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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 7th Apr 2005 at 4:48 PM
Default Question Concerning Hair Meshes - Why Always Set as "Custom"?
I've noticed that every custom hair mesh out there always appears under the "Custom" option.

Why? The Beidermann mesh (the first custom hair mesh, as far as I know) shows up just fine under the other hair colors (click brown, you get brown, blond, you get blond, etc.). However, nobody else has figured out how to make their hair meshes show up this way. Why?
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Scholar
#2 Old 7th Apr 2005 at 9:24 PM
The Biederman hair mesh was made by Maxis, so it is not marked as "custom" (user-created)
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 8th Apr 2005 at 2:20 AM
Yes, it is.

However, it appears underneath the regular hair colors - blond, red, brown, and black. To see any other hair mesh, you must click on the "Custom" icon - the place where you will see custom hair colors, IE, recolors and suchlike.

In other words, if the Beidermann mesh can appear as a standard hair, why can't other people figure out how to make their own meshes appear that way?
Scholar
#4 Old 9th Apr 2005 at 10:32 AM
I don't know if that would be possible to do, I don't know a lot about the "hacking" part of things.

Personally, I wouldn't want my meshes (hair, body, or object) not marked as "user-created"

For one thing, they ARE user-created, aren't they? Why trick people?

Also, if they were NOT marked as user-created, they would probably try to use the standard Maxis textures and alphas of the mesh I cloned them from, which would not look right in the game since I alter all of those too.
Test Subject
#5 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 6:36 AM Last edited by leave_me_anonymous : 29th Jun 2005 at 4:18 AM.
Dr Pixel, the Jeanette Beiderman hairstyle, as well as any others altered using this method, is still marked as user created even though it is listed with the maxis-created genetics.

-What you do is open up the package file in SimPE and select Property Set from the filetypes box.

[EDIT:removed the part about the family dtString]

-select one of the property sets in the packed files box. Select the plugin Plugin View tab and look for "hairtone (dtString)"

-Click on it. In the settings window to the right, change the value of the "hairtone (dtString)" accordingly to determine which hair color category it turns up under:
for black:
00000001-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

for brown:
00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

for blond:
00000003-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

for red:
00000004-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

for grey:
00000005-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
-click the "commit" button

Make sure to do this for all of the Property Set files in the packed files window.

-when you're done, go up to file->save


that should do it! :D
Guest
#6 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 6:57 AM
Default Can some one please help me
I have downloaded a sim baised off Sephrioth and his hair wont show up for some reason, best I can figure is I need a mesh of his hair, does any know where I can find such a mesh, I asked the maker of the sim but yet have got no replay back I am dieing to use in him in my Ff town but I do not want to bring him out untill he looks right. Please help me. :confused:
Test Subject
#7 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 7:30 AM
Quote: Originally posted by leave_me_anonymous
-What you do is open up the package file in SimPE and select Property Set from the filetypes box. Go through each of the property sets and look for "family (dtString)"


I hope this gets added to Sim PE. I would prefer to have all of the hair properly organized too.
Test Subject
#8 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 7:31 AM
I should say I hope this gets added as a 'check box' option to make it easier.
Test Subject
#9 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 7:32 PM
I really hope it gets added as a check box option, too, but this really isn't very difficult compaired to the other modding (like mesh extracting X_X) that a lot of people here do. I'll write a more descriptive tutorial later--unless someone beats me to it.
Test Subject
#10 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 7:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by cecil_devenheart
I have downloaded a sim baised off Sephrioth and his hair wont show up for some reason, best I can figure is I need a mesh of his hair, does any know where I can find such a mesh, I asked the maker of the sim but yet have got no replay back I am dieing to use in him in my Ff town but I do not want to bring him out untill he looks right. Please help me. :confused:


try downloading the original sephiroth here:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=49051
Field Researcher
#11 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 7:46 PM
As a long-time skinner, and someone who made meshes for Sims1, I'm just going to flat out BEG Sims2 meshers NOT to remove the "usermade" daisy from their work, or categorize it with Maxis-made meshes.

First of all, I want to know when a mesh ~ whether it's for hair, a body skin, or an object ~ requires a separate mesh that is not included with the game or an expansion. This is so I can either include the mesh with my skin download (if that's permitted), or provide a link where users can obtain the needed mesh.

Also, I have a pretty good idea of the amount of work that goes into not only making a mesh, but packaging it, and I want to be able to tell for sure (with that "daisy") that credit is required when I use that mesh for a skin.

I can't imagine why a mesher would want to make thier hard work appear to have come from Maxis, why they'd want it to blend into the woodwork, so to speak. They deserve to have their efforts set apart and recognized as "usermade." If players have a problem with having to click the daisy icon...then let them stick with boring Maxis meshes!
Test Subject
#12 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 8:04 PM
i wish they were ALL catagorized under hair color, and only the multi-color hair was "custom". it is so much easier for everyone else, and it still gets the little flower/star thing, so you know its user created.
Instructor
#13 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 8:47 PM Last edited by pinhead : 17th Apr 2005 at 9:03 PM.
This discussion is a little complex.
So far i made the custom hairs that i downloaded categorized with maxis genetics (only 2 so far because is A LOT of work and makes my head spin). I didn't share it before because this is not quite simple as you may be think. The procedure described by leave_me_anonymous is right but incomplete if you like to made "correctly". A LOT of thing must be changed to make things in the right way to not be messed up. (BINX, Group IDs, GZPS, STR#, 3IDR,MATD...) IF you change something on these type files you will have to change the references and is a lot of things connected. And even with this i get some strange things that i didn't fully understand. Of course is my opinion about "correctly" because i will hate to have big packages and textures that are same as maxis duplicated in the catalog for other ages.

EDIT: I forgot to include that was related to use all genetic colors for the hair. IF will be just one color (i.e. black) i think is fine use this process described by leave_me_anonymous

In my opnion make yourself the changes and hair creators don't use this process. Why? Bacause will be too complex for something that isn't acepted by all users.

The idea to make that is for people that share recolors and don't know that is a new mesh or the base had just the alphas changed to modify the form. I see a lot of people sharing hair colors and looks like that they never realized that was a new mesh. Is not they fault (i think) because was categorized as "recolors" and not meshes. So, if you will recolor using maxis genetics and see the "custom" mark there, will have an idea that require a new mesh.

But like Hairfish said if you KNOW that this is a custom mesh will not be a problem and maybe using this process will confuse more the users. Maybe them will thinking that was a maxis made mesh.

So, in my simple opinion. Use this method only if you like and for yourself only. And creators: forget it. Or make 2 versions.

What you guys think?
Test Subject
#14 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 10:25 PM
Quote: Originally posted by pinhead
So, in my simple opinion. Use this method only if you like and for yourself only. And creators: forget it. Or make 2 versions.

Ditto. This process is entirly for advanced users with a large ammount of downloads that they want to organize. I can't even immagine the mess there would be if creators started catagorizing the stuff they plan to put up for download. Though I personally agree with maddiekate, there are a lot of people out there that would get very confused.
Instructor
#15 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 10:48 PM Last edited by pinhead : 17th Apr 2005 at 10:57 PM.
I need to say that i will adopt your procedure because is very fast and not complicated. But since i tried before with a lot of trying and error, i must say that the family dtstring don't have to be changed. Why? because if you put the same family string will be "reverted" to maxis original. Like the Object Recolors problems that we have to change the procedure so many times. :D
Is the same problem. I confess that i didn't tried your method before my last post. So, now, i tested in bodyshop and if you change family dtstring as a same that Beidermann mesh uses, when you change the age will change the hairstyle to beidermann set.

I made my own family string using Hash Generator and works, so i didn't tried with the default string created by bodyshop but i think that will work fine without need to change it.
Test Subject
#16 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 10:58 PM
i did it to 12 of the ones i've downloaded so far, but i got to shars devilhorn mesh, and there is no "family" value
Instructor
#17 Old 17th Apr 2005 at 11:09 PM Last edited by Motoki : 17th Apr 2005 at 11:12 PM.
hairfish: It doesn't remove the daisy (I thought it was an asterix?) It's still there in the Beidermann hair, it just works according to sim genetics and is in the regular section.

I actually posted a thread about this already but no one said anything So I am thankful for this information.

Pinhead: can you write a tutorial for how to do this? Please??

I want to do it with my female afro hair. It is made based of of the male afro hair I just reshaped it to fit females. I feel like Maxis should have made a female afro hair in the first place so I think it should be that way. Also, as custom it is strange. My sim with the black Afro hair made in the CAS had a blond child. I want it to work with Maxis sim genetics.
Instructor
#18 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 6:40 AM
Motoki

hahahah! no please!! no more tutorials for me. lol

I can say that i will try to explain what i know and since i have issues with this procedure, maybe we can understand together.
The issue that i have (i said before) is that with a clean package i can't export the textures using bodyshop. I didn't understand yet how the setup inside the biedermann package makes the export work fine. Maybe with so many tweaks and changes i didn't notice what i made wrong.
Before i read the leave_me_anonymous post, i was making a hell lot of work to understand each part of the file types and some of them i never will understand. I was using the biedermann package as a base to converting the hair color packages that i downloaded and is frustrating about the issue that i have. So, now, thanks for leave_me_anonymous, i recreate my procedure but the issue persist.

I need some time to figure it out but i will explain later how to use the maxis textures to other ages without need to include inside the package and use all 5 hairtones in the same package as well. But like i said, the export will not work... yet (i hope)

Instructor
#19 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 1:06 PM
LOL, okay, I remember your other tutorial and how many replies it got haha.

The thing I notice with the Beidermann hair is that the settings are in a different file than the actual textures and mesh. Also it has an entry for "collection". I was wondering if copying the Beidermann file and changing the file reference names would work, but I'm not sure.
Instructor
#20 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 8:04 PM Last edited by pinhead : 18th Apr 2005 at 11:59 PM.
hehehe
i made this way. But i think that the separate files is no required. I think that maxis made to use the own group ids for MATD and TXTR. So, we can't use it and if you keep the group id created by bodyshop will not be a problem. Works fine to show up correctly but the export in bodyshop get blocked for something that i don't know the cause. I can succesfull export if i don't change the names of MATDs (we need to change to merge other colors in the same package or will have the same instance, group and subtype).
If we make separate packages (i tought that is more simple for the process) the single problem will be elder hair. You will finish with 4 elder hairs showing in the catalog. For correct that you will need to change references to a single package but if the person delete it the other colors will not have a elder hair. :/

So, i'm testing some ideas that i have, but i didn't find a way to make it right. Anyway, i think that i almost there.

Some time today i will report my progress.

EDITED: Found the problem. Tested. Export now working!!! :D
I will start to explain what you need to do. It is a little complex and i suggest this process to someone that has advanced experience with SimPE.
Instructor
#21 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 9:25 PM
Oh good! Well yes let me know how you did it please, even if it's complicated, I can handle SimPE.
Instructor
#22 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 10:54 PM Last edited by pinhead : 19th Apr 2005 at 3:59 AM.
I will try explain what you will make to use your new hair mesh use the catalog and genetics like maxis.
Is a little complex, so i suggest to be used by experienced users. If you don't have any idea how to find the proper files, forget it! lol
I will try to support people that have questions more complex. Sorry for that but i think that this process is better to be used by advanced SimPE users. Is my personal opinion.

Ok, lets get it on!!
(ps:. I will explain how to do it with the first 2 packages and repeat the process to the others colors.)

After you have the new mesh done and linked to the texture that you exported with Bodyshop, make all the colors to be used by the hair mesh, and keep them in separate packages..

Make the changes to all packages as described by leave_me_anonymous (thanks a bunch for your information ) but keep the same family dtstring (don't change it in all packages).

WARNING: Before going on, make a backup of the packages for future reference. If you don't make one you will get lost and all the work will be useless.

Open the base color that will be the main package to all your textures. Delete all textures that exists for other ages that you didn't create a mesh. Save the package. You will use the maxis default for them and don't need to be included. Delete all MATDs for that ages that you deleted the textures. Keep just the ages that you have a new mesh. Save the package. Add the "Collection" file attached in this thread to your package. Change the Group ID of this Collection to the same of All group IDs of your package, change the Instance to 0x00000001. Save the package. Select "Hair Tone" file and look for the "flags" field. This number you will include in the "flags" field of "Property Set". For all property sets incuded in your package. Now you don't need the "Hair Tone" file type anymore. so, delete it too. Save it.

Ok, we cleaned the package. Now is time to make a hell lot of changes, so be ready. lol

Select the textures. We will need to change the names. Keep the hash value infront of it. DON'T REMOVE IT!! if you remove the hash will not export your textures in bodyshop after all be done. Just change the values or name after the hash value. Choose a name of your mesh and include the color as well the age (i.e. ##0x5FD2CE5F!afhairpinheadstupid-black_txtr ). Just to clarify, the ages are:

pu=toddler both genders
cf=child female
tf=teen female
af=adult female

The elder texture rename it as "####0x5FD2CE5F!afhairpinheadstupid-grey_txtr". Just change black to grey. Don't need to use efhair... Don't forget to click on FIX TGI.

Ok, now you need to correct the references in MATDs files. In propertys tab change the SdtMatBaseName to the name of the correct texture. If is an elder MATD change to grey name, Adult use the af...-black and young adult use the same texture name as the adult. The alphas MATDs use the base texture of that age to it, so just use the same texture name for all proper age. Now you will need to change the names of MATDs that required again to keep the hash value infront of the new name. (i.e. ##0x5FD2CE5F!afhairpinheadstupid_black_txmt) The alphas names just include the alpha3 or alpha5.. with the name like: ##0x5FD2CE5F!afhairpinheadstupid_black_alpha3_txmt . Change the Description Tab with the same name of MATD including the hash value. In File List tab you can change or not. Will not be required. Don't forget to click on fix TGI.

After all MATDs has the name values changed in all tabs, go to property set and change the names of the correct age that you created a new MATD name. Since you delete the other ages MATDs, just change the adult, elder and young adult if exist. If you get lost, the field "age" can specify for you the correct age of that property set (40=ya; 08=adult and 10=elder).Have to be the SAME name that exist in the MATD for the base color without the "txmt" extension, don't need the alpha names. Alphas references already exist inside the Property Set. Don't need to include the hash value infront of the name (i.e. afhairpinheadstupid_black).

After the changes in Property Set, go to 3IDR and now the hard work will start.

I will try explain how this works but i will do my best to be clear. Is a little complicated.

The instance of 3IDR is the same of the Property Set. So, select the correct instance of Property Set (should be a toddler hair or child hair, sometimes this changes, if is another type of hair as a base of your mesh, so if you pick the correct instance number you will make the right change). The name that appear in the property set is what you need to find in Sims02.package to reference that MATDs. Since you deleted, you will need to point the reference to the maxis MATD. Open another instance of SimPE with your backup of this package that you start change, and open another with Sims02.package (EA Games/The Sims 2/Data/Res/Sims3d).
If the hair has 2 or 3 alphas you will find all of them in the Sims2.package but the order of MATDs inside the 3IDR have to be exactly as Bodyshop creates. So, in your backup package go to MATD section and find the instance of the first MATD reference that appear in 3IDR. If has a name like "hairalpha3" or "bangs_l3" you have to intuit the correct one to pick the instance, group and subtype to change in 3IDR. You will just use the Sims2.package to reference the other ages that you didn't change the mesh. It will use the maxis default.

When you reach the Adult, Elder and Young Adult is time to use your back up to see what was calling the 3IDR file before you change the names and FIXed TGI. Should be use the new subtype and instance values.

After all done, now is time to make more few changes in 3IDR files. Delete the Collection Reference of all 3IDR and Hair Tone reference that exist in the first instance of 3IDR. Add the "Collection" that you imported to your package. Add the first property set to it as well. Try keep the same order that was existed before. I don't know if will work properly if you change the orders. Property set will be the last reference.

The second 3IDR has the reference to the first property set. change to the second and remove the old collection and ADD the new collection. Make that with the rest of 3IDR. The last one if don't exist a MATD Reference or shape or resource node, delete it!

After all done, go to text list and add lines to it. Put anything you want in the 4 firsts lines but we will use one line for each color. Just for us don't get lost in the next step.

0x0 - will be the main name;
0x1 - create the adult color of this package;
0x2 - the young adult color;
0x3 - the grey color


and add one line for the child "property set name", the teen "property set" name and the toddler "property set" name.
You will finish with 7 lines (0x6)
PS:. If have CASIE_ infront the name inside the property set, you can delete it.


Now go to BINX. Here you need to reference the proper text line to corrected age. The BINX has the same instance of 3IDR. So, you deleted the last one 3IDR, delete the same instance of 3IDR that you removed in BINX too. In the first BINX if is a CHILD use the value of the line of the child name that you created in the text list. You will change in the "stringindex" value field. But you have to pay attention. BINX count the first line as 0x00000001 and the line in text list is 0x0. So, if you will call the 0x3 you will need to put 0x00000004; 0x2 = 0x00000003; ... and so on.
I don't know for sure, since i made a HELLLLL lot of tests, if you don't include those texts lines if cause problems. Maybe not. Who knows...
I included and works fine.

Now in BINX get the value of "sortindex" field. Go to Collection and change "sortindex" to the same value that exist in BINX's sortindex. After you change the collection you can change the BINX's sortindex to 0x000000000 in all of BINX files. Remember that i'm not saying all the time to commit and save but i intuit that YOU KNOW exactly what to do everytime that you change something in SimPE. :D

Try to test your package to see if everything appear with this package in bodyshop (after that we just need to change one more thing in this package). If everything is fine and the text list are appearing correctly with the respective age you can close bodyshop and go to the last step of this first package. (If have errors with texts, correct them or try finish the package and see if have problems after that trying to create parts in bodyshop and selecting your hair file. If you got an error, maybe could be caused by bad references on text lists and BINX).

Now open again the package and go to property set. Get the ages that you didn't make the hair mesh and change the "flags" field of that ages to 0x00000009
Change the flags field to all the ages that you like to appear in the catalog to 0x00000008

now test it and see if everything is fine. Try create a recolor of your hair to see if is working. If not, you made something wrong and after made a hell lot of changes i suggest you forget it! lol

i will cover the next color package changes after i get a break.


EDITED: Part 2 covering the process for add the other colors to the same package is done.

CLICK HERE TO GO THERE
Attached files:
File Type: rar  Collection.rar (543 Bytes, 55 downloads) - View custom content
Instructor
#23 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 11:08 PM
Thank you for posting this, I am trying it out now.

So you think in your opinion that if a creator released a hair file made this way it might cause problems for users? Maybe when they add a beta section I can try and test a hair I make like this there. Hmm. I think it would be nice if we could release new hairs like this, but I also don't want to cause problems for people.
Instructor
#24 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 11:34 PM Last edited by pinhead : 18th Apr 2005 at 11:47 PM.
Motoki, sorry maybe i was not clear in my opinion. Since my mother tongue is portuguese, and my english is very limitated.
What i tried to say was if all mesh creators likes this idea and try to make it, some users will not like. I don't know, i like the idea because i will know that hair file is a new mesh. If the new mesh is catgorized with custom hair i will be lost and don't know if is a alpha changed or new mesh.
For example, i downloaded a sim that use a new mesh and i didn't notice. When i was in bodyshop the sim was with the head cut. In the local that i downloaded didn't had anything saying that was used another mesh... i lost 2 days to find the hair mesh for that sim... :/

I think is a good idea but some people don't like it and maybe will make them more confused that already are.

I think that you are a person with great skills and experience to make this changes but i doubt that exist too many hair creators that could do this process without asking simple question like: you didn't say to click commit; you didn't say to save it,... and so on.

I will like to help if someone make a question that is more related to the function of the change that you made, like: The flags 0x00000009 will make the thumbnail don't show up, right? and the 0x00000008 will make appear.

I think that if a hair creator have skills, try and make! but if don't get it to work, i suggest to give it up because is a lot of work and explain it in details will give this thread a lot of pages and keep me busy.
Other thing is that each hair has a different set for ages and sometimes the order of property sets and 3IDR could be changed. And i will not make with every single hair that exist in the game and make a detail process to each of it. I tried to cover all the functions and references and explain what is what that need to be changed. But of course that should exist something that i forgot to say but i think is not. I will know after someone try and give me a feedback. I think that everything was covered.

Motoki, i have a example file here with me with 2 colors that i was making writing this process. If you like it for reference i can send to you. I didn't post here because i didn't ask for permission of the hair creator of the mesh that i used to test it.
Instructor
#25 Old 18th Apr 2005 at 11:53 PM
Yes please can you send it to me? It would definitely help me.

I think in my case I want to do the female afro hair this way because I think it's just something Maxis should have included in the first place since there is a male afro. Anyway, mine is based off of their male afro.

I will try and get it to work and post and let users know about this and see what they think. I see a lot of people using the Biedermann hair in screenshots, so maybe it's okay?
Locked thread | Locked by: tiggerypum Reason: This discussion is over a year old, locking before the zombie eats our brains
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