Updated this text to include new information. 23 october 2009
Could some of you please read this info and comment on it??

Information about how to make the MODL and MLOD meshes in Milkshape
=====================================
The main goal is to explain, how to make the object mesh parts MODL and MLOD.

It probably is better, if it is rewritten by a native English person, in correct but simple/school English, I am Dutch and am sure to have made several spelling mistakes.
Sorry for the wall of text, I know almost nothing about layout and making those hidden links.
---------------------------------------

What are those MODL and MLOD files

Well, someday I'll find a nice explanation what they are exactly, but for now it is enough to know that, after doing Decompile with S3ObjTool, they contain the meshfiles I want to edit with Milkshape.

Info from WesHowe
-All objects with meshes should have at least one MODL file. A MODL file is essentially the same as an MLOD, but has an extra block at the start that describes how many LODs are in the object, and has a bounding box for the entire object, probably used to help make the object selectable.
So while it is often not the most detailed mesh in a project, it can be, and can be the sole mesh in the project.
Many interior objects do not have SunShadow meshes in them. Since you would normally not be able to get too far from a rug, and a rug would have normally a limited number of faces, there is little practical need for a reduced face count version. I don't know what the exact guidelines are, but someone thought these through, I don't believe the presence or absence of these features in any object is random.

Making the MLOD-00000000

MLOD-00000000 is the main shape of the object, this is the first mesh to make. It is the object mesh that is used in normal view in the game.

There are 4 possibilities to make this mesh in order of difficulty:
1-Change the shape of a TS3 mesh e.g. make a curtain longer.
2-Converting an object mesh from TheSims2 for use in TS3
3-Combine mesh parts from TS3meshes or from TS2 and TS3meshes
4-Make a new mesh from cratch

The easiest introduction into object meshing for TS3 is to alter the shape of a TS3 mesh.
Your new mesh can probibly use the same UVmap, the same DDStextures and making of the reduced polycount and shadow meshes is not to difficult.

--------------

Making the MODL
MODL-00000001 is a lower detail version of the MLOD-00000000 used in zoomed out view. (In the case of a rug (others? low polycount?) this can be the only mesh)

Info from WesHowe:
The way you would go about this is start with building a working "00000000" MLOD file. After you have that UV mapped, tested and are happy you use the mesh from it to make your "00000001" mesh.(=MODL) That mesh is a same-sized but reduced poly count version.

I adopted this piece from the hairtutorial from HP:
If you have a very low-poly mesh (like Maxis conversions from TS2 to TS3 - custom meshes are usually higher) you can just import and use your new MLOD-00000000 to make this mesh too.

Compair polycounts in the TS3mesh and your new mesh, to check if it is nessecairy to reduce the polycount. (Just keep in mind, that less faces/polygons is always better (because of rendering.....)

To see the poly count of an object, select the whole mesh with Model-select, and do Tools>SelPolyCount. Polygon/face count from the TS3 clone can be found with the MODL/MLOD info button, when you're going to decompile each of the MODL and MOLD's from the clone.

You can use Tools>DirectX Mesh Tool in Milkshape to reduce the poly-count.
You will lose the bone-assignment in doing that, so you will have to re-assign that.

------------------------
Making the SunShadow meshes

Info WesHowe:
The MLOD files have everything to do with sunshadows. The MODL is usually group "00000001" (lod1) and it pairs with "00010001" for it's sun shadow. The other lod0 (main) file will be group "00000000" and it pairs with "00010000" for its sunshadow. But the sunshadow mesh is not the shadow, it is the other half of some sort of template the game uses to make a sunshadow by calculation... as the sun moves, the shadow changes, whereas the dropshadow stays the same.

The shadow meshes may also be welded at all seams, to reduce vertex count, as these meshes are never directly rendered, they are used by the game to create the sun shadow.

You would usually make them by copying your visible lods, select all and moving the mesh to a similar displacement as the original, and using the Scale function to flatten and enlarge it like the original shadow mesh.
-----------------------------

Not all objects (interieur) have SunShadow meshes, but if your clone/base object has SunShadow MLODs, you will have to make them for your new mesh too.
(do cars have 3 Sunshadowmeshes?)

Make MLOD-00010000

Use your new MLOD-00000000 to make MLOD-00010000 by scaling and offset/displace them, there are no known set values to do that with (yet?), so you will have to experiment yourself. I think every mesh has differences in that. The TS3mesh that you use as base can be your guide in that.

Make the reduced polycount-version shadow MLOD-00010001

There are two ways to make the reduced polycount-version shadow MLOD-00010001

Use/import your new MODL-00000001 (=reduced polycount-version) and apply the same scaling and displacing to it, as you did to make the shadow MLOD-00010000. This can be used if you just made minor changes like deleting or resizing part of a mesh, or the scale and displacement were easy values.

Or import your new shadow MLOD-00010000 and use Tools>DirectX Mesh Tool to reduce polycount on it, with the same value you made the MODL-00000001 mesh.

Change the Dropshadow texture,
that white _IMG with the grey blobs and the red text "do not use any blobs below this line".
Some more info about dropshadow here
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=373422

Info from WesHowe
Some shadows, like a wall shadow behind a painting, aren't generated by the game based on your mesh or anything like that. It is a static shadow
In order to change the shadow you need to replace the texture image on your shadow mesh.

The dropshadow mesh is a seperate group in your MLOD-00000000. To preview what the mapped/textured shadow looks like as it is, export dropShadow_object_a_0x............from your package. In Milkshape, make a new material using the exported dropShadow image, assign it to your shadow mesh, and view it in textured mode. (You'll probably have to do a Smooth All to make it show up)

If you then open the texture coordinate editor, you can see that the shadow mesh is mapped to a small part of the dropShadow image. I expect you'll need to replace that group with one of your own, fiddle with the mapping, etc.

==============================================

Introduction

Some things are still unknown and future development in object meshing, can make some of this information out of date. But untill than, we sure could use more information about it.

We started with the tutorials from
Deluxe Designs: Meshing Objects in TS3
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=363856
Xanathon Tutorial: Sims 3:How To Clone A Painting And Change the Texture
http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?...nge_the_Texture

Flabiliki : Tutorial: A Beginners Guide on How to Mesh for The Sims 3 (inc. pics)
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=374503

Some information in those tutorials needs to be updated, especially about the used tools, and they do not include the new information about making the MLOD and MLODs.

Petallotus and Jonesi made very nice step by step tutorials here
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=374282

Ellacharm3d made a very detailed object meshing tutorial:
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=375349
It is full of very usefull tips, and for example explains in details, with pictures, how to clone with S3OC and s3pe.

Orangemittens Tutorial: Creating and Coloring Glass Texture in Sims 3
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=374473

It would be great to have more tutorials, also with different objects.

Here is a link to a thread with a list of all the program and tools you need to have installed, with links and some tips.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...941#post2874941

And if you want to convert objects from TheSims2 for TheSims3, here http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=372692 are the parts that contain info about how to extract the Sims2 object files, and a bit further down Lemoncandy explained how to change the Sims2 textures into useable Sims3 DDS textures.
-------------------------------------

Install your programs, make a new work folder to collect your stuff in for every new project, and do a few tutorials.
If you have trouble understanding a tutorial, please first read the comments first to see if your problem was answerred already. If not, post in that tutorials own thread.
If you have trouble with making a completely different object, start a new thread in the meshing forum, and give as much information about your object/question as possible.

============================================
to be included

Tip : "A short guide to good clonable CAS objects (in progress)" from Buggybooz. http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=365609

. link or info what you can do with the other files in the package like OBJK and how to replace included pattern textures.

Edit and/or make TS3 DDS textures. See tutorial Lemoncandy and Anouschka about this.

Links WesHowe 3D tutorials-UVmapping Orangemittens- tutorials object meshing TS2.
=================================================================================


Interesting info from Weshowe to be included

As for mapping... in 3D meshes, you get one map per group. Each map can be tied to a different texture map, or the same one. If you are texturing with the same material attributes, i.e. same shininess, same roughness, same transparency, then you can share a texture image.

Since you have just a single group mesh (plus dropshadow) you could take your table and raise it up to be on top of the groundplane in MilkShape, add in a table, move the uv mapping for each so they do not overlap, regroup, and make the dropshadow mesh the right size for the table legs. When you regrouped, you made the separate uv mappings be merged together, and now they will HAVE to be textured with the same texture image.

Mostly, you will find game items that (excepting dropshadows) have one group, or if they have two, one is solid and one is glass, or one is wood and one is metal, and a few that have three groups, like the CarPolice, where one is the body, one is the window glass and the third one is the lights. So each material there has different properties. Once cloned, you can change material properties in the .mtlsrc files. But you cannot make two different shininess or transparency levels for the same material (except using alpha transparency), you need different sets of materials, and each will need a different uv map, and be in a different group.

--------------------------------
Question
-when i imported the sunshadow meshes to use them for reference when scaling my new mesh, they were inverted, so I turned all the faces of my new mesh to match, was this right or do you not bother doing that?

Answer from WesHowe:
They are not inverted, they are all black because they have no normals... they are a stripped down version, because the game just needs the shape to make the shadow from.

If you want to, you can do a "smooth all" and you will see they turn gray like the other meshes.
But when you export them and load them in again, they will still be black. It is OK, they are made that way, because they are not rendered directly.
---------------------------------
==================================================================================

What a great project and an ambitious start Cocomama. If pics and text are needed from volunteers I am willing to help.

One suggestion for your consideration: If multiple people are going to be contributing parts to this tutorial you may want to select an object to clone and work with for everyone to use for their parts of the tutorial.

This way at the end of the project a reader would be able to follow the steps and create an object from start to finish by reading your tutorial. So for example, a two-channel recolorable object like a table could be selected and everyone who contributes a part would contribute pictures of working on that table. Other pictures could be provided of different examples of course, but at the very least the reader would be able to follow from step to step all with the same object.

Just a thought and certainly if you're headed in a different direction with this tutorial I'm still interested in helping.

OM

Well, looks like I better post mine up so folks here don't have to start from scratch.
I was hoping to get the procedures down first and organize my pictures and narrative (I haven't gotten consistent results with my step-by-step, I think I missed some somewhere).

I'll have to sit down, read all these entries by cocomama and correct my mis-steps. If only there is more hrs in a day !

Orangemittens, thank you for your imput.
I've included your suggestion of using the same object, and have changed the text a bit. Now it hopefully is more clear, that I don't see this as my tutorial, but as part of the tutorial to make with it.

I always make some sort of tutorial for myself, if I am learning something new, with lots of links and little notes to myself about things to examine and search answers for. And that is what I am doing now too, only I write it down here for everybody to see. It may save other creators time, not to have to look those things up again.

Ellacharm3d: Can't wait

Just want to mention I will be away from my main pc for a short vacation from tomorrow, but hope to be able to read and write here in the forum. I will take my laptop with me.

Edit: If anybody already have some pieces that fit in the frame I have put up above here, you are free to use anything I have written for and about "The Making of" as your own. That is what is was made for.
I am still working on the general intro to Milkshape, and try to understand the dropshadow. Not to mention the little (not recolored) potty waiting for me to be finished. Please go ahead, and post whatever information you have for us. I am not the boss and I am not in charge!
Happy creating, Coco

No problem Cocomama....I think it's great that you've started a group effort like this.

One thing...in your description you label the Texture Mapping with Milkshape tutorial that I made as being for Sims 2, but this tutorial is just as applicable to Sims 3 with the caveat that in Sims 3 every group must sit on the same map.

Do you think I should make a small revision to the tutorial so that it states clearly that in Sims 3 all groups must be on the same map?

Quite honestly, I think that mapping with Milkshape is pretty easy...I think most people can learn to map with it. UV mapper program...not as easy. Milkshape has all the features one might need to make maps for Sims 3 and I would definitely recommend it as the mapping tool of choice for the beginner. In fact, I've been meshing myself for a couple of years now and I never use anything but Milkshape to map with. The tutorial I made shows all the steps one needs to get started and aims to explain the principle behind each step so that the person reading it ends up understanding why they are doing each step rather than just following along blindly without learning why they are doing a given step. It will teach how to map...period...not just for Sims 2 but for anything one needs to map for.

To me, the biggest issue with mapping and texturing in Sims 3 is the alpha dependent nature of the task. Most people coming from Sims 2 have little experience with altering the alpha...myself included. If we could find someone who knows how to manipulate alphas with a Sims 3 compatible tool that would be the best thing...a tutorial on that would be extremely helpful. Even more helpful is if this tutorial included free programs like GIMP or popular ones like PSP and PS. I've been hoping to see something like that here at MTS myself because the one thing really holding me back from making new things is the alpha issue.

OM

Hi OM,

it would be great that you learn us the mapping with milkshape. I read for a couple of days a tut of you, but it's not perfect clear.

thanks

Cocomama - this is a great initiative - I can add some stuff about the wall mask for windows if you like?

Lee

anouschka, if you are having questions about a tutorial I made please ask them. I'm more than happy to answer and knowing where the tutorial is unclear will help me to make it better. If I know what types of questions it leaves unanswered I can try to fill the tutorial in more completely to answer those questions.

OM

Leesester, it would be really, really fantastic if you would write that down!!
Yeah, windows for our houses!

Orangemittens, I so agree with you about those pesky, stupid, stubborn alphas. I am so totally frustrated, that I have not yet found a way to make them. I love my PSP8 and thanks to the pattern tutorials know you can use it to make channeled textures with alpha channel, but not save them as .DDS file. I know you can use a converter to change formats like .psd into .DDS, but have not managed that either.

But a free program like the GIMP that can make and save DDS files, with the DDS plugin, is offcourse way better to use in a tutorial. I already have spent so many hours to find the right commands to use.

We really need help from somebody that knows how to handle those .dds textures with the GIMP.

Your UVmapping tutorial is great already, also for use with TS3. And if you want to do an addition for the TS3 specials like dropshadow mapping and mapping all groups on one texture, that would make it even more complete and awesome!

I have updated and changed the text today, and included links to tutorials.
It now is more of an information thread than a meshing tutorial, I hope you agree with it?