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Post by Virelai on Dec 8, 2020 16:30:28 GMT -5
So I'm working on this holiday light object and the one thing that is really bothering me about it is that it's just too bright.
Using the Dimming option in game fixes it (looking at this I might like it a little dimmer even still, but that's an aside)
but that's a manual thing that shouldn't be required to make it look right. It should be dimmer by default, but I can't figure out how to do this. The Intensity setting in S4S's Light resource doesn't seem to effect it at all.
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Post by Cidira on Dec 8, 2020 19:30:30 GMT -5
Tried editing the actual texture map for the light yet? It works with the vampire eye emission maps.
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Post by Virelai on Dec 8, 2020 20:02:20 GMT -5
Tried editing the actual texture map for the light yet? It works with the vampire eye emission maps. What exactly do you mean by that? Sorry, I'm very new to working with objects with lights. lol |
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Post by network on Dec 8, 2020 20:13:59 GMT -5
Have you tried painting the vertices a darker grey?
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Post by Cidira on Dec 8, 2020 20:17:03 GMT -5
Well, the way it works with the vampire eyes is that the emission map determines the shape, color, and intensity of the glow. For example, bright white will produce a bright white glow, while grey (i.e. dark white) will produce a less intense white glow. (I wanted my vamp eyes to glow, but the default emission maps were so bright that you couldn't see the actual eye texture through the glow.)
I helped someone else out with a related problem, and the EA object they were recoloring called it a light map instead of an emission map, but it was definitely a texture that matched the light the object was emitting. (I'd guess it may be a CAS vs. buy/build thing.) And they were able to fix their problem by editing it.
So, if you locate that texture, export it, and darken it (i.e. white becomes grey, etc.), I believe you'll get a dimmer light.
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Post by Virelai on Dec 9, 2020 7:57:30 GMT -5
Well, the way it works with the vampire eyes is that the emission map determines the shape, color, and intensity of the glow. For example, bright white will produce a bright white glow, while grey (i.e. dark white) will produce a less intense white glow. (I wanted my vamp eyes to glow, but the default emission maps were so bright that you couldn't see the actual eye texture through the glow.) I helped someone else out with a related problem, and the EA object they were recoloring called it a light map instead of an emission map, but it was definitely a texture that matched the light the object was emitting. (I'd guess it may be a CAS vs. buy/build thing.) And they were able to fix their problem by editing it. So, if you locate that texture, export it, and darken it (i.e. white becomes grey, etc.), I believe you'll get a dimmer light. I'm afraid the package doesn't have a light map, and every attempt I have asked around as to how to create one has come up with nothing. Do you have any ideas?
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Post by Cidira on Dec 9, 2020 9:33:21 GMT -5
If it doesn't have one already, adding one probably wouldn't help because the existing light is already coming from somewhere. Might be a good idea to share your package file, though, and since someone has suggested a mesh-related solution, the blend file too.
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Post by simsi45 on Dec 9, 2020 9:54:01 GMT -5
THIS tutorial is what you need. In order for the light to properly light up you need to manually vertex paint your mesh to determine which areas are lit and which aren't (white being the brightest and black being unlit) The tutorial does a great job further explaining how to do that, however here is a tip that will save you some time: You need the 2.7.9 version of Blender (or newer) for the vertex paint feature to work. Sims4Studio REQUIRES the 2.7 version in which vertex painting feature is bugged. You can easily get both versions on the same system, and use them accordingly. Whenever I work with lamps (that require vertex paint mode) I open the mesh in 2.7 assign the cut numbers, save and then I reopen it in 2.7.9 and Vertex paint it there. In your case it seems like all you have to do is open your mesh in 2.7.9, vertex paint it and replace it in S4S.
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Post by Virelai on Dec 9, 2020 15:56:55 GMT -5
THIS tutorial is what you need. In order for the light to properly light up you need to manually vertex paint your mesh to determine which areas are lit and which aren't (white being the brightest and black being unlit) The tutorial does a great job further explaining how to do that, however here is a tip that will save you some time: You need the 2.7.9 version of Blender (or newer) for the vertex paint feature to work. Sims4Studio REQUIRES the 2.7 version in which vertex painting feature is bugged. You can easily get both versions on the same system, and use them accordingly. Whenever I work with lamps (that require vertex paint mode) I open the mesh in 2.7 assign the cut numbers, save and then I reopen it in 2.7.9 and Vertex paint it there. In your case it seems like all you have to do is open your mesh in 2.7.9, vertex paint it and replace it in S4S. I have a current Blender downloaded on my PC, so I used that then exported it as an OBJ file back to Blender 2.76. I didn't see any difference. Maybe I still did something wrong. (I Vertex Painted it grey instead of white hoping that would make a difference.)
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Post by Cidira on Dec 9, 2020 19:23:52 GMT -5
I have learned two things about lights today, and one of them should be useful to you. (The other is that I think I figured out why the other object I mentioned has a light map and yours does not, because I took a closer look at both and determined that the other one isn't actually a light -- that is, you can't turn it on or off, dim it, change the color, etc., and it also has no Light resource. It's a light-up commercial wall sign from City Living (the other creator was recoloring it and didn't want the recolors to light up), so it doesn't work like regular in-game lights. As for your object, I was doing some Googling and found this thread and decided that playing with the Light resources was worthwhile. Even turning the Intensity all the way down from 20 as it is in your package to 5 didn't change a damn thing, even though EA lights have Intensity values at least as high as 50... but changing the color of the light, in imitation of what I would have done if I were editing a light/emission map, worked like a charm! I set it to a medium-dark grey and the object dimmed right down when I loaded the game again. |
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Post by Virelai on Dec 10, 2020 8:23:41 GMT -5
I have learned two things about lights today, and one of them should be useful to you. (The other is that I think I figured out why the other object I mentioned has a light map and yours does not, because I took a closer look at both and determined that the other one isn't actually a light -- that is, you can't turn it on or off, dim it, change the color, etc., and it also has no Light resource. It's a light-up commercial wall sign from City Living (the other creator was recoloring it and didn't want the recolors to light up), so it doesn't work like regular in-game lights. As for your object, I was doing some Googling and found this thread and decided that playing with the Light resources was worthwhile. Even turning the Intensity all the way down from 20 as it is in your package to 5 didn't change a damn thing, even though EA lights have Intensity values at least as high as 50... but changing the color of the light, in imitation of what I would have done if I were editing a light/emission map, worked like a charm! I set it to a medium-dark grey and the object dimmed right down when I loaded the game again. Can you show me exactly what you did, please?
And yes, I'm aware of the other kind of lights. I actually know a bit of how those work, but I've never been able to create my own because I don't understand how to create light maps.
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Post by Cidira on Dec 10, 2020 20:40:20 GMT -5
It's in the Light resource, just like the Intensity value you mentioned having changed; there's a box that looks a lot like the swatch thumbnail color pickers in the Studio tab, labeled color, and it works a lot like the swatch color picker too. If you've not already got it sorted by the time I have a chance to provide a visual (might not be tonight), I'll do that.
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Post by Virelai on Dec 10, 2020 22:30:42 GMT -5
It's in the Light resource, just like the Intensity value you mentioned having changed; there's a box that looks a lot like the swatch thumbnail color pickers in the Studio tab, labeled color, and it works a lot like the swatch color picker too. If you've not already got it sorted by the time I have a chance to provide a visual (might not be tonight), I'll do that. Yes, I already tried that and it didn't seem to make any difference, so I'd really like to see your edited version of my package. |
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Post by simsi45 on Dec 11, 2020 2:53:16 GMT -5
I just exported the mesh from the download you provided, and after opening it in Blender I can assure you it hasn't been vertex painted at all. It's completely white which is why it's so bright in game.
This is where all the issues come from. Did you follow the tutorial I linked above?
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Post by Virelai on Dec 11, 2020 11:12:56 GMT -5
I just exported the mesh from the download you provided, and after opening it in Blender I can assure you it hasn't been vertex painted at all. It's completely white which is why it's so bright in game. This is where all the issues come from. Did you follow the tutorial I linked above?
I followed the vertex painting section of it and painted it all a darker grey. Then I exported it as an OBJ file so I could bring it to Blender 2.76.
I didn't follow it past step 13 as I assumed that was for more complicated vertex painting, whereas mine covered the whole object with the same shade.
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