How To Make Your Very First 3D Mesh...For Free!

[Matt's Workshop]

:howdy:

It's ready! It's BIG! And it uses free resources! :thumbup: I am hoping that it will help you to learn how get your very first 3D object, a simple vase, (start small, think BIG! ) into the Sims 2 game. Some details about it:



The free programs I have used are:

SimPE
Wings 3D
UVMapper Classic
Gimp 2

The whole tutorial, is a step-by-step guide and has 642 steps. It has been written with beginners in mind, as if you were opening each program for the very first time, so that you can get used to each program's environment. Every step has it's own full-size screenshot. I have split it up into 6 stages, because as a whole tut, it was SO BIG! This way, it is much easier to download as the files are much smaller. And as it's in stages, you can take your time with each part. It was written on laptops and PCs that have Windows XP Home Edition. I don't know if this will run on Vista, but I am hoping that it will. If it does run OK on Vista, can someone say in this thread please to let other members know. :thumbup: Let's all help each other to learn. I have provided each stage in PDF and Word Document format. The pictures in the tut come out more clearer in the Word Document versions. But if you can't use word, instructions on how to view the pictures in the PDF are included within each stage. :thumbup: The screenshots are on a 1024 x 768 screen size. For best viewing results, if you could change your screen setting to these temporarily, that would be great! :thumbup:

If you need any help with anything with regards this tutorial, then please feel free to leave me a message in this thread only. I work abroad a lot, and my PMs get used up very quick. I'll help you as much as I can whenever I am at home. :thumbup:

This tut is exclusive for Insim. I wrote it as a big thank you to them for providing us all with such a marvellous home. Ta lads and ladies! Please do not host this tut anywhere else. You can put a link in a forum, that's ok, but make sure that it always links back to here please. Thank you. :thumbup:

My concern had been that the files are HUGE! I felt that it was unfair of me to upload them onto here as they would eat up so much bandwidth! So, out of respect for Insim, I have put them onto my free esnips account. Each link below, takes you straight to the file at my account.

There are two additional stages. These ones replace 'Stage 4' in the free tut. These optional stages use Paint Shop Pro X and Photoshop CS2. I made these extra stages at the request of lollipop69. But, these two programs, you have to purchase.

I wanted to say a big thank you to my wife Jessica. Without her help, this tut would never have been finished! :lol: She sorted through all me screenshots, added all the graphics to them, she sorted through me countless books of notes, then put all of these files together. Thank you so much love. :group hu:

Link details: Stage - Program - Info - Screenshots Used - File Size

Right then! Here we go!

PDF FILES (Main tutorial)
Stage 1 - SimPE - Cloning Our Base Object, Preparing Our Package File - 36 - 3.8MB
Stage 2 - Wings 3D - Making The New Mesh Using Wings 3D - 210 - 10.9MB
Stage 3 - UVMapper Classic - Making Our Texture Map Within UVMapper Classic - 148 - 10.7MB
Stage 4 - Gimp 2 - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Gimp 2 - 176 - 19.5MB
Stage 5 - SimPE - Importing Our Files Into SimPE - 55 - 6.9MB
Stage 6 - Sims 2 Game - Previewing Our New Object In Game - 17 - 2.2MB

WORD DOCUMENT FILES (Main tutorial)
Stage 1 - SimPE - Cloning Our Base Object, Preparing Our Package File - 36 -3.3MB
Stage 2 - Wings 3D - Making The New Mesh Using Wings 3D - 210 - 8.9MB
Stage 3 - UVMapper Classic - Making Our Texture Map Within UVMapper Classic - 148 - 8.3MB
Stage 4 - Gimp 2 - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Gimp 2 - 176 - 16.3MB
Stage 5 - SimPE - Importing Our Files Into SimPE - 55 - 5.8MB
Stage 6 - Sims 2 Game - Previewing Our New Object In Game - 17 - 2.1MB

Alternatives to Stage 4 (PDF FILES)
Stage 4 - Photoshop CS2 - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Photoshop CS2 - 151 - 19.8MB
Stage 4 - Paint Shop Pro X - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Paint Shop Pro X - 206 - 29.3MB

Alternatives to Stage 4 (WORD DOCUMENT FILES)
Stage 4 - Photoshop CS2 - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Photoshop CS2 - 151 - 16.5MB
Stage 4 - Paint Shop Pro X - Texturing Our Texture Map Within Paint Shop Pro X - 206 - 24.3MB

With the alternative stages, I only have those versions of each program. If you are using earlier versions or the most recent versions, the commands and actions should be similar to what I use in the screenshots.

If you do have a go at making something with this tut, let us see what you've made by adding a screenshot into this thread! Try to host it from a free account though please, as I am trying me best to save bandwidth costs for Insim. :thumbup:

[Rogue777]

Wow, this is great! Thank you for all the hard work putting this together!

[Matt's Workshop]

Thank you very much.

[Matt's Workshop]

I have just received a request, asking me if the tutorial can be translated into Russian by a member called buffu4a. I have just read this in a message on another forum by this member on a site called http://www.prosims.ru (the message was translated most of it into English):

The author wrote a great tutorial, consisting of 642 steps. The author uses free programs. Tutorial written for the novice user. Download it can be in instalments in PDF and WORD. Every step illyustirovan skrinshotom. Chief tutuorial contains 6 parts, you can download them in one of two formats. There is also an additional option splinting-4 parts, which can be used to pay other programs : Photoshop and peint Shop Pro.

In the post author even wrote about their blagodarnostyah wife, etc. I strongly asked not to place this tutorial elsewhere, as it is exclusively for insiminatora. But the link could move to find links to download in the post.

I think we need to address the relocation of this vast and valuable tutora because He covers all of simpe to viewing an object in the game.

Write your wishes for the transfer, I also must take part in it after the session.

I would like to say again, that the tutorial must NOT be moved, hosted, relocated or transferred to anywhere else. Please, please, please respect my wishes, as this is exclusively for Insim only. You may add a link in any forum messages to this thread containing the tutorial, but no more than that. Remember that the tut is now the property of Insim. :thumbup:

Buffu4a love, you are more than welcome to translate the tutorial into Russian. I would be very happy with that. The more languages that are available for it, the better. :thumbup: But can I request that it stays only on Insim? And not be moved, hosted, relocated or transferred it to anywhere else? If you can use a free account, like esnips or something similar, to help Insim keep with bandwidth costs. That would be great love. :thumbup: You can add a link to your translation on the other forum. That's ok. Let's just keep all the translations in one place. :thumbup:

I'm not a meanie! :lol: Ooh heck no! Far from it. I do very much fully support wholeheartedly that it is important to share knowledge around the globe and to help each other to learn, especially with a fun hobby like this one. I can fully appreciate how difficult it is when you find something that's been written in a different language. If you do want to translate this tut into another language, please can you only add that translation to here, and host it from a free account. To save Insim on bandwidth costs. Please DO NOT move, host, transfer or relocate it to anywhere else.

If any member does find any copies of this tutorial (in any language) being hosted anywhere else, other than here, please let me know in this thread. Ta very much.

Can I also ask that you only ask me me questions in this thread and not in PMs, thank you. :thumbup:

* Also now hosted on MTS2 *

[Ali]

good grief, that's a heck of a lot of reading, but excellently done
 
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this Matt :thumbup:

[lollipop69]

Matt! This is PERFECT! Thank you so much for all your hard work! And I can honestly say that I know how long it took you! Your AWSOME!

[chrissy1]

Matt! great tutorials!
Thanks for your time and hard work on these!!!!!!

[Matt's Workshop]

Thank you very much!

[PegasusDiana]

Thank you for the in depth tutorial

[Diva]

Wow!..Thanks Matt for this wonderful tutorial!..this is going to come in very handy

[sulyuki]

This is great, but I almost gave up at stage 5 step 11. Build DXT was grayed out and it was really hard to find out about the DDS Utilities. Maybe you could add how to install that if anyone else has problems?

[shovac]

Thanks to your wife and you for the tutorials, great work.

[kobold]

Thankyou ~I will try it although it looks difficult to make : D

[lovegirl531]

aaah, how do i open this?? i dont have word, or openoffice or such things

[afcb_gayle]

I have just made my very first mesh having followed your excellent series of tutorials and wanted to stop by and say thank you for all of your hard work in putting them together. They are very clearly written, easy to follow and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to try meshing. In fact I have already recommended them to 2 people!

Lovegirl download acrobat reader and get the pdf versions.