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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 2, 2017 8:07:47 GMT -5
I'm sorry to keep bothering you all like this. It's been months since I made a necklace for the Sims 4 and now I'm discovering all kinds of things I wasn't aware of before. Like CAS shadows, for instance. My mesh and textures are done, but there's a shadow that came along with the EA choker I cloned and I don't know how EA positioned this shadow correctly. I cloned the vampire choker. Here are some images that will hopefully explain what I mean. One image is of the choker I cloned, one is my UV map that I made, and the other is EA's shadow map. Just to clarify, I can make the shadow map, no problem. I just don't know how to position it correctly. Thanks and sorry again for all the endless questions. You guys are a godsend, honestly.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 2, 2017 8:16:38 GMT -5
Here's a better image of how EA's shadow map is placed. The thing is, the shadow is in the shape of EA's choker, and my choker isn't shaped like that. So my dilemma is how do I get the shadow shaped right and positioned right? The only template I have is my UV map, and obviously, that won't work. I'm always against a learning curve with everything I try to make. Someday, someday, I'll be able to do things without asking endless questions. You guys are so helpful; I don't know what I'd do with you.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 2, 2017 8:22:27 GMT -5
I had a thought. I could unwrap the mesh using project from view and unwrap it from the front view, then from the back view. Then position the UV on the female template thingymajig and export the UV layout. Will that work?
I won't keep bothering you. I promise. I just want to make the choker right this time since I'm going to release it for everyone to use.
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Post by brujah on Aug 2, 2017 18:44:50 GMT -5
You can create the shadow in blender by using your unwrap method mentioned and then following the SLYD's tutorial HERE
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 2, 2017 18:55:42 GMT -5
Yeah. I tried following that tutorial. I ended up with a blob type of shadow. So then I hand painted a shadow but it was placed too low. That's the problem I'm having: how to place the shadow accurately. I could mess with it for hours and hours and get it right eventually using trial and error, but I was hoping there was a quicker and easier method. I just can't get the shadow placed right.
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Post by brujah on Aug 2, 2017 18:59:55 GMT -5
What does your mesh look like? It may be other factors that cause the "blob" look.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 2, 2017 21:05:06 GMT -5
It's actually the shadow that goes on the skin of the sim's neck that I'm talking about, not shadows on the mesh itself. Didn't know if you knew that. I should have made that clear in my first post. Here's the choker I'm making. And thanks again for the help. All my troubles are a result of not making anything for the Sims 4 for months and months--I'm woefully out of practice and I still have lots to learn.
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Post by inabadromance on Aug 2, 2017 21:18:57 GMT -5
The tutorial that brujah linked is the one you should be following. Would you like to share the mesh and see which step in particular is giving you troubles?
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Post by brujah on Aug 2, 2017 21:34:31 GMT -5
Yes, I understood that you meant on the sim's skin lol. In this case I would do a few things. First I would mark two seams, one on the left and one on the right (if solid all the way across too connecting them), then do a cylindrical unwrap from view. That should yield two properly proportioned UV islands and all you would need to do is scale and move into the proper positions. I'm assuming this covers the seam between the head and torso. My best guess is to approximate the position based on what it looks like in wireframe mode. Then follow the tutorial linked above. You can adjust the settings when baking the shadow to give a different effect. If none of this makes sense and you share your .blend, I can do some screenshots using your mesh.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 3, 2017 3:01:37 GMT -5
Here's the blend file and thank you for this. Blend FileSince I'm already bugging you guys so much, would you look and see if my mesh looks like it's weighted okay? The reason I ask is because when I put the weight and muscle sliders all the way up there's clipping that occurs. This might be normal or unavoidable. I don't know. Boy, I'm having fun! Aren't you?
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Post by AleNikSimmer on Aug 3, 2017 8:55:27 GMT -5
I'm not a pro but I do some accessories and checking your blender file I've seen you haven't vertex painted it, the weights may be ok on the other hand (working with different chokers I've found out that some have different assignement for no apparently reason). It also happened to me that with extremely sliding/unusual neck-chin shapes my chokers look odd (but game's too so :-/). For the shadow, I usually pick it from a similar accessory, export it and change slightly in gimp, test in game, remember what I have to change and repeat in this way. If this can help, your choker looks a lot like the base game studded one, you can use its shadow, paint white the spikes, move it up a little and you should be fine with the most of it. Then you can start adding details like the pearls and the back.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 3, 2017 19:08:37 GMT -5
I'm not a pro but I do some accessories and checking your blender file I've seen you haven't vertex painted it, the weights may be ok on the other hand (working with different chokers I've found out that some have different assignement for no apparently reason). It also happened to me that with extremely sliding/unusual neck-chin shapes my chokers look odd (but game's too so :-/). For the shadow, I usually pick it from a similar accessory, export it and change slightly in gimp, test in game, remember what I have to change and repeat in this way. If this can help, your choker looks a lot like the base game studded one, you can use its shadow, paint white the spikes, move it up a little and you should be fine with the most of it. Then you can start adding details like the pearls and the back. That's a good idea. I'll have to try that tonight. Thanks!
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Post by inabadromance on Aug 3, 2017 19:35:25 GMT -5
I did the baking of the shadow and i don't see any "blob" type of shadow.. or is this blob? You can get this by following the tutorial linked. [download texture]This requires further editing, like smoothing the edges of the shadow to make it less pixel-y.
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 5, 2017 1:01:59 GMT -5
How did you do that??? More importantly, how do I do that?
Looks like I'm going to have to take a closer look at that tutorial. Hopefully, I'll figure it out. I have some hats I did that I uploaded to TSR and I never did a shadow for them. I really need to learn this. Thank you, you guys!
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Post by Fwecka (Lolabellesims) on Aug 5, 2017 5:38:33 GMT -5
Wait a minute! Wait just a dang minute! All I had to do was bake a multiplier of the model's torso and the necklace shadow automatically showed up as part of that. I can't believe I couldn't figure that out.
Doh!
Everything's good now, lol, thank you all muchly! You can consider this solved.
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