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Sockpuppet
Original Poster
#1 Old 10th Apr 2010 at 2:18 PM Last edited by Base1980 : 14th Jun 2010 at 3:36 PM.
Default Tutorial: Wes H his Merge tools explained and how to use them to create a pregnant morph
This is a small tutorial that explains Wes H his vertex and normal data merge tool.
It is easy to use tool that lets you copy vertex data, normal data en boneassignements from a reference mesh and saves so much time making sims 3 meshes(and sims 2).

This tool is a must have for:
Fixing/editing necks
Fixing/editing waists(between tops and bottoms)
Copying bonesettings from one mesh to another
Making morphs(even new pregnant morphs wich will be explained in this tutorial)

You need Wes his Unimesh plugin find here:
Unimesh plugins (http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=122399)
And one of the latest Milkshape versions:
Milkshape (http://chumbalum.swissquake.ch/ms3d/download.html)
Exract the Unimesh files in your Milkshape directory

*Start Milkshape
*Go to Tools menu and choose edit shortcuts
*In the popup screen scroll down to were you see 2 files named:
- msTS2NDM (normal data merge)
- msTS2VDM (vertex data merge)
*select the first one and assigne a shortkey to it
Use the dropdown menu, pick a shortcut key and click set
I have choosen key ''N'' and will use it in this tutorial
*click OK
A message will appear to notify you Milkshapes need to be restarted in order to apply the changes, ignore it

Repeat the same steps for the msTS2VDM and assigne it to the key ''C''
When done close Milkshape and start it again.


I am going to make a pregnant morph(mesh only) for the ''afTopShirtCollaredLongSleeve_buttons''
We first need to extract the orignal base mesh and a reference mesh.
This is explained here: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=392850
If you are going to extract these yourself use the meshes with group# 0x00bc17a6(for the afTopShirtCollaredLongSleeve_buttons)
as there are duplicates for other ages)
Or download the meshes at the bottom

We need:
-afTopShirtCollaredLongSleeve_buttons_Lod1
-afTopBra_Burnt_Lod1
-afTopBra_BurntafTopNude_Lod1_special(wich is the orignal basegame pregnant morph for the afTopBra_Burnt_Lod1)


Working with the tool.

*Import the aftopbra mesh
*Import the aftopbra special mesh
*Delete the aftopbra mesh(GEOM-00)
*Rename the aftopbra morph mesh to referencemesh
*Import the aftopshirtmesh and rename it to aftopshirt
*Select the aftopshirt mesh in the groups tab and hit select(the mesh becomes red and is fully selected)
*Duplicate the mesh(edit menu)
*Rename the duplicate to aftopshirtspecial
*Hide the original mesh aftopshirt(group tab)
*Go to front view and select the bottom row of vertices from both the reference and aftopshirtspecial mesh.

*Select inverse from the edit menu

*Select hide from the edit menu

*select the botoom row again

*Go to top view and choose frame selection(right click one time in the top view window)
You already may have noticed that the vertices on the back are identical as the reference mesh, we leave them as they are.
*Now select one vert of the reference mesh and the same one from the aftopshirtspecial(the one we need to adjust)
*Hit your ''C'' key on your keyboard and you will see that the vertice will jump to the one from the reference mesh.
*Hit your ''N'' key to also copy the normals
*Repeat this for the remaining 10 pairs of vertices.

Note, your reference mesh always needs to be placed above the mesh that needs to be updated.(in the meshgroup tab)

Zoom in on the gif to have a better look, its low resolution, srry


Back to 3d view you will see you created a perfect seam at the waist that now will fit all basegame pregnant bottoms.
*Unhide all(edit menu) but Hide the aftopshirt mesh after that!
*Repeat the same steps for the 2nd row of vertices only this time you also need to fix the sides and maybe a few at the back
depending wat type of clothing you are making the morph for.

Unfortunate the 3rd row above the waist between the reference and aftopshirt mesh dont match, you need to adjust that one by hand
till it comes cose to a realistic pregnant clothing mesh.
Copying the breasts shape part onto a clothing mesh doesn't look good anyway as clothing needs to be more smooth.

*When done go to the reference mesh(groups tab) and copy its comments and fill them in in the comment box of the aftopspecialmesh.
*Delete the reference mesh
*Export the aftopshirtspecial mesh in combination with the aftopshirt mesh, no need to save the aftopshirt(it will elimate any edits you might have made by accident on it)
*Start new
*Import the original aftopshirtcollar mesh again and your new made aftopshirtspecial morph to see if you have done all correct.
Screenshots
Attached files:
File Type: rar  tutorialmeshes.rar (178.2 KB, 267 downloads) - View custom content
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Inventor
#2 Old 30th May 2010 at 8:40 PM
Thanks for another nice tutorial Base1980, but why is it hidden here in the Modding General and not in the CAS Tutorials?
I had trouble to find it back, when I want to put a link to it in my Reference thread.
Sockpuppet
Original Poster
#3 Old 30th May 2010 at 8:47 PM
ill try to move it
Me? Sarcastic? Never.
staff: administrator
#4 Old 30th May 2010 at 9:25 PM
Ms. Byte (Deceased)
#5 Old 31st May 2010 at 2:29 AM
Very good tutorial for a tricky subject - very useful.

For myself, I prefer using the full body bathing suit mesh as a reference, since the top and bottom game burnt nude pregnant meshes have a weird indentation at the sides of the waist. Makes no difference for untucked tops, but if anyone makes a bare-midriff type thing it would show.
Sockpuppet
Original Poster
#6 Old 31st May 2010 at 6:33 PM
And other pregnant tops and bottoms will fit that fullbodyseam?
Another problem is i already released a few...all based on the burnt...
Ms. Byte (Deceased)
#7 Old 31st May 2010 at 8:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Base1980
And other pregnant tops and bottoms will fit that fullbodyseam?
Another problem is i already released a few...all based on the burnt...


The bottoms I've done do fit that seam, yes.

The in-game sweatpants mesh also has the indentation, btw. It's too bad EA released a badly designed form for the nude top and bottom, but my guess is they figured it wouldn't be seen. Makes it very hard for meshers to decide which to use and match up with other people's work.
Alchemist
#8 Old 31st May 2010 at 8:39 PM
My guess is that the nude mesh was built as a template for the artists to work from... someone making an outfit, for example, would use that mesh as a size reference to make sure that all the sizing was right. In Maya, it is easy to turn on xray view so you can see any materials underneath what you are working on.

Similar issues existed with the afBodyNaked mesh in TS2... for example, it had some chest vertices (no, not THOSE chest vertices, that came later) assigned to a bone called "breathe". But none of the rest of the meshes had those assignments, instead, breathing was overlaid on the animations using some clavicle/spine2 movements.

Since, as you noted, it was not built for direct use in the game, later revisions were not propagated back to the model. Had there been better control of the build process, they probably would never have included the mesh, but all sorts of extraneous stuff sort of gets swept up when they built the packages for the game. In TS2, there was a lot of fun had finding the leftovers and enabling them... "Maxis lost and found".

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Sockpuppet
Original Poster
#9 Old 1st Jun 2010 at 6:53 AM
Lol, i hated those breath bones.
I always worked with those meshes and they got messed up bad when using Marvines dancing boobies animation file.
Hopping belly's instead of boobies....always had to fix those bones.
Alchemist
#10 Old 1st Jun 2010 at 4:48 PM
That's because Warlokk built all his collection of busty beauties from the afBodyNaked mesh. You had to add assignments to the breathe joint to get the mammary tissue to animate anyway.

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Sockpuppet
Original Poster
#11 Old 1st Jun 2010 at 5:58 PM
yes, but i always forgot to fix the belly....Excited as i was booting up the game to test it and yet again...that belly hopping lol :D
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