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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 9th Jun 2017 at 2:58 AM Last edited by Joselle : 18th Jun 2017 at 4:59 AM.
Default Need help for new staircases
I've been teaching myself to mesh these past few months, and among other things, I decided it was time to make some staircases to match the ones they gave us in M&G. I've started with the left staircase (cloned off the single case, to preserve the inner workings), and it works perfectly, except for one thing: THE SIDES. The texture on the sides of the staircase is horribly stretched, and I'm not sure what to do about it. The textures on the rest of the mesh are just fine, animations are fine, placement is fine, but the sides need help!

Could a more experienced mesher take a look and see what might be causing this? I really need to get this one working so I can make the other three I have planned.
Screenshots
Attached files:
File Type: rar  Joselle_AnUnforgettableStaircase.rar (272.6 KB, 8 downloads) - View custom content
Description: The staircase with the oddly-stretched sides
File Type: rar  Joselle_AnUnforgettableStaircase2.rar (283.9 KB, 6 downloads) - View custom content
Description: Version made 6-17-17, with innards changed and for comparison to the first version
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Former Hamster
retired moderator
#2 Old 9th Jun 2017 at 3:06 AM
Looks like the mapping - the sides must be mapped on a very small part of the texture for it to be stretched and distorted like that.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#3 Old 13th Jun 2017 at 2:06 AM
Okay, so! Here comes the fun stuff:
I was really hoping it was that simple, so I took your advice mustluvcatz, and remapped the UV for the sides of my staircase to look like the original. However, upon re-entering the game, I discovered that the texture was STILL stretched. I realized I must've used the package file where I'd combined everything, so I tried remapping the one where I hadn't combined the sides, imported that GMDC, and loaded up the game. It was still stretched!

Checking in the double-staircase's files showed me that the texture file size for the sides are 64x64, while the UV for the sides themselves are 512x512. The texture comes from the Upwardly Mobile Staircase from BG, and checking all of its files shows the same thing: texture size is 64x64 and the sides' UV is 512x512.

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking of putting the texture files into my staircase package, but I don't know if that's the right thing to do.
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#4 Old 14th Jun 2017 at 8:34 PM
I don't know if this will help but the game will easily accept (or generally will) textures that are double or even quadruple in size - it's a way to get a better quality texture. Where you have a 512x512 texture you can try importing a 1024x1024 texture instead (try it with a copy). Remember though that this will increase the file size considerably.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#5 Old 14th Jun 2017 at 8:46 PM
Ah, I see.

Well, you can try what maxon said but you'd need to make that 64x64 texture into a bigger size - which wouldn't be too hard since you can copy/paste until it's the size you want. OR - you said the texture is 64x64 while the map is 512x512. That's a little "trick" Maxis used a lot and I've used it myself. If your texture is seamless you can get away with making the map bigger on a smaller texture and it will look fine in game. (Which is what Maxis did with the staircase and you can see that the texture on the sides is fine.) I don't know if you use MilkShape or not - but doing that is as easy as just scaling the mesh in the Texture Coordinator. What I usually do when I want/need to match a texture like that is import the mesh who's texture I want to match (and rename it if needed) and use it as a guide/template - that way it's easier to make sure the scale matches and you don't need to go in and out of game to check.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#6 Old 15th Jun 2017 at 11:48 AM
UV maps don't have dimensions, they're entirely done with relative positioning - what is it that you lot are making bigger than the texture?

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#7 Old 15th Jun 2017 at 12:30 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
UV maps don't have dimensions, they're entirely done with relative positioning - what is it that you lot are making bigger than the texture?

Sure they do - or can. If I'm using UVMapper Pro to map a mesh I can save the UVMap to be bigger than the actual texture.
The texture for the sides of the staircase is 64x64 but the mesh was actually scaled to fit on a LARGER texture - which I've seen many times and have done many times. As long as the texture is seamless (or very close to being seamless) the fact the the map is bigger than the actual texture doesn't matter since the texture is tiled to fit the mesh. So it's the staircase sides that need to be scaled to fit the UV map even though the texture for the sides is only 64x64. (Or a bigger texture can be made.. either way it will work.)
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#8 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 2:49 AM
Well, I went back and and made the textures for the sides bigger, then put those into the stairs' package file. I also went ahead and changed the innards to try and pull everything from inside, instead of outside, the package (for the sides' texture).

AND THE DANG TEXTURE IS STILL STRETCHED!!

*Ahem* sorry, I know I shouldn't shout, but now I'm wondering if I should try cloning a bg staircase and see if that works, because otherwise I'm not sure now.

Also, to answer your question Mustluvcats: I use Blender and the UV Mapper Classic for my meshing/UV needs. As for file size Maxon, if it works, it works XP
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#9 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 4:19 AM
@Joselle
I'm sorry, I didn't take a look at the mesh you attached until a little bit ago. It looked like a simple texture/UV map problem. It seems to be more than that - without taking a look at the Maxis staircase(s) in game (and in SimPE) I'm not sure yet. (I don't ever use that staircase, in fact I almost always use modular stairs or ladders.) Let me go take a look at in game at the Maxis mesh(es) and then I'll take another look at yours.

You can attach your second staircase here if you'd like so I can compare the 2.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#10 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 4:56 AM
Thank you @mustluvcatz, and it's okay: I had hoped I'd made a silly mistake and just needed to redo the mapping, so I understand. I'll upload the new version I made today, and hopefully that'll show something.
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#11 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 6:24 AM Last edited by mustluvcatz : 18th Jun 2017 at 6:47 AM.
@Joselle
The mapping is part of the problem, the rest of it is... what the heck were the people at Maxis who made these staircases thinking? Nowhere, and I looked, did I find the actual default texture that the staircases use for the sides. (That grey texture.) I finally got it by making a stand-alone package for the mesh and remapped the sides of your staircase. I checked it out in game (my package, which wasn't a fully functional package as I just wanted to check the mapping) and the mapping is fine now. (I didn't remap the bottom at all since it's never seen for the most part.)

Please try swapping the sides of your mesh with my remapped version and see if it's fine in game. (I have no idea why I didn't try it out myself, lol, and now I need to get off the computer.) Never mind, it isn't going to storm again so I swapped the sides and checked your staircase out in game and the mapping is fine now.

Also, did you want to slave your staircase (staircases? It seems like you plan on making a reversed version too and a couple others?) to one of the Maxis meshes? If you do and need help with that, just ask!
Attached files:
File Type: rar  sidesonly.rar (1.9 KB, 5 downloads) - View custom content
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#12 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 7:01 AM
@ mustluvcatz

Oh wow, thank you!!! I do plan on making a reversed version, as well as two more in the same style based off of the other grand staircase we got in M&G. I tried to have this one be slaved, but then I ran into an issue with the carpet (which I solved by adding in the other two colors for it), and then the sides messed up, so I gave up on it. However, any help with slaving is GREATLY appreciated!

I will try out the sides tomorrow and see what happens, and again, thank you so very, very much!
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#13 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 8:07 AM
You're very welcome!

If it's alright with you, I can slave your mesh for you and then you can see what I did and how it was done - the sides are actually already slaved to the straight staircase. Then you could just clone this staircase to make the reversed version. In fact, you could clone it to make the other 2 staircases too - you'd just need to change a few lines in the SHPE and rename the groups (in the GMDC and the GMND) if the names are different. I'm assuming they're probably different, I didn't check out the other staircase.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#14 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 11:24 PM
@mustluvcatz
I just tested the staircase with the remapped sides, and...THEY WORK!!!! TheyworktheyworktheyWORK!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!!

And um..if it isn't too much trouble, please go ahead and slave it, because I would love to see the process for this. I did check out the other staircase, and it's...different...very, very different (I'm happy I started with this one, I'll put it that way lol).

But still! THANK YOU!!!
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#15 Old 18th Jun 2017 at 11:41 PM Last edited by mustluvcatz : 19th Jun 2017 at 4:09 AM.
/me loves seeing people so excited about this stuff

Okies, I'll get that done. If not sometime today, then sometime tomorrow morning.

And you're welcome!!

Edit: @Joselle
It's done! I didn't take any screenshots but I did check it out in game and it picks up the Maxis mesh's textures like it should. I did change a thing or two: I made a groundshadow for it for you AND it looked like you were trying to slave it to the straight staircase. I slaved it to the double staircase as it made more sense to me that way... seeing as it's half of the double staircase, lol. There *is* one "gotcha" though - the sides will always be grey, just like the double staircase. So if you want the sides to have the color options of the single staircase, let me know and I'll change it for you. I just thought, like I said above, that it makes more sense the way it is now.

Does Blender let you mirror a mesh? There's a MilkShape plug-in that lets you do that, it makes it so easy to make a reversed/mirrored version of a mesh - all you need to do is make sure it's in the right position, no need to make a new mesh.
Attached files:
File Type: rar  Joselle_AnUnforgettableStaircase.rar (54.0 KB, 4 downloads) - View custom content
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#16 Old 19th Jun 2017 at 4:33 AM
@mustluvcatz
Oh wow, thank you! The groundshadow was the next thing on my list, after fixing the texture on the sides. As for the color of the sides, I'll go take a look at the double staircase in-game real quick: I could've sworn it showed the three color options--perhaps I'm mistaken.

There is an option in blender that says "Mirror", but it didn't seem to work when I tried using in on another project. I'll look it up, but if it won't work, I have no problem making the reverse from scratch.
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#17 Old 19th Jun 2017 at 4:37 AM
I was making sure I didn't goof up the LODs and that the staircase could still be seen from neighboorhood view when I noticed all the sides were grey. So I reloaded the lot they were on and checked out the double staircase and all of the sides were grey. The railings and carpet are the recolorable subsets in SimPE.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#18 Old 19th Jun 2017 at 6:00 AM
@mustluvcatz

Well lookee there: I've had M&G for nine years now, and I only just noticed that the sides don't change color on the double staircase -_-.

There was a post made by Michelle about some glitch in the stairs she came across, and thus created her own version of the stairs as a fix...I get it now. That is honestly ridiculous on the devs' parts, to make the single staircase work properly but not the double. I'm starting to get a little nervous about what'll happen when I start on the second set of stairs.

I hate to ask this, but could you slave it to the single? It makes more sense to me, too, to slave it to the double, but with the way it is, we've lost color options. I think that, when I release these, I'm going to mention the issue, that way no one is surprised when they see it.

Also, it does appear that Blender can mirror a mesh, I'll just have to play around with it to get it to work!
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#19 Old 19th Jun 2017 at 6:52 PM
It would be awesome if someone could make a default for the double staircase - I thought about doing it but defaults aren't really my strong point (I've done 2) and I couldn't figure out which resources I'd need to change (well, I know *which* need changed and how to make the package, but the double staircase has references to the quaint double staircase and.. I gave up). So... staircase edited to be slaved to the single staircase instead. Checked in game and all is fine.
Attached files:
File Type: rar  Joselle_AnUnforgettableStaircase2.rar (55.0 KB, 5 downloads) - View custom content
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#20 Old 20th Jun 2017 at 1:38 AM
@mustluvcatz

Yay, thank you!!

And don't feel bad: when I went looking through that double staircase's insides my eyes started crossing and I started to think that this project would take me seventy years! However, my wheels are starting to turn again, and maybe I'll take another look ^^

Now I can get on with making the reverse, and what you've given me will help me make the other set, so thank you!!
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