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Post by phyre on Jan 24, 2016 11:58:06 GMT -5
Hey everyone,
After a gaming hiatus I am back in the sims and back to creating objects. I am currently creating a set of items that include objects that are both animated and support slots such as a desk, a stool, a cabinet, etc. Now this may sound a little arrogant but I've gotten so used to rigging my own objects (I work in 3ds Max) that the process of manually changing the rigging of whatever I am cloning and, on top of that, having to modify the warehouse files linked to each rig sounds a little daunting. Easy rigging access remains one of the big selling points of the TSRW for me, but I am doing my best to learn and exclusively use the Sims4Studio. Seeing how it is the tool most used by recolour artists, I wish to avoid compatibility problems with my objects that may cause unwanted results.
My question thus is, is there any way in which I can import my custom rigging and all its information from Blender into the Sims4 Studio (similar to the way in which we import meshes and textures) so that I can avoid having to manual change the rig coordinates in the warehouse files of rigging that I have, in effect, already done?
Thanks in advance for your help, I'm a great supporter of optimizing workflow so I prefer to know in advance what I can and can not do.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2016 12:15:48 GMT -5
As of right now no there is no way to import a custom rig. There is 2 tutorials on how to change the bones location and add some or remove. You can find the tutorials HERE and HERE. Soon studio will have a in program bones editor similar to TSRW but better. If you run into any problems just post your question here or in the tutorial you are having problems with. Best of luck and welcome back to the world of creating.
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Post by phyre on Jan 25, 2016 8:42:17 GMT -5
Thank you for the reply Design4Sims.
I did see the tutorials, I just hoped that there was a way around manually having to edit each file (which I despise :P). Good to hear S4S is working on an in-program bones editor, though. If you still need beta testers, let me know.
Now I am here and posting anyway, I have another question.
Do you know if TS4 supports displacement maps, and could I add those with S4S? I'm thinking of taking some of the vases I created into Mudbox to add more detail, but that would only improve the object if I am able to add a displacement map to my item. Without the option to add a displacement map, overly detailed normal maps usually look a little odd and the object would be better off with a simpler normal map (created in Max from my high poly mesh, pre-sculpting).
Again, thanks in advance for answering my question.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2016 11:51:34 GMT -5
I'm not sure I know what you mean by displacement maps. The texture images I know we can do are specular, normal, and diffuse. Some objects have extra textures like gradient light, or just light. Those are for animated and lighted objects like the neon signs.
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Post by phyre on Jan 25, 2016 12:04:02 GMT -5
Ok, I see. I guess TS4 does not support displacement maps then. Good to know, thank you. Guess I'll just have to work with normal/bump maps and some slight detailing in the game mesh. Displacement maps are used a lot in game design (together with or instead of the normal/bump map) to fake stylized details on a low poly mesh. It works a lot like a normal map but instead of faking relief details inside the meshes' own silhouette it actually displaces the diffuse map's textures during the rendering process to fake more elaborate silhouettes on a low poly mesh (see the image below to illustrate the process). Extremely high poly capable software like Mudbox or Zbrush is used to sculpt a high poly mesh with those details from the base mesh. Then the maps are baked from that high poly mesh and applied to the low poly base mesh. But the game engine (and of course the game files) have to support this specific map and its rendering process, so I guess TS4 does not. Displacement maps are fantastic to create low poly environment objects.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2016 14:50:51 GMT -5
I would say give it a try and see what it does. You can only have one normal map so if you mean a normal map and displacement then it won't work but if the displacement is used instead of a normal it might.
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Post by phyre on Jan 25, 2016 15:05:01 GMT -5
If the game does not have displacement mapping then it won't work, sadly. Unlike a normal map which is a simple texture map with depth information, a displacement map is a more complex map that provides information about how an object renders. It moves (i.e. displaces) an object's diffuse map during the rendering process to create the illusion of more complex geometry than the mesh actually posseses. Unless supported by a game's engine, a displacement map instead of a normal map would just be read like a normal map would.
In any case, thanks for all the help! I'll just go about adding detail to my vases in a different way.
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