I need some help with some things!!...

First, I am trying to retexture a hair because the default/present textures are very blurry and just awful looking. However PhotoShop is sucking and I have no idea how to go about making this texture look better. I did a Google search but I could find absolutely no guides on retexturing hair.

Second, MilkShape is sucking and I don't know how to import Sims2 meshes. I have the UniMesh plugins but none of the files I want to work on in my Downloads folder will show up unless I go under "All Files", but then when I try to import the mesh it just errors.

Help will be dearly appreciated.

Did you try looking in the MTS2 Create Tutorials section? Look in Recoloring, BodyShop, Hair. Also, look in All Tutorials, and search for hair. Check Nouk's site, see if she has guides.

MilkShape does not suck, it is full of win. Did you read the Unimesh 1 tutorial? If so, please summarize what you did and we'll try to help you. Are you sure you exported a GMDC? As a *.5gd file? Are you using Unimesh Import?

Why are you exporting a mesh in the first place? If you just want to change the texture, and not the shape, you don't need to do anyting at all with the mesh. To retexture, all you need is BodyShop and a graphics program. MilkShape and a mesh can be useful for previewing your textures, but they are not required, you can preview hair in BodyShop.

Ahh wait nevermind... I figured out on my own how to extract the meshes with SimPE and get them open in MilkShape. Oop!!

However all I am seeing in milkshape is a huge scrabbled mass of blue lines, with what looks like the mesh itself in the very center...

I have no idea what I am doing though and can not figure out how to edit the mesh... at all. And how do I get the mesh to show up with the texture in MS?

Also, in what directory are the Maxis meshes located?

"PhotoShop is sucking" and "I have no idea how to go about making this texture look better" are two completely different things. Since I happen to know that Photoshop does very much not suck, I don't think that is the problem here.

"I did a Google search but I could find absolutely no guides on retexturing hair" -- what on earth did you search for? A simple query for "hair texture" gives me more tutorials than I could ever read.

I suggest you read this: http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?...:Hair_Tutorials

Well I couldn't find anything, like on making the textures more crisp and clear and stuff.. as in, with an already-existing texture, not a whole new one..

P.S, the hair I'm working with is a curly ponytail I'm not so sure about making the "hairs" go in the right directions so the hair looks right?

Also I am completely lost on trying to use MilkShape, and it's been several hours. I can't figure out how to do anything, how to move pieces and parts around, how to add things, how to delete things, nothing. All I want to do is remove a hair ornament, and a small piece of hair dangling in front of the face...

As I've already said, please read the Unimesh 1 tutorial. It's about MilkShape. Look at the basic meshing tutorials in Create, Tutorials, BodyShop, Meshing. Among other things, it will tell you how to get rid of all the "blue lines". Also, how to select and remove small pieces of the mesh.

If you want to put textures on your mesh, see HP's "Previewing Textures in MilkShape" tutorial, look in Create, Tutorials, All Tutorials, it's in there.

Ahh nevermind the MilkShape thing... I think I've got it figured out now after some more reading and fiddling around.

I'm still having a hard time with the texturing thing in PS though

One question about MilkShape, do you have to edit each mesh individually or is there some way around it ~~

Okay, I think all I need help with now is with the finished mesh files... how do I combine all of the different ages together into one file, and how do I get them linked up with textures/colors?

Okay I finished up my edited version of the mesh, got it all into one SimPE package and everything.

It is working as it should be (it's showing up right in BodyShop and everything), and I have it using the same colours as the original but for some reason the original mesh is not showing up! What did I do wrong?

You didn't do Fix Integrity on each individual mesh set (GMDC, GMND, CRES, and SHPE) to give it a new, unique name before linking it to the recolour. If you don't do that, it replaces the original. You'll have to go back to your separate mesh packages, Fix Integrity, rename them, link them to the recolour, and then combine them back into one file.

Ooopsie daisy..

Wait... does that mean I need go back and edit every single one of those other "mesh" files (with MilkShape), too?

Also, when I do get that fixed up how to I go about relinking it to the same colors as the original?

edit: Crap, I used the "fix integrity" thing but it's still overwriting the original mesh

You won't have to re-edit in Milkshape. It's just a matter of fixing stuff with SimPE.

If you've gone through the basic clothing tutorials, you should be familiar with both the proper way to do Fix Integrity as well as the linking. This is real basic stuff, covered in the Unimesh 1 tutorial.

Could a mod move this thread to the meshing forum please? It is not a modding thread. Thanks.

Request granted.

Boy, that was helpful. Not.

So umm... how do I get all these dumb files sorted out so they work properly? Fix Integrity isn't fixing them and I'm not sure what I'm not doing write? This is soo screwy!

Also, how do I link files to different ages? I can't figure out where or what to do anywhere

To be honest, you really seem to be trying to skip ahead to things you aren't ready for. Finding which file is which age/gender to link to is covered in Dr. Pixel's hair tutorial. How to properly do Fix Integrity as well as linking is covered in the Unimesh 1 tutorial. I know it can be tempting to skip ahead and do stuff, but you also have to realize that you're trying to do something very complicated, and you may actually have to go back and learn things without someone explaining how to do every little thing to you, when the information is already out there and available. You're running into a lot of problems due to lack of understanding the basics. Thus, going back and doing the basics will give you the foundation you need to achieve the projects you want. This stuff is hard, and it's complicated, and even when you already know what you're doing you can end up tearing your hair out - make it easier on yourself and everyone else and actually go and do the basic tutorials first before you try to skip ahead. And don't snark at Cat for asking it be moved to the proper forum. :P

Of course it was helpful. The forum you originally posted in is frequented by people who like to do all the technical tricks behind bodyshop, NOT making the actual meshes themselves. Your question is not what they know best. I moved your to a forum where there are lots of people who know how to help you. Now more people should be able to tell you to go back and do the basic tutorials again.