IgnorantBliss
22nd Oct 2005, 03:17 PM
Tutorial: how to create custom windows
- An advanced level guide to creating windows with new meshes.
- This tutorial will NOT explain in detail all the steps there are to creating a new object, but concentrate on the special steps/ problems involved in creating windows.
:deal: This Tutorial is also provided in PDF format. To view it, we strongly suggest to download the Foxisoft PFD Viewer (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php): it's free and small, less than 1Mb!
What do you need for this tutorial?
- SimPE version 0.50
- CEP3 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=92541)
- Milkshape 3D (http://www.download.com/MilkShape-3D/3640-2121_4-10424666.html?v=1)
- a uv-mapper program such as UVMapper Classic (http://www.uvmapper.com/downloads.html)
- an image editing program such as Paint Shop Pro
- basic knowledge on the programs listed, previous experience on creating new objects, including uv-mapping, mesh-making and using SimPE for object creation (If you're completely new to object/mesh creating, I suggest going through JWoods' Sims 2 start to finish Object Creation Tutorial V 2.0 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=104795) first)
- Also recommended for better texture quality: Nvidia tools/ DDS Utilities (http://developer.nvidia.com/object/dds_utilities.html)
What's so special about cloning windows?
- A one-tile window is actually a two-tile object: each window is composed of two parts called "north" and "south", one on each side of a wall. (Likewise, a window that's two tiles wide is actually a four-tile object.)
- Wallmasks: For the window to cut a hole in the wall you need a wallmask, a simple texture image that determines where the wall has to be transparent and where solid for the window to look right.
- Diagonal windows: For a window to work properly on diagonal walls, as well, you need two separate objects: the straight and the diagonal version. The diagonal version borrows its textures and material definitions from the straight version, and they need to be correctly linked to each other for this to work. The only texture that the diagonal window needs its own version of is the wallmask, because diagonal walls are wider than straight walls and therefore the hole in the wall will be of different shape.
Let's get started:
1. Start up Object Workshop in SimPE and clone The "Function of Plate Glass" Window (the one with a picture next to, followed by the number 0x7FA78F5B). The one with the red X is the diagonal version, and we'll need it later on). Leave the default cloning options checked, and especially make sure that Pull Wallmasks is checked. Proceed as usual with naming your package file etc.
2. Give your object new GUIDs. There are three GUIDs needed, as usual with two-tile objects. Only update the MMATs with the main GUID (the main GUID doesn't have any numbers at the end of its file name). Remember to Commit each one.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MainGUID1.jpg
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MainGUID2.jpg
3. Go to the GMDC (Geometric Data Container). There are two GMDC files, one with the letter "n" in the name for "north", and the other one with an "s" for "south". Click on the south one, make sure that "frame" is checked on the Models list and Export.
4. Import the mesh into Milkshape. You will notice that only one side of the frame is visible. Make your new frame face to the same direction, and line up "the wall side" of the frame with the original frame to avoid gaps between the north and south sides since the "wall side" of the north frame will meet with the south frame.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/WallSide1.jpg
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshPlacement.jpg
5. For this tutorial, I created a simple square frame. You can make yours of a different shape, but try to make the thickness of the frame similar to the original frame so it'll stick out of the wall the right amount.
6. Delete the original mesh, and also all hidden faces (to optimize the polygon numbers), plus faces that are on the wall side of the mesh, since those will not be seen in the game.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshBack.jpg
7. Save the mesh as an .ms3d file, then export it for uv-mapping, and import the map into Milkshape. Select All, regroup all groups together and name the new group "frame" (Important: This name has to be the same as the name of the original mesh in GMDC on the Models list or your window will turn out invisible in the game). Save a mapped, regrouped version of your mesh as an .ms3d file (you may want to keep the previous saved version separate if you need the ungrouped mesh for editing later, which I recommend doing, because one try in a mesh editor with windows is usually not enough).
8. Export the mapped mesh from Milkshape (do not close Milkshape just yet) and import it into SimPE (and delete the original mesh called "frame"). Commit and Fix Integrity.
9. Click on the second entry in GMDC, the "north" version, and Export the frame the same way you did with the "south" version.
10. Go back to Milkshape to the regrouped, mapped mesh, Select All, then click "Mirror Front <--> Back" under the Vertex menu, then select "Smooth All" under the Face menu (to fix the faces that got messed up during mirroring). This saves you some work when the north and south sides of your window are similar, so you don't need to create and map both meshes separately. Save the mirrored version of the mesh as an .ms3d file, as well, because you will need it later for the diagonal version.
11. Export the mirrored version as the "north" frame from Milkshape, the same you just exported from SimPE. Delete the original frame part of the north version in SimPE and Import your version. Commit and Fix Integrity.
Now we're mostly done with the frame mesh and it may be a good time to take a little break and have a cup of coffee or something, because there is still a long way to go :).
12. If you look at your window in the game now, it might look something like this:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MessedUp1.jpg
So, yes, we've got some more work left to do. The window glass, wallmask, shadow and texture still need to be fixed.
13. If you preview your window in the game now and see the north and south frames are not lined up properly and there is a slit between them, you can open one of the regrouped, uv-mapped .ms3d files (either the north or south version) in Milkshape and move the whole mesh just a tiny little bit towards the wall side direction. If you're an anal person like myself, grass peeking through the window frame like this just isn't acceptable:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MessedUp2.jpg
After moving the mesh in Milkshape, Export it and Import into SimPE, replacing the previous version, Commit and Fix Integrity again.
14. When you're done with the frame, it's time to move on to the window glass part. Go to GMDC in SimPE again, select the "south" version, and on the Models list, this time check the part called "windowplateglass_frostedglass". Export it like you did with the frame (it's going to overwrite the exported frame file, but that's ok because you have the mesh saved as an .ms3d file).
15. Close the frame mesh in Milkshape if you still have it open, and import the glass instead.
16. If your new window has a simple rectangular shape like the original one, you can just move the vertices around to make this one fit your new frame. You can merge your frame mesh into this mesh temporarily to get an idea of the size and shape the glass needs to be. Once you're done, delete the frame and save the glass mesh as an .ms3d file. If you need a more complicated glass mesh, just replace the original one completely. Just make sure that you have the mesh regrouped and named "windowplateglass_frostedglass" by the time you export it.
17. To make the north side glass, just do the same thing as with the frame: Select All, Mirror and Smooth All the faces.
18. No uv-mapping is needed for the window glass since it has no texture to it.
19. Export and Import both glasses to SimPE, Commit and Fix Integrity.
20. Then it's time to fix the wallmask. The newer versions of SimPE also includes the wallmask texture for the diagonal window in the straight version. This is an unnecessary file, and you can safely delete the wallmask texture that has to word diagonal in it. You can also delete the two TXMT (Material Definition) files that have both the words "diagonal" and "wallmask" in the name. If you're using an older version of SimPE, these extra files may not be there, and you don't have to worry about them. (Note: windows that are two tiles wide need two wallmasks for each package, one for each tile.)
21. Then find the actual wallmask TXTR (texture image) that we need, the one that does NOT have the word "diagonal" in it. Export the texture by right-clicking on it and open it in a graphics program such as Paint Shop Pro.
22. Obviously, the white parts of the image are where the wall will be solid, and the transparent areas will cut a hole in the wall. Open a new image with a transparent background (sized 64x128). Now you'll have to estimate the size and shape of your window on the wall. The wallmask image is a bit distorted for the straight version, and you have to make the opening wider than you'd think based on the shape of the window. The part of the wall that needs to be solid, you fill with a plain white color. Save as a .png file and Import into SimPE, preferably using the Nvidia tools and Build DXT (and Commit).
The original and new wallmasks side by side:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/Wallmasks.jpg
23. The only way to check if the wallmask works right is to save your package now and try it in the game. Repeat steps 22 and 23 until it's the correct size and shape in the game, covering the parts it needs to while cutting a hole big enough in the wall.
24. The wallshadow will likely be of a wrong shape, too. The shadow texture used for this window is a generic rectangular shadow which may be hard to make of the right shape if your window is anything but rectangular. If you don't especially want a correct shadow for your window, you can just edit the shadow texture to be completely black and import (can't use Build DXT with the ExtRaw8Bit image format), Update All Sizes and commit. Now the shadow will be invisible.
25. Now it's time to import the texture for your frame. Make it the size you need (the smaller the better, since bigger texture files use more game resources, and if you uv-map efficiently, it's usually possible to keep the texture file small with windows. 256x256 pixels should be enough for smaller windows.), and import it into SimPE with Build DXT and Commit.
26. Edit the catalog information for your object and save.
27. Take a look at your window in the game and see if everything looks the way you want it to be. If it does, tap yourself on the back for a job well done! If it doesn't, you can still go back and edit any part of it by repeating the related steps.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshDone.jpg
Now you're done with the straight version of your window. If you want the window to work on diagonal walls, you will have to create a separate, diagonal version, but it's going to be a lot faster than making the straight one since you already have the meshes done.
28. Start up Object Workshop in SimPE again, and this time clone The "Function of Plate Glass" Window that doesn't have a preview image, just a red X (followed by the number 0x7F9A5B40). Clone it with leaving all the default options checked the way they are, and give your package a similar name as you did to the straight version, but add the word "diagonal" to it for clarity.
29. Give the window new original GUIDs. You will notice there are two object data files both of which seem like they could be the main GUID based on their names. To figure out which one is the actual main GUID, click on one of them and then open the RAW Data tab. In The RAW Data tab, go to the GUIDs section and look at the lines called "diagonal selector guid 1, diagonal selector guid 2, grid-aligned selector guid 1 and grid-aligned selector guid 2". If all the lines have a value of "0x0", then it's not the main GUID. If two of the lines are anything else than "0x0", then that's the main GUID, and the one you'll have to "Update MMATs" for (and also the one you will need to link the GUIDs of the straight window later on).
32. Next you'll have to import the meshes. When you go into GMDC, you'll see that the mesh structure is the same as in the straight version. Export the meshes and then just open in Milkshape, one at a time, the mapped and regrouped versions of the STRAIGHT window frames you made earlier, south and north ones, accordingly, and export them as the diagonal windows. With windows, you do NOT need to rotate the meshes in any way to make them diagonal, just use the straight window meshes in the position they are and import them into the diagonal package. Then also import the glass meshes. Commit with each step and Fix Integrity. (Note! If you want both the straight and diagonal windows to span the whole tile sideways, the diagonal version is going to needs its own, new meshes, because the straight version is not going to be wide enough for the diagonal wall.)
31. The only texture file in the diagonal package is the wallmask, which is different from the wallmask on the straight version, since diagonal walls are wider. This time the wallmask is not stretched out of proportion like the straight wallmask was. The image size is also bigger (128x256). Edit it the same way you did with the other one and import it into the package file. You'll have to wait to test it in the game, though, because the diagonal version of the window will not show up until you link the two windows to each other. (The diagonal window will not show up in the game as an individual object, you will only get it to show when you choose the straight version from the catalog and place it on a diagonal wall.)
32. From here on, to link the straight and diagonal versions together, I suggest you follow this (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=82075) article by Numenor. You can skip some of the stuff in Steps 1 and 2, since we already did those, and go on from Step 3. (I recommend you download the .pdf version of his article and keep it for later use.)
33. Once you're done, put both the straight and diagonal packages into your game and enjoy the result of your hard work! If something goes wrong, and you can't figure it out by referring to the tutorial, post your question in this topic and I'll do my best to help. It makes my job easier if you upload your problematic package file as an attachment with your post, so that I can take a look at it.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/DiagMeshDone.jpg
Bonus! Tips on creating DOORS: Making doors is very similar to making windows when it comes to the north and south side parts, wallmasks, diagonal versions and so on. The only difference is that doors have more parts to them. A typical door has four or five files in the GMDC, four of them for the actual meshes: two for the north and south sides of the animated door that opens and closes, and two for the north and south versions of the static frame. Based on my experience, you do NOT need the Mesh Tool for retaining the animation; you can deal with the meshes the same way you do with windows.
This has been my first tutorial ever, and I hope it wasn't too hard to follow! I hadn't seen a window tutorial anywhere, and thought maybe it's needed, since there aren't that many creators making build items. This is, of course, not the only way of creating windows, it's just the way I do it. Windows seem to be popular downloads, probably because there aren't that many of them around!
(Please, do not post this tutorial on another website without my permission, because adequate user support has to be provided wherever this tutorial is available.)
----------
Tutorials:Creating_Custom_Windows
- An advanced level guide to creating windows with new meshes.
- This tutorial will NOT explain in detail all the steps there are to creating a new object, but concentrate on the special steps/ problems involved in creating windows.
:deal: This Tutorial is also provided in PDF format. To view it, we strongly suggest to download the Foxisoft PFD Viewer (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php): it's free and small, less than 1Mb!
What do you need for this tutorial?
- SimPE version 0.50
- CEP3 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=92541)
- Milkshape 3D (http://www.download.com/MilkShape-3D/3640-2121_4-10424666.html?v=1)
- a uv-mapper program such as UVMapper Classic (http://www.uvmapper.com/downloads.html)
- an image editing program such as Paint Shop Pro
- basic knowledge on the programs listed, previous experience on creating new objects, including uv-mapping, mesh-making and using SimPE for object creation (If you're completely new to object/mesh creating, I suggest going through JWoods' Sims 2 start to finish Object Creation Tutorial V 2.0 (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=104795) first)
- Also recommended for better texture quality: Nvidia tools/ DDS Utilities (http://developer.nvidia.com/object/dds_utilities.html)
What's so special about cloning windows?
- A one-tile window is actually a two-tile object: each window is composed of two parts called "north" and "south", one on each side of a wall. (Likewise, a window that's two tiles wide is actually a four-tile object.)
- Wallmasks: For the window to cut a hole in the wall you need a wallmask, a simple texture image that determines where the wall has to be transparent and where solid for the window to look right.
- Diagonal windows: For a window to work properly on diagonal walls, as well, you need two separate objects: the straight and the diagonal version. The diagonal version borrows its textures and material definitions from the straight version, and they need to be correctly linked to each other for this to work. The only texture that the diagonal window needs its own version of is the wallmask, because diagonal walls are wider than straight walls and therefore the hole in the wall will be of different shape.
Let's get started:
1. Start up Object Workshop in SimPE and clone The "Function of Plate Glass" Window (the one with a picture next to, followed by the number 0x7FA78F5B). The one with the red X is the diagonal version, and we'll need it later on). Leave the default cloning options checked, and especially make sure that Pull Wallmasks is checked. Proceed as usual with naming your package file etc.
2. Give your object new GUIDs. There are three GUIDs needed, as usual with two-tile objects. Only update the MMATs with the main GUID (the main GUID doesn't have any numbers at the end of its file name). Remember to Commit each one.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MainGUID1.jpg
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MainGUID2.jpg
3. Go to the GMDC (Geometric Data Container). There are two GMDC files, one with the letter "n" in the name for "north", and the other one with an "s" for "south". Click on the south one, make sure that "frame" is checked on the Models list and Export.
4. Import the mesh into Milkshape. You will notice that only one side of the frame is visible. Make your new frame face to the same direction, and line up "the wall side" of the frame with the original frame to avoid gaps between the north and south sides since the "wall side" of the north frame will meet with the south frame.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/WallSide1.jpg
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshPlacement.jpg
5. For this tutorial, I created a simple square frame. You can make yours of a different shape, but try to make the thickness of the frame similar to the original frame so it'll stick out of the wall the right amount.
6. Delete the original mesh, and also all hidden faces (to optimize the polygon numbers), plus faces that are on the wall side of the mesh, since those will not be seen in the game.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshBack.jpg
7. Save the mesh as an .ms3d file, then export it for uv-mapping, and import the map into Milkshape. Select All, regroup all groups together and name the new group "frame" (Important: This name has to be the same as the name of the original mesh in GMDC on the Models list or your window will turn out invisible in the game). Save a mapped, regrouped version of your mesh as an .ms3d file (you may want to keep the previous saved version separate if you need the ungrouped mesh for editing later, which I recommend doing, because one try in a mesh editor with windows is usually not enough).
8. Export the mapped mesh from Milkshape (do not close Milkshape just yet) and import it into SimPE (and delete the original mesh called "frame"). Commit and Fix Integrity.
9. Click on the second entry in GMDC, the "north" version, and Export the frame the same way you did with the "south" version.
10. Go back to Milkshape to the regrouped, mapped mesh, Select All, then click "Mirror Front <--> Back" under the Vertex menu, then select "Smooth All" under the Face menu (to fix the faces that got messed up during mirroring). This saves you some work when the north and south sides of your window are similar, so you don't need to create and map both meshes separately. Save the mirrored version of the mesh as an .ms3d file, as well, because you will need it later for the diagonal version.
11. Export the mirrored version as the "north" frame from Milkshape, the same you just exported from SimPE. Delete the original frame part of the north version in SimPE and Import your version. Commit and Fix Integrity.
Now we're mostly done with the frame mesh and it may be a good time to take a little break and have a cup of coffee or something, because there is still a long way to go :).
12. If you look at your window in the game now, it might look something like this:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MessedUp1.jpg
So, yes, we've got some more work left to do. The window glass, wallmask, shadow and texture still need to be fixed.
13. If you preview your window in the game now and see the north and south frames are not lined up properly and there is a slit between them, you can open one of the regrouped, uv-mapped .ms3d files (either the north or south version) in Milkshape and move the whole mesh just a tiny little bit towards the wall side direction. If you're an anal person like myself, grass peeking through the window frame like this just isn't acceptable:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MessedUp2.jpg
After moving the mesh in Milkshape, Export it and Import into SimPE, replacing the previous version, Commit and Fix Integrity again.
14. When you're done with the frame, it's time to move on to the window glass part. Go to GMDC in SimPE again, select the "south" version, and on the Models list, this time check the part called "windowplateglass_frostedglass". Export it like you did with the frame (it's going to overwrite the exported frame file, but that's ok because you have the mesh saved as an .ms3d file).
15. Close the frame mesh in Milkshape if you still have it open, and import the glass instead.
16. If your new window has a simple rectangular shape like the original one, you can just move the vertices around to make this one fit your new frame. You can merge your frame mesh into this mesh temporarily to get an idea of the size and shape the glass needs to be. Once you're done, delete the frame and save the glass mesh as an .ms3d file. If you need a more complicated glass mesh, just replace the original one completely. Just make sure that you have the mesh regrouped and named "windowplateglass_frostedglass" by the time you export it.
17. To make the north side glass, just do the same thing as with the frame: Select All, Mirror and Smooth All the faces.
18. No uv-mapping is needed for the window glass since it has no texture to it.
19. Export and Import both glasses to SimPE, Commit and Fix Integrity.
20. Then it's time to fix the wallmask. The newer versions of SimPE also includes the wallmask texture for the diagonal window in the straight version. This is an unnecessary file, and you can safely delete the wallmask texture that has to word diagonal in it. You can also delete the two TXMT (Material Definition) files that have both the words "diagonal" and "wallmask" in the name. If you're using an older version of SimPE, these extra files may not be there, and you don't have to worry about them. (Note: windows that are two tiles wide need two wallmasks for each package, one for each tile.)
21. Then find the actual wallmask TXTR (texture image) that we need, the one that does NOT have the word "diagonal" in it. Export the texture by right-clicking on it and open it in a graphics program such as Paint Shop Pro.
22. Obviously, the white parts of the image are where the wall will be solid, and the transparent areas will cut a hole in the wall. Open a new image with a transparent background (sized 64x128). Now you'll have to estimate the size and shape of your window on the wall. The wallmask image is a bit distorted for the straight version, and you have to make the opening wider than you'd think based on the shape of the window. The part of the wall that needs to be solid, you fill with a plain white color. Save as a .png file and Import into SimPE, preferably using the Nvidia tools and Build DXT (and Commit).
The original and new wallmasks side by side:
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/Wallmasks.jpg
23. The only way to check if the wallmask works right is to save your package now and try it in the game. Repeat steps 22 and 23 until it's the correct size and shape in the game, covering the parts it needs to while cutting a hole big enough in the wall.
24. The wallshadow will likely be of a wrong shape, too. The shadow texture used for this window is a generic rectangular shadow which may be hard to make of the right shape if your window is anything but rectangular. If you don't especially want a correct shadow for your window, you can just edit the shadow texture to be completely black and import (can't use Build DXT with the ExtRaw8Bit image format), Update All Sizes and commit. Now the shadow will be invisible.
25. Now it's time to import the texture for your frame. Make it the size you need (the smaller the better, since bigger texture files use more game resources, and if you uv-map efficiently, it's usually possible to keep the texture file small with windows. 256x256 pixels should be enough for smaller windows.), and import it into SimPE with Build DXT and Commit.
26. Edit the catalog information for your object and save.
27. Take a look at your window in the game and see if everything looks the way you want it to be. If it does, tap yourself on the back for a job well done! If it doesn't, you can still go back and edit any part of it by repeating the related steps.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/MeshDone.jpg
Now you're done with the straight version of your window. If you want the window to work on diagonal walls, you will have to create a separate, diagonal version, but it's going to be a lot faster than making the straight one since you already have the meshes done.
28. Start up Object Workshop in SimPE again, and this time clone The "Function of Plate Glass" Window that doesn't have a preview image, just a red X (followed by the number 0x7F9A5B40). Clone it with leaving all the default options checked the way they are, and give your package a similar name as you did to the straight version, but add the word "diagonal" to it for clarity.
29. Give the window new original GUIDs. You will notice there are two object data files both of which seem like they could be the main GUID based on their names. To figure out which one is the actual main GUID, click on one of them and then open the RAW Data tab. In The RAW Data tab, go to the GUIDs section and look at the lines called "diagonal selector guid 1, diagonal selector guid 2, grid-aligned selector guid 1 and grid-aligned selector guid 2". If all the lines have a value of "0x0", then it's not the main GUID. If two of the lines are anything else than "0x0", then that's the main GUID, and the one you'll have to "Update MMATs" for (and also the one you will need to link the GUIDs of the straight window later on).
32. Next you'll have to import the meshes. When you go into GMDC, you'll see that the mesh structure is the same as in the straight version. Export the meshes and then just open in Milkshape, one at a time, the mapped and regrouped versions of the STRAIGHT window frames you made earlier, south and north ones, accordingly, and export them as the diagonal windows. With windows, you do NOT need to rotate the meshes in any way to make them diagonal, just use the straight window meshes in the position they are and import them into the diagonal package. Then also import the glass meshes. Commit with each step and Fix Integrity. (Note! If you want both the straight and diagonal windows to span the whole tile sideways, the diagonal version is going to needs its own, new meshes, because the straight version is not going to be wide enough for the diagonal wall.)
31. The only texture file in the diagonal package is the wallmask, which is different from the wallmask on the straight version, since diagonal walls are wider. This time the wallmask is not stretched out of proportion like the straight wallmask was. The image size is also bigger (128x256). Edit it the same way you did with the other one and import it into the package file. You'll have to wait to test it in the game, though, because the diagonal version of the window will not show up until you link the two windows to each other. (The diagonal window will not show up in the game as an individual object, you will only get it to show when you choose the straight version from the catalog and place it on a diagonal wall.)
32. From here on, to link the straight and diagonal versions together, I suggest you follow this (http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=82075) article by Numenor. You can skip some of the stuff in Steps 1 and 2, since we already did those, and go on from Step 3. (I recommend you download the .pdf version of his article and keep it for later use.)
33. Once you're done, put both the straight and diagonal packages into your game and enjoy the result of your hard work! If something goes wrong, and you can't figure it out by referring to the tutorial, post your question in this topic and I'll do my best to help. It makes my job easier if you upload your problematic package file as an attachment with your post, so that I can take a look at it.
http://ignorantbliss.org/images/tutorial/DiagMeshDone.jpg
Bonus! Tips on creating DOORS: Making doors is very similar to making windows when it comes to the north and south side parts, wallmasks, diagonal versions and so on. The only difference is that doors have more parts to them. A typical door has four or five files in the GMDC, four of them for the actual meshes: two for the north and south sides of the animated door that opens and closes, and two for the north and south versions of the static frame. Based on my experience, you do NOT need the Mesh Tool for retaining the animation; you can deal with the meshes the same way you do with windows.
This has been my first tutorial ever, and I hope it wasn't too hard to follow! I hadn't seen a window tutorial anywhere, and thought maybe it's needed, since there aren't that many creators making build items. This is, of course, not the only way of creating windows, it's just the way I do it. Windows seem to be popular downloads, probably because there aren't that many of them around!
(Please, do not post this tutorial on another website without my permission, because adequate user support has to be provided wherever this tutorial is available.)
----------
Tutorials:Creating_Custom_Windows