Not Mister Rogers Trolley

A number of years ago I saw one of these in use at a shop pushing product. I thought it would make a cool coffee table. Since that day, I have seen some of these converted into furniture and after talking about wanting to make one for Sims 3 (where I couldn't have one of my own) I saw one posted in a TS2 screen capture. So - while I am now realizing it's not the most original idea, I still wanted to try my hand at it.

eureka

In attempting different lights, I wanted to try something like and Edison bulb. You know the ones I am talking about - very old fashioned - the glowing dim filament - very cool and a cool shape. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong because the filament kept showing up on its black background, but I did not delete the saved one from the game - it kept showing the old texture. Duh.

Salvaged while sick

Have a terrible cold - just in time for my ten day vacation from work. Forced vacation - we are made to save days as they close shop for a week between xmas and new years. So thank god I saved this cold for my time off. Meh.

Follow Up on the Table.

Utterly flummoxed by this table. Sims simply will not eat at it and you cannot place something functional - like a laptop - onto the table. I am holding out for a TSRW solution as I really like to be able to release a sim3pack too, however, I am at the point where I am calling my computer names - vulgar and ugly names - and I fear feelings might start to get hurt. Everyone at MTS has been very kind to offer information on S3PE, but I am (stupidly) holding out for someone to say "Oh! That's this here." and viola, the problem will be solved.

Architectural Elements or What We Salvaged From the Yard.

Pulling together a new set with Heidi at Exotic Elements. This set was inspired by an unreleased finial that Heidi designed for one of the sets. I was under the impression that it was released as I had tested it and loved it, but her displeasure with the way it patterned made it sit on the shelf, so to speak. It got me thinking about things that we use for one thing - a finial for decor - and what it was meant to be used as - a decorative finish to a post.

In continuation . . . .

This has been the albatross for me - my flour cabinet. In trying to understand how to make better meshes at the lowest number of polys, I have been slowly creating items I see daily in my own home. This kitchen set was inspired by Exotic Elements as Heidi has created (and is about to release) another gorgeous kitchen set.

More AHWb5

Über quick post. A little update on a new project which compliments an upcoming Exotic Elements set as well as my own At Home With b5.

More from 'At Home w/b5'

Creating in 3D, I am still inspired by my own things - it certainly makes it easier to study and compare for accuracy. The problem is that most of what I want to create also has high poly counts. What that means is that those who's computers are already taxed by the game would have a relatively hard time also placing items with high poly counts.

Quickie

I will be typecast as a rug merchant, but someone had to make these things. It should be me. Why not - I love the damned things . . . . I covet them. I yearn for their scratchy goodness.

Must be talking to an angel

It is not often in life someone comes along unprovoked, and says: You look like you could use a helping hand.

Through all of the hoopla I seem to find myself amongst at the moment, Heidi, at Exotic Elements, has graciously offered her assistance on the next, and possibly the most important, step of object creation: shadow baking.

Moving on . . . on many levels.

Going back to rugs for the next release - series two of the large Antique rugs. I need to work longer with UVMapper to explore how to properly shade the multipliers. Although most were kind in their comments on the past two releases, the download numbers are relatively low for the first week. I have toyed with the idea of releasing some items on TSR but there seems to be two schools in the community - those who like TSR and think every piece of crap item released is worthy of downloading no matter how stupid and thoughtless what consideration went into its creation.

Current projects

VeronaRelapse had suggested getting UVMapper pro - I had considered it a great deal, but passed when the tree fell. The suggestion however made me really really want to try to improve the texture on the pole lamp, so I threw caution to the wind, pushed those furlough days out of my mind and purchased the pro version.

Object manipulation

Redesigned the pole lamp again. I was disappointed with the cone portion in that I could not get the interior of the cone to be a different color and also the pole itself was a bit of a guess where the ends met the middle portion so I cut it apart to make it easier for recoloring.

Tree of life? Giving Tree? The tree that taketh away?

I had hoped to post a photo gallery of the tree and all the fun we had in its removal, but honestly, I have been struggling a bit with keeping my spirits up. This could have been worse, but it was still bad enough and I am left to argue with the insurance company over what is exactly being covered and to what degree.

Make that "Last Bounty"

Well, we didn't witness it, but we certainly heard it. Being that the house is brick we didn't even really feel it per se. A tree fell across our entire back yard. Hasn't rained, no rot that we could see; we've even made peace with the squirrels to a degree so we can't even blame them (though I still might give them the hairy eyeball).

To CASt or not to CASt

Well, if you've downloaded one of the rugs I have uploaded at b5studio, then you have probably encountered the problem of switching between the (usually) 12 styles easily. They don't have a pattern and on some systems that can be a major problem - the game freaks out and a big orange arrow points at the different styles and announces that you can't change the pattern. Wah wah!

First bounty

Will you look at that?

(technically it's the second bounty

if you count the peas)

Could it be?

Hopefully, this weekend I will be able to pull together the biological chart set that I have been planning now for a while. I am pleased with the mesh - especially being that it is a first mesh for me - one from scratch. As disappointed as I was that I was unable to use the mesh I found at ATS3, it forced me to actually take a bolder step in Milkshape, and while I still think their product is superior,I like mine a little more due to the vintage feel of it. A cylinder, a few boxes, and borrowing (but still changing) from objects on sites that mention free use for the handle and hanging mechanism (no, I haven't figured out how to make curves, well nice ones anyway) and presto - it's a wall chart.

The continuing saga

It will probably be a while before I release it simply because I am not happy with a few aspects of it - including the UV mapping. What the primary function of the UV mapper is that you export your 3d model to it, then it takes each shape and makes all sides flat and viewable. Simple enough - with this information you can program the direction of a pattern, et cetera. The problem I am having is that you need to export to a specific size - a size the program apparently cannot display to you. You can reshape the window to be an approximate size, but really, I can find no documentation that says you can tell the window to be a specific shape.

Never under-estimate the power of the triple dog dare:

Although brief, I wanted to update that although it is no where near as nice as ATS3's wall chart, I have created a mesh that looks like a wall chart - now I just need to figure out why it's not working so well with the patterns.

a Eureka moment

I am starting to understand how to alter meshes a little bit more - a very good thing. I have finally created my first mesh and this is laughable because all it is, is a rug.A four sided plane on which an overlay sits. I know - mildly pathetic that I should be so happy, but it is a huge step for me - I am starting to understand (we're talking half a baby step) just a little bit more about how milkshape works.

I am getting motion sickness with the steps backwards and forwards.

Still struggling away with Milkshape - in trying to pull together a new set, I attempted to reshape an existing EA frame to be narrow but tall. What I ended up with were two wide sticks at the top and bottom and two narrow sticks at the side (stick in framers lingo would be the frame sides, but you knew that). Not my expected results and I am forced to pass on one portion of the set for the moment as I don't like the alternative frame that would actually work for size but not for look (the Noir frame) but I am too stupid currently to figure out a solution.

Itty bitty step forward

I decided that if I could not create a rug in Milkshape, as my first project, then perhaps I could alter a picture. Take something existing and make it larger. I was happy to see that everything I was doing was working - of course, I was only eye-balling it as I still cannot tell how to take a measurement or to resize in scale. I imported back into TSW and everything worked.

A new found respect:

Milkshape isn't shaping up to be something that I entirely understand . . . what's that expression - Rome wasn't built in a day? Well thank god they didn't have Milkshape to create it - it's mind boggling. In fairness, the program is very straight forward - the flaw lies within me - I simply do not understand this sort of program . . . but it has only been a day - well a day and a half . . . and $35. Pffft.

Creation . . . celebration?

It should be mentioned that I am a self confessed heat wimp. Come winter, I will remind you that I am a cold wimp, too. Should I ever be graced with hair again, it will be long curly gold tresses with ribbons and I will have an insatiable appetite for porridge. It's true. I am fickle when it comes to temperature. I am wearing shorts to work (when it's not another blessed furlough day [ahem, today {hello! Mortgage!}]) and a hoodie because I get overheated with jeans, but cold because of a tee shirt. You feel sorry for me, I know - so sad. I mention any of this because I was reminded that I have yet to update on my garden. In fact, I will be tending this very garden myself all next week . . . alone . . . in the heat of Atlanta . . . shoot me now.

Creation frustration.

Trying to finish up a project so I can move forward with my personal tutelage on object creation for sims 3. I know - you think me a geek and I stand before you guilty. Je suis accusé!

rug-tastic

What's better than a new area rug? How about seven fabulous area rugs at a mere $52 each? Wow, right? If only you were a sim. Man, that's like a full body rug burn at best.

b5Studio

I don't expect people to really care about my thought process. You simfolk are a curious bunch - all hopped up on custom content - you really need to seek help. That's why I am opening b5Studio. I won't be your regular candy man - there are so many other sites for that. No - I will bring to you what I like myself. If you don't want it - there is just more for me.

Finally.

Well, it's official. My first Sims 3 object upload. I have already hit my computer with champagne, though, I should probably have considered that a little bit more thoroughly. Now the cat is drunk and I cut myself picking up glass shards.

Quick update

I am pulling together a female version of this file as well. Believe it or not, this is considerably harder - I suppose because I am finding less skilled work and more of it, which is making the better quality, fine art pieces more like a needle in a haystack. There is a lot of cheesecake crap to filter through; fine art and pin-up should not return the same results.

Still soon.

Upon examining this file again, two images (as the file started out with) seemed incomplete and I did not wish to pull together many different files to give each artist their own single release, so I pulled together images from different artists that were the same in theme but I only had one image from. In some cases I have no idea who the artist is, others, the artists sketches are rare to find. 

Fine art takes time.

Being a picture framer, the artwork in the Sims 3 game has left my eyes a bit glazed - honestly, who chose this shit crap poorly-conceived shit? It's no wonder that I have been anxious to create pictures for the game. These two are part of the group that gave me so much trouble. I studied the multiplier layer and sought out to create my own custom frame after cloning the painting from the game.

TSW hell

Struggling with this program . . . still. I asked about missing layers on the forum at TSR but the only suggestion was that I save the base project file in case it screws up. Well, duh, yes, I should have been doing that too, but it ignores the question all together.

Garden Party

Recently, I posted some images of a garden project that we started around the house (that is, Chris and I). Sure, it all seems modest, but I have to say this has been some of the most backbreaking work I think I have been a part of in many years. Besides backbreaking, it has also been rewarding.

First post.

My god, thankfully that is out of the way. I had this nagging feeling that the universe would not be complete until I had a blog. This is just me doing my part to make it spin. It is my hope to showcase things I have been doing - gardening, home repairs, sims 3, animal husbandry of the fabric variety et cetera. Mostly, I had hoped to get a feel for blogging as I am being asked to design a website that requires a blog element.