Testers wanted: Load package in sim surgery.

[Theo]

Alternate Sim Surgery Plugin

Fixed 19/03/2006:
 - The plugin would blow up when using the export function.

Changes 03/01/2008:
 - Built with .NET 2.0 for SimPe 0.64
 - Fixed obsolete error message

Changes 03/01/2011
 - Built with .NET 2.0 for SimPe 0.73.1 (alpha)
 - Fixed incomplete sim list (sims with no pictures)

This plugin adds a menu item named "Alt Sims Surgery..." under the Neighborhood menu.

It works exactly as the standard Sim Surgery (from which it was built), but with the possibility of
selecting a sim template package as the Archetype Sim, thereby avoiding the need to
create a sim in the game for the sole purpose of plastic surgery.

You can do this by clicking the new "Load..." link button that appears on the "Archetype Sim" panel.
It will prompt you to select a package from the filesystem. Sim template packages are created
with "The Sims 2 Body Shop" tool, and are normally placed on the "SavedSims" folder.

After the file is loaded, the file name appears instead of the archetype sim name, and the "Surgery"
button becomes clickable - from here you can proceed as usual.

If a dialog box appears with the text "The selected template file is not valid", it means that
the selected file most certainly isn't a sim template.
If you have doubts on what each file contains, you better start renaming files :þ


Bugs/Limitations

 · Sim templates are like CAS sims! They don't have recessive gene data, so your patient sim will
become genetically homozygous.

 · Sim templates carry only one piece of clothing. After the surgery, the patient sim will wear that
particular garment in every situation (work out/swim/sleep/formal).
To correct this, you'll have to re-plan the sim's outfits using a wardrobe.

 · Sim templates don't have pictures. Even after the surgery process, you'll find that the patient's
picture is not updated. This behavior is intentional. You'll have to correct this in-game by
changing the sim's appearance with a mirror.


Testers Wanted

I still haven't tested the "Face/Makeup/Eyes" options, because I seldom use them, but for the ones willing
 to test them in combination with the Load feature, please post back your results in this thread.

** Do not select any other kind of package to do surgery with! **
The plugin tries to sort out the package contents, but it is not foolproof. So, unless you are a fool and want
to create a frankenstein (the non-working, non-loadable anymore kind), ** select only package files created with BodyShop **

Ok, I might be joking with the frankenstein thing, but bad things may happen even if you do it by the book,
and the fact it worked in my game doesn't mean it will work flawlessly in yours, so:

-> Backup your neighborhood before any procedure <-

[Theo]

Damn! Wrong forum

[BlueSoup]

Ahhh, I'm sure Pescado can move it for you.    If I had any idea how to use SimSurgery, I'd be happy to check this out for you.

[Theo]

Ahhh, I'm sure Pescado can move it for you.

Thanks, I'd appreciate that 

[Zeljka]

ooh, I'll try it and edit to let you know how it goes...

[Theo]

Well, everyone makes mistakes, I guess it was my turn now
Anyway, it seems that Pescado moved this to the right place. Thanks again!

[angelyne]

this isn't working for me for some reason.  I extracted a sims I got from MTS2, loaded it up with BodyShop.  Cloned it and saved it using BS.  Used the plug in to select a sim as the patient sim.  Loaded the package file in my saved sim folder.  The name of the sim becomes the package name.  I click on the surgery button and I get the invalid package selected message.

I know it's the right package because I took the precaution of deleting all other packages beforehand

[Theo]

Sorry for the delay, didn't notice you edited the post (zzz).
What version of BodyShop are you using to make the clone (UNI/NL/OFB)?

[pioupiou]

It's working perfectly for me and the sim I use it on have all the right clothes of the model sim (I mean the right pajamas, the right undies etc...)

Bugs/Limitations

 · Sim templates carry only one piece of clothing. After the surgery, the patient sim will wear that
particular garment in every situation (work out/swim/sleep/formal).
To correct this, you'll have to re-plan the sim's outfits using a wardrobe.

[Theo]

It's working perfectly for me and the sim I use it on have all the right clothes of the model sim (I mean the right pajamas, the right undies etc...)

Bugs/Limitations

 · Sim templates carry only one piece of clothing. After the surgery, the patient sim will wear that
particular garment in every situation (work out/swim/sleep/formal).
To correct this, you'll have to re-plan the sim's outfits using a wardrobe.

This happened when I used the tool on a townie, but I haven't yet determined the cause.

I also tested it on a sim that had many clothing items on the wardrobe (more than one of each type), and they became randomly reassigned (but seemed to give preference to 'stock' maxis clothing).

Maybe your sim had only one clothing item of each type, so they wouldn't change?

[angelyne]

Sorry for the delay, didn't notice you edited the post (zzz).
What version of BodyShop are you using to make the clone (UNI/NL/OFB)?

No problem.  I should have realized that editing a post would prevent you from receiving a notification.

I have all EP's (so OFB).  Standard US version. Nothing special as far as I know what would make my install different

[Theo]

Angelyne, perhaps the sim template package is missing some resource.

Could you post a list of resources of that package?
You can do that by opening it in SimPE, then select Tools > Create Description > from Package. You can then save the resulting list in any format.

[angelyne]

Turns out it was probably because of what I was attempting.  I was trying to SIm Surgery a Droid (in human form) with a regular sim.  Guess that's what it didn't like.  Too bad cause I am dying to change my robot to a android like apperance.

I tried to sim surgery a different Sims and that worked......to an extent.

I had the WEIRDEST bug.  I loaded up the lot and my sim appeared to have been altered as per the surgery except he was dark all over.  Dark as in desaturated.  He appeared to be standing in shadows no matter how much light there was.  He was also bald. I had him do a change appearance and he appeared correctly in the mirror....also his icon adjusted.  However the sim himself was now completly BLACK, like a shadow.  No details just black.  I tried the change appearance again and he remained a black shadow.  Very weird!.  I took a screen shot.  So I exited the lot and saved. When I re-entered it everything was fine.  Weird huh?

Anyway I have a question. I only noticed one line in the facial date of the sim file.  Does that mean that he will pass on his new appearance correctly?

[Theo]

I was trying to SIm Surgery a Droid (in human form) with a regular sim.

You mean a Servo? I still haven't created one, but it could mean that servos are missing some resources in their character file, since they lack a face, technically speaking (vd. Motoki's thread about servo recoloring).

I'll try to create one in my game so I can see what's happening. If it turns out that it's just a resource requirement, it can be easily fixed. 

The bald, default-face-template looking effect is not harmful AFAIK, and is fixed with the mirror.

As for the shadow sim, it's still a mystery.
It happened to some of my sims, surgery patients and otherwise, with no clear pattern.
A sim would be shrouded in darkness only indoors, and it would become normal when deleted and summoned with the Ingeological painting.
At first I thought it could be a conflict between OFB and GunMod's lighting config, but uninstalling the latter yielded no results (apart from an insipid looking game) 

[Ancient Sim]

I have the black 'shadow' Sims, too.  In my case, it's just a couple of them, both dormies.  They're fine outside, but black inside (some of the time, not all - often happens after they've had a bath).  The only thing they have in common (apart from both being SS members) is that they were originally female and I changed them to male.  This is because when I went to the SS lot it created 8 flaming female members, so I deleted half of them and made two of them female.  Of course, the next time it created 8 male. 

[angelyne]

Yeah! It finally worked for me. Not sure what I did different.  Anyway it worked beautifully.

Here is a picture of my new android



He has a shiny and almost transluscent aspect to him, that's very cool.

One strange thing however.  I might be wrong, but I think that my male robot's voice was changed?  Is that possible?  Does the cloning process change the voice?

Also, are the genetics changed with this procedure? I  know it's not with the regular surgery.

[Theo]

Also, are the genetics changed with this procedure? I  know it's not with the regular surgery.

That's odd! In my first attempts to make this plugin, I found that the patient would assume the new skintone only if the DNA record was changed accordingly.
Did you do full surgery, or only skintone surgery?

One strange thing however.  I might be wrong, but I think that my male robot's voice was changed?  Is that possible?  Does the cloning process change the voice?

I don't think that's possible, as the voice definition is normally stored in the Sim Description resource. This resource is not changed by a surgery, neither by this plugin nor the original.

Yeah! It finally worked for me. Not sure what I did different.  Anyway it worked beautifully.

You must have used BodyShop to clone the exported Servo. BodyShop adds some resources to the sim templates, so that these files meet the requirements of the plugin (which by the way, will be loosened a bit in the next update).

I should warn you that I'm writing all this out of my head, because I didn't have time yet (again) to test the surgery in a servo.
I did manage to create a servo, but then I got carried away by the game, and next thing I know, it's 5am and I'm still busy doing some tuneup 

[chordin]

Thanks,
I love this one. I don't have uni and my butt ugly sims have stayed butt ugly to the end of their miserable lives, because I don't want to mess my neighborhood with dozens of dublicates.

But I have had some intresting bugs with this. Once my sim turned black. He was a shadow man inside the house and turned into normal when he went outside. Couple of sims got wrong face when they looked to the mirrow first time, but got the right face after couple of attemps. Anyway, I have always been able to get the right appereance after some playing with inSimenator/mirror.

[C.S.]

Does anyone know if this SimPE plugin can be used as is with the Pets EP or an update is required? I haven't been playing for a while and am still sorting stuffs out.

[Theo]

It appers to be working with SimPe 0.60, but I can tell for sure that the Export to BodyShop function doesn't work with pet characters, because the package contents have many fundamental differences.

The good news is that due to new data regarding the AgeData resource, it will be possible to fix the missing face and clothing bugs... somewhen.

[Sam]

I just used the plugin with Pets installed, and it works great

[C.S.]

Right, thanks y'all. I'd hate to lose this very useful plugin.

The good news is that due to new data regarding the AgeData resource, it will be possible to fix the missing face and clothing bugs... somewhen.

Er, I have no idea what that means. Missing face and clothing bugs? But I did find out it's not a good idea to dress a sim in formal clothing then use its template for surgery. I did it in once and found a few elder sims in my game had turned invisible. Luckily it can be fixed with another surgery.

I don't dare mess with the AgeData resource other than fixing the eye colour post-original SimPE surgery plugin's 'eyes only' option. The 'patient' sim's eye colour appears to have picked up the change but not in the mirror; you get them to change appearance and the image generated in the change appearance window still retained the old eye colour. I hope that made sense.

[angelyne]

Wow, J.M. almost scared me off with a big nasty picture of a devil.  <shakes>

Anyway,  I just tried this plug in with Seasons and lo and behold it worked.

[angelyne]

I have a question for you Theo, if you are still around hopefully.


The plugin does work, except that it doesn't load a thumbnail when you click on load package.  You just get the file name, nothing else.  I believe that happened the last time I used it, several versions of SimsPE ago, so I'm not sure that it's a new expansion issue.

Do you have any idea why?  it still works, but it's mighthy difficult to insure you are cloning the right archetype on your sims.

[Theo]

That problem happens because templates created in BodyShop don't have a thumbnail to display.
What I normally do is to rename the template packages so that I know which one I want.

But if you load a package of a live sim from any neighborhood, then its thumbnail will show up.