|
|
Post by jje100010001 on Nov 10, 2021 11:29:49 GMT -5
Hi all, I currently have Blahberry Pancake's Cryptid Feet Claws (https://blahberry-pancake.tumblr.com/post/621352688974757888/download-claws-female-claws-male), but I am finding that they cover up the specular layer in Facial Details (i.e. Hermes Face Shine urielbeaupre.tumblr.com/post/178068891156/hermes-skin-very-detailed-front-and-back-high). I checked the sortlayers, and all of these seem to be at 17100, and I'm not sure how to fix this. |
|
|
|
Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Nov 11, 2021 6:42:12 GMT -5
What skin details file are you using? There are several in the download. And are you using more than just the skin details and the claws? I think the claws are dependent on a third file and there are a lot of files in that download, too. It would help to know what specific files you're using. You can take a look at composition method (look at this thread, too) and try different settings. |
|
|
|
Post by jje100010001 on Nov 11, 2021 14:19:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply, I was using the Face Shine, all of 4 versions seem to be covered up with the claws. It generally seems to be that none of the facial detail speculars are working with these claws.
Also checked the claws themselves, and they already seem to be set to CompositionMethod 0, and the issue doesn't seem to be tied to the default feet replacements. Same for the shine as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 11, 2021 16:39:15 GMT -5
Sort layer does not control how specular is layered, mask does.
Can’t check the files rn, but open the nails package, choose the specular, export it, naming it spec. Open spec.mask and check if it has white where the diffuse has textures.
|
|
|
|
Post by jje100010001 on Nov 11, 2021 19:43:30 GMT -5
Thanks- I tried that earlier, and I think the spec.mask file was already blank, and the only textures in the package are in the diffuse layer.
This is one of the reasons why this is so confusing, as no other CAS items I have seem to be having these specular issues.
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 11, 2021 19:54:47 GMT -5
That’s the problem. It must not be blank. Clone any maxis item and you will see that the mask matches the alpha channel of the diffuse.
So, for example, you have a skirt and tights that are uv unwrapped in the same area. If the skirt has blank specular, once you’ll put shiny tights on a sim, the shine will be on top of the skirt.
Basically you just need to make a proper specular for the nails
|
|
|
|
Post by jje100010001 on Nov 11, 2021 22:45:27 GMT -5
Ah ok, that seemed to do the trick.
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Nov 11, 2021 23:46:38 GMT -5
It looks like you can't use the claws without the custom feet. There are a lot of files in each download so I didn't look at each one but the male claws have a 100% black specular but no alpha channel. The feet had some white in the specular (in the foot section of the CAS map) and in the mask but the specular, too, did not have an alpha channel. Was that the problem?
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 12, 2021 6:11:06 GMT -5
Alpha channel and .mask are two different things that control different things.
Alpha channel controls the sun intensity, .mask is for the specular layering
|
|
|
|
Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Nov 12, 2021 8:03:42 GMT -5
What was the problem then because I couldn't see what the problem was. Was one of the blank speculars not really blank? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Mauvemorn. This is just me trying to learn as much as I can, as usual. Actually, come to think of it, it doesn't make sense for the claws to have a totally black specular mask given that nothing in the cc was supposed to be 100% transparent...and maybe I just answered my own question, haha.
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 12, 2021 8:15:52 GMT -5
Fwecka (Lolabellesims) mmm, I always have a hard time finding words to explain it, but basically: - you have skirt’s uvs and textures in the thigh area; - you need to tell the game that this is where the skirt’s specular will be. That the specular of anything else that has it in the same area must not be rendered on top of the skirt; - so you do it through the .mask. You fill all area where you have textures/uvs with white, everything that is empty with black; - now the game knows that in this area is the skirt’s specular. The best way to understand this is to simply study the maxis meshes
|
|
|
|
Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Nov 12, 2021 20:55:17 GMT -5
Yeah, I understand that part. It's the same way with Sims 3, though Sims 3 speculars are a little more simple. There's no .mask file and any transparency is handled through the main texture's (the multiplier) alpha channel. I guess I'm just not understanding why the claw's specular .mask was causing a problem. I would think the worst that would happen with a 100% black .mask is that the item would be invisible, not that it would mess up the face shine's specular.
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 13, 2021 3:32:27 GMT -5
Yeah, I understand that part. It's the same way with Sims 3, though Sims 3 speculars are a little more simple. There's no .mask file and any transparency is handled through the main texture's (the multiplier) alpha channel. Mmm, no you still did not quite get it. In the context of the ts4 specular there is no transparency, you could say, not in the same way it exists in the diffuse. For example, when you paint the rgb with red and the alpha channel with grey, the diffuse map gives you semi-opaque red. The alpha controls how opaque the red is. When you do the same with the specular, each of these channels will control how reflections are rendered. So making the red brighter or darker will make the reflection blurrier or crisper. Making the alpha channel brighter or darker will not control the red channel intensity/how blurry/crisp the reflection is, it will change the brightness of the sun‘s reflection. Alpha does not control other channels/effects they provide.So, if you want to change the intensity of all effects each channel provides, you need to change all of them individually, not one single channel that controls them all (because it does not exist). And .mask does not do that either, does not serve this purpose. for example, your skirt is too bright. You adjust the .mask to have grey instead of white and the brightness becomes subdued. But then the moment you put shiny tights on a sim, their specular appears on the skirt. The white in .mask basically tells the game “do not render other speculars here”. Grey tells “you can render other specular to an extent”. Black means "for other speculars" “You can render something else” =//= “tone down the intencity of the specular” 
I guess I'm just not understanding why the claw's specular .mask was causing a problem. I would think the worst that would happen with a 100% black .mask is that the item would be invisible, not that it would mess up the face shine's specular. Specular in general most certainly has no say in the visibility of the whole mesh. And the claw's specular is the problem because the claws are projecting the specular of the body shine. Black = render other speculars
note: if you will ever see me describe the alpha channel of the specular as “controls the intensity”, I’m telling this to a beginner. If I were to say “controls the intensity of the sun”, I would have to explain what a cube map is and they do not need to know or understand that yet or at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Nov 13, 2021 4:14:29 GMT -5
Oh, wow. I can't believe I've been misunderstanding this all this time! And I've been teaching an error to others, as well. :( Time to update my notes.
And forgive me for being a blockhead but I still don't understand why the claws and the face detail were affecting one another given that they occupy a different spot on the CAS map. I'm sure it has something to do with the claws having a blank specular and specular.mask but I'm not seeing at the moment.
You posted the explanation as I was typing, so disregard that question. Thanks for your help. All this time, I thought I had a solid grasp of how CAS speculars work. Nope. I was missing a key concept with how the .mask works. Thought it controlled transparency yet that wouldn't make sense, if you think about it. Why else would the diffuse have an alpha channel if it doesn't affect transparency?
Edit: just to be clear. If the claws were white in the specular.mask where the mesh's UVs are that would have limited the shine to just that white area, right? The shine would be applied nowhere else?
|
|
|
|
Post by mauvemorn on Nov 13, 2021 4:34:59 GMT -5
"face detail" is just a category. There is a number of files so the op must have been using the one that covers the whole body, including the toes. Toes are where the claws' uvs are. Claws' specular is black, black = "render other speculars". So the claws render the face detail's specular that exist there
mmm, not really. The shine would still exist where it exists on the first file (specular, not specular.mask ). Except for in those areas (where there is no white on the .mask) it would conflict with others like this because, again, .mask controls the layering, black on .mask= "render other speculars as well"
|
|
