PETS owners: How to create BodyShop recolours compatible with older games.
 

Bodyshop Patch Released. This procedure should no longer be necessary, although info remains in case you need it. Go get the patch here: http://thesims2.ea.com/help/index.php?pid=Help

As discussed in THIS THREAD, several BodyShop items (namely, recolours of clothings and hairstyles, but possibly other BS stuff) created with the PETS BodyShop are not compatible with older games.

On the other hand, BS items created with older games are compatible with Pets.

In order to create a recolour that will work with any game, I suggest to use the new "Legacy BodyShop" included in the BaseGameStarter.
This special verson of the BodyShop includes all the EPs that you have installed, except Pets. This way, you can create BodyShop stuff as if Pets is not installed, without actually uninstalling Pets.

All the instructions for the Legacy BodyShop are explained in the BaseGameStarter thread, but for simplicity sake I'll sum up here the relefùvant info that may interest BodyShoppers.

1. Download the BaseGameStarter, extract the installer from the ZIP and run it by double-clicking on the executable.
2. In the first Option panel, select "Legacy BodyShop" (deselect all the other options if you are not interested).
   
   
3. Skip the second options panel, just click "Next".
   
4. On the thirs Option panel, leave the default options:
   
   
5. Let the installer run its tasks, and you'll get a new icon "Start Legacy BodyShop" on your desktop: whenever you double-click it, the BodyShop will run ignoring the Pets EP, but including all the other EPs that you own.
   Anything you create with this BodyShop will not suffer from the problems created by Pets.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• When you run the Legacy BodyShop, all the sims-related windows must be closed, and be sure that the game, SimPE or HomeCrafter are not running.
• The Legacy BodyShop runs in a save folder of its own ("The Sims 2 - LBS"), that is completely autonomous from your main save-game folder ("The Sims 2").
  Therefore, you have to manually copy the packages created with the LegacyBS to your main game, if you want to see them in the CAS. And the opposite, too: if you want to recolour a custom clothing, you have to copy it from your main game to the LBS folder, before starting the LegacyBS.

EDIT
What explained above will help you creating new BodyShop content compliant with all games.
In order to FIX packages already created with the Pets-BodyShop, follow the tutorial by Marvine & Beosboxboy HERE

I just wanted to say thanks and let you know this is very appreciated. :*)

thanks you so much for this
now i can made clothes to upload again
thanks

Thanks! I've been having problems with Bodyshop a lot since Pets. Hopefully this will fix it!

Numenor, this is GENIUS! I'd recommend Legacy BodyShop to every skinner, not just those with Pets. The ability to copy over and work with only the skins/meshes you want to for that session is such a relief! With the (probably) thousands of clothing textures, etc., that I have in my game (all of mine, plus so many others'), BodyShop was taking soooo long to load. LegacyBS opens in seconds!

I am thoroughly thrilled with it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mmmhh... So, I gues you wouldn't agree with my idea to make the LegacyBS run in the same folder as the normal "main" game, right? You know, some people are confused or annoyed because they need to copy the "raw materials" in the Legacy folder, and then copy back the "finished products"...

can i please know, right when i installed legacy body shop it removed my custom content? well i decided i want my custom content back and to remove legacy, how do i do that? i removed all the folders but when i open regular bodyshop my stuff is goine! how do i fix this?

Can we have it both ways? I mean, a choice...

Personally, I feel that EA's way ~ loading every single Sim-related file you have ~ is a terrible waste of time. People could just copy the custom meshes and skins they work with a lot, and leave those copies in the working folder. Then they'd only have to move the new files back to the playing folder.

Or won't leaving copies in there work?? LBS won't delete them when it closes, will it? (I admit, I was so excited by the speedy load and quick browsing through the thumbnails, that I didn't do a thorough investigation of the idea.)
[edit] I answered my own question in less than a minute: No, it will not delete the copied files. They're right where I left them, in:
...\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 - LBS\SavedSims
[/edit]

nnvp1, I hope you did not remove those folders with LBS running!

The names of the folders are changed temporarily while LBS is running. You should find your downloads in the \Downloads folder, inside the folder named \The Sims 2 - FullGame, as long as LBS is running.

Once you close LBS, that folder is renamed back to \The Sims 2, so you can play.

thanks ill try it, i didnt delete them while tey were running

I also prefer the way it is, with the separate folders so I can have only the meshes I want to work with and not have to go through so much stuff.

But I can see where some people might prefer to have it use the same folders as the main game.

I wanted to add a tip for people using this - your graphics editor will also "lock" the folders and make it impossible for the program to rename them properly if you leave it running when you quit BodyShop so be sure to close it BEFORE you exit from BodyShop.

Good point, Dr Pixel, I didn't think of the chance that the graphic editor could be left running while closing the LegacyBS...

As for the choice between running the LegacyBS in a separate folder or in the main one, I was thinking... What about running the LegacyBS in a separate folder, like now, but - when the legacyBS is closed - automatically copying *all* the files in the legacy SavedSims, Downloads and Projects to the corresponding "fullgame" folder? You might think that overwriting the files in the fullgame folder is not a good idea, but if you would run the Pets bodyshop, your modification would overwrite the originals anyway, right?

Please forgive me if this is a senseless question, but couldn't I just use my OFB body shop to recolor my things? Would that also cause a conflict? I'm new to recoloring but it was suggested to me to use the OFB or Nightlife body shop. I've recolored many clothes and don't want to redo them. Thank you so much.

If I understand S2 and Bodyshop correctly, every time you install a new exp the body shop is changed along with it, so you can't have OFB Bodyshop with Pets. Of course I could be talking complete and utter codswallop, as I can't even run Nightlife properly on my computer, never mind anything later than that!

Ok I managed to get everything running, copied over all my sims 2 meshes from the saved sims folder in my main game to the downloads folder in the LBS folder, but only about 6 hair meshes are showing up in total. When only about 6 hair meshes showed up, I remembered the old issue of not everything in downloads actually shows up in BS for some reason so I created a savedsims folder in the LBS folder and moved all my hair meshes over (about 150 or so) and I still get the same issue, about 6 meshes show up in all female age groups. Most of the hairs I have were not created with Uni or above according to the artists so in theory the meshes should be showing up. Am I doing something wrong here? Please help if you can. Thanks! :*)

OMG! i went back to my folders and under ea is the sims 2 folder. fine right? then when i press sims 2 all i get is collections , logs, downloads and teleport?!!!! wheres my games!! wheres my 2 YEARS of downloading stuff! this can't happen! *freaks out*

I've been able to get the Legacy Bodyshop to work (thank you *so* much), and I've read the posts on how to fix clothing/accessories/skin tones made with the Pets Bodyshop so they are compatible with older EPs... but is there a way to make Sims that were packaged with the Pets Bodyshop compatible? I had a custom Sim whose face I spent a lot of time perfecting before I knew there were problems with Pets, and I'm really hoping there's some way that it will still be usable. The custom content on the Sim (hair/brows/skin tone) are all from pre-Pets, and those transfer over to the Legacy Bodyshop just fine, but I can't get the actual Sim with the new facial structure to show up, even using Clean Installer. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

No, this can't happen, don't worry
The BaseGameStarter NEVER deletes anything, so your game is still there for sure.

First off, run the "Repair Installation", by double clicking on the icon createdby the installer (it's the one with the "HELP" text )
If you have no errors, then the repair was successful: your game is again in the folder "The Sims 2".

If you get an error, read it: it will give you instructions for solving the problems.

Important: before running the Repair routine, close all the running programs (SimPE, BodyShop, the Sims ecc...)



Shadylady - I'm sorry, I'm not experienced enough to suggest a solution. It's the first time that I read about a pets-created sim that doesn't appear at all in the Legacy BodyShop...

Well, thanks anyway. It is just that I have recolored over 50 clothing items plus some eyes and other genetics. I did not want to go through 80 files changing each one. I was hoping that it was true about using another Body Shop. I deleted my Pets Body Shop and opened up the one from the OFB file. I only wanted to know if my clothes and other items would now work for people without PETS.

Like I said, I'm new to recoloring but I've devoloped a serious case of recoloring bug. Anyone that can help me with this question, I would be eternally grateful!! If I have to install the Legacy BodyShop for them to show up I definitely will. Thanks

Sky, try installing the basegamestarter. You can install a game that loads very quickly and you check to see if your items show up in a non-pets ep.

More or less...
They are kissing as you can see (sorry, couldn't resist to post - error log goes to Numenor)

huh? you dont get it , when i openes legacy , my downloads were gone right? so i look for them and they wernrt there! so i deleted ALL the legacy files hoping it would be there than is wasnt!then when i press sims 2 all i get is collections , logs, downloads and teleport?!!!!

NNVP1: what folders do you have now in your (documents)\EA Games folder?

If you have a folder named "The Sims 2 - FullGame", then all of your downloads (and the neighborhoods, the families etc.) are there.
If you DON'T have a folder named "The Sims 2 - FullGame", but you have some folders named "The Sims 2 - CHECK_nn" or "Foldernn" (where nn is a two-digit number), look into them, in search of your "Full" game.

You can recognize your "full" game folder because:
1) the folder contains a small file named "FullGame.id"
2) the folder contains a huge Downloads folder, with all the stuff you have downloaded in the last two years
3) the folder contains a huge "Neighborhood" folder, with all the neighborhood you have played in the last two years.

Again, the BaseGameStarter only renames the folders, it *never* deletes anything. And I'm sure you can't possibly have deleted by mistake a folder named "The Sims 2" or "The Sims 2 - FullGame". So, your "Full" game is still there, you just have to find it.

If you want me to help you, then zip the entire "BaseGameStarter" folder and post it here.

If you can find the file for your Sim, you could probably extract its face data in SimPE and replace the face on another Sim that does show up...

I don't suppose anyone has an answer for my question above? I would really appreciate it if you did. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to bump, it just seems that everyone has been addressed here with the exception of my question and I was figuring that to be an oversight. Thanks. :*)

Are you sure you copied/moved at least one texture for every mesh? Are you looking in every color bin?

Just a wild guess...

I'd love that! As long as they were copied, and not moved.

Yes, lucentgem, I am suspecting that you moved your meshes and not their recolors that go with them. Each mesh also needs a recolor to show up. I simply copied my entire saved sims folder and download folder over. Then I went into my download folder and deleted out stuff I knew was furniture to save disk space... it doesn't hurt for it to be there, aside from clutter.

I did just use legacy bodyshop, and it worked great. My only problem was a bit of keeping things sorted and remembering where to go afterwards to get my finished files. I tested (because I actually have base game only here on a 2nd pc) my files on the true base game system, and they worked fine, as they did in pets.

On the other hand, having the projects folder so clean and clear was nice, lol. So I guess I'm a vote for 'can we have 1 saved sims folder that renames' so I don't have to go fishing for stuff. I happen to put my meshes in 'downloads' so I'd still need to keep track of that, but it's a smaller issue for me to do that, I don't make _that many_ meshes.

Thank you so much for answering Hairfish and Tiggery. I really really appreciate it. I did originally just move the meshes over but then thinking they might need the colors I moved those over as well. I think I will remove all files and try again. Though it does make me feel a ton better knowing you have had personal experience with items showing up. I've been making things in pets and then fixing them with Simpe. Anyway I'll give that a try. Thanks again!

EDIT: I just wanted to say thank you. Once I reloaded the savedsims folder, repaired my install and tried again it worked! Yay! *Does the happy dance*

the first time , with out thinking i deleted ALL the folders in my ea games folder except the sims 2 folder , and i found FullGame.id but it was empty! and there wasnt a program to open it!

nnvp1, I hope you hadn't emptied your trash yet. Deleting folders 'without thinking' is uhm, uhm, not a good way to fix things.

im looking....im looking

i got it!

hello???????

I've downloaded your zipped folder, and I didn't like what I could guess reading the logs.

You seem to have only one "The Sims 2" folder in your EA Games, and this only folder does NOT seem to be your "full" game. Yes, it contains a file named "FullGame.id", but I think it was created when you tried to reinstall the BaseGameStarter over a bad folder structure (i.e. when the folders weren't correctly named). Infact, in the same folder there is also the file "LBSgame.id" that uniquely identifies the LegacyBS save folder. The only folder you have in your EA Games seems to be the LegacyBS one; I can't see traces of the main game.

So, I second Tiggerypum hope: that you have not emptied your trash, yet.

I cant get it get to work. I get the notepad file, even though I have nothing open relating to the sims.


EDIT: I got it but how can I change the resolution of the BS? It is waay too small for my screen.

Right click on the LegacyBS icon and choose "Properties"; in the topmost field, go with the cursor to the end of the line and delete the text "-r800x600". This will make the LegacyBS run in a window, at its default resolution (1024x768).

If you want it to run the BodyShop in fullscreen mode, delete also the "-w" part of the line.

I've been using LegacyBS fine and it's fantastic (thankyou!) but for some reason it has stopped working. It just won't open. Comes up with a little black screen (mental blank for what it's actually called) and then runs a bunch of files, then nothing. It used to do this and then open LegacyBS. As far as i know nothing has changed since it's stopped working so i'm kinda lost. =)

Edit: I had a look at the LegacyBS log and figured out that i'd renamed The Sims 2 folder to The Sims 2 Full Game. Don't remember doing it but i've changed it back to The Sims 2 and it works now. Thanks

ElmoLovesCyclops - that's where your stuff gets put when legacy bodyshop tries to run... so something must have gone wrong during one of your sessions, and then legacy bodyshop wasn't finding the files it needed when you went to run it again. I could be wrong, but I think that there's a 'fixer' thing on the desktop that you should try if that happens again.

The automatic recovery routin should start automatically, whenever an error occurs. But it can be invoked manually at any time, using the "Repair Installation" icon (the one with the "HELP" text on it).
The routine can rename correctly your folders, without you having to do that manually. And if a correct rename isn't possible, an error window will explain you why.

well....what am i looking for? cause i deleted a folder named ' new folder' and it said ' this folder is too big for the trash ' so..... was that it? oh god! im such an idiot! *hits head*

NNVP1, I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your game. I only hope you won't blame the BaseGameStarter for what happened, because the BaseGameStarter didn't delete anything.

I've searched the internet for something that might help, and I've found a little tool that might be useful: ADRC Data Recovery Tool. It's a small freeware tool that is able, if possible, to undelete the files, while also keeping the original folder structure.

Take a little time to read the instructions (it's quite intuitive, though), and then try an undelete.
In the meantime, don't install anything, don't run the game, use the disk as little as possible, so to avoid aggravating the problem (because every file that is written on the disk overwrites a part of the deleted files).

PS: the recovery tool needs an open internet connection to work, because every time you run it, it will open the help page on the ADRC site. If internet is off, or your firewall blocks the tool from accessing the internet, the tool won't work.

thanks so much for helping me! ill check it now! -runs off-

Oooh, okay, I'm feeling amazingly stupid right now. So here's my thing. I have all 4 EPs and all 3 SPs. I just got the base game starter today and when I installed it, the only thing I had clicked was Legacy bodyshop. When it installed my EA folder had three folders in it... The Sims 2, The Sims 2 -FullGame, and BaseGameStarter. I went into Legacy BS, saw that it worked just like regular BS and closed it. Then I went to make a recolor but I didn't know where to put the mesh I wanted to recolor, so I figured I should come on here and see if anyone else had asked that question and yadayada. So I didn't see an answer where I looked, so I assumed that I should put it in the downloads folder of The Sims 2. I also used Clean Install to install a sim I had hanging around my desktop that had been packaged with Pets bodyshop (with hair and body meshes packaged with the sim) to that downloads folder. Then I fired up Legacy bodyshop and the sim was there, and I went to look at her hair, but the custom star was unselectable like I didn't have any custom hair. But the hair was on her. So I figured I had done somthing wrong, or maybe I had managed to screw up the installation process, so I clicked the icon on my desktop that said help. And it renamed the folder The Sims 2 - FullGame to Folder 3. I tried to run Legacy body shop and it gave some error (sorry, I've forgotten what it said.) Then I manually renamed the folder like it was before but it gave me the same error. Then I tried to run the Pets body shop, and it opened just fine with the one sim and all her custom content. So I guess my question is what stupid thing did I do, and what can I do now to fix it?

Edit: OMG, I swear I'm losing it. The funky error I was getting when I tried to open LBS before didn't come up just now when I tried to open it. I opened it, and there was my sim sitting in the sim bin with all her custom content and what not. But I went to look at the hair and it's still not showing under custom hair. And her outfit too. I should prolly mention that both of them are my own recolors of custom meshes that I made in a Pets environment. But I have de-Petsified them both in SimPe. *sigh*

Fairywasteland - The names of the folder change while the LegacyBS is running: the two folders you mention ("The Sims 2" and "The Sims 2 - FullGame") are perfectly normal as long as the LegacyBS is running; and then they should be renamed back to "The Sims 2 - LBS" and "The Sims 2", respectively.

Do this: run again the "Repair Installation" (the HELP icon) and read the error message, if it pops up. The error gives you instructions as to how to fix the problem, or at least explains you the reason why the problem occur.

If you are in trouble, because you don't understand the error message, or you don't know what to do, then ZIP the entire BaseGameStarter folder and post it here, and I will help you.

In any case, here is some useful info:

1) Never run again the installer: it doesn't fix anything better than the HELP icon.
2) Look into the various folders located into your (documents)\EA Games: each folder must have ONE (and only one) little file with a ".id" extension; if you find a folder that contains TWO .id files, and one of them is "FullGame.id", then delete the file "FullGame.id". When every file has only one .id file, run the HELP routine.

What about collecting all the useful info together in the BGS thread, updating the "Hints & Tips", Numenor?

Good idea I've done as you suggested.

It seems to be better now... I ran the repair installation again and the folders have their names changed back. Before now they hadn't changed their names at all, but it seems better after the repair installation. Thanks.

Actually it was more a 'logical idea'. I mean my logic "takeing care of the whole stuff" was fine with it but your logic was affected by this method because you splitted infos about various threads which makes it difficult to concentrate on the original problem (error fix of BGS components for successfully creating) - and this not really logical splitting done by you was the thing which forced my logic (finding a way to help everyone, you included, to find an easy to access place to look first in case of troubles instead of searching the whole forum for bits of required info) to post :D

Nice to help
(My logic is actually investigating how long yours needs to understand the differences in meaning... )

nnvp1 Instead of going through all that trouble with the legacy body shop, why not trying the old version. I got fed up with it and just ignored the Legacy version and went the old version. I also try deleteing all the ones show the body instead of the head,(for hairstyles that is,) And just never download them ever again. also why not try re-downloading the sims. sheesh.*takes deep breathe and after, sighs* At first I thought I lost all my things until I opened the origanal and POOF there`s my stuff. So this is just basically taking the sims and re-installing it AL over again. Then why would we need the sims 2 in the first place. my fingers are now cramping.

Simkitty, the 'old' version of bodyshop didn't want to run on my computer with my new eps installed, it would error out. I have to use 'legacy bodyshop' to run it.

Hi,

I've got a little and simple problem when i try to launch the Legacy BS: the program doesn't start and i've an error message ("Can't rename the folders inside "(Documents)\EA Games".
Be sure that ALL the windows are closed, including
the DOWNLOADS folder, and that there is no other
program that is accessing files within the
the EA Games folder (including BodyShop and HomeCrafter).
If you need help, visit http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=107015")

I can confirm that all my windows / programs are closed. There are 5 folders in my EA games folder: The sims 2, simPE backup, The sims 2 Bodyshop, Basegamestater, and the sims 2 LBS.

Can you tell me what's wrong please? Thx

Apparently, nothing... Please post in the BaseGameStarter thread, attaching the ZIP of the entire "BaseGameStarter" folder, and I will take a look.

But sometimes - and I don't know why - the folders can't be renamed because of a Windows program that isn't visible, but still doesn't release the folders, preventing a correct renaming.
Restarting Windows is the only solution, in this case...

Lastrie, one of the folders in my pets directory was 'read only' - I changed the setting on that folder and that is how I got my legacy bodyshop to run. Maybe that's the problem on your system also.

Hello
 

I have a problem. when i installed the BaseGame Starter and opened it say "not found" in windows black. and the pets expansion don´t open. I have problems since i installed the sims pets patch. I have a sub-folder (The sims 2) in folder (EA games of docuemnts and settings). what do you do?

Videira, please don't post the same question in multiple forums; I've replied you HERE.

Okay, when I double-clicked my LBS, nothing comes up, that means, the program doesn't start itself!! Why?!?! I don't see it in my Task Manager as well, please help!!

P/s: I have the same problem like lastrie, except it doesn't show any error message, just.. nothing happens.. (there was a log running under the taskbar though but it disappeared in 10 secs!!)

check if any of your sims folders are read-write protected. That's what prevented mine from running, there was a folder that couldn't be renamed. I fixed the protection and everything started working.

Yep, I saw your post for Lastrie and I tried it but it doesn't work

I know this seems like a pretty dead thread, but I have a question regarding this. I've installed seasons since then (and soon Bon Voyage), and I was wondering if that would have solved the problem? I'm on a mac, so everything seems to be much more difficult.