Ok, so i've been thinking about this for a while,..... I've always thought it would be cool to make a sims wax musem with celeb sims people have made... with their permision of coruse.... like, convert the sim to a objects, but a "life size" object. like, for instance.... if vera marina said it was ok, would it be possible for me to take her MJ sim, and make him into a statue, and kind of pose him? Also, if it is possible, how dificult do you think it would it be to do so? I have no experiance meshing, but i figured since the face would already be made, the transition would be easy... right? Probably not... but still, i was wanting some thoughts on this.... thanks!

Personally, the easiest method of accomplishing this would not necessarily require any meshing...simply editing a few BHAVs, but not really anything harder than what it is in Echo's "Tutorial: Making Your First Custom BHAV".

Take a look at Echo's Carnival Set...the clowns in particular. You'd have a base that spawns a custom NPC that is locked into the base. If you open the clown package, you'll see the data for the sim's appearance (just replace with your sim's data from its .package file). Then head over to where the BHAVs and the text list animates the NPC (as would be described in more detailed in the tutorial), change them so that it is not cycling through the random clown antics but only performing the animation (or still pose animation in this case) you would want.

You could remesh/retexture the base into something more "museum appropriate", or you could just make an invisible texture for it. (I don't remember the height of the slot on her base, but moving it to the ground level would be as easy as changing a Translation number in the Resource Node so that the Sim wouldn't be floating).

Don't forget to change to the GUIDs before sharing and to credit Echo.

Wow.... I think i'm in WAY over my head here... that sounds so complicated. Ok, so if (in a million years) I figure out how to do what you sugested, is there any way to determine what NPC celebrity a base spawned? And also, would having a bunch of npc celebritys spawned , even if they're not doing anything, v=cause the game run slow?

I apologize if I may have made it seem more complicated than what it is*. Trust me, there are a lot more ambitious and harder projects out there. This is VERY doable and something that would be relatively easy for someone to help with if you get stuck. But, you may want to get your feet wet with some things first....specifically the steps explained in the BHAV tutorial and how to assign a GUID to an object (which is probably explained in the "Creating your first object" tutorial).

I do not mean to limit your options; you are free to create a wax statue however you wish. I suggested this method because a Sim is more complex than a table or chair. As you are aware, a Sim is composed of parts (link); the hair, face, and body/clothes have large, detailed textures that probably would not look good squished into a single texture file. A NPC/Sim object is already structured to combine the parts to create the appearance of a person. In short, why re-create the wheel when you don't have to?

The base would know which NPC celebrity to spawn by using the NPC's GUID, which is what the game uses to distinguish a particular object from any another object. You would need at least two GUIDs: One for the base and one for the NPC. Think of the base and the NPC as separate objects in this respect.

Echo programmed the base to check to see if its slot (the base seems to be cloned from a dining chair) is empty, in which case it spawns a new instance of the object assigned to a particular GUID (in this case, the GUID assigned to the clown NPC has been entered into the BHAV) and snaps it into the slot. You will notice there is a Male Clown base that spawns the male clown NPC and a Female Clown base that spawns the female clown NPC. This is how that is done; each base has its own GUID and each NPC has its own GUID...again they are all separate objects that rely on separate GUIDs for distinction.

As for slow down, that is hard for me to say exactly. I would imagine it would be as much slow down as would occur if the NPCs were normal Sim visitors sitting still in a chair. I don't know what your computer specs are, how big a lot you would be building, how many NPCs you are wanting to have on the lot, how many other objects the lot would have, etc.

*(You would not need to do any translations with the slot to move the Sims down to the ground level; a non-carnival-style recolor of the base would be sufficient to make the base more museum-appropriate. So ignore that portion of my previous response. )

Well, first of all, i realy apriciate you taking the time to try and explain this to me.... It's not you who made it sound complicated, but rather my lack of understanding of the terms.,... however, this seems like an interesting endevor, and it would be a learning experiance for me as well. So, if i understand what you're saying, I can assign each base a compleetly difrent NPC. And Those NPC's could be simply a sim somone made using CC? So, in order for the to show up, after i did my work on the stand, all people would have to do is download that sim, and when using my stand, the game would automaticaly spawn them? And, i do see what you mean about the sims being made in parts, and i agree that to take all the parts and make them a sinlge object would be dificult (espesialy given that i have no expiriance meshing), and it would severly distort the textures, so you're idea is great. One last question... Can i make the NPC simply stand there, and disable all the clickable options on them except for "View"?

It's no problem at all. We all have to start somewhere; this forum and the act of asking questions both share the purpose of learning.

Yes, you can have a completely different NPC for each base. Let's say you are going to turn your Kelly Clarkson Sim into a NPC statue. You would open up the Kelly Clarkson Sim's .package file and the clown NPC's .package file and compare the contents of the two. You will see that both have stuff regarding the Sim's data and appearance (e.g. Facial Data, Age Data, etc) in the Resource Tree, but the NPC's file will also have other stuff such as BHAVs, Pie Menu Functions and Pie Menu Strings. By right-clicking in the Resource List area, you can extract/import the contents of one into the other. You would want to replace all of the clown sim's data/appearance with your Kelly Clarkson Sim's data/appearance. (Note that all custom content used with the Sim would not be included in the NPC .package file---merely referenced---so the custom content would need to be in the Downloads folder as would be the case for downloading any Sim.)

By extracting/importing the contents of one file into the other, you can essentially make the clown NPC look like any Sim for whom you have the .package file. But remember that the original Kelly Clarkson Sim and the Kelly Clarkson NPC are two different things. Just because someone downloaded your Kelly Clarkson Sim doesn't mean that they would automatically have your Kelly Clarkson NPC.
The NPC and the stand work together, so, yes, people would need both. Otherwise, the stand would be trying to spawn something it cannot find and the NPC would be in state of limbo in the Sim ether waiting to be spawned.

As for your last question, the answer is "yes" for both the animations and the "View" interaction. Lucky for you, Echo's tutorial covers how to do this.

Because the NPC is technically a Sim, you animate the NPC as you would a Sim (i.e. via BHAVs and the text list). By "animation," I mean the movement (including the lack of movement such as in a still pose) the Sim does. You can make the NPC perform almost any animation you want. I think the Clown NPC already has a "View" interaction in the form of a "Watch Performance" type of thing, but that can be changed. You might could also look at the "View" interaction for other objects or simply make your own based upon what is in Echo's tutorial, which covers the basics of BHAVs and creating new interactions. The tutorial object is also included with the tutorial if you don't want to clone another object. Knowing how to changes GUIDs and the basics of the BHAV tutorial are a must for this endeavor, though.

I hope I wasn't too long-winded. Feel free to ask more questions. Don't be discouraged if you must take baby steps; just be persistent. Echo and others are very supportive if you have questions and you can always post Work-in-Progress files for others to look at if you need help.

Ok, well, please be paticent with me, cause I'm going to need a LOT of help, and i have a lot of questions.

First of all, how do i clone the clown stand base? It dosent explain in the tutorial, and i shearched for a tut on it, but all i can finde are cloning templats.

Also, (I'm sorry if i sound redundant, or just stupid) the base will control the NPC spawned, right? So, when i figure out how to clone the base, and i use the tutorial you linked, is it possible to make them stand unmoving in a pose, and maybe even holding props? Like, if adele said it was ok, could i make a Rihanna sim hold an umbrella, or my Kelly clarkson sim hold a mic like she's getting ready to sing (but with a neutral facial expresion)?

And lastly, i've already mentioned that i wanted to remove all ineractions except for "View", but then today i was thinking that it might be cool to have some other stuff avaliable, like if i had a Brad Pitt "Wax" NPC, i could add the interaction "Swoon", or something similar... anyways, my question is would it be possible for a sim i was playing to have the option to "Swoon", or "Glare at" or some other ineraction that didnt involve my wax NPC to move by actualy clicking on the NPC sim? Oh, or like, "Pose with" as an option? Sorry if that's confusing, or just stupid, but i wanted to ask.

By the way, i have almost no experiance with SimPE. I've binned a couple of hair recolors with a plug-in, and that took some time. Do you think I'm taking on too much for my first time, or do you think somone like me, who mainly uses bodyshop to make sims, and sim parts can do this? All i've ever done is photoskin, and recolor and re-texture aside from making my own sims. Am i being too ambitious with this project?

Again, thank you so much for all your help. I truly apriciate it, because i would never have even gotten this far without your help.

An inventory check indicates that I'm doing well with patience, so no worries.
Your levels of patience might be tested though, so try not to be discouraged.

I probably should have recommended you start with the object creation tutorial at the beginning, especially if you have little experience with SimPE. For that, I apologize.

Here is the link to the "Start to Finish Object Creation Tutorial". Wings 3D is a free meshing program, but you will probably need to also download the free version UV Mapper if you are going to do any non-Bodyshop meshing. (These are neither required for object cloning nor this project unless you want to alter the mesh of the base. I mention these programs because most people learn better by *actually doing* the tutorial more than simply reading the tutorial.) This tutorial will cover cloning in-game/EA objects, assigning new GUIDs, and more. This will help get you more familiar with SimPE. Again, you can ask as many questions as necessary.

The main difference between cloning a new object from a custom object and from one that is an in-game/EA object is that with a custom object you don't click "Start" in the Objects Workshop (you click "Open..." and browse for the .package file you wish to clone).

So, you would just go to the Objects Workshop in SimPE, click "Open...", and browse your files for the clown stand to clone it.

The base does not control the NPC. The base is simply the container that checks to see if it's holding anything. If it's not, it spawns a new NPC and snaps it into place on the base. Imagine a hat rack that not only detects whether or not it has a hat placed on it but also summons a new hat if there isn't one already there. The hat could light up and play annoying music for all the hat rack cares...the base only serves to hold the hat in place and spawn a new one if it isn't holding one. (I hope that make sense...)

The code in the NPC .package file is what controls the NPC's animation and allows for others to interact with it (as they would do with the painting in the BHAV tutorial). Echo's tutorial will show you how to have Sim approach an object and animate. This would be the basics for your "View Statue" interaction, the "Swoon at Statue" Interaction, or whatever other interactions you want where a controllable or visitor Sim approaches the object and does whatever you wanted them to do (e.g. swoon, laugh, look at it, etc). The techniques of using the "Animate Sim" BHAV and the Text List to animate the Sim apply to NPC. In the "Swoon at Statue" interaction, you would have the Sim perform the Swoon animation; but for the NPC, you will give the instructions to perform whatever still pose animation you want.

Sims have slots all over their body. Just like the clown NPC is snapped into the slot in the base, props can be snapped into the body slots of a Sim. Since the NPC is technically a Sim, they have body slots too. You could certainly give them props for them to pose with; this action is independent from animating the Sim. In other words, you can have a Sim animate and have a prop in hand without any problems.

Making recolors is usually the first step in modding (that whole "you must crawl before you can run" idea), so don't sell yourself short. Many want to create truly ambitious things without the patience to put in the time or take the baby steps necessary to accomplish their proposed projects. You seem eager to learn and, from looking at your downloads, devoted enough to follow through with the set goal of creating something.

Like I said before, your levels of patience might be tested. This is doable, but the knowledge gained from those tutorials is a must. Don't worry if things seem over your head; struggling with something can be an important part of the learning process and there are people willing to help if/when you get stuck.

Let me know if I need to clarify anything. I'm not always the best at explanations, especially when I use strange metaphors.

OMG, I love your metaphors! Are you kidding? I was just sitting and reading and thinking (look at my mad multi-tasking skills) that you should turn this into a Tut, because i loved the whole hat thing. It totaly made sense. So, as of now, here is what i'm understanding i've go to do.....

Clone the clown stand, and recolor it.
Rework the base to summon my Kelly sim, because she has most graciously voluntered to play the guiny pig (I assume i'll have to make a new base for each diffrent sim NPC, correct?)
Then, change the NPC file to Kelly's info instead of the clowns, and also while i'm there, that's where i can dictate what actions she dose, and what options are avaliable when i click her.

Dose that sound right to you? Ok, I'm going to work on cloning, and recoloring the base right now, because that sems to be the first step, and the simplest too. Oh, And I will stick with it as long as i can do so without pulling my hair out... lol... I think I'll be ok, because when i get stuck, i can just come here for help....

ok, so I did get it cloned, and that about as far as i made it. First of all, it asked me a bunch of questions i had no idea how to answer. Like, did i want to make it a stand alone object, or did i want to referance the original mesh. After I kinda stumbled blindly through that, it loaded, and all the crap hit the fan.... there was so much information there, and i had no idea what to do with it... The tutorial you linked that explains how to add new interactions to the portrait was helpfull a bit, but there was a lot more information in the clown podium base then there was with the painting. So, as usual, i have me some questions.
1.) Do i need to leave the default settings alone when i clone an object, or do i need to change them?
2.) when I go into all the details after cloning the podium, it looks like there are a lot of ineraction information, and commands for the NPC. Like one of them said something about naping, or something. I'm not sure how to change/remove them, or what to even change them to.
3.) I see where it says create male clown, or summon male clown, but i'm not sure how to change it.
Maybe I do need to just start from scratch so i can use the tutorials. I hate seeming like such a pest. I did read the tutorials, but i cant seem to find the answer to what i'm looking for. *sigh* I'm not giving up though... not even close.

Well, I cannot make any promises about a tutorial. If that was something I would do, I would need time to write up a tutorial, make decent pictures, etc. However, I can link to tutorials, answer questions, and look at code because those are things I can do fairly quickly.

Yes, you will clone the clown stand (recolor it if you wish). All you would really need to do to "rework" the base would be to change the GUID in the "[prim 0x002A] Create New Object Instance" bhav. But, take note of the way you must enter the GUID into the Operands. If the NPC's GUID was 0xABCDEFGH, you would enter it as "GH EF CD AB". It's strange, I know.

You are also correct in that, once you have swapped the Sim data (i.e. import her Sim data and delete his), the NPC should look like her. Yes, the NPC's actions and clickable options are controlled in the NPC's .package file.


1) As far as I know, the default settings for cloning should be fine. This is something I would verify in the object creation tutorial thread or forum, though.

2) I am not sure what you mean about "all the details" and napping. Are you talking about the "Idle" bhav by chance? If you can attach a quick screenshot, that might help.

3) If you are looking at the "Make Clown ()" bhav node in the "Function - Main" bhav in the clown podium, that is only a reference that calls the "Make Clown ()" bhav. Looking at the "Make Clown()" bhav, you should see "1: [prim 0x002A] Create New Object Instance (GUID 0x00000950)" That is the actual bhav node that spawns the Clown NPC. Select that bhav node and edit the operands (see above about that).

I do recommend the tutorials for learning the basics. The reason I said that your patience might be tested is because most people that want to make something, want to make it NOW. They do not want to bother with creating a table like in the Object Creation tutorial or a painting that makes a Sim approach and start dancing....what I called "baby steps" and an instance of the "crawl before you can run" idea.

You can start from scratch with those tutorials in the sense of cloning an object, giving an object a new GUID, and adding custom interactions. Echo worked hard on that NPC (doing stuff like stripping it of its original code and reworking it). Don't take this the wrong way but, realistically speaking, it would be easier for you to use her work as a starting point with making a custom NPC than to try to make a NPC completely from scratch, if I understood you correctly. If I misunderstood what you meant by "starting from scratch," I'm sorry.

If you have any questions with the tutorials, post them in the tutorial's thread. You might get better answers regarding object creation in the Object Creation forum.

Nope, you answered all my questions i think..... I didnt mean for you actualy make a tut... lol... I was just saying i loved your comparisons. Anywho, I'm going to go work on this some more.

Okay - I can't help you with any of this, but I really love your idea. Your patience amazes me.

Best of luck!

thanks, i need it... lol

if want i can help you i know how to mesh and have done this i have made a manniqiun version of a lady gaga sim i made

surely you jest!!!!! Did you realy make one for your lady gaga? And here i thought this was a slightly original idea.... lol... that's so cool though.

well i thought it was a great idea so i gave it a try