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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 5, 2023 11:35:33 GMT -5
How to adapt MM hair to The Sims 4
In this absolute-beginner-oriented tutorial, I will walk you through the process of adapting Maxis-match ( or adjacent ) hair to The Sims 4.
It is suitable for those, who already have a textured hair model that requires no transparency ( self-made, edited Maxis ones, bought, extracted from other places, etc).
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This tutorial covers:
| This tutorial does not cover:
| - downloading, installing, configuring Sims 4 Studio and Blender;
- choosing and cloning a reference, exporting and importing resources;
- studying the structure of the hair .package and .blend files;
- fitting the hair to the avatar and preparing it to be adapted;
- re-arranging the UV map according to The Sims 4 CAS template;
- making the hair move and morph by transferring weights, uv_1 and vertex paint;
- creating a temporary package, testing the hair in-game;
- troubleshooting ( mesh and textures );
- making hat chops;
- studying and making diffuse, shadow, specular, and normal maps in Photopea;
- making LODs;
- sharing conversions;
- following this tutorial in Blender 2.7x.
| - adapting alpha hair to The Sims 4;
- modelling hair from scratch;
- editing Maxis hair or frankenmeshing;
- making textures from scratch;
- extracting models and textures from games.
| If you will encounter problems while following this tutorial, do not hesitate to ask for assistance. However, please provide some relevant information to make it easier for me to identify the cause:
- description of your problem ( what is happening and when );
- picture of the problem, only if can be captured;
- .package file, with which the problem happens, and LOD 0.blend file you imported in it ( if you did );
- there is no need in providing anything else unless you have problems importing it.
To share these files, simply upload them on Mediafire, then copy and paste links in your post. You can delete these files after receiving a reply. If you will not receive a reply in 24 hours, please bump the thread, i just forgot ( write "bump" and post it )!
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 5, 2023 14:18:19 GMT -5
How to download, install, configure Sims 4 Studio and Blender 3.6+
Download the files:
- Go to Sims 4 Studio Beta version download section;
- Choose the correct version for your system;
- Scroll down to the Download links;
- Click on Download ( Installer ), download it in the opened window;
- If on Windows, click on Microsoft .NET Desktop Framework. The downloading process should start automatically;
- Click on the latest specified version of Blender, download it in the opened window.
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| Install downloaded files ( NOT in Documents, Downloads, The Sims 4 game files, Desktop, other program's files ):
- Install Microsoft .NET Desktop Framework in the recommended location;
- Install Blender either in the recommended location or on the D drive;
- Install Sims 4 Studio either in the recommended location or on the D drive.
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| Change Sims 4 Studio settings:
- Start Sims 4 Studio;
- If you're doing it for the first time ever, you'll be greeted with Sims 4 Studio settings right away;
- If not, in the top toolbar choose Settings;
- Choose a name;
- Navigate Sims 4 Path to the installation folder of The Sims 4. The path must end at \The Sims 4\, not \The Sims 4\Game\Bin\;
- Navigate Sims 4 Documents to C:\Users\(username)\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4;
- Navigate Blender path to blender.exe in the installation folder of the version of Blender that you will be following this tutorial in;
- Save;
- It is best to restart Sims 4 Studio.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 7, 2023 4:56:11 GMT -5
How to choose, clone and export a reference Choose the right reference:
How your item should behave in-game depends on its shape. Choosing a reference that resembles your item, transferring all the data from it, recreating its structure and textures will ensure correct functioning and prevent 99% of problems.
Disregard your item's texture and mentally describe its shape, answering these two questions:
- how long is it?
- what areas of the body it covers?
After that, find a maxis hair that fits the same description ( can be a bit longer ). It does not need to have the same hair pattern, be Base Game compatible, have the same volume.
| Example: chin-length hair, slightly covers the left side of the face, no bangs.
| Find a suitable reference and clone it:
- In Sims 4 Studio main menu choose Create CAS Standalone* under CAS;
- Click on CAS;
- Filter** the catalog by Part type, Gender and age;
- Find a suitable item, Shift-click on one swatch to select all of them;
- Click on Next;
- Name your new .package and save it somewhere.
** Hovering over an item shows its name. It includes the hair color as well. For convenience, you can filter the catalog by the hair color to see only one swatch instead of all.
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| Automatically* extract all resources from the .package:
- Open the console by pressing Shift Ctrl C **;
- Paste studio.exportall ***
* Once you enter this cheat, Sims 4 Studio batch exports all resources into a new folder, located in the same place as the .package. It will be named (the name of your .package)Resources. Doing the extraction this way not only saves time, but allows to batch import everything back, so long the names stay the same;
** Same as in The Sims 4; *** If you will forget it, type in help to see all cheats. This one is at the bottom of the list.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 7, 2023 11:18:17 GMT -5
The Sims 4 hair components
The hair .package contains the following resources: - Four LODs in .blend format. They define the shape and the functionality of the hair;
- Diffuse map is the base texture that includes color and shading information. Unlike other maps (by default ), it is unique to every swatch, so there are 24 of them;
- Shadow map contains a "shadow" that the hair casts on the body;
- Specular map comes in two files and is responsible for the shine on the surface of the hair;
- Normal map imitates and enhances details;
- Emission map is responsible for dynamic light ( not used with hair ).
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| What functions the hair performs and what is responsible for each of them:
- Interaction with hats. Each .blend contains three versions of the hair: base shape and two hat chops. They have different cut numbers, which is what allows Sims 4 Studio to import them back in the correct order and replace corresponding parts of the original hair;
- Displaying textures. uv_0 controls how they are projected on the surface of the hair;
- Morphing ( change in shape during face/body customization ): uv_1 controls how deformation maps are applied and vertex paint defines their variation;
- Moving. When a sim moves, the hair must follow. Rigging is a process of defining how it will happen. Vertex groups named after bones are responsible for this.
All of this will be covered in greater details later in the tutorial.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 8, 2023 2:51:46 GMT -5
Preparation
Unless you edited existing The Sims 4 hair or made it from scratch, you may need to delete everything unnecessary and adjust the hair to the head.
Clean up and re-export the file to remove unnecessary data ( extra uv maps, vertex groups, materials ) and de-clatter the scene ( from the rig and other objects ) without doing it by hand:
- If the file you have comes in .blend format, open it;
- If not, open a new scene in Blender and import the file with File - Import, choosing the correct format;
- If the hair is not the only thing imported, you need to get rid of everything else. Click on the hair in the 3D view, switch to Edit mode;
- Most likely it will have a separate material assigned to it, so you can select the whole hair by material;
- If not, press C, LMB-click and drag to select some areas of the hair, press Esc. Then Select - Select linked to select the whole hair. If not everything was selected, change the view* and select more;
- Select - Invert to select everything else. Press Delete key, choose Faces;
- File - Export - Wavefront ( .obj ), enable Selection only. Exporting in .obj will remove all unnecessary data, leaving only the mesh ( shape of the hair ) and the UV map;
- If the downloaded file does not come with separate textures of the hair, switch Editor type to Image editor, click on Browse button to see all images, choose the hair one(s), only Diffuse and Normal ( purple map, if there is one), and Image - Save as ( save as .png ).
* Navigation and selection shortcuts:
- Scrolling mouse wheel - to zoom;
- Pressing mouse wheel and moving the cursor - to rotate;
- Pressing mouse wheel while holding Shift - to pan;
- LMB-click - to select;
- LMB-click while holding Shift - to add to selection.
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| Reshape the hair to fit the head:
- Open LOD 0 from the folder with resources;
- In 3D view, click at the top of the hair to select it, double-click on its name to rename it to Reference;
- Hide Reference and both s4studio_mesh_;
- File - Import - Wavefront ( .obj ), choose the .obj you exported;
- Renamed the imported mesh to Hair;
- If you want, you can assign exported diffuse texture to the existing material by clicking on the yellow dot next to Base color, choosing Image Texture, clicking on Open, and picking the diffuse file. You will be changing how textures are projected in the next step, so it is not necessary;
- Press NUM5 to switch to the orthographic view*, then NUM1 to switch to the front view;
- Switch to Edit mode ( transform** the mesh in Edit mode only);
- Select everything with A, press G Z on your keyboard and move the hair up ( or down ) to the head level;
- Press S to make it bigger ( or smaller );
- Make sure the hair fits right from the front view first, ignoring the hairline clipping into the head;
- Switch to the side view with NUM3 ( followed by NUM9, if you need the other side), press G Y to move the hair forward;
- Using aforementioned shortcuts, make sure the hair fits well, once again disregarding the hairline;
- With the whole mesh selected, Mesh - Merge - By Distance, with Merge distance set to 0.0001. This will prevent the mesh from tearing where it is split while doing the following steps;
- Enable X-ray to see vertices hidden inside the scalp;
- Optionally change Transform orientation to Normal to move the vertex along its normal;
- Enable Proportional editing to move the surrounding area as well;
- Select one vertex in the area that sinks into the scalp. Press G Z and scroll the mouse wheel up until you see the radius. Move the vertex while adjusting the radius until the hairline does not clip anymore;
- Select different vertices along the hairline and move them freely or along axes/their normals until the mesh fits the head well enough.
* View shortcuts: - NUM5 - Perspective/Orthographic;
- NUM1 - Front;
- NUM3 - Side;
- NUM7 - Top;
- NUM9 - The opposite.
** Transform shortcuts: - G - Move;
- S - Scale;
- R - Rotate.
Follow with an axis ( X - horizontal, Z - vertical, Y - depth ) to constrain the change to it. Follow with the number to change by that number.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 11, 2023 6:32:28 GMT -5
How to re-arrange a UV map
UV mapping is a process of creating a two-dimensional representation ( UV map ) of a three-dimensional object, generally with the purpose of defining how textures are projected on its surface. In The Sims 4, CAS items have two UV maps and this function is performed by the first one in the list. Unlike objects, almost all of them share the same UV space that is divided into areas by category. So, your item's UVs must go into the space meant for its category, otherwise it will conflict with other CAS items.
In three-dimensional space there are three dimensions ( width, depth, height), so each point has three coordinates ( X, Y, Z ). In two-dimensional space there are two dimensions ( width, length ), so each point has two coordinates ( U, V ). This is why these coordinates are called UVs.
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In the image you see a cube with 6 sides. Each of them displays a specific area of the texture. When you move UVs of one side to a different area of the texture, its color changes accordingly.
| Modify the existing UV map:
- Download all or a specific template from here. The hair area is the same for all humans;
- In UV editor select all UVs with A, click on Open and choose this template;
- Assigning a rectangular image to UVs, created in the square UV space, stretches them vertically. You must bring them back to their original shape before re-arranging. To do this, with all UVs still selected, press S Y 0.5;
- Use S Y 0.49 this time to shrink them a bit more than in half. Using G ( move ) shortcut, put your UVs in the space meant for hair;
- Make sure there are at least a few pixels between the borders of the UV space and the UVs;
- Once done, with all UVs still selected, UV - Export UV layout. You will use this image as a guide when editing textures.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 11, 2023 12:05:03 GMT -5
How to make an item move and morph by transferring weights, uv_1 and vertex paint
The easiest way of making your hair move and morph is to transfer all data responsible for these processes from a maxis item. You do not need to understand how any of this works to be able to do it, but it would be beneficial to know what is responsible for what to identify causes of problems.
Movement is controlled with vertex groups. If an area is assigned to b__Head__, it will follow the head movements, and so on.
Morphing is controlled with multiple components:
- uv_1 defines how deformation maps are applied. For example, if a vertex is in the chest area of deformation maps, it will be affected by chest morphs;
- vertex paint defines according to which variation of deformation maps an area morphs, how it behaves when hovered over in CAS, what morphs affect it. Three vertex colors can be found on hair meshes:
- 007F3F along the hairline ( to morph with Details mode morphs );
- 007F02 from roots to the chin ( related to head width Dmap );
- 007F00 from the chin to tips ( to not highlight when hovered over ).
- some vertex groups. There is a limit to how far a Dmap can push the geometry, so vertex groups with _CAS_ in their names are used to exceed it.
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| Prepare the reference ( done with hair meshes only ):
- Hair meshes are split in many places, which produces a very torn up uv_1 transfer result. It is best to remove those gaps;
- Select your reference;
- Switch to Edit mode;
- Select everything with A;
- Mesh - Merge - By distance, with Merge distance set to 0.0001.
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| Transfer weights, uv_1 and vertex paint with Data transfer. The result may not always be perfect, but it is best to solve problems as they come:
- Unhide the reference. It must be visible* ( eye icon ) and selectable* ( cursor icon );
- Select your hair;
- In Modifiers tab add Data transfer modifier;
- Choose Reference as Source object;
- Enable Vertex data and expand it;
- Enable Vertex groups*;
- In Mapping choose Nearest face interpolated;
- Enable and expand Face corner data;
- Enable Colors*;
- Shift*-click to enable UVs as well;
- In Mapping choose Nearest face interpolated;
- Expand UVs, choose uv_1 in Layer selection ( don't forget, otherwise uv_0 will be overwritten as well);
- Click on Generate data layers*;
- Apply the modifier;
- In Data tab expand UV maps. Double-click on UVmap, rename it to uv_0;
- If uv_1 appeared, it most likely transferred successfully. You can edit it further, but it is not necessary;
- Expand Color attributes. If you see color0, it transferred;
- Expand Vertex groups. If you see names of vertex groups, they most likely transferred successfully. However, there is one ( or two ) more thing(s) you need to do;
- If you're using Blender 2.76 - 2.79, 3.6.1, switch to Edit mode, select everything with A, Mesh - Weights - Clean with Subset set to All groups to fix the result of a bug that exists in these versions;
- Regardless of your version of Blender, in Edit mode, with everything still selected, do Mesh - Weights - Limit total.
* Data will not transfer if you will forget to do these steps!!! | 
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 12, 2023 13:56:34 GMT -5
Testing time
Your .blend file has one meshgroup, the package you cloned initially has three. If you were to import it back, only one meshgroup would be overwritten while other two would stay. You can duplicate that meshgroup twice, assign different cuts and import it back to overwrite all three, but it can dramatically increase the loading time. Instead, you can create a temporary package made of one meshgroup:
- Hide the reference. Keep original hat chops hidden as well, neither will import this way;
- Give your hair 0 cut number;
- Make sure the hair itself is visible and selectable;
- Save the .blend file;
- In Sims 4 Studio choose ymHair_BuzzCutNatural_LightBrown for the appropriate frame, clone it, name it test.package, save in C:\Users\(username)\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods;
- In Meshes tab, import your LOD 0.blend file. The hair will appear transparent because there's no texture;
- In Textures tab, instead of the diffuse texture, import the UV layout you exported after re-arranging uv_0;
- If making hair for the feminine frame, in Categories tab enable Feminine fashion, otherwise it will be hidden in the catalog ( unless the fashion tag is removed );
- Save, start the game.
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| In CAS, do the following:
- Choose a default sim, no custom presets or any other CC;
- Choose your hair;
- Change the width of the head to see if the hair follows tightly;
- If the hair reaches breasts, change their size and height to see if it morphs smoothly;
- Check if it clips into ears ( the ears on the avatar in Blender differ from in-game ones );
- Assign different traits while zoomed in on a sim's face to see how/if facial bones affect the hair or how it bends in the neck area;
- If you will find no problems, skip the next post.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 13, 2023 4:08:52 GMT -5
Troubleshooting
If no Maxis item was shaped quite like yours and you had to settle for something different, the received data may have been wrong. As a result, there may be 3 issues:
- The hair sinks into breasts;
- The breast bones affect the hair in an unfortunate way;
- The hair moves is a jagged way.
The solution to all of them is manual weight editing with the Gradient tool.
However, you may also need to re-transfer uv_1 from the body in the first and the second cases.
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| How to edit weights manually:
- Edit the rig to preview changes. Make the rig visible and selectable, select it, switch to Pose mode;
- If you need to change the pose, simply select the bone, press R to rotate it;
- To preview the effect of breast bones, find them under the rig and unhide both first;
- Select one, expand with S 1.5 ( or more ), do the same with another;
- Select the hair. In Modifiers tab add Armature, choose the rig. Do not apply this modifier;
- In Edit mode select the area the bone is meant to affect. Enable X ray, press B, click and drag to select it. If needed, hold Shift to deselect unwanted areas;
- Switch to Weight paint;
- Enable Paint mask;
- Find and choose the vertex group, with which you want to paint;
- Choose the Gradient tool;
- Change Weight, if needed;
- Click and drag to paint, watching how it affects the mesh;
- Once done painting, Weights - Clean, choose All groups;
- Select the rig again, in Pose mode select all bones with A, Pose - Clear transforms - All.
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| If the reference did not cover the same areas of the body as your hair, you may need to re-transfer uv_1 from the body directly:
- Expand the rig, make the real head and the top selectable;
- Select the head, in 3D view press Shift D to duplicate, Esc to confirm. Select the top and do the same;
- Select head_2.001, Ctrl-select top.001, press Ctrl J to join;
- Select joined top.001, switch to Edit mode, select everything with A, Mesh - Merge - By distance with Merge distance set to 0.0001;
- Select your hair again. Add Data transfer modifier;
- Choose top.001 as Source object;
- Enable Face corner data;
- Enable UVs;
- Change Mapping to Nearest face interpolated;
- Expand UVs;
- Choose uv_1 in both drop downs;
- Apply;
- Delete top.001.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 13, 2023 10:51:08 GMT -5
How to make hat chops
Proper hat chops prevent your hair from clipping into hats.
However, if you don't mind that, you don't have to make them.
What to do in this situation will be explained later, just move onto the next post.
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| To make proper hat chops:
- Open LOD 0;
- Select your Reference, check its cut number ( usually 2 ), then delete this meshgroup, you no longer need it;
- To avoid confusion, just this time, rename your hair to Base_shape_2 and give it 2 cut number. Then rename two remaining meshgroups of the reference hair to Reference_hat_chop_( its cut number );
- Select Base_shape_2, in 3D view press Shift D to duplicate, then Esc to confirm, then hide it;
- Rename the duplicated version to Hat_chop_0 and give it 0 cut;
- Unhide Reference_hat_chop_0 while keeping the other one hidden;
- You can switch Viewport shading to Wireframe to see the reference better or you can make your hair only be displayed as wire. I find the latter more convenient, so with Hat_chop_0 selected, switch to Object tab and Change Display as to Wire;
- Switch to Edit mode;
- Enable X-ray;
- Proportional editing should still be enabled;
- The hat generally pushes the hair closer to the scalp, so you may need to adjust the shape before cutting. Don't try too hard at this point, it would be easier to polish the result later, when it's cut;
- Switch to the side view, press C, click and drag to select the top of the hair, press Esc;
- Press S Y and scale down the selection a bit while adjusting the radius;
- Switch to the front view and shrink the mesh with S X;
- Select everything with A, Face - Tris to quads, enable Compare UVs;
- In Object mode duplicate Hat_chop_0 to not repeat the process for a second hat chop. Rename the duplicated one to Hat_chop_1, give it 1 cut, hide it;
- Back to Hat_chop_0. In Edit mode click and hold on the Knife tool to choose Bisect instead;
- With everything still selected, click and align the cut with the hat chop underneath. Use the yellow arrow and the blue circle to adjust it further, if needed;
- Mesh - Split - Face by edges to cut the mesh;
- Press Alt A to deselect everything;
- Press B, roughly select some faces above the cut, press Ctrl L to select the whole area, Delete - Faces;
- Hide Hat_chop_0 and delete Reference_hat_chop_0;
- Unhide Hat_chop_1 and Reference_hat_chop_1. Repeat steps 18 - 21;
- Unhide Hat_chop_0. Select it, Ctrl-select Hat_chop_1, switch Display as from Wireframe back to Textured;
- Switch to edit mode and adjust places where the mesh clips into head. It is faster to do this on both meshes at once;
- You should be left with Base shape ( cut 2 ), Hat_chop_0 ( cut 0), Hat_chop_1 ( cut 1 ). All three must be visible. All parts of the original hair should be deleted. Do not touch the rig, though. Save;
- Import in your hair.package and test in-game with different hats. If it clips in a specific hat, you can clone that hat, export the blend, append it in the scene, and adjust the hair to it.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 14, 2023 13:30:23 GMT -5
How to re-arrange existing textures
- Go to www.photopea.com/;
- Click on Open from computer, choose the UV layout you exported after re-arranging uv_0;
- File - Open and place, choose the diffuse texture and the normal map ( if there is one );
- Click and drag the layout on top, change opacity to 20% and blending mode to Multiply;
- Select the diffuse, Shift-select the normal, Edit - Free transform, type in 49%;
- Align them with the UV layout;
- Hide the UV layout;
- File - Export - .png;
- Import the exported file into the package with the hair to see if everything is okay and you can continue;
- Do not close this file yet. Once you're ready to make your diffuse and normal maps, you can paste them into different files by RMB-clicking on these layers, choosing Duplicate into..., then choosing a destination.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 25, 2023 15:10:21 GMT -5
How to recolor the diffuse texture ( in 24 default hair colors )
Diffuse map defines colors and patterns of the item. In The Sims 4, it also contains shadows and highlights.
Note that diffuse maps are the only ones you can preview in Sims 4 Studio, everything else must be checked in-game.
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| In the corner of diffuse textures of yfHair_FrenchBraidBun, you can find the exact colors maxis hair textures are drawn with. As you can see, they are not of the same hue, which is particularly noticeable in white, hot pink and green swatches. This means Maxis developers do not create them by overlaying one color on the grayscale image, as it is done in most other games.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to recreate their process while starting from existing textures.
However, you can get good enough results using the file I made below.
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Exact colors used in making maxis textures, sampled from yfHair_FrenchBraidBun | - Download this .psd file, File - Open;
- Go back to the previous file, RMB-click on the diffuse texture layer, choose Duplicate into..., choose Hair_recolors.psd as Destination;
- Back to Hair_recolors.psd tab;
- Click and drag your diffuse texture to move it to the bottom of the list;
- Ctrl-click on the thumbnail of your diffuse layer to select its content;
- Select Colors folder;
- Add Raster mask to bring back the transparent background;
- Double-click on the Desaturation layer's thumbnail, adjust lightness to match the Maxis blond texture. It will not be perfect and does not need to be, just get it close enough;
- Hide the maxis texture;
- Expand Colors folder, hide Swatch_14_Diffuse_1, unhide Swatch_1_Diffuse_1;
- Double-click on the name of this layer ( Swatch_1_Diffuse_1 ), copy it with with Ctrl C;
- File - Export as - PNG;
- Paste Swatch_1_Diffuse_1 into the Name field, increase the quality to 100;
- The file will be downloaded into your Downloads folder, leave it there for now;
- Hide Swatch_1_Diffuse_1 folder, unhide Swatch_2_Diffuse_1;
- File - Export as - PNG, paste Swatch_1_Diffuse_1, change 1 to 2 ( Swatch_2_Diffuse_1 );
- Continue doing it until you reach Swatch_23_Diffuse_1.
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| Make Salt and pepper swatches:
- Make Swatch_23_Diffuse_1 visible;
- Create a new layer;
- Choose white color;
- If you have a tablet, draw it in a way you know. If not, draw a line, then spread it along the strand using the Smudge tool;
- Use the Eraser tool with a soft brush to erase unwanted areas;
- Once done, duplicate the layer and remove some of the paint to create white highlights;
- File - Export as - PNG;
- Hide Swatch_23_Diffuse_1, unhide Swatch_24_Diffuse_1, export as .png;
- It would be best to export .psd file as well ( File - Save as PSD ) that you can reuse later, if needed.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 27, 2023 12:45:55 GMT -5
How to make a normal map
Normal map alters how light interacts with a 3D model's surface, thus enhancing the appearance of existing details or faking non-existent ones.
Note that normal maps can be previewed only on Medium and higher graphics settings in-game.
Study the original normal map:
- Open Shared_Normal_1;
- Unlike the diffuse, this one is square, so you will need to crop yours;
- Unlike the standard normal map, it is grayscale, not purple, so you will need to convert it;
- The background is not transparent, but it is see-through.
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| If your item did not come with a purple normal map, make it first: - Open a desaturated version of your diffuse ( either from the previous file, or Swatch_17_Diffuse_1) in Photopea;
- Filter - 3D - Normal map, enable Invert;
- Increase Blur a bit, click Ok.
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| Convert a standard purple normal map to a TS4-specific one:
- Open the purple normal map;
- New adjustment layer - Color fill;
- Type 848484 in the #: field, hit Ok;
- Click and drag the added layer down, so that it comes first;
- RMB-click on either of them and choose Flatten image to merge;
- Switch to Channels;
- Select the green channel;
- Hover a cursor over the image, press Ctrl A to select everything, then Ctrl C to copy;
- Select the RGB channel again;
- Switch back to Layers;
- Press Ctrl V ( Shift Ctrl V for Photoshop ) to paste the copied channel as a new layer;
- Select it, click on Add Raster mask;
- Hide the pasted layer so that the purple one is fully visible again;
- Switch to Channels again, select the red channel, copy it as you did the green one, switch back to RGB and Layers tab;
- Unhide the hidden layer, select the mask;
- Paste the copied red channel in this mask as you did previously;
- Select the original purple layer, delete it;
- Image - Canvas size;
- Disable Keep aspect ratio;
- Change Height to 1024;
- Change Anchor;
- Click Ok to crop;
- File - Export as - PNG, name it as Shared_Normal_1.
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Post by mauvemorn on Sept 30, 2023 15:03:41 GMT -5
How to make a specular map
Specular map defines type, strength and placement of shine on the item.
Note that specular maps can be previewed only on Medium and higher graphics settings in-game.
Study the original specular maps:
- There are two files, Shared_Specular_1.png and Shared_Specular_1.mask.png. The first one defines the type of shine the item has, the second one controls the layering of specular maps of different CAS items;
- Both of these maps are half the size of the diffuse;
- The first one needs transparency, the second one does not;
- I took a look at specular maps of different hair items and they all seem to be made the same way, so you can follow blindly, without converting transparency to a mask and sampling colors.
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| Make Shared_Specular_1.png first:
- Open a desaturated version of your diffuse in Photopea;
- Image - Image size, change width to 512, the height will be changed automatically, click Ok;
- Ctrl-click on the Layer thumbnail to select everything this layer contains;
- Press Ctrl C to copy;
- Without deselecting, add a new Color fill layer, paste 005d00 into the hex code field, click Ok;
- Alt-click on the mask to switch to it, press Ctrl V to paste;
- Edit - Adjustments - Layers;
- Adjust the levels to make the image much darker until it looks somewhat like in the picture;
- Click on the layer thumbnail to exit the mask window;
- Hide the original texture;
- The result will look almost invisible, this is how it should be;
- File - Export as - PNG, name it as Shared_Specular_1. Do not close the file;
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| Make Shared_Specular_1.mask:
- Unhide the original texture;
- Hide the green fill layer;
- Create a new fill layer and choose pure white color;
- RMB-click on this fill layer and choose Clipping mask;
- Create a new fill layer, choose pure black, move this layer to the very bottom;
- Now you should have a black and white image;
- File - Export as - PNG, name it as Shared_Specular_1.mask;
- File - Save as PSD. If the shine is too strong, you may need to return to this file to make the green layer's mask darker. Shared_Specular_1.mask must stay black and white.
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Post by mauvemorn on Oct 8, 2023 12:49:08 GMT -5
How to make a shadow map
Shadow map imitates shadows the item casts on the body.
Study the original shadow map:
- It is of the same size as the diffuse;
- The background behind shadows is white, everywhere else it is transparent;
- The white is not fading gradually, it ends abruptly;
- The gray exists where the hair casts shadows on the head only, not the rest of the body.
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| Bake ambient occlusion:
- Open LOD 0;
- Expand the rig;
- Toggle the eye icon next to head and head_2 to see which one is the real head ( it differs sometimes );
- Make the real head, in my case head_2, visible and selectable. If you do not see the cursor icon, enable it in Filter first;
- Select the real head, switch to Render tab;
- Choose Cycles rendering engine;
- Change Samples under Render to at least 200 ( you do not need a good quality image in this case );
- Scroll down and expand Bake. Change Bake type to Ambient occlusion. Leave the rest as is;
- Click Bake. It will replace the skin texture, which is fine;
- Switch to Edit mode, Image - Save As, save as AO in .png;
- UV - Export UV layout, change Fill opacity to 1, save as UV layout in .png;
- Close the .blend file without saving.
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| Turn baked AO into a shadow map:
- Open exported UV layout in Photopea;
- File - Open and place, choose AO.png;
- RMB-click on AO layer and choose Clipping mask;
- Select AO. Image - Adjustments - Levels, change the value in the bottom-left corner to 228, click Ok.
Study the result and find issues:
- unwanted texture in the eyeball and eyelash area ( yellow );
- holes in the mouth and eye areas, where there were no UVs;
- unwanted shadows around eyes, nose, ears, etc, that are not cast by the hair ( green );
- the shadows on the neck end abruptly instead of slowly fading ( red );
- there may be some unwanted changes of color ( cyan ).
Fix these issues manually with brushes:
- Select UV layout layer;
- Choose the Eraser tool and remove the texture of the eyeball and eyelashes in the top left corner;
- Choose the Brush tool and paint over the mouth until the hole disappears;
- Select AO layer. Once you start painting, it will ask you whether you want to rasterize the layer, agree to that;
- RMB-click on the image and choose a soft brush. Choose white color;
- Paint over shadows around eye, ears, mouth, etc;
- Make the brush bigger and the shadow on the neck smoother;
- If needed, choose a blur brush and smooth some areas ( not around the hairline, though );
- File - Export as - PNG, name it Shared_Shadow_1;
- File - Save as PSD, you may need to adjust the shadows along the hairline.
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