I wonder, does anyone know of a way to prevent a Sim from appearing on lots other than the one they reside in?

Having recently discovered Bloom's Monk outfits, I'm keen to build a monastery of isolationist chocolatiers. I've also built a gaol with some custom bar fencing and gates I downloaded (there are some truly 'orrible Sims in my hood!), but of course inmates can be found wandering into other lots willy-nilly.
The only way I've found to control this is to use a visitor controller to ban Sims from lots when they appear on them, but it's not ideal to ban them from lots that they might otherwise visit after their release from incarceration!

I know, daft isn't it! Still, thanks in advance for any cool suggestions!

It's just occurred to me that I won't be able to clone any game objects, being on a Mac and having to transfer files to a Windows laptop to work on in SimPE. Can I assume that any non-animated custom object would suffice instead?

Yes, I discovered blacking out the texture, not the alpha by accident. Actually, on the recolor I was doing, it was the boots that needed to be dull.
And I wonder why I keep referring to it as "envi" cube; maybe some kind of Freudian slip.
Anyway, thanks a lot Mummy... er... I mean everyone.

Slave... right, I see that now! Well, this is all good stuff to know, now all I need is the time to myself!

Well, I've drawn a line in the sand after Pets as far as PC games are concerned. Besides, my daughter's PS3 and PSP wants usually means I'm at the back of the Santa queue, unless there's a new Call of Duty out!

But I was wondering what would happen if I deleted BodyShop, then re-installed OFB, the theory being that the installer would have to install the OFB BodyShop where no more recent BodyShop was found to exist.
But I'm too much of a coward to try it!

Thank you guys! I'm looking forward to trying this out over the weekend.

I might be jumping the gun a bit here, as I haven't even had time to look at the tutes yet, but once you've created an object from a vehicle in this way, do I presume that any recolors for the original vehicle have to be cloned and reassigned?

By alpha I meant the alpha for the envicube texture. All I mean to do for now is black out that alpha on a recolor of one of Bloom's skirts which needs to be anything other than shiny. That will probably do; after a few minutes reading the tutorial, I found myself craving a very large, stiff drink!

Sounds like a nightmare! Well, I've got your tute links in another post so if I can get a handle on all this, I may have a go at getting those n•••le rings working right, assuming all this magic can be achieved with SimPE (the last thing I want to do is have to get to grips with something like MilkShape on a borrowed system that I loath!)

Thanks... you're a mine of useful suggestions today! Anyway, I kind of dig what you're saying, though not having any experience of the process makes it hard to visualise. But I will go over the tutes you've linked when I can find a peaceful few minutes to myself.

Ah yes, now you mention it, that rings a bell. I couldn't find the tute here so I'll have a trawl around MTS2 when I have more time.
Thanks.

I want to know if it is possible to edit a Skin tone package file so that the Skin tone will be applied to a different mesh.

For example, say I have a Warlokk texture for his 34B36 body shape, but I want that texture to apply to his 34BN34 body shape instead.

Please do not advise me to create a new skin tone for the target mesh - I have a very specific reason for asking the above concerned with how I manipulate genetics in my game, custom Skintone changers and the like, all of which would take too long to explain!

Thanks

Just a thought...
Is it possible to clone a custom vehicle as a non-drivable object, and still have it show any recolors for the original?

Reason I ask is, I have a custom motorcycle in a variety of finishes that all my Sim Nomads MC (AFFA!!!) own, but it would be nice to have a few hogs to park permanently outside the bar they drink at. I've tried having the bar owner purchase a few of these vehicles and place them around the lot with moveObjects on, but this is not really satisfactory.

Thanks

This probably sounds incredibly dim but am I right in assuming that the envi cube component of some mesh creations adds some kind of surface texture or sheen to a base texture?
Therefore, for recoloring purposes, this can be omitted if desired by blacking out the alpha mask... ?

I was beginning to get the impression that Pets was an issue, reading around the boards. Tsk! I've done a search for the fix you mention but all I came back with was an empty grave, some London fog and a brain in a jar. I also noted a sticky in Mesh Creation & Recoloring help on fixing a thumbnails issue with Pets derived outfits.
At least if I ever get around to uploading any outfits, I know how to fix my packages and re-build textures so that they will show up correctly for other players.

This sounds interesting. Can you tell me what you mean when you say 'remake any accessories made with a pets-free game' and 'cloning an already fixed mesh'. I would very much like to fix the issue I have with Bloom's n•••le rings so that I don't have to remove them from the downloads folder in order for them to work! Is this something that can be achieved in SimPE?