I have one new addition for UniMesh that I think would be a very helpful tool, not just for body meshing but also for object meshing, although we will focus the illustrations on a Blouse.

I am attaching a new UniMesh plugin for MilkShape called "Sims2 UniMesh Make Smoothing Groups V4.09X2" and what it does is attempt to divide the model into smoothing groups.

I have always believed smoothing groups were used in building the original Maxis models, but since they are not needed to render the meshes in the game were never included in any of the files that shipped with it. But they are almost indispensible for efficient mesh making.

Besides helping to control the surfaces that are smoothed, smoothing groups can be separately selected for other purposes. Starting just a few versions ago, MilkShape added a display mode that shows colored smoothing groups.

The plugin counts the total (nonmorph) faces and gives a warning and quit option if there are a lot of them. It also warns if one or more groups would have required more that 32 smoothing groups (less the first one).

I am attaching the plugin, and some screenshots of a blouse with the default single smoothing group (colored yellow), after using the plugin (the "Blouse of many colors") and then showing what I was able to do by selecting each smoothing group and moving the parts ("sploded view").

Experienced meshers, here is how it works: The plugin examines the mesh, face by face, and creates the smoothing groups by segregating all the faces that are adjacent on the UV map into seperate groups. MORPHMOD groups are not split, but rather are left in smoothing group #1

USAGE NOTE: The plugin may take a little while to split up some models, during which time MilkShape will cease responding. In this version I have added progress feedback in the MilkShape window title bar. While I may be able to improve this some day, part of it is simply due to the very intense nature of how all the parts are detected, face by face.

<* Wes *>

X3 Update: MORPHMOD groups, instead of just being skipped, have the exact copy of the smoothing groups from their base (reference) group. While this has no actual effect on the generation of the morph, it will affect the smoothing, is needed, and also allows for selection by smoothing group on the morphmods, too.

Thank you, further investigation as to how to best used this is needed

Btw, it appears that on morphs the normals from the *morph* are used, not the normals from the main mesh - so one would want to be able to replicate the smoothing groups on the morph also.

And there is some basic info about using smoothing groups here:
http://www.modthesims2.com/article.php?t=225607

That is correct in most cases, although you can override this behavior in UniMesh (by adding "NoMorphNorms:" to the group comments), and more recent meshes from the EPs generally do not morph normals.

The morphs, however, do not have any UV mapping of their own, and do not split in the same manner, so this plugin does nothing to them.

I anticipate any serious reshaping would require remaking morph groups by duplicating finished base groups. This will duplicate the smoothing groups also, so any resmoothing can be done at that time.

<* Wes *>

Oh, useful info. I tend to use a base game mesh as my starting point - tried and true meshes that have working normals and such, and thus have seen the normals/morph thing. Good to know we can just turn it off. On a body mesh morph I think it unlikely that the morph would really need its own normals.

Well, just because, on reflection, it seems like the right thing to do (since morphs are used in object meshes, too), I added the code to copy the smoothing groups from the base groups to the applicable morphmod groups.

This means that, besides using the smoothing features inherent in using smoothing groups in the morphs, the selection by smoothing group should work on the base and morphmod identically.

For example, the mesh "afBodyDressLongLoose" is used in the UniMesh tutorial #1 TiggeryPum wrote. It is the ladeez dress mesh with the "dangly bits" hanging from the back. With this plugin, the "dangly bits" showed up in their own smoothing group. So, I was able to select the same part in the base and both morphmod groups by selecting it once by smoothing group number, and deleted all three at once by pressing delete (and successfully exported the result).

While that is a meshing beginner tutorial, and this is perhaps a little more complex than a novice should be faced with when starting, I think those that want to cobble parts-pieces from different meshes may benefit from the plugin.

<* Wes *>

Hi Wes.. (backup project first...) I am always willing to blow up a few meshes while learning how to make something! thanks! I'll try it out.

Good attitude!

I have yet another AutoMagical plugin close to rolling off the end of the assembly line.

<* Wes *>