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Post by menaceman44 on Feb 7, 2019 14:11:12 GMT -5
Hello!
I'm currently working on a project to create a CAS item for pets that includes the use of an emission map. Unfortunately I don't know what dimensions the game is expecting for this image file or if pet CAS parts can even use emission maps. I've tried the default body texture size in both horizontal and vertical and I've also tried 1024 X 1024 square. None of them seemed to show up.
The CAS part is supposed to be a sort of overlay that is applied on top of the robotic pet fur pattern. I want the rings (and possibly the eyes) to glow.
I had to base it on a full nude body part as I have also made use of altering the voice and this doesn't seem to work on all CAS parts. It did work on collars but then it stopped if you also gave your pet a full body outfit as well.
This version is currently only for big dogs.
Any help would be much appreciated.
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Post by menaceman44 on Feb 9, 2019 12:57:40 GMT -5
I've managed to confirm that emission maps DO work on pet items. I'm just not sure if they will work with the way my project is set up. I need to test further. The dimensions I have found that do work so far are 512 X 1024 in vertical orientation.
EDIT: Okay, it seems that it just isn't possible to make use of an emission map, specular, or normal map for pet CAS items if the item is based on the base nude body. Only items with their own seperate mesh can make use of those for some reason.
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Post by Feyona on Feb 9, 2019 16:57:48 GMT -5
Normal map information for CAS items is written in geom resource. I don't know about emission map, though, but specular is not tied to the mesh in CAS items.
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Post by menaceman44 on Feb 10, 2019 11:57:06 GMT -5
When I said "seperate mesh" I meant items like sweaters and neck scarves. Things that are not meshed as part of the animal body. They seem to be mapped onto the right-hand side of the UV map, kind of like the "extra" space on Sim UV maps. The Normal and Emission maps match the dimensions of this "extra" space. I tried taking a sweater which did have a working emission map, and swapping out the mesh for the nude body but that disabled the emission again. Thinking back, I don't think I actually tested the Specular texture correctly though. That still uses the full body texture size.
EDIT: I tested Speculars again and they DO work on the basic nude body of a dog. I'd drawn in the wrong place on my previous test.
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Post by minimonster on Feb 12, 2019 8:32:35 GMT -5
Hi menaceman44 ! For once, I feel as if I am able to actually help the person who helps so many others! If I am reading all of your back-work correctly, and the *actual* thing that you want to accomplish, I feel I know the answer to your dilemma: Unless my eyes have completely failed me already, I took a look at the CAS items for Large Dogs in Studio, and when I could not see the very cool robot dog in the thumbnail list, I remembered that I had searched for it before myself, and concluded that it is not a 'clothing item' like one might think, but an actual 'fur' (think full-body skin overlay, like my Alien skins), therefore it would not be able to have emission without having a mesh in the CC .package as well. What I am thinking is: Clone the full 'nude' dog body, apply the robot texture as the main texture, and then you *should* be able to apply your emission without any problem. Save as any full-body dog clothing. I have done this very same thing for Sim 'skin' myself, on both tops and bottom meshes. IDK if cmar has updated CASTools to work with pets yet or not, but no matter, using my method creates weirdness if a Sim wears anything over the glow, I assume the same for dogs, but if the 'clothing' dog textures are all in a separate UV space from the body, then the issue may not occur. IIRC, the screenshot is using the luumia Bod-E version of the glowing tattoo top that I got permission from him to use (I have yet to release them, though). Using a cloned base 'nude' body still allows one (if untouched) to use any kind of morphs, and it all works quite well. For the voice effect, you may want to consider putting it on something like a collar, which is what I chose to use for my 'No Dog Needs' buff-mod. IRL I always would take off my dog's collars in the house, but it is just a suggestion (which I am sure that you have already considered, yourself, anyways...)
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Post by Feyona on Feb 12, 2019 9:23:06 GMT -5
Pets have normal maps not only on extra parts, NM also applied to the fur. I saw NM when I extracted pets skins for S4S models. Can't say anything about emissions maps since I never dealt with them even in sims clothes.
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Post by minimonster on Feb 12, 2019 11:16:35 GMT -5
@wj ,
I am sorry you misconstrued my statement. It is just an expression of my happiness at being able to lend assistance to someone who I see so frequently on the threads here helping others. I have played around making Sim skin emission maps myself (as well as other CAS items), something that I do not believe that I have seen anyone else really do (especially after my fashion). When I initially saw his query posting, I did not jump onto it as soon as I really maybe should have, as I have been trying to do myself for others of late. I have found that it really gives me Much Joy in life to be of assistance to others, even in small ways, however my inherent shyness has held me back on many an occasion, something which I am working on trying to correct.
Again, My Very Bad mistake for not having looked at his query earlier. I am still hoping that my response can be of assistance to him in some manner.
edit: I'm sometime slow to understand some things, but I think that I understand what you believed that I was implying - possibly that menaceman44 was ignorant in some fashion, even though he helps so many others? So the Opposite direction of what my intent was - I was Happy to be able to help him back as he does others.
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Post by minimonster on Feb 12, 2019 13:52:41 GMT -5
Hi @wj,
Thank You for clarifying. I was really confused, but am no longer. Of course I didn't mean that about no one wanting to help. This forum is so very Lovely because there are so very many people who are willing to help complete strangers, with zero expectation of return. You are right about the subject being complicated, and as well that there are not many people who have dealt with emission mapping for Sims! I actually think that that was a big part of the reason that I initially looked over the post. When I finally did get around to reading it, and from what he has already tried himself and the results thereof, I thought of the similarity to what I had done and added my thoughts/experience of body emission from a Sim. Still keeping fingers crossed that it might help provide some methodology or insight into what he wants to accomplish!
Cheers!
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Post by menaceman44 on Feb 13, 2019 8:08:37 GMT -5
Don't worry, minimonster I took what you said as it was intended. As for your very welcome suggestion, I think I've already tried that. I have tried both a Standalone Recolour package as well as a Create New Mesh package with the same results in each. I have since thought of another method which I haven't yet had chance to try but I'll come back and post my results as soon as I do.
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Post by menaceman44 on Feb 14, 2019 15:03:16 GMT -5
Okay, so I did find a way around my issue but with the amount of work involved for the result I am going to get, I'm going to knock the emmission idea on the head. It's not worth it in my opinion.
Basically, the emmission map will only function if it is mapped onto a 512 x 1024 vertical texture. In order for me to do this I cloned a t-shirt and imported the nude mesh for both groups. Then I deleted all the parts of the body that I did not want to have any emmission glow on from the mesh that had replaced the t-shirt group. The remaining areas I remapped to the 512x1024 texture space thus allowing a corresponding emmission map to be made.
The biggest issue I still had with this method was that the clothing mesh group didn't seem to support transparency which would be needed to make the texture look right and so that would be a whole other mess to tackle.
Basically I currently have my packages in a working state and they look good. I have already finished the texture and the thought of having to go in and edit meshes and recreate my textures all over again, three times, does not appeal to me in the slightest. An emmission glow would have been nice but is not essential to the project and so with that I am going to forego using one.
Thanks though to everyone who tried to help.
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