Creating default skin replacement - simplified method.

[Malifecent]

Ok, I did download a default from MTS2. I kinda like the viney looking skin, but wanted a more realistic female. So I did make the changes to the defaults I had dopwnloaded, except now they look pixelly in game. What can I do to prevent that?

[Ambular]

Ok, I did download a default from MTS2. I kinda like the viney looking skin, but wanted a more realistic female. So I did make the changes to the defaults I had dopwnloaded, except now they look pixelly in game. What can I do to prevent that?

Do you have the nvidia DDS utilities installed, and SimPE set up to use them?  You need to have that done, then choose "Build DXT" when you right-click a texture to replace it, rather than using Import.

[Flamingo]

I'm sorry if this is a bit necromantic, but does anyone know of a way to keep things from getting blurry when importing an alpha channel? I already have the DDS utilities installed, and can't seem to figure it out.

[SaraMK]

If anyone likes the vines on the Plant Sim skin, but not the skin itself, here's something that will help create a better default replacement: http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=226196

[Ambular]

I'm sorry if this is a bit necromantic, but does anyone know of a way to keep things from getting blurry when importing an alpha channel? I already have the DDS utilities installed, and can't seem to figure it out.

Try playing around with the order in which you import the texture vs. the alpha channel, and also with the alpha settings when you save the texture in your editing program.  I never did quite figure out what the problem was with some of mine, but I managed to fix them by more or less hammering away with a mallet of blunt ignorance until it worked.  XD

[Flamingo]

Try playing around with the order in which you import the texture vs. the alpha channel, and also with the alpha settings when you save the texture in your editing program.  I never did quite figure out what the problem was with some of mine, but I managed to fix them by more or less hammering away with a mallet of blunt ignorance until it worked.  XD

The order seems to have little effect, because the alpha is overwritten when you select the "Build DXT" option. Though I could've tried simply importing the skin, I guess. Either way, I remembered that my image editing program allowed for transparency, and simply applied it there, instead of through SimPE. After that, I simply selected "Build DXT" again and it worked without a problem.

[MissKitty]

Hey, this is easy! Of course I just did the whole thing without committing but... It's not too hard to do again. ^_^ Yay, I can have all my favourite skins as defaults now if I like

I've also built a new default PT face and now I just need to be able to make new default PT eyes and I'll be set for having some non-fugly alien babies! 

Oh and you are truly Awesome for writing this in a way that even a noob like me can understand. Kudos.

[angelyne]

Glad I helped

[Ellatrue]

I tried the batch converter shareware dealie someone recommended earlier in this thread. DO NOT USE IT. It will add a little label to every image it converts, and ruin your textures.



Fortunately, I'd only done one of the skins before I noticed, instead of all four. Now every sim looks like the victim of some sort of vampire attack with a bandage on their neck.

[jmtmom]

Try FastStone Photo Resizer here: http://www.faststone.org/FSResizerDetail.htm

[mariloo]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, I have managed to do everything so far but now I'm stuck on importing  the new textures. You say to open the default skin replacement file that will be the "host" for your new texture files  but I don't know where to find that! I tried to figure out by exploring around SimPe, but I never found any texture files. Please help! Sorry but I'm not that tech smart. Anyone know where to find it? Thanks in advance!

[Sleepycat]

If you haven't already, download a default skintone replacement file that someone else made, then you open that file in simpe to import your textures into.

[mariloo]

Once you have the file, how do you open it in SimPe?  Where is it located? Btw thanks for replying!!

[Sleepycat]

Where the file is depends on where you downloaded it to and where you unzipped it to. 

Simpe -> file -> open -> browse to where you put the package file

[croiduire]

This is probably a dumb question, but why don't default skins include teen female faces? Do they pull from adult?

Also, does it work to just use a section of the umhairbald-skin-s1,2,3 and 4_txtr (amhair~hair~stdMatBaseTextureName.png) to recolour Crammyboy's penis?

[Aquilegia]

This is probably a dumb question, but why don't default skins include teen female faces? Do they pull from adult?

The do pull from adult; in fact, the game files don't have tf face files at all.

[Sleepycat]

Also, does it work to just use a section of the umhairbald-skin-s1,2,3 and 4_txtr (amhair~hair~stdMatBaseTextureName.png) to recolour Crammyboy's penis?

Yes, although there will be a lack of details (like the veins). 

[mariloo]

That's the thing I have a problem with, I don't what file! I downloaded Christian Love's Custom skintone selector and in game I selected maxis and tan for one sim and automatically all of my sims changed from the regular skintones from game to custom ones. I like that it did that, but I don't like the color of one of the skintones and I want to change it. (thats why i'm here lol) So I'm not sure. Should I open Christian Love's Custom skintone selector which is actually an item? 

[croiduire]

This is kinda the wrong thread for your question. The MTS download thread contains detailed instruction and some troubleshooting, the MATY tutorial on customising the Skintone Selector is here . Hope that helps.

[mariloo]

Never mind!!!  I figured it out!! I actually did download some default skin replacements a few years ago and I forgot. I guess when I used the skintone selector it activated them or something. So happy I found them, thank you so much for your help. Ha ha I feel dumb.

[witch]

Never mind!!!  I figured it out!! I actually did download some default skin replacements a few years ago and I forgot. I guess when I used the skintone selector it activated them or something. So happy I found them, thank you so much for your help. Ha ha I feel dumb.

Way to state the obvious!

[croiduire]

Also, does it work to just use a section of the umhairbald-skin-s1,2,3 and 4_txtr (amhair~hair~stdMatBaseTextureName.png) to recolour Crammyboy's penis?

Yes, although there will be a lack of details (like the veins). 

Yeeaah...I was looking at the penis texture files and was at a loss as to how to go about recolouring them. I made defaults out of these skins, using Ghost, Ashes, Vanity and Dust as defaults for my new northern European-ish medieval hood. Those skintones are hard to match, as I discovered to my frustration when making different nips for my adult and elder females. I'm going to try sampling the umhairbald textures and using bucket flood on the templates. If that doesn't work, I'm at a loss.

Anyway, awesome, awesome tutorial...you, angelyne and the other contributors to this thread made the whole previously daunting process easy.

[Sleepycat]

 

It's been awhile since I edited the penis textures so I forget exactly what I tried to keep the details but I know I ended up just copying & pasting the umhairbald textures (over the penis textures).  I may have also made them a tad bit lighter because they appeared a bit darker on the penis.  The lack of veins doesn't bother me since I don't get close enough with the camera to notice.

[croiduire]

OK, I just had a serious WTF moment here. My skins had been working perfectly, but I just had a baby born who was assigned a completely random (and completely inappropriate) custom skin (both parents have my defaults). Is this a problem with the skins, a pregnancy controller issue, or...what? (I checked in SimPE, and instead of a nice 1 or 2--the parents skintones--the kid had e087abdf-4f57-ac83-81fd-e38efdca0486, so it doesn't appear that the skins themselves are the problem...does it?)

[Aquilegia]

Croiduire, it sounds like that custom skin is probably geneticized at some value between the two default skins, meaning that it's on the spectrum with the defaults and babies can be born with that skin rather than a default. Check the genetic line in the skintone XML -- if it reads anything other than 0, that means it was geneticized.