Tutorial - Creating Default Replacement Skintones for TS3

[aikea guinea]

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/title.jpg

This tutorial is for anyone interested in creating default replacement skintones for TS3. It assumes you have at least basic knowledge of either creating your own skintones from scratch, or blends of skintones; this is more of a technical guide than a creative guide. The basic principles of skin editing for TS2 can easily be applied to TS3.

Additionally, this isn't what I'd call a 'complete' tutorial; there are several 'effects' textures that can be changed in addition to the main texture, including spectral, ambient, and bump mapping. This is a great starting point, though, and will hopefully be of use to some people.

I originally had this posted on Garden of Shadows, and it seemed to go over well there, so I thought I'd put it here as well.

What You'll Need:

-Adobe Photoshop
-Nvidia DDS plugins for Adobe Photoshop (http://developer.nvidia.com/object/photoshop_dds_plugins.html)
-S3PE (http://www.simlogical.com/Sims3ToolsForum/index.php?topic=171.0) to create the package file
-Extracted basic skintones. (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/Files%20for%20Skin.rar) These are just the basic skintones from TS3, which I extracted for personal use and have uploaded to save you a step. The file also contains the uv map for adult male and female bodies.
-If you plan on making any brightness and/or tonal changes to the files, you'll want to download the scalps as well (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/Previews/Skin/Scalps.rar).

Step One:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_01.jpg

Open the file you wish to edit in Photoshop. You'll get the following prompt; hit 'OK' and the file will open. Make sure you have 'Load MIP maps' unchecked, or you'll get an image with a bunch of repeating and progressively smaller versions of the same image.

Step Two:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/thumb_step_02_mts.jpg (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_02_mts.jpg)

Edit the skintone as you see fit. You only need to make one basic tone; use the 'match color' option under Image -- Adjustments to match the basic tone of the original EAxis file.

Step Three:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_03.jpg

Save your file as a DXT3 ARGB 8 bpp, making sure you do not change the file name. I strongly suggest saving the edited files in a new folder, away from the originals.

Step Four:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_04.jpg

Start up S3PE, and select 'New' from the drop down menu. This gives you a new .package file to work in.

Step Five:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_05.jpg

Select 'Import' and navigate to your edited image file. Double-click, hit 'enter,' or 'OK' to import the image into the .package file.

Step Six:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/thumb_step_06.jpg (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_06.jpg)

You'll get the following window; you don't have to change anything here, so just hit 'OK.' Your file will now be included in the package. Select 'Save As,' and save your file with whatever name you want to give it in your Mods\Packages folder.

Step Seven:

Simply repeat steps 1-6 above until you've completely replaced the textures for both genders and all ages. Continue using the 'Import' option on your original saved .package file to include all the skintone textures in one easy-to-install file.

If you'd like to have separate face and body files for people who like to mix and match, simply create a new package for the face and body textures individually.

A Few Notes:

- Be sure to delete simCompositorCache.package from My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 to get your edited skintones to show up. Don't worry, it'll respawn.

- EF, EM, YAM, YAF, TF, and TM all share the AF/AM body multiplier textures.

- TF and TM share the YAM/YAF face textures.

Bonus Tutorial: Creating 'Dark' Texture

You'll note that each set of skintones comes with a 'dark' version. Here's how to make those files in just a few quick steps:

Step One:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/thumb_step_07.jpg (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_07.jpg)

Open the original 'dark' file, and make a copy of the background layer.

Step Two:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_08.jpg

Copy and paste your edited 'light' skintone under 'Layer 1.'

Step Three:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_09.jpg

Change 'Layer 1's blend mode to 'Color.'

Step Four:

http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/thumb_step_10_mts.jpg (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/GoS/tutorials/ts3_default_replacement_skin/step_10_mts.jpg)

Voila! Flatten, save, and import into your replacement .package as per the main tutorial.

[robokitty]

This is really cool. If I go completely insane for a big project, I'll give it a shot. Thanks. :)

[kihaad]

mhhh I' don't view my skin in the game... :( I don't know why

I've follow the tutorial...

[Jessica_2020]

Great Tutorial Aikea_Guinea!! Thanks so much for writing this! :)

[aikea guinea]

robokitty - Yeah, skintones are pretty big projects! Thankfully there's a lot less to do with TS3 skintones than there were in TS2, since you only need to do one basic 'tone' that works for all the color ranges, and a singular fitness state.

kihaad - Did you delete the simCompositorCache.package? Was your skintone package for sure saved in the correct place? Did you import the edited version of your skintone into the package? (I only ask this because I've done simliar things myself and been driven up the wall trying to figure out what I did wrong.) If not, try those and your skintone should show up. If you did, I don't know what the problem is.

[kihaad]

thank you so much aikea!

I did not delete the file simCompositorCache.package, sorry I'm italian, I've problem with the english :D

[Srikandi]

I have a friend who's been bugging me to find him a mod that gives male sims a sixpack. Now I can point him to this tut and tell him to paint it himself ;) Thanks!

[playful]

Thank you Aikea!

[robokitty]

robokitty - Yeah, skintones are pretty big projects! Thankfully there's a lot less to do with TS3 skintones than there were in TS2, since you only need to do one basic 'tone' that works for all the color ranges, and a singular fitness state.



Haha, I've never made a skintone before because I listened to all those warnings about them being a BIG project! So, sorry if this is a "duh" question, but does the one basic "tone" in TS3 have to be monotone? Does adding different hues have any effect on the appearance in the game? I ask because I noticed in the first picture it looks like there's some added purple/red around his eyes... and the lips too.


PS: Step Two, that man has one TIGHT butt! :rofl:

[aikea guinea]

Very welcome, everyone. :)

robokitty - Honestly, I never did a complete skintone set for TS2! I had enough issues making a skintone for a single age and gender, let alone both plus all the ages with three fitness states each. The fact that I managed to not get distracted/bored and make a complete set for TS3 speaks volumes.

As for your question, no, the basic 'tone' doesn't have to be monotone, and yes, different hues will have an effect on the appearance in the game. In fact, the purple/red you see around the eyes in that first picture is really just some darker shading on the face, but the lips are definitely pinker than the rest of the skintone.

Basically what happens is the game 'overlays' another color on top of your 'multiplier' layer, which are the files being edited in this tutorial. You can easily see the difference changing the the brightness and hue of the multiplier makes in this comparison shot. (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/Screencaps/Sims3/tonecomparison.jpg) I edited the YA texture to be brighter and cooler, but haven't done the toddler age yet.

[Tabatha]

I really love the way you made your tutorial for Skins - I was wondering if you could do one for eyes? I'm really just starting to learn this & would love to know how to do it in a simple kind of walk through, If there is one I haven't come across it yet.

REALLY LOVE YOUR TUTORIAL - Thank you!
*saves to favorites*

[aikea guinea]

I've actually been meaning to do one for eyes, but I've been totally caught up in playing. XD

Since I wanted to go through and experiment a bit more (now that I have a much better understanding of how things work in TS3), I'll gladly put together an eye tutorial over the next day or two.

[TummyZa]

Cool! Hug & Kiss... Muah...
Oh! I have some questions.
Can we make these package files smaller?
My package is about 20+ mb o_O"

[aikea guinea]

Cool! Hug & Kiss... Muah...
Oh! I have some questions.
Can we make these package files smaller?
My package is about 20+ mb o_O"

Run it through The Compressorizer Redux (http://forum.jfade.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=468). :)

[TummyZa]

Didn't work :P
Maybe I should try saving as DXT1 instead.
Thanks again for the tutorial Q(*-* Q)~

[Srikandi]

Q(*-* Q)~

Wow, and I thought I was emoticon-literate. What's THAT?


My package is about 20+ mb o_O"

Somehow, in the context of this thread, that made me LOL. That's a big package!

[t0b1a5]

Do you use source pics? If so, where can I find some? If not, then do you have any further broken down info on how to create a skin tone?

[TummyZa]

Finally got my hairy simmie.
Some part was blend from yours (especially the eyes and butt... really love that lol)
So I'm gonna ask if it's OK to share at my country site?
I'll link back to your site.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn315/TummyZa_2008/Screenshot-222-1.jpg

Wow, and I thought I was emoticon-literate. What's THAT?

It's called glisten eyes dance :D

[kihaad]

beautiful!

[Lillz.]

Wow! Thanks for this great tutorial! I'll try this out soon! :)

[aikea guinea]

t0b1a5, any TS2 skintone creation tutorial should work to create a TS3 skintone, since the theories are the same. I'm really lousy at writing artistic tutorials (I can 'do' better than I can explain).

TummyZa, that is seriously gorgeous! I'm especially impressed with the armhair. I don't mind if you share it.

[derigo]

great tut! <3

I am having a problem, however. You say in your notes:

YAM, YAF, TF, and TM share the AF/AM body multiplier textures. EF and EM can either have their own body textures, or also share with the AF/AM.

I created and replaced the AM base/dark textures, and that works fine. But replacing the EM textures doesn't seem to do anything. My EM's just use the AM texture(my edited one, if i have in in, or the default if i take it out). I double and triple checked the resource values, recleared the cache.

You say they "can share" the texture? Under what circumstances do they not?

Thanks again for the tutorial!
-derigo

[aikea guinea]

great tut! <3

I am having a problem, however. You say in your notes:



I created and replaced the AM base/dark textures, and that works fine. But replacing the EM textures doesn't seem to do anything. My EM's just use the AM texture(my edited one, if i have in in, or the default if i take it out). I double and triple checked the resource values, recleared the cache.

You say they "can share" the texture? Under what circumstances do they not?

Thanks again for the tutorial!
-derigo

Oops! Apparently I was wrong! There are Elder textures (which I found and extracted), but apparently they don't get used. I never had a chance to test them, and just assumed they were there for a reason. So sorry! I'll edit the tutorial and remove that portion, and if someone else finds differently, I'll edit as appropriate.

Again, really sorry for the confusion on that!

[Sluticorn]

:Pint: dude thanks for the badass tutorial!!!! it totally works n i just made my first mod!

i'm assuming that this skin will be on every sim of the same sex in the game, correct? (i.e. if i made a skin for an adult fem, the skin is on every adult fem in the game?) you mentioned something about mixing and matching heads n bodies though...is there a way to make different skins for different sims of the same age n sex?

my goal with skin textures is to give them tattoos, but i would love to give different sims different tats. any thoughts?

2nd question: how do you make different heads to mix n match? for example if i want to make crazy face makeup for only one sim in particular?

again, thanks for the killer tutorial!!! much appreciated!!!

[derigo]

aikea guinea: yea i thought something was fishy. It's not your fault they included elder skin textures in the game and didnt bother making them do anything. Is it possible they're applied as some kind of mask? If you look at the EM_dark texture, the color is a totally different dark brown. Completely different from all the other dark textures. That implies to me either 1) they aren't being used and the shadow map is outdated, or 2) they're used as some kind color mask.

On a different note I'm having a hard time finding the bumpmap, spectral, and ambient maps you mentioned, what are they called and/or what are their instance numbers?

Sluticorn: At the moment all skintone replacements are 100% global. Change one, change them all. By mix/matching parts, the op was referring to the fact that the face skintones are separate from the body skintones, so you can pick 1 facetone you like, and 1 body tone you like (for each sex). But that 1 facetone you pick is global, and affects every sim of that sex, same with bodytone.

lurania on the download's page has uploaded some tattoos which are accessories, and thus can be picked for individual sims. The armband ones I took a look at were an xml file + some image masks for the tattoos themselves. The process by which those were made is _completely_ different than changing skintones. Although if you wanted to you could probably replace those tattoos with your own, don't quote me on that. These tattoos also seem to be like, the holy grail, in that they don't replace any existing accessories, but are simply new. I don't know how that was done. I'm an XML nub.

[Sirius-Chan]

Is there any possible way to add more skintones instead of just replacing the current ones?

[HystericalParoxysm]

Sirius-Chan - Not currently, no.

[Seth_soul]

Finally got my hairy simmie.
Some part was blend from yours (especially the eyes and butt... really love that lol)
So I'm gonna ask if it's OK to share at my country site?
I'll link back to your site.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn315/TummyZa_2008/Screenshot-222-1.jpg

Wow ! That skin is gorgeous (and the sims too ^^) Where could we download it?

I've tried that one, "HP's skin replacemant", but it doesn't look like this one in my game... The chest doesn't look so 'hairy'

Thanks for the answer :D

Ps: Sorry for my bad english... i'm a belgian guy ... nobody's perfect :rofl:

[geophone]

I've imported the TummyZa skin tone and it looks fantastic, just incredible. But wondering if there could be a more generic hairy skin tone of this hairy sim as the fatter people in the suburb look very weird with a such an athletic physique, especially with such a defined torso. I'd try it myself except I don't even have the artistic ability to draw stick men.

[HystericalParoxysm]

Please keep this thread to discussion of creating your own skintones - if you want to know where to find existing skintones, please use the WCIF forum.

[geophone]

eeek...my bad

[diamondlight]

aikea guinea, thanks for the tutorial. Umm... I wonder how to extract skintone? I mean if I want to use other's skintones for my base skintone. What program should I use? Thank you very much and sorry if my english isn't good.

[aikea guinea]

diamondlight: Use SP3E to open the skintone package file you want to use as your base, highlight everything in it, and use File--Export. This will give you all the dds images.

[Moorkh]

Thanks for the excellent tutorial. I started out from a modded skintone (Seraphita's) and modified it a bit, making the entire skin (face and body) lighter in the process. Evereything worked out fine

EXCEPT:

Now I get the 'black face' bug for all my sims, where faces are covered by a plain black texture. This does not happen when I don't change the colour values of the skins, but I so want to have paler sims.

Any ideas on what could be the problem, or - much better - how it could be resolved?

[RandomNoir]

Thanks a bunch! I'm trying it out now, super excited! :D

[aikea guinea]

Now I get the 'black face' bug for all my sims, where faces are covered by a plain black texture. This does not happen when I don't change the colour values of the skins, but I so want to have paler sims.

Any ideas on what could be the problem, or - much better - how it could be resolved?

Not a clue. I've edited my own skintones to make them paler, and didn't have this problem. My only suggestion is to rebuild your package completely from scratch.

[Papercat]

If you look at the EM_dark texture, the color is a totally different dark brown. Completely different from all the other dark textures. That implies to me either 1) they aren't being used and the shadow map is outdated, or 2) they're used as some kind color mask.

I thought this was really weird too, I just ignored these textures all together and just saved the adult dark texture as the elders as well. It worked! :deal:

[diamondlight]

diamondlight: Use SP3E to open the skintone package file you want to use as your base, highlight everything in it, and use File--Export. This will give you all the dds images.

Thank you! One more question, if the skintone that I'm going to use as the base is the sims 2 skintone, what program to extract it's dds images? I know that I can get it from TS2 Body Shop, but I've already uninstalled my TS2..

[aikea guinea]

SimPE (http://sims.ambertation.de/). When you open the package, you'll see a list on the left hand side; click on "Texture Image," which will bring up a list in the right hand side. Clicking on any of those will bring up an image in the window at the bottom right. Right click on the image and select "Export," then just save the image. They're .png, and you'll have to do some editing to make them suitable for TS3. See this thread for a little more info. (http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=351584)

[CmarNYC]

Hi, and thanks for this. Question: do you know of a quick way to create the 'dark' texture in GIMP, similar to what you explained in Photoshop?

[diamondlight]

What is dark version for? Is it ok if I didn't make it?

So here it is the skintone I'm trying to make, but I got some problems..
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr133/baumkuchen88/skintoneproblem.jpg
Why the head tone didn't match the face and the body? Where can I edit the head? And there's a weird shadow under the lips, I've tried to fix it but the shadow still there..

[aikea guinea]

CmarNYC, I've never used GIMP, so I can't help you with that one. Hopefully someone else will come along who can.

diamondlight, did you change the brightness and/or contrast on the skintone? That will cause the the mismatching; download the scalps from the List of Things You'll Need at the start of this tutorial and edit them accordingly.

The weird shadow is something I just spent the last couple of days getting rid of in my own skintones. I have a few more textures to play around with, and if any of those get rid of it I'll be sure to let you know.

And finally, the 'dark' version kicks in when the slider in CAS goes below a certain point. You can see what it looks like with a totally 'white' skintone ramp in the second picture in this post (http://www.digitalperversion.net/gardenofshadows/index.php?topic=13098.msg371791#msg371791).

[daluved1]

Hi, and thanks for this. Question: do you know of a quick way to create the 'dark' texture in GIMP, similar to what you explained in Photoshop?

Gimp calls the "blending options" layer modes.

You can set the layer mode in the Mode menu found under Layers.

[diamondlight]

diamondlight, did you change the brightness and/or contrast on the skintone? That will cause the mismatching; download the scalps from the List of Things You'll Need at the start of this tutorial and edit them accordingly.
I didn't change (or even touch) the brightness/contrast on PS. I just use the 'match color' after finished with my works..
edit: Sigh.. still the same, I've made it all over again but still didn't match the body color, the male version didn't have this problem. Maybe it's the body that went wrong.. I'll try to fix it..

[Papercat]

:lovestruc thank you so much for this tutorial. I managed to make a custom face using your skintone http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy280/papercattt/papercat_defaultskinreplacementa-2.jpg I put it up for download on my blog here (http://papercatsims3.blogspot.com/) :up:

[CmarNYC]

Gimp calls the "blending options" layer modes.

You can set the layer mode in the Mode menu found under Layers.

Thanks - that worked nicely. :)

Edited to add:

Just changing the top (dark skin) layer to 'Color' mode made the resulting skin too light in GIMP. I got a dark skin matching the original in color tone with the following:

Top (copy of dark skin) layer: color mode
Middle (edited light skin) layer: Darken Only mode
Bottom (dark skin) layer: normal

[rosahege]

Since it is not possible, yet, to add more skintones instead of replace the ones who are already in the game, is there any way to replace with another color?

For example replace the green tone with cyan, replace the blue tone with yellow (just some examples)?

You only have those 6 different colors :(

[aikea guinea]

rosahege, yep, it's possible to change the colors. All you have to do is change the 'color ramp' image, which is a color gradient.

Here are the instance numbers of the 'unnatural' colors:

Blue: 2BE1400B3858798A
Red: 18AF27F34B75E2FD
'Alien': 20EE0A9E9A7186FD

The natural colors:

Reddish: 8E8ABB2B6C38CF9A
Yellowish: 0138A1E01DE43B11
Neutral: 14D0BFFAABAE3C96

For anyone wishing to make these colors 'paler,' it might help to know that 'white' is 'transparent,' and will allow the base skin texture to show through without any color overlay.

[digliion]

rosahege, yep, it's possible to change the colors. All you have to do is change the 'color ramp' image, which is a color gradient.



So, how do you change the 'color ramp' image? I don't really know what that is or how to get to it to change it :) . I'd really like to be able to change a couple of the colors as well.

Thanks.

[aaroc]

Nice tutorial. I have Paint Shop Pro.. 7.. from like ten years ago, so i'm hoping i'll be able to use the photoshop plug in you pointed to. I found a forum discussion elsewhere that said they were compatible, so here's hoping.

I've noticed a lot of skin tones have 'misplaced' belly buttons and now I can fix it myself. It would be nice to see a tutorial on extracting the skin tones, but I think I might be able to manage that on my own... hopefully. Of course I use the term 'misplaced' loosely, considering it's more like the bump mapping on the sims default skins is misplaced, but having two belly buttons on my sims really bugs me, though I do enjoy the higher quality of some of the DRs out there.

ETA: the DDS tools you linked to didn't work, but I did manage to find some others. For other users with Paint Shop Pro instead of Photoshop (of course maybe it's just me since I'm old fashioned and/or set in my ways) tools for opening DDS Tools with Paint Shop can be found at fileplanet, Here (http://www.fileplanet.com/hosteddl.aspx?/planetcnc/misc/utilities/dxt_tools.zip)

[aikea guinea]

So, how do you change the 'color ramp' image? I don't really know what that is or how to get to it to change it :) . I'd really like to be able to change a couple of the colors as well.

Thanks.

I went ahead and uploaded them here (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/Previews/Skin/color_ramps.rar), since I'd already extracted them myself. To edit them, you can just use the hue/saturation tool in PhotoShop if nothing else. They'll make more sense once you open them. :)

Nice tutorial. I have Paint Shop Pro.. 7.. from like ten years ago, so i'm hoping i'll be able to use the photoshop plug in you pointed to. I found a forum discussion elsewhere that said they were compatible, so here's hoping.

I've noticed a lot of skin tones have 'misplaced' belly buttons and now I can fix it myself. It would be nice to see a tutorial on extracting the skin tones, but I think I might be able to manage that on my own... hopefully. Of course I use the term 'misplaced' loosely, considering it's more like the bump mapping on the sims default skins is misplaced, but having two belly buttons on my sims really bugs me, though I do enjoy the higher quality of some of the DRs out there.

ETA: the DDS tools you linked to didn't work, but I did manage to find some others. For other users with Paint Shop Pro instead of Photoshop (of course maybe it's just me since I'm old fashioned and/or set in my ways) tools for opening DDS Tools with Paint Shop can be found at fileplanet, Here (http://www.fileplanet.com/hosteddl.aspx?/planetcnc/misc/utilities/dxt_tools.zip)

Yeah, that 'misplaced belly button' is from bumpmapping. I managed to get a decent replacement for the females, but can't get a working replacement for the males. Something just seems fundamentally messed up with the male bumpmapping, as it's half the size of the female one.

[digliion]

I went ahead and uploaded them here (http://www.clubcrimsyn.com/Images/Previews/Skin/color_ramps.rar), since I'd already extracted them myself. To edit them, you can just use the hue/saturation tool in PhotoShop if nothing else. They'll make more sense once you open them. :)


Thank you, thank you, thank you! It worked! Actually, I was experimenting and I thought I would try to gradate 4 different colors. And that worked too! So now the 'yellow' ramp has yellow fading into brown, fading into white, fading into grey. Yay! More options! The children might come out a little funny, though.

Thanks again. :D

[edelias]

This is a nice guide, but the programs I need to download are all for windows..

Do you/does anyone know what programs to download for someone who uses a Mac?

[daluved1]

This is a nice guide, but the programs I need to download are all for windows..

Do you/does anyone know what programs to download for someone who uses a Mac?

I've heard that Postal (package editor like S3PE) and Gimp (Imaging program) work with Mac.

[yaxxe]

how to you see the age and the sex at the files?

AF = Adult Female fx?

I'm a little confused? :)

[aikea guinea]

yaxxe: AF=Adult Female, AM=Adult Male, etc. They're pretty obvious until you get to PU, which is both male and female ('universal') Toddler.

[summersong86]

Holy Cats, thanks for this tutorial Aikea Guinea. Maybe all the gazillion hours I put into learning and actually making Sims2 skins (most of which I never got around to releasing) isn't going to go to waste after all if the market for them dries up by the time I get off my dead butt and decide to upload. Rats, but I don't have Adobe Photoshop, just Ulead Photo Impact. I don't think it will accept this plug in. Ahh well, I can get around that. Anyway, thanks ever so much for the tutorial and the extracted files. Looks like it's back to school on cc-making for me. I didn't understand a word of the tutorial, but I never do understand anything I read until I actually try to do it. It was encouraging to me to hear you say you thought it was harder to do skins for Sims2. I'd say it was probably more tedious, but it looks/sounds like the knowledge of different kinds of file formats for Sims3 type of files and the mechanics of making things work is more rigorous than what I'm used to. I "get" the creative side of it but the technical side may just bury me. Still, there's hope. Thanks for showing the way.

[kanno]

Hello Aikea Guinea!
Thanks for your tutorial.

Just one question, you said that there were spectral, ambient and bump mapping files that could be applied on skintones?

Does anyone now where I can get thoses files?

Thank you!!

[fazzmanz]

Really useful I already got your skins so now I see how it's done!

[jonha]

Just one question, you said that there were spectral, ambient and bump mapping files that could be applied on skintones?

Does anyone now where I can get thoses files?


I think, somebody uploaded them already. if not, you could still extract them from Fullbuild2.package.

I have them here, but uploading is rather compliccated for me, because they are rather large, and my internet is not that fast.

[KakashiiHa]

I am going for my first try at editing something in Sims 3, but my Photoshop won't load the package files of several custom-made skins. I have downloaded the files named in the tutorial yet it won't work.

Is there a way to unpack the packages so I can edit the pictures?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found out that S3PE does have an export option, silly me. However, it seems I am not able to save them as DXT3 files and neither as DSS files becauses there are too many channels. Could I just save it as a jpg or something and then back to DSS, then finally importing in into the sims package?

[jonha]

However, it seems I am not able to save them as DXT3 files and neither as DSS files becauses there are too many channels. Could I just save it as a jpg or something and then back to DSS, then finally importing in into the sims package?

I don't know, how you save the DDS files. if you configure your exporter right, there should be no problem. (If you have multiple layers, you maybe need to merge them first. And you shouldn't import mipmaps.)

Of course, you can also use the last solution. But don't use jpg as the quality will be low and it doesn't support alpha channels. The tga format is a nice alternative. I explained it here, how I convert my files: http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?p=2855786#post2855786

[demonet]

I don't know, how you save the DDS files. if you configure your exporter right, there should be no problem. (If you have multiple layers, you maybe need to merge them first. And you shouldn't import mipmaps.)

Yes... this is a great suggestion. Always remember to flatten your image. If the file you are trying to save as a DDS does not contain only a background layer, then there is a good chance that there are other layers that may be hidden--in which case the DDS plugin sees them as channels and gives an error.

[demonet]

Save your file as a DXT3 ARGB 8 bpp, making sure you do not change the file name. I strongly suggest saving the edited files in a new folder, away from the originals.


First thank you very much for the tutorial aikea.

Regarding the excerpt from the tutorial above, I am the type of person that really pursues the ideal of "teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.....".

I know the audience here basically wants to get the fix completed successfully and get back to the game, but am fundamentally flawed for some reason because I cannot do anything if I do not know why I am doing it. So the excerpt above brings up a question....

I know when there is no alpha, we use DXT1, and for all of my clothing which contain an alpha channel that actually contains a mask I save as DXT5..... So what is DXT3, and how is different from DXT5?

I am going to speculate based on experience...and you someone can tell me if this is correct. But I notice with skintones, that there is indeed an alpha channel, however, it is completely transparent (white). So does this have anything to do with it? Further, why would you use an alpha channel if it does not mask?ump

Also.. (and I apologize if I am annoying... I am starting to ask a lot of questions around here, and I do not want to seem as though I am asking for a course in 3D rendering.... ) one other question...

You bring up ambient, specular, and bump "maps". I am really having a hard time discerning what these actually do when the image is finally rendered. I read that the specular map is the shiny-ness of the object... but this confuses me because I thought the texture (including a satin texture for instance, which is "shinier") was all done in the multplier/texture map. I do not know what ambient actually does... And I know what a bumpmap "does"... but is it just a 2D texture? Or is it 3D? If it is 3D, why wouldn't it be part of the mesh which the skin tone is using?

Thank you!

[aikea guinea]

I know when there is no alpha, we use DXT1, and for all of my clothing which contain an alpha channel that actually contains a mask I save as DXT5..... So what is DXT3, and how is different from DXT5?


Since I'm not very good at explaining things, perhaps this wiki article on the differences between the DXT compressions will prove useful. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S3_Texture_Compression)

Basically, "DXT2/3 are well suited to images with sharp alpha transitions, between translucent and opaque areas..." So things with very sharp black/white areas in the alpha channel.

"Because DXT4/5 use an interpolated alpha scheme, they generally produce superior results for alpha (transparency) gradients than DXT2/3. Some consider DXT5 to be the most flexible general purpose compression codec." This can be high-contrast black/white areas or greys in the alpha channel.


You bring up ambient, specular, and bump "maps". I am really having a hard time discerning what these actually do when the image is finally rendered. I read that the specular map is the shiny-ness of the object... but this confuses me because I thought the texture (including a satin texture for instance, which is "shinier") was all done in the multplier/texture map. I do not know what ambient actually does... And I know what a bumpmap "does"... but is it just a 2D texture? Or is it 3D? If it is 3D, why wouldn't it be part of the mesh which the skin tone is using?

Thank you!

Yes, the specular is indeed the shiny-ness of the object, based on the light falling on it in the game, and in the same way, bumpmaps give the illusion of various minor changes in height on the mesh depending on where the lighting is coming from. The multiplier/texture is still 'flat,' but can give the illusion of 'shine' or 'folds.' However, given the way TS3 renders things, this can look extremely off, so it's (generally) best to keep your multipliers fairly basic.

As for your specific questions about bumpmaps, they're 2D textures, and in TS3, they're linked to specific meshes unlike in TS2, where they were linked to other textures.

I hope that cleared things up a little!

[John_Shadowblade]

Hey I was just reading this and someone said that you can only replace default skins and not make new ones. But I was wondering if you could have a new skin as an accessory like how the tattoos are.

[anie_1981]

I have a problem with reading DDS files. I have Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and I have installed the plug-in, but It doesn't work. What to do? Please Help.

EDIT:

OK, I found the right Photoshop. It's CS2. But I know nothing of graphic. Can anybody tell me If I can just switch the textures from TS2 to TS3? The look much different.

[moeppl]

Thanks for the tutorial. Now I can make my own skintones, thank you so much.:)
There are some good replacements out there, but not exactly what I want for my Sims (especially concerning nipples and pubes). Now I can try to make a skin that fits.:)

[moeppl]

Thanks, aikea guinea.:)
I now mixed your skin replacements with the moonlight bodies by kanno.:)
I just took the nipples of his skin and painted it onto your replacements, looks perfect now.:)

[Boy_Wonder]

Is there any way of altering just one skin tone, or assigning a replacement skin to one skin tone - for example blue? Its just I want just the blue to be tiger striped with the white glow spots to create 'true Na'vi'

[jonha]

Is there any way of altering just one skin tone, or assigning a replacement skin to one skin tone - for example blue? Its just I want just the blue to be tiger striped with the white glow spots to create 'true Na'vi'

Yes, see here:

http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=383795

[Boy_Wonder]

Thanks for that - I'll give it a go

[traelia]

The link for s3pe is broken.

[velocity3d]

Sooooo; Here's my situation - I actually work in 3d with C4d and other irrelevant modeling programs. I am extremely familiar with texturing and what not - but I've been on hiatus for a long while now. I decided to buy the Sims3 and start modding it, to give me some inspiration to get back to my real work. But I hardly understand any of the terms/slang used for this game in these tutorials. Is there somewhere that explains how the skins work in the game a bit more in depth.

In the folder you provide it appears that only the female skins are provided?

You mentioned editing the bump, specular, scalps and so on, but I don't see anything labeling which file is which. For instance af body s looks like the spec map, but what is af body a? the af body n looks like it could be a bump map, but I'm not sure, and I'm not sure which af body o or m is the base texture.

It appears only the adult female textures are included.

Also I notice this tutorial is from July of last year, but I am having some other issues with it.

I downloaded the Nvidia plug in , but the option to save as dxt3 argb 8bpp explicit alpha is not there. There is dxt3 argb explicit alpha, but nothing at all in the whole drop down list that says 8 bpp. So in the very first phase I'm having trouble following.

I saved as the next closest thing (dxt3 argb explicit alpha)

Next step, the importing into s3pe.

tutorial says to start new, for a new "package" ok

then it shows import from the file menu.

*In the version of s3pe that I was able to download, there is only import available from the resource menu. I don't even know if that matters, so I import from there.

*then I get a file that shows up that looks nothing like yours - I have a file name of many many numbers that look like this 0x000000 and so on adding more zeros as it goes to different catagories.

I don't mean to toot my own horn :king: much here but I am an expert texture artist and I KNOW I could offer some fantastic skins to the sims community if I could just figure out the process to do it. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. (learning new program jargon is always a joy :cry: ) lol

I am grateful for your efforts in this tutorial, especially since it is the ONLY one I could find -
but I am in great need of finding more in-depth information. This tutorial assumes a lot of sim common knowledge, that I just don't have. Aside from that I think there may have been some program updates or changes since this tutorial was made, so it may need an edit as well- no offense intended there.
Can anyone point me to more in-depth tutorials? - and/or assist me with these questions? :help:

[jonha]

I have attached n (bumpmap) and m (texture) skintone dds images for all ages.

o (overlay) and s (specular) isn't included, but it's not that important anyway.

In s3pe use Ressource->Import->From file, select all files, check maybe "use resource name", and click import. You can also drag&drop the files into the white area. Mayke sure, you don't rename the files, s3pe needs the numbers to get the right TGI.

dxt3 argb explicit alpha is ok, but it would be better to save the m textures as dxt1, and the n textures as dxt 5. This saves space.

[velocity3d]

Well I downloaded yours and attempted to import the same af texture into s3pe. It worked differently - I did see more numbers in the fields instead of 0x00000s. Hopefully after that point I can continue to follow the tutorial now - BUT that does lead me to wonder if the original files provided here may be corrupt somehow.

I will try to delete and redownload them and see if I get the same result.

Thank you so much for your time and help in this. I see you included the textures for all ages too - that is AWESOME, thank you again!! :up:

[velocity3d]

I guess I have to reply again to subscribe. Sorry :wtf:

[aikea guinea]

velocity3d, did you not look in the folder 'Files for Skin' included in the rar file linked to in the tutorial? It has all the basic extracted skintones for all the ages. The 'Nude UV Map.psd' file is simply the uv map for adult male and female bodies.

[velocity3d]

velocity3d, did you not look in the folder 'Files for Skin' included in the rar file linked to in the tutorial? It has all the basic extracted skintones for all the ages. The 'Nude UV Map.psd' file is simply the uv map for adult male and female bodies.

I did. The files provided were not opening correctly in the newer version of s3pe. I don't know if it was a bugged download or what the problem was, I asked on a few forums. I was not getting the same result opening them in s3pe as you show in the tutorial and so I was attempting to just retrieve the originals and try with those.

Edit*

ahah I see why you would ask that now.
It appears only the adult female textures are included.

Im sorry- initially no I didn't see that folder. Unfortunately I had downloaded your files to the same folder I downloaded sim modding tools so initially I saw only the females and thought the other folders came from the mod tools. I cleaned that up! lol :blink: I have since found the rest but come to the same error. The rest of my questions are still applicable though.

[Groosalugg]

someone help please, i cant open the dds file with photoshop, i am following the instructions i got all the things mentioned including the Nvidia DDS plugins for Adobe Photoshop and installed it, but i open photoshop and attempt to open dds file i get a message that says "could not complete your request beacause it is not the right kind of document"

[Paradisebabe15]

Ok i had s3pe and when i loaded my skin onto S3pe it looked like nothing like yours on the right like it didn't have any of that writing etc please help

[Celtuz]

The skin I've made shows up in the game but when I turn the skin colour slider darker it fades away... What can I do to avoid this?

[Celtuz]

Well I downloaded yours and attempted to import the same af texture into s3pe. It worked differently - I did see more numbers in the fields instead of 0x00000s. Hopefully after that point I can continue to follow the tutorial now - BUT that does lead me to wonder if the original files provided here may be corrupt somehow.

I will try to delete and redownload them and see if I get the same result.

Thank you so much for your time and help in this. I see you included the textures for all ages too - that is AWESOME, thank you again!! :up:

:alarm: At the point where you can edit all the 0x00000 etc. fileds try adding these numbers: :alarm:

Type:
0x00B2D882

Group:
0x00000000

Instance:
0xB4CDC208D8D51BF0

Hope it helps :!:

[Marko456]

Question, if you don't have Photoshop, but have GIMP, what plug-ins are required then? Would you not have to download the NVidia Plug-ins for photoshop, but plug-ins for GIMP? If so, what do I download?

[UbuntuX]

It doesn't work
and tell me to where do I want to put that .package files that I made

I put that into download folder in Sims3 folder in my document but I can't see anything
can u tell me that newly made Skintone embeds with the colors that have already exist or will be show in another place separately

plz reply I hate people don't reply when ask questions :(

[UbuntuX]

It doesn't work
and tell me to where do I want to put that .package files that I made

I put that into download folder in Sims3 folder in my document but I can't see anything
can u tell me that newly made Skintone embeds with the colors that have already exist or will be show in another place separately

plz reply I hate people don't reply when ask questions :(

-Thanks

[jeannie4414]

Please help, which file do you mean in step 1 to open in photoshop? Is it the .package file?

[CmarNYC]

It doesn't work
and tell me to where do I want to put that .package files that I made

I put that into download folder in Sims3 folder in my document but I can't see anything
can u tell me that newly made Skintone embeds with the colors that have already exist or will be show in another place separately

plz reply I hate people don't reply when ask questions :(

-Thanks

They don't go in the downloads folder. Please read the instructions on installing content in your game: http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Sims_3:Installing_Package_Files

[SapphireTomoe]

Okay so I have been wanting Fallout 3 stuff and I am going to pull the jpgs for the skin tones from those to see if I can get this. Thanks a bunch, wish me luck!

[SapphireTomoe]

So this isn't working I get it all packaged and delete the cache thing and it doesn't show up. I think I might be trying to do something a little more advanced tho, I am taking textures from Fallout 3 to make a ghoul skin. I have it all textured out and what not I just don't understand what I am doing wrong.

[Kahunaxi]

I'm still having problems trying to open the DDS files in paint shop pro since a lot of thigns have been changed. I dunno where else to put this but it would probably help more people if they saw this thread and got answers, too.

[axron27]

When I try to load a pic, I don't get the dialogue box you showed, instead I get A File Format Module interface error

[escorpion33]

Thank you Aikea! This tutorial is exactly what I was looking for. You're the best!

[Honey32]

Thanks for this i really want to try making my own default skin.but for babies because there really isn't any for them. i wondering would doing them generally be the same as the in tutorial,for the other age groups.

Oh and do you need photo shop because i only have gimp right now can i use that are do i need photo shop.

[hotroxy777]

Any chance for updating pictures in this tutorial?

[Jennska]

I second hotroxy777's reply, without the pictures, it's impossible to understand every single step.

[Merlocker]

Do you think u can update this at all, since the pictures are not available and I would like to see that I'm doing it right. Also if you can add any more tutorials, that would be great. :deal:

[aikea guinea]

Oops, sorry about that! I changed some permissions around and forgot to whitelist MTS. Should be working fine now.

[winema]

EDIT: I just noticed another fault, eventhough Photoshop is the program that saved the current .dds file I've made it's actually unable to re-open the file! I get this message: "could not complete your request because it is not the right kind of document" Funny enough PSP X4 manages to open the .dds but can't save... Basically the 2 programs are doing the opposite of each other..


:help: So I've hit the wall.. I'm semi familiar with making skintones for Sims 2 but after alot of issues just making the dds texture tools to show up as a saving option it's giving me an access violation in PSP X4 when I'm trying to save and while Photoshop CS6 manages to save the dds file something is wrong when importing to s3pe.

First off the "Import" is obviously no longer located under "file" but "resources" and when I am to choose the file I have made with PS CS6 I have to go to "all files" to find the .dds file which has been saved in the same way as explained in the tutorial..

Further on my problem is that, when imported, the image is listed as UKWN and has no preview at all.. What can be the cause of this? Would greatly apprecciate any help to make this work as I bought PSP X4 with the intention to make my own skin tone for Sims 3..

[Whiteridur]

If you have to select "All files", that probably means that you changed the filename when you saved. Since the filename is what tells S3PE what type of file and so on it is, that's also why it shows up as Unknown after import.

[winema]

If you have to select "All files", that probably means that you changed the filename when you saved. Since the filename is what tells S3PE what type of file and so on it is, that's also why it shows up as Unknown after import.

It has the same name as when I started to edit it. But since it has these compatibility problems, with not aknowledging the dds files and not saving. So the file which I have had most sucess with is named correctly in psp x4, then had to be saved a jpeg and then opened in PhotoShop and saved as a dds (which Photoshop can't seem to open any kind of dds files no matter what different files I try)

But when I then load it in S3pe Resource - import - import from file

this box pops up with:

Type 0x00000000
Group 0x00000000
Instance 0x0000000000000000

Replace duplicates is ticked off and compress as well, when I click ok it list itself as UNKN

Quite frustrating..

[Whiteridur]

What is the filename, exactly? And how are you saving the image in Photoshop?

[winema]

What is the filename, exactly? And how are you saving the image in Photoshop?

The filename is: efFace_m and when I save it in PS I click save as D3D/DDS (*DDS, *DDS)

It then proceeds to the NVIDIA dds Format (v8.53.0521.1800)

I save it as:
DXT3 ARGB 8 bpp | explicit alpha
2d Texture
Generate mipmaps is ticked and set to All

I thought that was correct? But still it gives me nothing but headaches..

EDIT: I tried to use base game extracted instead of extracted from another deafult skintone in sims 3 PS did open it and save it while PSP X4said it did not have the plug in.. This file I opened and saved now is called S3_00B2D882_00000000_7EDD5D417BC66680_emFace_m_0x7edd5d417bc66680%%+_IMG perhaps I could try and use the skininator and try the face..

[Whiteridur]

The one that was originally called S3_00B2D882_00000000_503C527E546E8C5F_efFace_m_0x503c527e546e8c5f%%+_IMG.dds in the .rar file? Try switching back to that name. :)

Edit: Ahhh, yeah, the tutorial is written on the assumption that you're using the files attached. You don't need Skininator if you're making a default skintone - just import the now-renamed file into S3PE.

[winema]

Tried to import the face file with the names from the skin files.. but the s3pe is very new to me, do I need to place all faces, bodies etc in s3pe before making the package?

I'm also encountering an annoying problem with PS not being able to open files when it can open one of them but not the rest.. It seems this is not going to be one bit easy..

[Whiteridur]

You don't need to have all the textures in your .package, but if you only have some of them then there might be a seam at the neck where your texture doesn't quite match up with the EA one. That's perfectly fine for testing a work in progress, though. :)

[Marcos08]

AIKEA guinea, where'd you get the example for your skin? I have little doubt the first is: how do the nipples? I'm not very good at photoshop but if I make a little skin navetsea similar to but more noticeable is the veins of the arms but do not know where you get all that from the veins or nipples, have told me that in google images search for people and search shirtless but I do not look good if they are real in person and not drag and fit as well. please please help me. sorry for my horrible english i am Spanish. :help: :help: :help: :cry: :cry: :cry: