patterns will benefit from being recreated in a vector format first.  Having a vector version of your image will allow you to change the parts of the image black and white or greyscale quite easily, adjust layering, and go back and edit without having to mess about with selections.  Creating a vector image can be time-consuming, but the quality of the result is often worth it.  Plus, then you have a nice vector version of your pattern that you can use for a desktop background or whatever else you desire later on.
@@ Line 46: / Line 49: @@
 ====DDS Files====
-A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games (including both Sims 2 and Sims 3).  DDS files usually contain one large image plus many smaller versions of the same image.  These smaller versions are called "mipmaps" and are used when zoomed out in-game, for better performance.  DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed.  Compressed versions can be smaller in file size, but lower in quality.  Final versions of the files you save will usually need to be in DDS format for importing.  DDS plugins are available for most graphics programs.
+A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games, including both Sims 2 and Sims 3.  DDS files usually contain one large image plus many smaller versions of the same image.  These smaller versions are called "mipmaps" and are used when zoomed out in-game, for better performance.  DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed.  Compressed versions can be smaller in file size, but are often lower in quality.  You will need to save your images in DDS format for importing into Delphy's Pattern Packager.  DDS plugins are available for most graphics programs.
@@ Line 59: / Line 62: @@
 ===Needed Programs, Tools, and Plugins===
 * A raster image program such as [http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/ Adobe Photoshop] (pay) or [http://gimp.org/ The Gimp] (free).  Other programs can be used, as long as they have a DDS plugin.
 * DDS Plugins for your raster image program.  There's one for [http://developer.nvidia.com/object/photoshop_dds_plugins.html Photoshop] as well as [http://registry.gimp.org/node/70 The Gimp].  Both plugins are free.  To see if your image editor of choice has a DDS plugin, just Google for it - for example "Paint Shop Pro DDS plugin" is a good search.
 * [http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=342998 Delphy's Pattern Packager] and the [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531-508D977D32A6 .NET Framework 3.5] needed to run it.  Make sure you install .NET Framework 3.5 before trying to run the Packager!  :)
@@ Line 79: / Line 82: @@
 * [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns - Vectored|Multi Colour Patterns (with Vectors)]]
 ===Dirt Layers===
-Blah
+If you don't absolutely need 4 colour palette options for your pattern, you can use one of those options as a "dirt" or "grunge" layer.  Usually people offer both clean and dirty versions of their patterns if they do a dirty version (since dirt can't be turned off, just minimized by changing its colour to match the rest of the pattern) but it's quite easy to add dirt, and a lot of downloaders love having grungy icky unclean run-down houses.
 ===Saving Your DDS File===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <big><big>Note from HP: I am currently rewriting major sections of this tutorial.  My apologies if anything is weird or unclear or unfinished for the time being.  I will be finishing it ASAP.</big></big>
-==Creating Custom Patterns for The Sims 3==
+==Introduction==
 This tutorial explains how to make a custom pattern for The Sims 3 for use in Create a Style.  This tutorial covers both the basics of editing of the image as well as how to get it to work in Delphy's Pattern Packager.
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
-==Needed Programs, Tools, and Plugins==
+===Needed Programs, Tools, and Plugins===
 * A vector drawing program such as [http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/ Adobe Illustrator] (pay) or [http://www.inkscape.org/ Inkscape] (free), if your image will need more than one channel/colour palette option, and the separate colours are not easily selectable.

@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
-==The Tutorial==
+==Image Editing==
 First, you need to decide how you are going to do your image.  Exactly which method you use depends on the image you would like to make into a pattern, and the desired end result.  '''If you are a complete beginner at this, do a single colour pattern first!''
@@ Line 91: / Line 91: @@
-===Make a Package===
+==Make a Package==
 Now you're ready to get your texture working in-game.
-====Step 7 - Pattern Packager====
+===Pattern Packager===
 Load up [http://www.modthesims.info/d/342998 Delphy's Pattern Packager].  If it's the first time you've used it, read the license agreement, enter your creator name, and click I Agree.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:30, 24 June 2009
Line 75:		Line 75:
	First, you need to decide how you are going to do your image. Exactly which method you use depends on the image you would like to make into a pattern, and the desired end result. '''If you are a complete beginner at this, do a single colour pattern first!''		First, you need to decide how you are going to do your image. Exactly which method you use depends on the image you would like to make into a pattern, and the desired end result. '''If you are a complete beginner at this, do a single colour pattern first!''

		+	* [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Single Colour Patterns\|Single Colour Patterns]]
		+	* [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns 1\|Multi Colour Patterns (Simplest Method]]
		+	* [[Tutorials:Sims 3 Custom Patterns/Multi Colour Patterns - Vectored\|Multi Colour Patterns (with Vectors)]]

−	~~===Vectorizing the Image===~~

−	~~This is, by far, the most time consuming and complicated way of doing a pattern, but it can be the only way to create high-quality versions of some types of patterns.~~
−
−	~~For the purposes of this tutorial, I will be demonstrating a 4-colour pattern using Illustrator. You can do your patterns in any number of colours from 1 to 4 - 4 is the most complicated.~~
−
−	[[Image:Arches.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]I'll be creating a pattern inspired by this retro arches pattern I found on Shutterstock. As you can see, it's a lot more complicated than just 4 basic colours, but I can simplify it as I work on it.<br clear="all" />
−
−
−	~~====Step 1 - Import the Image====~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-01.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Start by importing the image into your vector program. I only need a small part of it for what I'm doing here, so I haven't bothered to import the whole thing, just enough that I can trace it.<br clear="all" />
−
−
−	~~====Step 2 - Vectorize====~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-02.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]I'm skipping a lot of the fiddly work here, because every pattern is going to be different, and I'm not going to teach you how to do vector drawings all in one tutorial here. You want to basically trace over whatever lines you've got in the image, simplifying where you can (your final texture will only be 256x256 so don't go crazy with tons of detail), and remembering that you will have a max of 4 colour sliders to work with.
−
−	When you're done, you should have all the basic elements of the pattern roughed out in vector shapes. Don't worry if they're not exact - nobody's going to see your original, only the result. Make sure to group important parts as you go along.<br clear="all" />
−
−
−	~~====Step 3 - Define Colours====~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-03.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]It's about at this point that you should define the colours on your parts. If you're doing a very simple design, you may not have to, but the more complex you get, the easier this will make things down the line.
−
−	It doesn't matter what colours you use here, just that you use no more than 4 of them and that they're different enough from each other that you can tell at a glance what's what. You can define lighter and darker versions of the same colour, as you can see I've done - I'll explain further on how to handle those light/dark colours.
−
−	~~So for mine, I have white, mustard yellow, red, and blue, with the blue in lighter and darker versions.<br clear="all" />~~
−
−
−	~~====Step 4 - Tile====~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-04.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Then set up your pattern for tiling. There are ways to do a tiling pattern directly in a vector program, but I find it easiest to just make a big swatch and crop later for most designs. If you're doing the tile-in-vector method, here's a [http://www.trueup.net/?p=3261 good tutorial] on doing the tiling.<br clear="all" />
−
−
−	~~===Rasterizing the Image===~~
−
−	~~After you've got it all done in vector, you need to get it into a raster format...~~
−
−
−	~~====Step 5 - Colour Separate====~~
−
−	~~Now comes the annoying and tedious part - separating each colour into black and white/greyscale images.~~
−
−	A note before we begin - there is a layering effect that happens with the separate colours, so arranging them in the proper order is important. Red is the bottom layer, green above that, blue above that, and alpha on the very top. You can overlap colours.
−
−	~~[[Image:CustomPattern-05.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]We'll start with the white colour for mine. I'm going to make the white colour, well, white, and all of the rest of my colours black.<br clear="all" />~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-05a.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Then I need to save the result as a raster image. I find it easiest to just take a screenshot using Print Screen and paste each of the resulting images into a new Photoshop document on a new layer. If you do it that way, it's important not to move my zoom level or the scroll bars in Illustrator though, or they won't line up.<br clear="all" />
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-06.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Undo so everything's coloured again, and now make the yellow parts white and everything else black, and again, screenshot and paste as new layer or save as raster.<br clear="all" />
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-07.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Undo again to colour, and then repeat for red - red should be white, everything else black. Screenshot and paste as new layer or save as raster.<br clear="all" />
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-08.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Finally, the blue layer. Now, you'll notice that for mine, I have -four- separate shades of blue - lightish, medium, darkish, and dark. So for that, I'm going to change everything that isn't blue at all to black... And then I'm going to make the blue parts greyscale - white for the lightest blue, and darker shades (20% black, 30% black, and 30% black) for each of the darker parts.
−
−	~~Screenshot and paste into your document as a new layer, so you should now have 4 layers above the background, each with a different set of colours as white/greyscale.<br clear="all" />~~
−
−
−	~~====Step 6 - Finish Image====~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-09.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Take your raster drawing with the four layers, and make it seamless, cropping out edges or whatever you need to do. Make sure to make all your layers seamless in the same way! In Photoshop, Filter - Other - Offset is a great way to see that your image is seamless without having to tile it up yourself.<br clear="all" />
−
−	Resize to 256x256. If you're using Photoshop, make sure to change the resize setting to Bilinear or you'll get seams around the edges, which will be visible in-game. It's usually okay if your image is a little bit distorted, if it wasn't perfectly square when tiling - again, nobody will be seeing your original image, just the result, so they wont' know it's distorted.
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-10.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Time to assemble your four parts into channels. Make a new image the size that's 256x256, and bring up the Channels window. If you're doing a 4 colour pattern, add a new channel, alpha1. In Gimp, you'll have to do Colors - Components - Decompose to separate your image into channels.<br clear="all" />
−
−	Next, take each layer from your 4-layer tiled document and copy it, and paste the contents into a different channel in the new document. Remember the layering if it's important to your pattern - red on bottom, alpha on top.
−
−	If you're using Gimp, it's a little silly - once you've Decomposed to split into channels, you can paste your different images as new layers and then rename them - red, green, blue, or alpha. You can't paste directly into the channels themselves.
−
−	When you get them all pasted and look at the RGB channel, it should look, well, pretty weird. You may not be able to see anything on the alpha channel very well. Flip through your channels to make sure you've got it all set up properly.
−
−	~~If you're in Gimp, you'll have to do Colors - Components - Compose to smush it all back together, and it won't look right at all after that - Gimp's a little weird like that.<br clear="all" />~~
−
−	[[Image:CustomPattern-11.jpg\|300x300px\|right]]Now save as a DDS file. On the popup you get, change the top dropdown to 8.8.8.8 ARGB. This is one of several formats that works (DXT formats work also) but it gives the best image quality - artifacts are seriously bad on most of the other file types with most image types.
−
−	~~In Gimp, Compression should be set to None, Format set to RGBA8, and tick Generate Mipmaps. If you get an error complaining about volume maps, just ignore it.<br clear="all" />~~

	===Dirt Layers===		===Dirt Layers===