Difference between revisions of "MTS2:Mesh Uploading Guidelines"

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===Credits===
 
===Credits===
 
HystericalParoxysm for the original article.
 
HystericalParoxysm for the original article.
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[[Category:Sims 2 Tutorials]]

Revision as of 14:36, 27 July 2008

Contents

Mesh Uploading Guidelines

  1. Give your mesh an interesting, memorable subject line with a unique name. "Curly Hair" or "Modern Desk" may be accurate, but having an interesting name gives you a useful keyword that downloaders looking for your mesh can search for.
  2. Make sure you know what EP's downloaders will need to make your item work, and correctly mark your upload's compatability. For more information on EP compatability and categorizing your uploads, look here.
    1. If you clone from an object that is from an EP, downloaders will need that EP for the item to show up in their game. If, for some reason, your object is incompatible with certain game configurations, you must note that in the text of your first post. Also, be aware that just because you've cloned a base game object won't guarantee your mesh is base game compatible due to possible EP changes to the base game object you cloned from. If you clone from a base game object with EPs installed and you want to maintain base game compatability, see here. Notes on which objects are from what EP and much much more relevant info is available in the CEP documentation.
    2. For Body Shop content, most meshes will automatically be compatible with all game versions, even if it is cloned from content from an EP. The exceptions to this are body meshes from Nightlife onward, which contain a fourth bone assignment that will not display properly. Instructions on how to fix this assignment so that the mesh will display properly for all game versions can be found here. Body Shop content should have a symbol denoting which EP it's from, though the symbols may temporarily disappear if you have Open for Business due to a bug. Restarting Body Shop generally fixes this.
  3. For objects, state whether it is colour-enabled (recolours properly) and EP-ready.
  4. Let your downloaders know where they can find your object, and any special properties thereof. For accessory meshes, you need to tell whether the accessory stays on or comes off for showering/swimming/sleep. For hair meshes, make sure you mention somewhere which age(s) your mesh works for, and what you've done about the other ages in your recolour packages if your mesh does not work for all ages (removed the younger ages, recoloured them to match, was lazy and just left them all blonde for all colours, etc.). For object meshes, tell where your object will appear in the catalogue, and whether or it's for residential, community, or both.
  5. Include clear terms of use for your mesh. What are your policies on user recolours, uploading your mesh elsewhere with lots/sims, your textures, cloning, modifying your mesh, etc.? Make your terms of use clear but concise so there's no question on what you allow with your work.
  6. If the mesh or textures you're using come from any other source except your own creativity (i.e. if any part of your creation wasn't made by you personally), you must list where you obtained the mesh or textures with enough information that it can be verified you are within the original creator's terms of use, or have obtained personal permission from them. This also applies to cloning from user-created objects. Give credit where it's due.
  7. You must include full, numeric polygon and vertex counts for all meshes in your upload. Try to weigh the uniqueness and usability of your item against its poly count: creators that upload extremely high poly items that could be lower poly will be asked to reduce them or the items will be removed. Even if you just modify a Maxis mesh and don't add/remove anything, you still must list a numeric poly count.
  8. State in your post what tools you used to create the mesh (Unimesh, Meshtool, SimPE, Milkshape, Wings3D, UV Mapper, etc.): this both gives credit to the tool creators for their hard work in making your creation possible, and lets downloaders/recolourers know what the object will be capable of, like bump maps, proper animations, etc.
  9. If there are unavoidable issues or weirdness with your object that downloaders should be aware of. Nobody's perfect, but you need to let your downloaders know if they're something odd to watch out for.
  10. Make sure your mesh has a nice texture that showcases your hard work. The standard guidelines for recolours still apply to the textures you're uploading with your original mesh. For Body Shop-related recolour guidelines look here, and here for object recolour guidelines.
  11. Include at least 3 clear, well-lit in-game screenshots of your mesh from different angles. Try to include at least one standard Maxis object or a sim in one of the screenshots so downloaders can get an idea of your object's scale, and at least one closeup (the object should fill the whole screenshot) for detail. There's some great instructions on taking better screenshots here. If your mesh has something odd in the way it appears, please don't try to hide the imperfection with your screenshots by taking them from odd angles: take a screenshot of the imperfection so downloaders know what to look for, and not to report it as a problem in your download thread's comments.

Example of a Perfect Post

Title: Livingroom set in Blue and Beige Description: Here today we have a lovely living room set in beige and blue. This set Includes:

  • Durable Value Sofa
  • Curvacious End table
  • Funky Loft Curtains
  • Blue Swirls (recolor of Lady on Red)

Thank you and enjoy this upload.

Remember

  • Be specific in your title what it is that you have made. "A recolor set" or "My first recolour" gives downloaders no idea what type of items are in your post.
  • By naming the base item you recolored, it makes it easy for those downloaders to find your recolor in the catalog.
  • Its a good idea to let people know in a neat little list what pieces are included in your file.

Pictures

You've put a lot of work into the detail of your recolors! Make sure to present them in a good way as well. If you've made a set, people will want to know how the items look together. Shots of a nicely decorated room give an idea of the items you've made and what people can do with them. Take close up shots of each item. Screen shots from far away show the complete set, but please add a few shots of the individual items as well. People need to see the quality and clarity of the textures you've created.

Make sure to take your photos are in good lighting. We need to be able to tell from the screen shot what your recolor looks like. A good in game screen shot isn't that easy to make. For pointers on what we're looking for, please try this handy tutorial.


Thank you to those who made these lovely items. I used your screen shots for examples. These sets can be found here at MTS2.

Credits

HystericalParoxysm for the original article.

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