So, you know I have been working on a Mac port of SimPE. I took about 6 weeks off, and did a lot of thinking. The end result is that I am no longer working on a native Mac port.

In my experience, 0.75 works fine on UC and disc versions of Sims 2, but it will not accept the paths to Legacy. (Something I could fix if I could get my hands on the source code, but I have asked and nobody has even responded, never mind provided me with the code.) 0.77.69 by Chris Hatch works on Legacy, but is broken in numerous ways, as reading the code has shown me. I am using his code anyway as my starting base.

I have shifted to a plan to build a cross-platform version that will work on both Mac and Windows. The plan is to first get SimPE compiling the way it should, in Net framework 4.5.2. From there, I move it to Net Framework 4.8. Then, I make the jump from Net Framework to Net 5.0. from there, as many steps as needed to reach Net 8, at which point I can build a cross-platform front end in Avalonia.

I have most of the app compiling in 4.5.2, just Plugins are left to compile. I thought I had cleaned up most of the boobies (and worse, much worse!), but a Find said I have 919 booby references left to remove. It's tedious work.

Obviously DirectX is being removed, and the NVidia utilities will be replaced with the open source library CSoil2. I am very hopeful that this will be the fastest route to both a Mac version and a Windows version that work like 0.75.

There is a similar effort here if you are interested: https://github.com/sims-hacker-zone

Although I believe they opted to start from scratch instead of rewriting the code.

Ah, thanks for that. Yes, they are reinventing the wheel. I introduced myself and what I am doing, but no response so far.

Progress! I have SimPE fully compiling in .Net Framework 4.5.2. Mostly 0.77, but some files had to be reverted to 0.73. Compiling is not running, though. Now I debug for some unknown length of time to get it running. I know some features are a hard no-go for now - 3D previews, in particular, as they are dependent on DirectX.

I extracted all 667 icons/ png files from the .resx files, knowing I will need them later on, when the .resx files are made obsolete. And so it goes.

Tomorrow the entire game detection code gets rewritten, to enable SimPE to work on Legacy, UC, the original discs, Steam, Epic, and, um, other installations. The current Registry-dependent code was the best route when the big question was "What EPs/SPs does this user have?" The big question now is "Which version of the game is this, and where is it installed?" Using the Registry keys does not work well for that at all.

Wish me luck!!

I now have SimPE launching, it displays correctly, it loads the catalog. When I open a package it displays the files and textures correctly. A lot of stuff is still crashing, so there is more work to do to get SimPE working on Net framework 4.5.2. One thing at a time, right? I have not yet touched any other sections of SimPe, doing the Object Workshop first. And still removing NSFW content, of course.

The game detection system is written and works, at least as well as I can test it, on Legacy and UC. I don't have a way to test Steam or CD/DVD or repacks myself.

I am almost done with removing the NSFW content, there are only 163 remaining lines of NSFW code to clean up. There were over 1000 when I started, so I am feeling really good about that. Next is fixing a few form headers that had to be replaced with more generic ones. But it is still compiling and starting up properly.

SimPE has been dragged, kicking and screaming, into .Net framework 4.8. It builds with no errors, no warnings. This is not to say that it all works! It very definitely does NOT. It launches, the new Settings>Game locator dialog works. It opens a package and displays the files inside. It displays the txmt files and shows the image of the texture file. I am taking some time to consider whether I want to get more of it running, or jump to Net 8. It will be a huge mess either way. Oh, and zero NSFW references remain. Finished up removing those yesterday.

I am currently fixing references to control properties that do not exist, due to the removal of some presumably NSFW controls. I replaced them with a Windows default version of the control. But custom controls have custom properties, and if those properties don’t exist SimPE crashes and gives me a cryptic message about it. Today’s big win was getting the MMAT editing panel to display properly and populate the editing listboxes when selected. I would test the editing, but I am not a SimPE power user, and fear I will ruin one of my cc packages if I edit it wrong. What’s safe to edit in the MMAT panel?

If you just want to test a file, you can temporarily change the objectGUID to the GUID of a different object (preferably one with the same setup of subsets so it actually applies to the different parts), and see if the texture switches to the other object with your edited file.

If the item has two MMATs, you could also try switching the Subsetname values (the textures would switch places). Not 100% sure that would work (some additional changes mightbe required).

In case you want to experiment,
The "ObjectGUID" value matches the GUID of the recolored object.
The "Name" value is the MMAT name (which often also matches the TXMT name).
The "ModelName" value matches the Cres of the recolored object.
The "defaultMaterial" value (set to "true") shows the default color of the object, usually reserved for the mesh (recolor files are normally set to "False").
I'd think "Family" is the value that makes the item unique (along with all the recolors getting unique names)
"subsetName" is the name of the subset.
objectStateIndex and materialStateFlags seem to be for various states in multi-state objects (lights, etc.).
I think the "Type" field is for the type of material/shader (seems to have the same value for all the objects I've checked)

Not sure about the others (creator, flags), but I assume they have some purpose too. They seem to have the same values from object to object (I've checked a random selection of different types of objects, and so far I've only seen them set to 0).

Thank you, Simmer22, that is actually quite helpful. I will test editing tomorrow. It should work, if everything is wired correctly - and we already know everything was not wired correctly, as the MMAT panel was crashing until I fixed the embedded resources/lack of custom controls.

I hope it's alright to post this here...

I am a very rudimentary SimPE user, using it mostly just to recategorize clothing, and to view CC that had no screenshots, etc.

Just wanted to say a massive Thank You! for all the hard work you're doing to bring it into the 'modern age.'

Thank you! I appreciate it. A lot.

Hi! how's the project going? It really caught my attention that you'll replace the Nvidia DDS tools, because I've been wanting to make some recolors but there's no support or plugins for my preferred software, Krita

It is slow going right now. I am debugging the recoloring sequence of events, which takes actual thinking. I cannot think properly when I am cold, and for some reason my windows are letting in enough cold air to make half the room 60° while the rest is a cozy 71°.

However, MMAT and TXMT files are now editable, from the limited testing I have done. A package file will open and display the files properly, even the texture image. Attempting to do a recolor of a Maxis object is having mixed results right now at the load subset stage, where you choose which texture you want to base your recolor on, if there is more than one texture. Once I have that working, I will try using the SimPE export and import functions. Obviously, I am very close to the time where I cannot delay adding the CSoil2 library to handle the higher quality images, like the dxt1, dxt3, and dxt5 files.

Compatibility with Krita will depend on what file formats Krita supports. SimPE uses .png files for textures/recolors, and the size must be pixel-perfect. I use GIMP, myself.

I'm here just to drop a "keep up the good work"
I understand 0 about coding and stuff, but I think your efforts are very important for the community.
So, thank you!

Today I fixed the bug in 0.77 code that caused some objects to not appear in the catalog or some object's textures to not appear in the popup texture select window. And I made sure that SP 8 contents show up if you have them added to your Legacy game. The fix was easy; tracking down exactly where the failure point was took several days. At this point, I can create a recolor in this SimPE, but it would use the less-than-satisfactory SimPE import. I am not adding in the CSoil2 library yet, as it needs to be compiled for the environment it will be running under. I am holding off on that until I make the jump to .Net 8. So it progresses. I think I will looking at the Neighborhood and Sim editing code pretty soon.

Update on progress on SimPE. I added the CSoil library, as it was needed for more than the DXT file imports. It is working where I needed it; have not yet tested the DXT import capability.

I have moved on to the Neighborhood selector and Sim Browser. I am fixing resource names/paths that the upgrade to 4.8 broke. I fixed the SimDescription menu option (on the left) to display the list of sims correctly (on the right), which is broken in the 0.77.69 I have. I fixed a bug with the Sim Relations tab of Sim Description not defaulting to the selected Sim. I removed the "secret lover" and "platonic" relationships that were added in 0.77.69. I corrected the math errors in the attraction/disgust display, so they now reflect the actual Sim score. I corrected the math errors in the Daily/Lifetime relationship display, so they now reflect the actual Sim score. The entire Sim Browser section is horribly buggy, so I will be fixing those as I find them. If anybody has run across a bug, please let me know what is messing up, not displaying correctly, or giving erroneous data. I can't fix it if I don't stumble across it.

Another update. I have spent all my time since the last post fighting with the Sims Wants and Fears display. An improvement over 0.77 is that the list of Sims (on the top right) does now appear. The Detail/PluginView on the bottom for an individual Sim is sort of appearing, but with no actual Sim’s data. I hope to get the last of it chased down soon. SimPE was storing column headers in a way that newer WinForms can’t handle, so crashy crashy. After this I need to test DXT importing in the recolor sequence, and then fix a mangled lot editor GUI. After all that is done, the real work begins; I will be separating the logic code from the UI code in order to make the jump to .Net8. 0nly the logic can be upgraded. Then I need to create a new GUI frontend.

(omg I completely forgot I had new messages, sorry for the extremely late reply!!!!) I've tried a bit and it seems the utilities are working now: the textures are preserved just fine :DD anyway thank you for the hard work, and I hope everything goes well with it!

The slow slog continues. I have the Wants and Fears editor tab appearing - have not tested if any of the controls work yet. I have the Memories tab appearing, too, also not yet tested. Memories was tough! There was a 13 second delay from clicking “Open Memories” to when the Memory editor tab would appear. That is mostly fixed, but the very first use is still a bit slow. Original code was jumping back and forth in a 35 meg file, reading bits and pieces here and there. Now it reads the entire file into memory, and parses it from there. After that initial read the tab appearing is instant. It certainly did not help that Wants and Fears and Memories both depended on the same dll, but needed it to be named differently. I could have one or the other working, but not both. So, two dlls with the same contents. Not ideal, but it works.

Not sure what I will tackle next. Probably the Sim Description Extended Form, which, like everything else in the Sim Description panel, is not appearing at all with the 0.77 code.

I have not forgotten that my goal is SimPE FOR THE MAC. Once I have a functioning version of SimPE in .Net 4.8 I can separate the logic from the interface, and jump to .Net 8. Or maybe even 9 or 10. I will have to build a new interface. I could make it cross-platform at that time, but the differences between the Mac and PC versions are so deep that it makes more sense to then return to my native Mac Objective C port, but do it based on WORKING code this time.

[IMG]DarkBlueEktorpSofa[/IMG] Real progress! I have the Sim Description Extended Form popup window working and displaying the data. I now have Sim Score working and displaying data. Those were the last 2 parts of the complex Sim Description panel and tabs and More menu. I think it is all working. To celebrate, I tried doing a recolor, using the DXT import for the new texture. And that worked!

SimPE has been migrated to .Net 8. It is not happy about it at all. Not only do I have to fix the usual configuration and reference bits the migration tool messed up, now I also have to deal with those pesky .Net 2.0 ambertation dlls. Tomorrow the decompiling begins. It will be painful, especially the managed directX translation to Open GL. But that opens the path to my goal, a SimPE for Macs.

The good news is that I had a functioning SimPE in .Net 4.8. Not fully tested, but major workflows were all good.

An update on my progress. SimPE is now running in .Net 8. Note I only said running, as I have not yet reached functionality testing, but it looks good. Ambertation.utilities, ambertation.3D, NetDocks, AdvancedForms, and xsi.lib were all recompiled in .Net 8. Ambertation.3D.mdx.binding was the DirectX one, and it was recompiled after having all the DirectX code replaced with OpenTK. 7z, I replaced with SharpCompress. ICSharp.Zip.Lib.dll was replaced with Sharp.Zip.Lib.dll. XPCommonControls was simply eliminated, and the controls replaced with standard Windows controls. Still need further looking at SandDock, Navisight, Eyefinder. Had to add BCncoder to handle DXT3 files, as Soil2 doesn’t do that properly. And so it goes. Almost ready to flip the platform switch to AnyCPU from x86!

Phase 1 is complete. I have a working 64 bit, .Net 8 SimPE for Windows.
What's new in this release:

Full migration from .NET 2.0 to .NET 8 (Windows)
All plugins tested and working: Career Editor, Skin Workshop, PhotoStudio, PJSE tools (OBJD Tool, GUID Tool, ObjKey Tool, BhavWiz), BSOK Wizard, Wardrobe Wrangler
Modern WeifenLuo DockPanelSuite 3.1.1 with VS2015 Light theme
Fixed multiple runtime crashes introduced by .NET 8 breaking changes
Eliminated dependency on NVIDIA DDS utilities
Eliminated dependency on DirectX
Changed game detection from Windows Registry to Filesystem scan.
0 build errors, 0 build warnings
ARCHITECTURE.md added for new maintainers

Known limitations:

Windows only (Mac/Linux Avalonia port is planned as the next phase)
Some UI layouts retain the original 800×600-era sizing
Hood Tool is not accessible (superseded by Mootilda's Hood Checker)
ObjKey Tool requires old-style GZPS/3IDR recolors (pre-Apartment Life)
Some loading takes much longer than the progress bar indicates.

Requirements:

Windows 10 or 11
.NET 8 Runtime (Desktop)
The Sims 2 installed CEP installed

Available for testing here as a release. https://github.com/rhiamom/SimPE-Fixed

Should I submit it to Mod the Sims? It seems to be better than the Chris Hatch version, as all of Sim Description works, but really no better than 0.75. It was just the fastest path to my goal of a Mac version.

Definitely- you can always go on developing after you've uploaded, and add new versions.