I swear I've searched, but feel free to mock me if I've missed anything...I'm past the point of frustration.

Here is what I want to do:
Create a custom easel (I'm just cloning the Maxis one and recoloring so it sticks out)
Create custom paintings linked to that easel only.

I've located the easel in SimPE and have cloned it as a new object. I've located the canvas package in SimPE and have cloned it as a new object. I've done the recolors of all objects. What I'm missing is how to link the two...so that the paintings are only used by the new easel. I'm just not great at looking at the material overrides and object data (etc) and seeing the key lines of code.

I know it's possible. I actually have a custom easel from 4esf that does the same thing, but since I'm interested in doing several easels and possibly sharing, I don't want to just copy over it.

Does anyone out there know where the bit of code is that I need to change?

I know, you can just paint custom paintings in game with your playables. However, I'm trying to exploit the tourist population in my current neighborhood. I've a sim who will be running two businesses...one a ticket venue where the tourists will pay to paint, the other a retail store where he will sell those same paintings back to them. Variety is good.

I'd be 86% sure it's a BHAV connection. Somewhere in the easel code, it'll have a "Create New Object Instance" with the GUID of the original canvas. The way to do this is pretty close to this tutorial:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=127742

except instead of looking through the code looking for the easel's GUID, you need to look for the canvas GUID and change it to the new canvas GUID.

BHAV's. Grr. I kept stubbornly thinking it would be in Object Data or Material Definition, and I couldn't find a clear pattern between the coding for the Maxis easel and the 4esf one. BHAV's makes sense. This is why you shouldn't try to do completely new things at 1:00 am.

Thanks, Echo.

EDIT: Yes! It's working! There's a heck of a lot of BHAVs that had to be changed. Since this thread might come up in a search, and since I already had to write them down myself, below are all the BHAVs (with the code line 0-x in brackets) that need to be changed.

Canvas - change GUID to easel GUID:
Function-Load (0)
Function-Reset/Clear (1)
Function-User Place (9)
Interaction-Custom Painting-TEST (2)
Interaction-Paint Abstract-TEST (3)
Interaction-Paint Portrait-TEST (2)
Interaction-Paint Still Life-TEST (2)
Interaction-Practice-TEST (2)
Interaction-Scrap the Painting-TEST (2)
Interaction-Sell for $-TEST (3)
Pickup-Reset Easel (4) (5)

Easel - change GUID to canvas GUID:
Function-Load (0)
Function-On Reset (14)
Interaction-DEBUG-Screen Capture (1)
Paint-Create New Canvas (2)
Painting-Recalculate Price (B)
Painting-Set Extra Attribute (2)
Painting-Wait for Opaque Canvas (2)

As soon as I get them done, I'll share the love.

I don't want to make a custom easel-- instead all I want to do is make cc paintings for the easel ...... I have a party for my simmies coming up -- and friends of mine have made custom skins ( and they are gorgeous) we thought it would be cool if the artist would paint the ladies -- having the custom painting of the ladies already installed -- so that all we have to do is click paint model.
Is this possible???? Or is this considered cloning? But since the paintings would be new -- I'm lost..and not sure what to do. And I know to do a search for the canvas in SimPe-- but I've never done that before-- so??? Tuts ???
I'm not experienced -- but rather am following the tuts for meshing and I've made a few recolors-- but as far as making my own-- I'm still learning-- so how do I start this project?
Any suggestions are appreciated-- and I hope I posted this in the right place..
Thanks for everything MTS2-- and Happy New Year to all.
ButterflyIII2006

I am sorry this thread is a little dead, and that I am reviving it, but I am looking to do the same as butterflyiii2006 and I can't find any tutorials at all... I used to make items here and there for Sims 1 but this is so different. I don't want to make a custom easel item, I just want to make a specific set of paintings /just/ for an easel. Instead of linking it to the "Paintings" folder in my Downloads folder and getting a random image, I want to make it so that no matter what, if I make a set of like..12 Final Fantasy images, that the sims only paint one of those 12 Final Fantasy images.

Is there a tutorial somewhere for this?