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Simmers' Paradise => Tutorials => Topic started by: BeosBoxBoy on March 27, 2006, 06:18:05 pm



Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on March 27, 2006, 06:18:05 pm
This requires SimPE (q.v. http://sims.ambertation.de/ (http://sims.ambertation.de/)) and a bit of patience.

You will discover the name of the Sim's character file by:

1. Start SimPE
2. Tools >> Neighbourhood >> Neighbourhood Browser
3. Select the Neighbourhood from the pictures
4. Tools >> Neighbourhood >> Sim Browser
5. Scroll to find your Sims, look for the file name in the File Name column
6. Write down the file name & Sim name

Close SimPE

OK let's assume you were looking for Joe Sim in Pleasantview

You followed the instructions I just gave and found his character file was N001_User00015.package

The thing about the names are simple:

Begins with.................................Neighbourhood folder
N001_ .......................................Pleasantview
N002_ .......................................Strangetown
N003_ .......................................Veronaville
N004_ .......................................User made
N005_ .......................................User made
N006_ .......................................User made
etc

Pleasantview is located here:

My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighbourhoods\N001

notice how N001 is the name of the folder?

The Characters are located here:

My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighbourhoods\N001\Characters

Browse to the character folder for your neighbourhood, double click N001_User00015.package.

Once you locate the character file for the Sim you want to change, you need to open it with SimPE, look for the AgeData, and alter the stretch (dtSingle) value

(http://s95147669.onlinehome.us/beosboxboy/images/change_stretch.png)

Make sure you get the right AgeData for your Sim.

Look at the age (dtUInteger):

0x00000004 = teen -- usually stretch (dtSingle) = 0.94
0x00000008 = adult -- stretch (dtSingle) = 1.00
0x00000010 = elder -- stretch (dtSingle) = 1.00

NOTA BENE: In some versions of Windows comma (,) is the decimal point, if this is what you normally use, then 0,94 - 1,00 - 1,00 etc

Remember to COMMIT your changes & save.
-------
Quote from: SDSims
Does anyone know how many meters 1.0 is supposed to be? I though I saw a post from Jase with that information, but I can't find it now.

The value 1.0 is supposed to reflect an average height, so roughly 5'10" or 1,78 metres.

The value 0.94 is supposed to reflect an average height of 5'5" or 1,67 m.

If you wanted professional basketball player sim, a good value would be stretch 1.2
-------
Quote from: Ailias
Will the kiss or hug anim work correctly? ;)

It depends on the stretch value - some are worse than others.  Maxis defined the animations for sims of pre-defined heights.

In all most of them are off by "livable" amounts that film-makers can over-come with camera angles.  But if you show little or no restraint, you can have a 0,5 m adult hug a 6,0 m adult with ease... just expect it to look weird.
-------
Quote from: foodgrabbinhobo
MUCH easier way is a cheat code:

stretchskeleton (number)

Quote from: SDSims
Strechskeleton defaults back when you leave the lot and come back. SimPE is permanent which is what the OP wanted.

Quote from: jase439
Correct.  The stretchskeleton cheat remains active only for the duration of the current game.  As soon as you exit and restart, the sims will revert to their original heights.

-------
Quote from: mmahair
Hi again and thanks so much.  Your instructions work for me until the very last step.  Now I have a different issue, maybe I need to download another program.  When I get to the very last step and try to open the file.  I get a message saying Windows can not open the file.  My choices are to either cancel, or open and select a program to view the file with.  Is there a setting I much change or a program I must have?  Thanks again for your help!

Gné? but you have SimPE, maybe you didn't let it set itself as the default programme to open these file types during install?
-------
Quote from: mmahair
Your instructions work for me until the very last step.  Now I have a different issue, maybe I need to download another program.  When I get to the very last step and try to open the file.  I get a message saying Windows can not open the file.  My choices are to either cancel, or open and select a program to view the file with.  Is there a setting I much change or a program I must have?  Thanks again for your help!

Gné? but you have SimPE, maybe you didn't let it set itself as the default programme to open these file types during install?
------
Quote from: sina
SimPE has only a version for windows.

Sina

Sina, of you install Crossover Office (http://www.codeweavers.com/) (may not work on Mac) or maybe Darwine (http://www.macwindows.com/) (very beta WinE for Darwin) you might be able to run SimPE

If not now, certainly some time in the future


Title: Note on European Metric systems
Post by: IcemanTO on April 07, 2006, 04:31:03 am
A little notice:
For the european metric based systems (e.g. Windows with Italian, German, French and so on settings), you have to write commas instead points into the decimal values, or you will have very strange results.

For example if you put a value of 1.01 SimPE translates it as 101 and you will have a kilometric height of the sim. LOL

So you have to use 1,01 and so on.

I wrote so because it's seems not enough underscored into the main post and it's a very big trouble if not recognized.

Ice


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on April 07, 2006, 07:42:17 pm
Quote from: beosboxboy
In some versions of Windows comma (,) is the decimal point, if this is what you normally use, then 0,94 - 1,00 - 1,00 etc

it's there :)


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: fransica on April 10, 2006, 12:59:50 am
Thank you so much for this tutorial, it works like a charm for me and now I have more variety in my game thanks again!!!


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Mandie on April 10, 2006, 11:40:37 am
I was wondering if this would also work with younger sims (toddlers and children.)  What are the basic heights of them?  I hate having all of my children the same height.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: fransica on April 10, 2006, 12:33:21 pm
I tried it with two of my sim kids but their height starts at 1 like the adult so I put it at 1.1 and my kid is like an actual may 12 year old height and I tried .94 and she was the size of maybe a five year old, so I guess you can do it with the kids I can't say thank you enough for this I love it.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on April 10, 2006, 01:51:10 pm
Very glad to help - and I understand the weirdness of having everyone at the same heights.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: mthomason on June 30, 2006, 05:49:54 pm
Is there a bulk method where (for instance) you can make men a little taller than women?


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: djslippyman on August 07, 2006, 02:00:36 pm
This is a fantastic hint.  Thanks so much for it!

mumof5ferals  - I wouldn't go even near that low.  They'd be crammed into a foot high.  

.82 to .86 works well for standard "younger" teens (just slightly taller then your avg child) but less then that may look unrealistic and akward.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Codi Jo on August 23, 2006, 02:17:08 am
worked great for my athletic girl now she's bout 5'2" like me lol (http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7987/screenshot02jj0.th.png) (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot02jj0.png)


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Auronette on September 30, 2006, 05:58:29 pm
Oh, thank you! :)  I never even considered that this could be done and it will go a long way to making the game more diversified.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on October 01, 2006, 04:08:18 am
Quote from: mthomason
Is there a bulk method where (for instance) you can make men a little taller than women?

Sorry for the delay in answering - but I had to look at a lot of game files and experiment a bit.  If there is a way, there was no way I could determine it.  I suppose there may be a way to do it with a default replacement file, but this seems to be somewhat hit or miss in the working.

Pre-made sims by Maxis seem to not be affected by the mods I made - at least the pre-fabs that install with the game or the EPs.

So I have to say no, there is no universal way to make all men taller than women.  Another modder may find a way to do it.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Jagerjaques on November 16, 2006, 12:49:31 pm
This method seems to work with the newest SimPE. Thank you! :)


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: The Mule on November 26, 2006, 07:13:31 pm
Getting ahead of myself here...but let's say I make a dwarf kinda dude. Will new clothes fit him or do I need to shrink them somehow also?

Edit - OK...I made the dude in bodyshop...dwarfed him in simpe and as soon as i changed his clothes..he grew...so I guess that answers THAT question.

So...can his clothes be shrunk somehow so he can change them?

Aaaaannd...evidently you have to have the guy already in the neighborhood like your tut instead of creating in bs, shrinking in simpe and then trying to bring him ingame. As soon as his little feet hit the floor in CAS he grew to normal size....But it was fun making him in bs!!

Edit again....ok...so here's the peg-leg dwarf...YES he can buy clothes and stay small...but he loses the peg-leg since that's a special mesh. Now if only I could figure out the reflective cube thingie....


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Jagerjaques on November 27, 2006, 03:24:24 pm
Awww! Peg-leg!


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Matt's Workshop on November 27, 2006, 06:59:56 pm
Thank you!:grin:


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: relax on November 28, 2006, 01:26:03 pm
Thankeeeeee!!!!!


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Auronette on December 11, 2006, 08:08:51 pm
I tried using this method to scale a dog down a little bit, but every time I tried, his tongue stuck out like it was anchored to the full height.  Is there any known way to work around this?

Thanks in advance for any replies. :)


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Netra on December 16, 2006, 05:11:38 pm
Great Tutorial!:)


Title: Awesome,
Post by: MsMacDugle on January 01, 2007, 05:13:19 pm
Quote from: The Mule;441739
Getting ahead of myself here...but let's say I make a dwarf kinda dude. Will new clothes fit him or do I need to shrink them somehow also?
 
Edit - OK...I made the dude in bodyshop...dwarfed him in simpe and as soon as i changed his clothes..he grew...so I guess that answers THAT question.
 
So...can his clothes be shrunk somehow so he can change them?
 
Aaaaannd...evidently you have to have the guy already in the neighborhood like your tut instead of creating in bs, shrinking in simpe and then trying to bring him ingame. As soon as his little feet hit the floor in CAS he grew to normal size....But it was fun making him in bs!!
 
Edit again....ok...so here's the peg-leg dwarf...YES he can buy clothes and stay small...but he loses the peg-leg since that's a special mesh. Now if only I could figure out the reflective cube thingie....
Love it so what is the height factor that you used....He seems to be the perfect height for my other dwarven clan members.....Better than trying to use the cheats.
 
thank you , thank you, thank you Beosoboxboy... I've been wanting to know how I could do this.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: The Mule on January 04, 2007, 06:54:02 am
I think on that guy I used .66 or .5    can't remember exactly which..


Title: Thanks for creating this thread, but....
Post by: MsMacDugle on January 04, 2007, 08:54:13 am
Quote from: beosboxboy;90591
This requires SimPE (q.v. http://sims.ambertation.de/) and a bit of patience.
 
You will discover the name of the Sim's character file by:
 
1. Start SimPE
2. Tools >> Neighbourhood >> Neighbourhood Browser
3. Select the Neighbourhood from the pictures
4. Tools >> Neighbourhood >> Sim Browser
5. Scroll to find your Sims, look for the file name in the File Name column
6. Write down the file name & Sim name
 
Close SimPE
 
OK let's assume you were looking for Joe Sim in Pleasantview
 
You followed the instructions I just gave and found his character file was N001_User00015.package
 
The thing about the names are simple:
 
Begins with.................................Neighbourhood folder
N001_ .......................................Pleasantview
N002_ .......................................Strangetown
N003_ .......................................Veronaville
N004_ .......................................User made
N005_ .......................................User made
N006_ .......................................User made
etc
 
Pleasantview is located here:
 
My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighbourhoods\N001
 
notice how N001 is the name of the folder?
 
The Characters are located here:
 
My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighbourhoods\N001\Characters
 
Browse to the character folder for your neighbourhood, double click N001_User00015.package.
 
Once you locate the character file for the Sim you want to change, you need to open it with SimPE, look for the AgeData, and alter the stretch (dtSingle) value
 
(http://s95147669.onlinehome.us/beosboxboy/images/change_stretch.png)
 
Make sure you get the right AgeData for your Sim.
 
Look at the age (dtUInteger):
 
0x00000004 = teen -- usually stretch (dtSingle) = 0.94
0x00000008 = adult -- stretch (dtSingle) = 1.00
0x00000010 = elder -- stretch (dtSingle) = 1.00
 
NOTA BENE: In some versions of Windows comma (,) is the decimal point, if this is what you normally use, then 0,94 - 1,00 - 1,00 etc
 
Remember to COMMIT your changes & save.
-------
 
The value 1.0 is supposed to reflect an average height, so roughly 5'10" or 1,78 metres.
 
The value 0.94 is supposed to reflect an average height of 5'5" or 1,67 m.
 
If you wanted professional basketball player sim, a good value would be stretch 1.2
-------
 
It depends on the stretch value - some are worse than others. Maxis defined the animations for sims of pre-defined heights.
 
In all most of them are off by "livable" amounts that film-makers can over-come with camera angles. But if you show little or no restraint, you can have a 0,5 m adult hug a 6,0 m adult with ease... just expect it to look weird.
-------
 
 
 
-------
 
Gné? but you have SimPE, maybe you didn't let it set itself as the default programme to open these file types during install?
-------
 
Gné? but you have SimPE, maybe you didn't let it set itself as the default programme to open these file types during install?
------
 
Sina, of you install Crossover Office (http://www.codeweavers.com/) (may not work on Mac) or maybe Darwine (http://www.macwindows.com/) (very beta WinE for Darwin) you might be able to run SimPE
 
If not now, certainly some time in the future
  • Thank you for creating such a wonderful tutorial.
  • But, what if I want to change the height while in bodyshop? Since my system doesn't support the game very well anymore.  Yes, I'm gonna upgrade eventually. But for now I use mostly my bodyshop.
Again thank you, I will use this once for all the ones that I have in game already created.  It sure will beat having to boot up the cheat everytime.


Title: thank you, thank you , thank you
Post by: MsMacDugle on January 04, 2007, 08:56:21 am
Quote from: The Mule;504815
I think on that guy I used .66 or .5 can't remember exactly which..
thank you, thank you, thank you as my title bar says.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: The Mule on January 04, 2007, 08:07:17 pm
MsMacDugal....it doesn't work unless you change the height in SimPE AFTER they're in a neighborhood. It won't work in Bodyshop...one of my previous posts explained every step I went through, and that was one of them. I created him in bodyshop, exported him, changed height in SimPe, and as soon as he hit the floor in CAS, he grew....


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on January 06, 2007, 01:46:25 pm
In theory, there may be a way to change the height ratio in Body Shop - BUT! it would be a sort of one size for all mod - so, for instance, if you wants a male dwarf - you would perforce have all adult males as dwarves so long as the mod was in place.  However - I have not been successful in locating any file to manipulate the height.

So the best I can figure is to only change the height of actual Sims on lots in the neighbourhoods.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: FallenAngel86 on March 06, 2007, 03:57:01 pm
I had 2 questions

I was wondering what happens when the child becomes a teen. would the teen be stretch too or normal teen height?

And i was wondering if there was a way to automaticly change the height as the child ages into an older child. For example  Let say u have 2 kids age 9 and 5. one would be the height of a 9yo the other the height of a 5yo. When the oldest becomes a teen, would it be possible for the second child to grow automaticly as well and not look like a 5yo anymore?


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: The Mule on March 06, 2007, 08:14:06 pm
1) Test it to find out....

2) Automatically? no....

I don't think the size change is "permanent" in any case. I'm guessing, but I think moving the sim off the lot might change their height back to normal. And I mean MOVE, not visit a community lot.  

I did test a few things...if you read back in the thread...I created a sim in bodyshop and shrunk him with simpe. When I selected him from CAS ingame - he went to normal size the minute he hit CAS floor...Exporting him with simpe would have the same effect. He'll look small in the choose screen, until I pick him. He has to be edited on the lot, which is why I think it's tied to the lot somehow...


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on March 09, 2007, 12:44:34 pm
the age stages have fixed values that are inserted by the game at transition.

changing the height of a sim as they age cannot be automated, Mxis/EA had this in mind in an early stage of development, but it was proven to be less than desirable so they went with a life stages method.  It would have been nice if they had taken the middle approach and kept the growth and also the life stages.  But they ripped out a great deal of the early beta programme because it presented to difficult or too burthensome.  The "middle age" life stage for instance was chucked, and the elder as we see it in game today was meant to be some special "ancient as the hills" elder.  The middle form was scrapped but relics of it are still to be found in the hidden and un-used game files, like baldness, freckles, and wrinkles.

Anyway, changing a stretch value endures only so long as the game does not cause new information to be written to the character file.  The Mule is sort of right here about it being linked to the lot in some way; the game makes one last adjustment to the character file when it is exported from CAS in-game and sets the stretch to a Maxis-determined preset value.

I have moved sims across lots back and forth, between sub-neighbourhoods (uni, downtown, shopping), etc; I never had a sim revert to a Maxis default height except at age-transitions. YMMV.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: FallenAngel86 on March 09, 2007, 11:40:53 pm
hopefully that be fix in sims3


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: PegasusDiana on May 13, 2007, 01:48:20 am
Can we do this for also altering the height backwards? Like say I wanted to make a troll or goblin? If I made a custom skin ok that's a ways away. But I want to do that, could I alter the height permantely for that sim backwards?


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BlueAngel3121 on June 07, 2007, 03:16:55 am
Thanks for this, its gonna be fun trying this out.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on October 20, 2007, 04:54:25 pm
zac - the "stretch" is precisely that - if you stretch a mesh it begins to look like a piece of taffy after a certain scale


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Bakajin on October 24, 2007, 02:54:15 pm
I used the cheat on a special mesh I'd worked on and the sims developed flaps at the knees like a robot.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: BeosBoxBoy on October 25, 2007, 08:22:49 am
Bakajin - that is most likely due to a weighting assignment in the region of the knees - changing the weighting of the problem vertices should correct the visual disturbance -- I'd suggest more weighting towards the thigh or calf depending on which way the flap was pointed.

When making a custom mesh, there will be issues of course, certain meshes are never going to work for this sort of cheat.  Also, some meshes will work, but only within limitations.

As a rule, I try to construct my meshes with vertex weights in close parity with Maxis meshes to avoid deformities.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: wes_h on October 25, 2007, 10:42:49 pm
The people that made the Maxis assignments are experienced professionals. And the animators designed the animation to work correctly with assignments that were used. You would need to think about changing both to do something special (such as Marvine's dancer).

<* Wes *>


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Bakajin on October 26, 2007, 12:55:46 am
Quote from: beosboxboy;1004944
Bakajin - that is most likely due to a weighting assignment in the region of the knees - changing the weighting of the problem vertices should correct the visual disturbance -- I'd suggest more weighting towards the thigh or calf depending on which way the flap was pointed.

When making a custom mesh, there will be issues of course, certain meshes are never going to work for this sort of cheat.  Also, some meshes will work, but only within limitations.

As a rule, I try to construct my meshes with vertex weights in close parity with Maxis meshes to avoid deformities.


Talking about assignments sparked my thinking. I thought I'd kept things close to Maxis meshes however I can guess a couple of places where I could have created the problem. Thanks.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Bakajin on October 26, 2007, 05:42:55 pm
I hadn't done anything different with the weights. I think I may have just simply made them too short. I'm going to use a different number for the median height, rather than 6' or 5'10" (180 or so cm)


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: PrincessIsabelle on December 04, 2007, 08:16:16 pm
thank you i am going to try this does anyone what the number would be for a 5'4'' person i made myself and that is my height and i woul love it if my sim was that height


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: minigilesstylr on December 11, 2007, 04:11:51 am
5 feet 4 inches is around a 0.914 if 5 feet 10 inches is the maxis hieght.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: cableguy7uk on April 05, 2008, 01:03:27 am
Will try this after work tonight thanks.


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Sweetdey26 on April 05, 2008, 01:24:08 pm
Thanks a bunch! Wish I would have seen this before!


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: Mihura on April 07, 2008, 12:58:25 pm
Yes a great tutorial ! Ok 2 years late but thank you ! :D


Title: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: nattysims on April 09, 2008, 02:15:35 am
Why have I only just found this!

I could have saved myself endless typing in of that cheat!

Thanks as usual Yakov!  

Any chance on a tut about not being a numbtie and annoying Miros so much - LOL  Whistles 'If I only had a brain!'


Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: dneill on August 12, 2018, 01:34:02 pm
I am in SimPE and have done everything the tutorial says to do, but when I bring up the resource tree and click on age data, nothing comes up.  It's like I don't have CPF editor or something.  Please help.
Please see screenshot: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kN8ajPCJNknfFeWJ6


Title: Re: TUTORIAL: Changing the Height of Sims with SimPE
Post by: aerykbacon on September 01, 2018, 03:18:39 am
dneill, you need to reset your layout. It’s in the top left of the icon toolbar, the blue disc image with the red X on it.


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