Okay, so I'm wondering if I could get some help? (By the way, I'm sorry if this isn't the proper thread, but I'm ready to tear my hair out...). Okay, so I've got the DDS utilities installed and I've told SimPE the path and whatnot, but my images still come out blurry. I'm wondering, do I have to save the images as DDS files? And how can I do that, because I use Photoshop, and I have the DDS utilities as a plug-in, but it won't let me save my files as dds files.

Edited to add: Any help would be greatly appreciated.

kace166, saving your images as .png files should be fine. Have you tried to change the DXT import setting from "Smoothen" to "None"?

Ooh, no I haven't tried that yet. I'm trying it right now!

Edited to add: No, it didn't work. I got the same effect. Is there like, a specific program I should be using or something?

Lately, I'm coming across some problems when trying to recolour some objects...
http://ambertation.de/simpeforum/vi...bfdb38967#12734

now, I'm trying to recolour the community phone booth, I could only get the light subset out.
And, I made an original clone as well as a custom clone to fool around what should be inside the package.

I wonder if I can make some safe working recolours by deleting all the other files except txtr, txmt, mmat files in the custom clone and re-referencing the "modelname dstring" for the cres (simply copy it from the original clone or deleting the additional string names) in the mmat file. so, is the water deep?

As for the Phone Booth, it is not recolourable, as is... To be exact, the "sign" subset is set as recolourable (probably because some Maxis engineer didn't understand how lit/unlit parts work :D), but the main body can't be recoloured.

It's not a problem of pulling the right files: if the booth isn't set as recolourable, user-created recolours wouldn't be loaded anyway (so, cloning it and deleting the useless files is not a solution).
When I've created the CEP, I didn't included it because of the handset: it uses the "home" phone textures; but if you think it should be fine to have the booth recolourable, and not the handset, I can add it to the upcoming new CEP4 for OFB.

As for the love tub, SimPE pulls some unnecessary files from the sunken hot tub: in the graphic interface of Object Workshop, the subset selection window shows *three* subsets (you might have to enlarge the window, in order to see them all). You have to *uncheck* the one related to the sunken hot tub, and leave checked the two subsets of the love tub.
If in the classic interface SimPE crashes when loading the love tub, I can't help you: I can only suggest to start using the new interface, that is the only one still fully supported by Quaxi.

I'm sorry my description was messy....

Actually, before the simpe update, it happened that I could create recolours of the lovetubs and some other objects without any problem. But after the update, I no longer can make any recolours of those objects. Even worse, after switching back to the older version, it still doesn't work any more.
The confusion was caused by the fact that I could recolour those objects before and now I can't. I've already reinstalled the simpe and CEP, but nothing can get me to be capable of recolouring them again.

I was aware of the fact certain objects cannot be recoloured. But, how did it happen when I could?
Now, I clone the lovetub recolours I've made before and try to to see if it works, and of course, I'll set it another ID.

N, yes, the lovetub recolour I've got by accident can recolour the internal of the sunken hottub spa as well a itself. When I checked their clones, I can also see that.
Anyway, attched is that lovetub recolour if modders may find it/them interesting... (updated: file deleted)

Yes, I've understood that your problem was not only related to recolourable objects, but mostly about SimPE not working, but I couldn't give any valid answer to that beside suggesting to start using the graphic interface (maybe using the "classic" skin on the GUI interface, which would look more similar to the one you are accustomed to).

Actually, I'd tried both the old and the new ones... .. so long as which is working...! :bandit:

Anyway, I've come across a problem trying to import an image of w768 x h512 for a particular recolour, and its original image size is w256 x h512.

It led to this error message:

Message:
Unable to read beyond the end of the stream.

SimPE Version:
Default (0.54.2219.30234).

Exception Stack:
System.IO.EndOfStreamException: Unable to read beyond the end of the stream.
at System.IO.__Error.EndOfFile()
at System.IO.BinaryReader.FillBuffer(Int32 numBytes)
at System.IO.BinaryReader.ReadByte()
at SimPe.Plugin.ImageLoader.DXT3Parser(Size parentsize, TxtrFormats format, Int32 imgsize, BinaryReader reader, Int32 wd, Int32 hg)

Source:
mscorlib


Execution Stack:
at System.IO.__Error.EndOfFile()
at System.IO.BinaryReader.FillBuffer(Int32 numBytes)
at System.IO.BinaryReader.ReadByte()
at SimPe.Plugin.ImageLoader.DXT3Parser(Size parentsize, TxtrFormats format, Int32 imgsize, BinaryReader reader, Int32 wd, Int32 hg)

With the sorts of wording, is the image dimension the cause of the problem?
So, there're some limitations on the inputting image sizes? If so, what're they? Have they all to be a homo-multiple of 2/a power of 2?
Or the size of the image cannot be changed?

Sorry, I'm sorry if I mistake this thread as one of the relevant thread to ask coz I just thought this may be relevant to both threads.while I can respond something here at the same time. But, if this has to to be on the another thread, I'll move the content there leaving my response to the previous here.

Update:
I've just tried to use w1024 x h512, I didn't get any error message, and the file doesn't crash the game like the previous one.

Yes, you can't use a "non-standard" size like 768 pixels. 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and the like are the ones allowed. You can change the image size, but the dimensions have to be one of these numbers.

Thanks, I've finally worked out my latest recolours...

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but before I upgraded to SimPE v.54, Object Workshop would allow me to decide which colors to pull. However, now I don't have a choice using the basic catalogue procedure (haven't tried doing it the long way). Is there some preference setting I can alter to tell it to give me my choice of colors? I'm trying to pull the dark wood of the pool table, but only the light wood comes up.

Also, I have this weird problem with any files that are 16 pixels on a side, but maybe that's my graphics program. Just wondering if anyone else has come across this.

Object Workshop won't let you choose the texture anymore, but Wizards of SimPE will. But there is a way to still get the textures you want to in OW: Just clone the object and uncheck the "pull only default color" option. It should give you all the textures. (This clone is just used for pulling the textures, you should make a separate package for the actual recolor.)

Ooh, err, Clone, um, that's usually used for making a new object, right? So you're saying, just use it to get the texture I want, and then copy that texture back into the color package? Just want to get it straight. Thanks!

Yes, just take the textures you want from the cloned package, then you can ditch it

There was an older version of Simpe where we could choose which texture from the object we wanted to recolor. Is this still possible?

Object Workshop doesn't allow you to choose anymore, but Wizards of SimPE does. See the several posts prior to yours where we talked about how to extract those textures by cloning the object .

OK so I stayed up last night making paintings based on the Mango sims base mesh. I followed the tutorial step for step and when I put it in the downloads folder and started up the game (mind you I ONLY had the base mesh and my recolour in the folder, no other downloads) it was fine. Then I went to make other recolours of the same mesh using the same steps and put them in the downloads folder. I started up the game and when I click on the object my game goes into a loop and freezes up. It forces me to exit out using CTL-ALT-DEL. This happens EVERYTIME I try it. I even tried different meshes to make sure it wasn't the mesh and I still get the loop/freeze.

Can anyone help?!?

lissielu, would you attach some of those recolors to a post in this thread, and tell where exactly at Mango Sims to download the base mesh? Someone will take a look and try to help .

I attached the three recolors I was trying to place in the folder. The mesh is on this page :
http://mangosims2.free.fr/meubles-b...ecolorables.htm

The "Nouvelle base du tableau"

Thank you so much. I really hope I can fix the issue!

so, you've also removed the CEP package in your "downloads" folder?

I believe the CEP package is needed for the recolouring process as well as showing recolours in the game


Added:
Thanks for clarifying that to me ^_^.. I've been wondering about that...

I put the mesh and three colors into my game, and as soon as I clicked on the painting in the catalog, the game crashed so that nothing else worked but turning off the computer completely. I don't know yet what the problem is, but I will keep looking.

The CEP is not needed for recoloring or using this painting, since it's a custom object that's already color enabled (but the CEP is needed for recoloring and using many of the Maxis paintings).

Edited to add: What was the other mesh that you used that you also had a problem with? Because I think it's the mesh file that's the problem. I found some problems with it, and fixed them, but it still doesn't work. I would ask a permission to use the painting mesh on another clone if you really want to use this particular mesh. But for a very simple shape this paiting has fairly many polygons/verticed (within the recommended limits, yes, but too high for the simple shape). I would try a different base from a different website and see if you can make your recolors work that way.

The other mesh I tried was this tibetan painting #1

http://www.aroundthesims2.com/objec.../004/index.html

I thought it may be the mesh because I could not see anything wrong with what I did.

If it isn't much trouble could you suggest a website with a painting mesh close to the mango sims mesh? It's the perfect size for what I need yet I've been hard pressed to find any sites with a similar mesh.

and thank you so much for doing all of this! I am at a loss when it comes to this technical stuff!

Thank you! Werry muuuch! Numenor. Finally i understand howe im gotta recoulor objects!

can some one help me? when ever i choose the recolor option i save it but it says "object refrence not set to an instance of n object"

and i dont know wher to save it

Naming Files
 

This tutorial is great. Could anyone review for me how we should name our recolors? Not the package files. I made 4 recolors of a window shade,custom content not Maxis, and the first one I made showed up but the other three did not. All four are in my downloads folder. I am guessing that somewhere along the line I need to give them individual Id's but I don't know how to do it...Help? I have up to date versions of everything, they are all functioning perfectly, my paths are all correct and I use the Gimp. :salute: