Comments on: Skintones-alternative importing method and template http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html Free Sims 2 Downloads Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:24:38 +0300 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Nina http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2404 Nina Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:07:52 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2404 I know this isn't strictly relevant to your tutorial, but you may find it of interest: regarding the minimal skintones I asked if you knew anything about... I have since found out that if one substitutes, for example, ALL female textures (teen to elder) with the same identical graphic texture before importing back via Body Shop, Body Shop will recognise this and compress the package using just one texture. In this way, I have been able to produce a fully functional skintone of just 8 texture files. I know this isn’t strictly relevant to your tutorial, but you may find it of interest: regarding the minimal skintones I asked if you knew anything about…
I have since found out that if one substitutes, for example, ALL female textures (teen to elder) with the same identical graphic texture before importing back via Body Shop, Body Shop will recognise this and compress the package using just one texture. In this way, I have been able to produce a fully functional skintone of just 8 texture files.

]]> By: Nina http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2170 Nina Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:24:32 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2170 Thank you... you were right; DXT3 and DXT1 mix quite satisfactorily. As for linked skintones, I found a tutorial on the SimPE site... it requires the plug-in Color Binning Tool, but I doubt I'll bother now as I have enough editable downloads for my purposes. In fact, I'm really looking to minimise the number of skintones in my game and I am very pleased with the improvements your tutorial on this page have yielded in the way my Sims look. Thanks again Nina XXX Thank you… you were right; DXT3 and DXT1 mix quite satisfactorily.
As for linked skintones, I found a tutorial on the SimPE site… it requires the plug-in Color Binning Tool, but I doubt I’ll bother now as I have enough editable downloads for my purposes. In fact, I’m really looking to minimise the number of skintones in my game and I am very pleased with the improvements your tutorial on this page have yielded in the way my Sims look.

Thanks again
Nina XXX

]]> By: admin http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2105 admin Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:49:45 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2105 I am not sure because i haven't tried this myself but i think it's perfectly ok leaving the other textures as DTX1 since it's for personal use. It would just degrade the quality of the skintone for the other ages, but since you dont care.. I'm afraid i can't answer your second question because i never used or fiddled with custom bodyshapes and linked skintones. But the besy way to learn is experiment! Always worked for me :-) I am not sure because i haven’t tried this myself but i think it’s perfectly ok leaving the other textures as DTX1 since it’s for personal use. It would just degrade the quality of the skintone for the other ages, but since you dont care..
I’m afraid i can’t answer your second question because i never used or fiddled with custom bodyshapes and linked skintones. But the besy way to learn is experiment! Always worked for me :-)

]]> By: Nina http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2087 Nina Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:17:37 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2087 Okay... I was probably looking for an excuse not to have sit twiddling the VAIO's touch pad, compressing files in turn... it really makes my hand ache! Anyway, thanks for offering to help. I should explain that I use a complicated skintone system in my game... Sims receiving new skins periodically according to an ageing system of my own devising. I don't pay much attention to babies or kids, I have very few males in the game, and NO elders at all (any the neighbourhood throws up are likely to get a satellite dropped on them!), so all of those use a custom default I made ages ago. So, most of my own custom skins will only ever be used by females, in which case, if I replaced only those textures of importance in DTX3, could I safely leave all other textures as DTX1? This would save a lot of time and disc space. Secondly, for a long time, I've been editing and using a set of skins originally bundled with Warlokk body shapes. I like them because they only use one texture file for both adult and teen females and one for males (13 textures in total). I never managed to get an answer at Insim. as to how these were created... do you have any idea? I mean, could one delete all the textures in a package that weren't absolutely necessary and have a single texture show up on say both female teens and adults of any fitness? Anyway, while you're thinking about all that, I'm going to check out your fabulous array of cosmetics... it's like pay day and I'm off to the department store! Thanks again Nina XXX Okay… I was probably looking for an excuse not to have sit twiddling the VAIO’s touch pad, compressing files in turn… it really makes my hand ache!

Anyway, thanks for offering to help. I should explain that I use a complicated skintone system in my game… Sims receiving new skins periodically according to an ageing system of my own devising. I don’t pay much attention to babies or kids, I have very few males in the game, and NO elders at all (any the neighbourhood throws up are likely to get a satellite dropped on them!), so all of those use a custom default I made ages ago.
So, most of my own custom skins will only ever be used by females, in which case, if I replaced only those textures of importance in DTX3, could I safely leave all other textures as DTX1? This would save a lot of time and disc space.

Secondly, for a long time, I’ve been editing and using a set of skins originally bundled with Warlokk body shapes. I like them because they only use one texture file for both adult and teen females and one for males (13 textures in total). I never managed to get an answer at Insim. as to how these were created… do you have any idea? I mean, could one delete all the textures in a package that weren’t absolutely necessary and have a single texture show up on say both female teens and adults of any fitness?
Anyway, while you’re thinking about all that, I’m going to check out your fabulous array of cosmetics… it’s like pay day and I’m off to the department store!

Thanks again
Nina XXX

]]> By: admin http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2086 admin Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:29:36 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2086 Feel free to ask and if i can i will help :-) Compression doesn't degrade the images however. Feel free to ask and if i can i will help :-) Compression doesn’t degrade the images however.

]]> By: Nina http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2081 Nina Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:42:41 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2081 No... I obviously made an error on my first attempt because my second project compressed with no problems. I wonder though, does compression degrade the images in any way? Actually, I have a couple of questions related to building skintones in SimPE; would you mind if I ask for your opinion? Thanks Nina XX No… I obviously made an error on my first attempt because my second project compressed with no problems. I wonder though, does compression degrade the images in any way?

Actually, I have a couple of questions related to building skintones in SimPE; would you mind if I ask for your opinion?

Thanks
Nina XX

]]> By: admin http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2072 admin Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:32:29 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2072 I'm glad this tutorial helped Nina! I don't use a Mac so i have no way of figuring out why compressing doesnt work but you can try<a href="http://www.djssims.com/index.php?category=1&subcat=5" rel="nofollow"> the compressorizer </a>(a sims 2 program) to compress your skintones . I am not sure if it works on a Mac but you can give it a try. I’m glad this tutorial helped Nina! I don’t use a Mac so i have no way of figuring out why compressing doesnt work but you can try the compressorizer (a sims 2 program) to compress your skintones . I am not sure if it works on a Mac but you can give it a try.

]]> By: Nina http://www.sironasims.com/skintones-alternative-importing-method.html#comment-2071 Nina Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:53:37 +0000 http://www.sironasims.com/?p=273#comment-2071 Brilliant! This is as good as it gets without mip mapping. Thank you for a very insightful and inspiring tutorial. Actually, I play and create for Sims 2 on a Mac... to use SimPe I've had to transfer files between my mac and my partner's VAIO, and her OS is Japanese; it's like a puzzle wrapped in confusion. Until I read this page, I was simply doing Import & Commit for my skintone creations and edits... but this build DXT guidance has really helped me to get a better understanding of what SimPE can do for me, and I'm finding it a lot quicker to get the results I want. The only thing that didn't work for me was compressing the textures... my test Sim turned out a weird multi-colour pattern. So I've left the packaged files at an uncompressed total of 14Mb. That's okay; I'd rather have a few nice looking if large skins than a lot of smaller ones that look like leprosy. I'm currently replacing textures on a set of JW5 skins used in szielin's custom skintone changer (from Insimenator) for the current crop of Warlokk/Bloom body shapes... improving the naughty bits and overall hue to better match my other skins... I was getting a bit fed up with the pixelation problems, but now I can't wait to finish the project. A big thanks again! Brilliant! This is as good as it gets without mip mapping. Thank you for a very insightful and inspiring tutorial.
Actually, I play and create for Sims 2 on a Mac… to use SimPe I’ve had to transfer files between my mac and my partner’s VAIO, and her OS is Japanese; it’s like a puzzle wrapped in confusion. Until I read this page, I was simply doing Import & Commit for my skintone creations and edits… but this build DXT guidance has really helped me to get a better understanding of what SimPE can do for me, and I’m finding it a lot quicker to get the results I want.
The only thing that didn’t work for me was compressing the textures… my test Sim turned out a weird multi-colour pattern. So I’ve left the packaged files at an uncompressed total of 14Mb. That’s okay; I’d rather have a few nice looking if large skins than a lot of smaller ones that look like leprosy.
I’m currently replacing textures on a set of JW5 skins used in szielin’s custom skintone changer (from Insimenator) for the current crop of Warlokk/Bloom body shapes… improving the naughty bits and overall hue to better match my other skins… I was getting a bit fed up with the pixelation problems, but now I can’t wait to finish the project.
A big thanks again!

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