Oh it's so embarrassing. I did a silly. I had opened Objects04, not Sims04 :o

I'm not positive, but I think that if the hair shows up but it all black then it can't find the bitmap texture. So, double check that you picked the correct 3IDR. It's kind of complicated, but all of the files in a hair package do link together.

Start with the Property Sets - look through them to find the name of the hair mesh you are working with.. It will be something like tfhairfuzzylongcp_blond. OK, now note the instance number of the Property set, something like 0x00000003. Go to 3IDR & choose the same instance number (0x00000003) Click on that 3IDR & in Plugin View - you'll find a list of which MATDs this hair mesh uses. Write them down, then go to the MATD section where you can export them to put in your new mesh file. Hope this helps

I have a question that's probably stupid. How do you know which hair files are the ones you want to use as a base? I don't know how to find the name of the particular style I want to build from...tried using bodyshop but it doesn't give the name of the hair when you choose it, and I can't find any hair files in SimPE that match the names given to me when I export from bodyshop and check under paint shop.

Okay, I managed to find out the name of the hair I'm trying to modify by using the /boolprop testingcheatsenabled command in character creation, but now I can't find the hair I want anywhere. It's "amhairmessy_black". All that comes up are the hairstyles that came with the EP...does this mean I need to look in my original Sims2 folder instead of under University?

Found the hair mesh I wanted in the regular sims 2 folder, but now I'm hung up on the step where you open a new project. It gives me a choice between a short index and a long index, and nothing was mentioned about that. :-(

Use the Long index

its like you're not speaking english.....

someday....someday, when school is done....i will make my own hair meshes....

Well... I got through to step 24 or something like that.. mixing Brianna's tut with BB shar's tut.. and of course I tried to save and got ERRORS!!!!! so I gave up. I followed it to the letter.. ACK.....not smart enough,,
there's gotta be an easier way.... Can't someone write a program that's more IDIOT friendly than SimPE.. no offense to SimPE of course. I'm just too stupid to use it correctly (although I did close some people with it and changed a house from residential to commercial) but that's it... It took me WEEKS to work up the nerve and I failed miserably....sigh (whine, feeling sorry for myself)

This will be my first post on the site, but I'm not completely new. I plunged into hair mesh creation a few days ago and I'm left wondering just how detailed does the 3D mesh have to be? Would details such as ends and side locks be done in the alphas or should they be in the mesh? :confused:

I'd have to add new vertices to get real detail, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not supposed to do that. The tutorials are great, but they just don't have enough detail for the novice or for specific items.

I think a tutorial specifically for hair would be a boon. Thanks for any advice!

so i was under the impression that i did everything correctly...but the hair mesh doesn't show my changes in bodyshop when i'm done. any ideas?

i have the same prob as some of you guys... i'm desperate to create new hair meshes but as TLMeyn said, just looking at the instructions makes my eyes cross :-S i was halfway through learning object creation in the original sims when the second one came out, so i have a background knowledge of skinning/recolours. but meshing? my lord... 0_o it's a whole different bag. we need some kind of idiot's guide on it... maybe i'll write to the book company :-P

I've learned from this one: http://simmergirl.com/entry_category.asp?TYP=3&CatID=18

Could someone write a *simple* tutorial on how to make an already existing hairstyle available for different/all ages?
:bow:
Thank You!

this could have worked for me except i'm stuck at #12, i don't get it (you - or at least i - can't drag things into the plugin tab)... is it possible that this was based on an earlier version of SimPE? it had been written months ago... dang. it must be

Hey, I've never gotten any of my 10 hair mesh attempts to work, but I do understand step 12, so I can help there.

11. Go to the 3D ID Referencing File (3IDR). In the plugin view tab, you will see a button that says package. Click it. A window will pop up.

I assume you understand this step.

12. Drag your shape and resource node from the popup window into the list on the left. You will now have two shapes and two resource nodes.

Now, when the 'package' window is open, you see a list of files. At the bottom of the list it'll say Resource Node and Shape. Sometimes the the resource node and shape aren't at the bottom of the 'package' window, they're in the middle, but they're in there. You click these one at a time, and drag them over to the little SimPE window on the left of the main interface. It doesn't matter if you move the 'package' window or not. The files will drop into the little side window and show up at the bottom of the list.

See if that gets you past step 12. :D

Hi,
Im stuck on step 9, ive done everything correctly but the only thing i cant do is Property Set - 0x00...05, ive done 1, 2,3,4 and 6 corectly but i cant find the files in the sims3d folder that match the instance for property set 5...i thought it might be because i have sims2university but i checked the files in the univercity 3d folder as well but still couldnt find anything.... i just wonderd if anyone else is having the same problem..

P.S. The name for the property set was "YFHAIRMESSY" and i cant find it anywhere!! :confused:

I'm not sure what you mean, need some more info.
Are you missing the resource node, geometric node, gdmc, or the shape? Could you give a bit more info on what property set 5 you mean (adult?)?

Step 9 is from your saved sims folder, and finding the file you first exported and imported back in bodyshop; the one you used to find the original name of your mesh. I hope that helps.

Well step 5-9 is what im stuck on then...I think its cos im doing a hair mesh...the resorce node,geometric node,shape and the gdmc arent there for the name for the property set...like i said the name was yfhairmessy.

Ah, that's because the adult hair meshes are the same meshes for young adult and elder. Use the files for afhairmessy. That should solve the problem.

well i didnt touch that property set at all in the end and now im on step 30 and so far everythings okay...but i jus gotta work out how to edit it in milkshape now! :confused:

That's the really fun part. I'd spend days editing my meshes. It's the getting them back into the game that destroys me. Good luck!

ive figured out how to use milkshape now but im still having problems..i think its because of the 5th property set. Its didnt turned out how it was supposed to when i first imported the obj file into milkshape...im ready to give up...but i realy want the hair mesh that i have in my imagination...

I give....I need a few general questioned answered.....(Edit: No that's probably wrong: I need a lot of help...*sigh*)

I have a new hair mesh that I did not make. It has two unique meshes in it, one for teens and one for adults. I have been trying to make a new mesh package that contains basically the same meshes, but only switching the meshes for the ages (making the teen mesh into the adult mesh and vice versa.)

I have followed/read all the hair tut's I can find (Brianne's, Shar's, Dr. Pixels, ...hmmm several more I can't remember names to that are available around the web. I can not seem to make my hair showup, and I've tried it several different ways and about ten times! Yes, I have followed explicitly the directions for the property sets and the node and shape thing. I can get an empty head to show, so I guess I have some kind of conflict going on, but don't know enough to figure out where.

I made my package files, one for the texture images thru Bodyshop and one for the meshes with SimPE (I also tried to seperate the meshes and make a seperate mesh file for each of the two meshes.) When I made the meshes, I saved to unique names.....

Here are some questions:

1) When I export the mesh from SimPE does the exported file need to be the same name as the internal mesh name (ie the filename or block list name) for example:"#0x7f050000!frito_tmHairMessy_tslocator_gmdc"? Or can I name it anything?

2) When I take the exported mesh into Milkshape and then save it--does the name I save to need to be the same as the exported mesh name, the mesh I am replacing?

3) If I want to take the teen mesh and make it the adult mesh, do I need to re-scale it to make it fit an adult head? Or can I simply rename the mesh at export (see question 1 and 2 ) Or do something esle maybe that I haven't thought of?

And maybe there is something else I don't know to think of causing the conflict?

hi, mutantbunny,

1. it doesn't matter what name you use when you export the mesh from simpe. i saved a mesh as teenmesh, adultmesh,... and it worked fine.
2. i don't think you need to use the original name. i used the original name on my hairmeshes so far, just to make sure so i'm just geussing here.
3. you need to rescale the mesh to make it work for adult. adult, young adult and elders can use the same mesh. but teenmeshes are a bit smaller.

i don't know how to solve your problem because i don't know what your problem is exactly. where are the meshes not showing? in milkshape when you edit them or in bodyshop when you try to put them in the game?

Hmmm, Thanks for your answer. I have tried both ways, original and new.

I just have no idea what I am doing wrong--it just won't work...I keep getting empty heads.

I finally decided I needed to walk away for awhile. Maybe next week...