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Alchemist
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Dec 2006 at 9:25 PM Last edited by Echo : 18th Sep 2008 at 1:25 PM.
Default Making a new Dog Collar (for Pets only)
I struggled with the decision over where to post this item and article. While a collar is actually a mesh overlay accessory, it is textured much like a recolor, but since it isn't in any catalog you can't just make it like other objects (although maybe Object Workshop can learn to do this someday).

Making a custom textured Pet Collar in a fashion that allows it to show up in CAS in addition to the ones shipped with the game, rather than replacing one of the originals is the essence of what this post is about.

Now, the collar I have made is not without artistic flaws, but it is complete and working (although for large dogs only). The collar package will help in understanding the article, as well as act as a basic template for creating a whole collection of collars if you want.

I have two files included in the attached zip file, the collar addon package (DogCollarAddOnWH1.package) and the explanation of it (MakingADogCollarAdditionFor Pets.rtf).

Questions and comments, including critical ones, are welcome as replies in this thread. I hope you enjoy it.

<* Wes *>





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Tutorials:Making a new Dog Collarwiki
Screenshots
Attached files:
File Type: zip  MakingADogCollarAdditionFor Pets.zip (65.2 KB, 725 downloads) - View custom content

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Instructor
#2 Old 10th Dec 2006 at 6:34 PM
Excellent, Wes. Very well researched and written article/tutorial. Thanks for all your hard work on this.

Cogito ergo nupta non sum.
Instructor
#3 Old 10th Dec 2006 at 7:57 PM
Thank you, downloading right now so I can learn how to do this. Thank you for this Wes H.

I'm eleven hundred and twenty-years-old, jus' gimme' a frikkin' beer!
Alchemist
Original Poster
#4 Old 10th Dec 2006 at 9:39 PM
Well, I thank you both too for asking the questions in the first place.

I have been researching further, and there are other parts of CAS that use a very similar method of linkage, although some use an XTOL (texture overlay) rather than an XMOL. I started on another part of this as a proof-of-concept, but haven't got anything finished yet.

While this is the kind of mod that appears to follow some clearly defined paths, I did not write any of the tools that help make objects (except the MilkShape plugins), and I don't plan to create anything like that. So until someone else does something, we will have to put these together by hand (although Object Workshop is a big help in gathering the scenegraph parts if you search by the CRES name).


<* Wes *>

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Instructor
#5 Old 11th Dec 2006 at 11:48 AM
OK, question: I am looking in detail at your package and instructions. I understand how to extract and rename blah, blah all the nonlinkage files as I had done most of that when playing around with it anyway. When constructing a new package, do I need to extract and rename the linkage files or can I reuse the ones you included in your test package? If I reuse the ones you have provided, do I just change the instance numbers for each file and then the corresponding 3dir?

Cogito ergo nupta non sum.
Alchemist
Original Poster
#6 Old 11th Dec 2006 at 10:38 PM
You can reuse the ones I made, but make sure you are aware of all the changes that need to be made:

The name of the TXTR is intimately linked with the cDataListExtension in the GMND for the recolored section (in this example, I only recolor the collar, and leave the original game-provided color list for the buckle).

You intuited this behavior when you noted that your original clone attempt broke when you changed the name. That link is why. So if you use something other than ducollarsmoothwh_plainorange for the name of the TXMT, you will need to edit the GMND. If you start with the one I provided, though, you won't have leven-teen MAXIS names to delete (actually, as long as you add your name in there, you don't actually need to delete all the MAXIS names... it's just tidier and make a smaller package).

Now, if you want a good example of editing this aspect of the GMND, you can find one written by Numenor about recolors. This is exactly the same work, but an MMAT is not used in these recolors.

While there are a lot of files for a single item, you can reuse pretty much all of the scenegraph except the TXMT and TXTR on other texture options, as long as you add the additional TXMT base name in the GMDC.

I found that using Object Workshop to extract the related files using the cres name as Numenor suggested to be pretty painless compared with manually plucking them out of the game files.

<* Wes *>

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Test Subject
#7 Old 14th Jan 2007 at 5:22 AM
Since you cant get a collar from body shop how did you manage to extract what you needed into one package??? Can you please explain this or give me some instructions on how I could make a package with all the parts required to remesh?

You will die when you die so live your life how you want.

If I thought I had to go through another life I'd kill myself right now
Alchemist
Original Poster
#8 Old 15th Jan 2007 at 6:10 PM
Had you read my initial post, you would know that I put a document describing how I did this in the attached file.
While its not a beginner project, someone that has made other things should be able to follow the plan.
Test Subject
#9 Old 27th Jan 2007 at 10:52 PM
Forgive me for butting in..
I haven't made anything, and although I'd like too, this looks like it may be too big of a step for me to start out with... And I'm very short on time to learn new things currently...

But..
What I've been wanting since well before TS2Pets came out is fairy kitties, like I had in TS1.
( http://www.thesimsresource.com/down...ge15in255items/ is the only place I can still find them )

Will it be possible for a collar to be altered into wings, etc, like sunglasses are for the sims themselves?

If so, I may need to start meshing so that I can work up to doing this.. if someone else doesn't do it first.. (hope they do. )

Thanks for the pioneering work, and thanks for any replys!
(PS.. I'm not finding any collars available for download yet... Except the sample above... If there are, and I'm missing them, where do I look? )

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Alchemist
Original Poster
#10 Old 28th Jan 2007 at 5:00 AM
I haven't seen any other collars done, either. Maybe I buried the how-to too deeply here. I get busy doing other things that interfere with making more things. But I try to always post my findings so others can take advantage.
Perhaps because it's still manual and not a part of SimPE?

Remeshing the Pets body parts is not yet being done. There are extra mesh data units that are not fully understood. My Collar Clone still references the original game mesh because of this.

<* Wes *>
Don't ask me, I just code
#11 Old 12th Aug 2007 at 10:19 PM
Just to bump a PJSE tool that folks in this thread might be interested in trying out -- we're after feedback on whether it's worth keeping:
http://simlogical.com/SMF/index.php?topic=918

(Yes, Wes, this is mostly aimed at you )
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