need advice: just learned how to use milkshape

[cwurts00]

I made a few body meshes today.  One was really skinny and one was normal-size with bigger shoulders.  The skinny one seems to have a semi-detached head, and both seem to suffer from pointy shoulders at certain angles.  Does anybody know about this problem, and how to possibly smoothe it out?

Also, I plan to make hundreds of body meshes, with slight variations in each one (I am very methodical in my methods).  But I am getting very frustrated with loading all the different programs, then switching files over, then loading other files, to find out something wasn't saved properly, then looking for the other saved file, only to find the mesh didn't turn out right, so I have to wait for the sims2 to shut down, so I can start all over again.

Is there a very simple and easy way to use the same clothes for different meshes (like making copies and linking to the new mesh, without having all the similar clothes changing over as well).  I am going to end up using the same white briefs for all my body types.

[BeosBoxBoy]

When you first run MilkShape - auto-smoothing is turned on by default, this invariably screws up your meshes. This control is located on the Groups panel of the right-side tools and controls.



Your complaint about testing meshes is one we have all suffered these past 2 years, you never get to the opinion of liking it, but it pains you less after time.

Linking one texture to several meshes is possible, but would be more labour than reward.  It is quicker and far easier to just make 5 or 6 (or however many are needed) copies of the same Body Shop project and then link each one to a different mesh.  Yes it is wasteful of space, but due to the limits of the tools and the game manufacturer's thinking, this is what we are stuck with.

Pointy shoulder may also be a direct result of the animation weight assignments being out of of balance with the game's animation engine or even you video card's ability to smooth.  The Ati xpress series is rather famous for this bug.

Any time you shift a vertex beyond an undefined threshold distance from the animation framework, you will run into problems.  So far all experiments in altering the positions of the joints/bones has proved fruitless in clothing/skin meshes; leading many of us to conclude that this is a hard-coded element of the game.

Unassigned vertices in the mesh can also lead to a variety of rendering problems in-game.  For this reason Wes Howe developed a plug-in for MilkShape to locate under-weighted vertices and in the latest versions of the Unimesh plug-in there is a warning that pops up if all vertices are not assigned.  It is not wise to ignore this warning in a clothing mesh.

[wes_h]

Beos:
In regards to your testing complaints (which I, like everyone else, live with, too), Mete is planning on adding a feature in the next MilkShape update (1.7.11) that should help.

Of course, you know you can preview the textured mesh in MilkShape to reduce the number of test cycles you need to get your mesh and texture matched.

And I believe I remember you know about my experimental UniMesh importer that imports the mesh with an animatible bone structure.

What is new is that Mete has added support within MilkShape to view the animation with multiple bone assignments (as opposed to the old single assignment animation). This means you can do a general test on the multiple assignments for different joints before placing the mesh in the game for testing.

You can see a preview of the feature on the MilkShape site forums where Mete shows a cylinder that is bent like a knee would bend. See the text at:
http://www.chumba.ch/chumbalum-soft/forum/showthread.php?t=18854

I plan on making the animatible skeleton changes a permanent part of the UniMesh package, however I am working on something else that may change the way I calculate the joint rotations, and I want to get that wrapped up before making a general release.

As usual, there is not specified date for release. But I do know that many things that are supposed to be in the next MilkShape update are already completed, so I suspect it won't be too far off.

Where else do you get a program for $25 that delivers consistent improvements three or four times a year without a subscription?
(Hint: not from Symantec, McAfee or Microsoft).

<* Wes *>

[BeosBoxBoy]

That is great news Wes - thank you for bringing it to my attention.  It will certainly reduce the number of in-game test cycles!

And I agree, MilkShape is an outstanding value for the money!  I have been using it for nearly 6 uears - maybe 7, and I only complain that I want it to do things that AutoCAD does :lol: I never claimed to be reasonable

[cwurts00]

I finally made a bodybuilder mesh in milkshape but it has little images of itself all over the lumpy parts.  I can see all kinds of white briefs on every muscle.  Any suggestions?

[BeosBoxBoy]

re-map the mesh - the added portions are mapped to the entire texture.

[cwurts00]

What is a re-map?
...and just to clarify what I meant, I am happy with the mesh in Milkshape, but in CAS, it has mini-pictures of white-brief underwear all over the parts of the body I made changes too.

But if I have re-map, how do I do that?

[BeosBoxBoy]

You will need to have an extracted version of you texture.

Then assign the texture to the mesh:

• Go to the Materials Tab of Milkshape
• Click the NEW button
• look for a button with the label < none >, click it
• browse to your texture
• press CTRL+A to sellect all of your mesh
• now click the ASSIGN button
• the mesh should now be assigned the terxture
• change the 3D view to TEXTURED
  
• change the the Transparency to Depth Buffered with Alpha Reference
  
• you should now see your mesh with the texture

Next open the MilkShape 3D Texture Coordinate Editor

• Mouse click Window in the menu
• select Texture Coordinate Editor
• The UVMap editor is now open
• Here patience is the virtue that brings its own rewards

To shift the view (move the view left, right, up, down) use CTRL+mouse click to drag the view.

The UVMap editor will only display selected faces, just selecting vertices will display nothing in the editor.