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Quote: Originally posted by Miniie
Hi everyone! I'm new to meshing. I've tried once before but i ended up getting frustrated and i quit, but i'm back to give it another try.
I use Milkshape. I haven't made a real mesh yet. I've been mostly messing around with TS3 hair meshes.
I'm not sure where to go from here or what to do to improve.. So i'm asking you all, since most of you have alot more experience than i do.. How did you start out? What kind of things did you do to improve?
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Hi, Miniie!
Don't get discouraged--meshing is difficult for even the most experienced creator, and getting it just right can take just as much luck as it does skill. I think I followed the table tutorial 2 or 3 times before I actually got one to display correctly in my game. I gave it up for quite awhile, too. It just seemed too labor-intensive, and I really didn't enjoy it at first. I don't know what exactly encouraged me to try again, but I'm really glad I did. Once I understood the reason behind each of the steps, it helped to cement the process for me.
The best advice I can give is practice, practice, practice. Your first mesh probably isn't going to be great, and though I've never done a hair mesh myself, I've been told they're one of the hardest things to get right, so that might not be the best place to start. If you have Sims 2, I'd suggest you start with small decorative objects and work your way up, just because they're easier, and you have all the tools and tutorials available to you now, whereas the tools and tutorials for Sims 3 are still in the development stage.
Some suggestions for someone just starting out:
--Before you combine the Groups into one subset for exporting back into the game, make sure you save your project with all of them separate. This will help if you need to make changes later on, and it makes UV mapping easier.
--Speaking of UV mapping, don't use UV Mapper Classic (or whatever it's called). Go with
LithUnwrap. It's easier to use, and you won't have to re-map every time you change one little thing.
--Cylinders are very versatile. Use them for everything for isn't a box or a sphere.
--Don't be afraid to delete faces that aren't going to show. Try to keep the poly counts down any way you can.
There are lots of little tips and tricks that individual meshers use, but everyone's style is going to be a little different. You just have to try and find what works best for you.
Good luck and keep us posted!