When total extirpation is possible, you mentioned it's better to make the new file in the new format, with COLL and no XHTN.  Would such a file still be base game compatible or not?  If COLL is a collection resource, I'm guessing not BS compatible?

Theo - Thanks for that.  You're right, can't match up GZPS, BINX, and 3IDR based just on the Instance # of the GZPS.  Have to double check reference numbers in the 3IDR.  Last night, I thought I was removing BINX and 3IDR for YA, and that broke my elder hair.  Good thing I back up.

BINX: These are for catalog entries in CAS, right?  Are they also used when sims change appearance in a mirror?

3IDR: These are a collection of references to other resources, used for grouping them together for each age, right?

From what I've read, the concensus seems to be that the above two resource types don't have to be removed for unused ages.  Ideally, I would like to nuke all unused stuff, but if there isn't a 100% accurate way to determine which BINX and 3IDR go with which age, I think I should leave them so I don't break stuff. 

edit: 3IDRs have references you can chase, but from your example, it looks like I have to check almost every single line in a 3IDR to figure out what all it goes with.  I could write code to do it, maybe write code to make new 3IDRs that only reference one GZPS.  Maybe.  Not sure it's worth the trouble.

Hair File Cleaning, and One Gray, Not Four... on a Mac

Mac users who make custom hair can bin with Wardrobe Wrangler, but WW does not remove extra grays.  Theo's SimPE plugin can't be used on a Mac.  So I plan to write a Mac app for cleaning hair files.  It'll do what Theo's plugin does.  Theo, or anyone else, if you plan to do this already, just let me know.  I like plans where I do no work.

Someone (Theo?) please tell me if the procedure for changing 4 grays to 1 gray is correct.  I did everything below manually with SimPE (not Theo's binner) on some hair with extra useless grays.  The updated hair worked fine in game, but I want to know if I missed anything, or did something that might break stuff without me noticing.

preliminary stuff...
1) Remove duplicate textures.
2) Combine A / YA
3) Make sure all 4 hairs are properly binned.
4) Make sure all 4 hairs are in the same family.
5) Give all hair correct genetics.  What are the correct genetic values for black, brown, red, blond?  I don't mean hairtone, I know about 1,2,3,4 and elder 5.  I mean, in XHTN, what does genetic=0 mean?  Should it be 0 for all four or not???

remove extra grays (unless you really, really want different shades of grey for different hair tones)
6) Nuke duplicate grey textures in the black hair and update TXMTs accordingly.
7) In the blond, red, and brown hairs, do the following
  a) nuke the GZPS for gray hair
  b) nuke all grey hair TXTRs
  c) find all TXMTs for gray hair, they have "emhair" or "efhair" in their name, note their Instance numbers
  d) find all 3IDRs that reference the Instance numbers of gray TXMTs from c), note the 3IDR Instance numbers
  e) nuke all BINXs with the same Instance numbers as the 3IDRs from d)
      nuke all 3IDRs from d)
      nuke all TXMTs from c)

Optionally, the user may want to townify the hair.  I assume this can be done?  Will changing the creator number to zeros do it?
Might make a separate "townifier" app that townifies hair / eyes / clothing, rather than bundling that function into the hair cleaner.

The user may also want to put the hairfile name in the tooltip, but that could also be its own separate app.
Might make that app if jfade doesn't include that function in the next version of Wardrobe Wrangler.

Is there anything else a hair cleaner should do?

The tire is reasonable (giant tractor tire), but the flowers inside are disproportionate.

On a side note, there's stuff in the game that I wish EA had made disproportionate, for reasons already stated (visibility).
Kittens and puppies, for one.

Gods, yes!  This is badly needed.  Forgot to request this in my previous post, but vetyak jogged my brain.

If I can fit most of one apartment into view on screen and still see sufficient detail, without zooming out too much, it doesn't feel sprawly to me.  Not talking about the entire lot, just one housing unit.  Personally, I would rather zoom out a bit in bigger lots, or scroll, than go up and down a lot in a multi-story 1x1 lot.  Half my sims often decide to do something interesting on the ground floor while I'm watching the other half of them on the 2nd story.

I do use WW.  Would love to have a batch mode.  Let me select multiple files, for example 20 outfits, and do the same thing to all of them, for example, set their category to outerwear.  This is what I primarily use WW for, and it takes me a while to do them individually.  If WW already has batch mode and I just haven't figured out how to use it, I'll feel pretty silly.

Duplicate texture removal would be handy.  As AmberDiceless mentioned, I am working on this.  I can remove dupes from individual files, but I cannot yet find duplicates that may be used by several files, put them in just one file, and make the other files link to it.  That's planned for the future.  If you would rather tackle this project and incorporate it into WW, I have no problem with that.  If my source would be of use to you, I'll share it.  It's not up yet because I don't consider it polished enough yet to share, but if you want it, you can have it.

Not everyone wants OFB.  Or they might not have money to shell out for it.  Or they don't want to arr.  Witch was willing to take pictures.  We know witch can let someone have it if they're being annoying, that didn't happen.  Also, a lazy person wouldn't bother building a lot they don't have from floorplans, too much effort.  I honestly don't see why yecats request would rate a smackdown from the admin.  Well, other than this being MATY, I suppose.

Aha, that makes sense then.

Is there an awesomespec for AL apartments?  Other than the 1 tile spacing rule mentioned in Enabling Build / Buy in Apartments?  Or do apartments not present many new traffic and efficiency issues?  I've forum searched and googled for "apartment" and "awesomespec", but still unsure, so thought I'd ask here.

For those who might want to conform to Awesome spec even though it's not required, or just want know what it is, a link to Awesomespec would be nice.  I know most people who post here know what it is, but newcomers might not.  I know we can all use google and forum search.  Many references to it, few threads about it.  I'm not sure I have the most current or if there is a current standard that includes AL.  Not sure the One Desk rule should apply now that we have MogHughson's desk locator mods (MTS2).  So for those similarly confused, here's what I found.  Is there anything else I should be looking at for guidance?

Awesomespec v5, circa 2007
a more recent discussion of awesomespec, circa 2008

Does the One Desk rule still hold now that there are game mods that assign a homework desk to each child and uni student?

MogHughson's desk locator for kids homework
... and uni homework

I'm aware of the necromancy rule, but this seemed the most appropriate thread for this question.

I'm familiar with that C++ code, I should have linked to it.  I use the compress / decompress routines from it, they're full of win.  However, it does not do a lot of resource parsing.  For example, given a TXTR resource, it will not tell you the image format or size.  Given a TXMT, it will not tell you what properties are in it.  Given a sim, it won't tell you their name, age, gender, etc.  So if you're writing an app that needs such details (or an app that changes them), that library is not quite as useful as it could be.  It leaves byte soup level parsing up to the programmer.  The C# code that SimPE's made of does that kind of resource parsing, but it's C#, not C++.  (rufio - I have TXTR and TXMT resource parsing C++ code, but not anything that deals with sims.)

Couldn't the lot have been saved with free will on before upload?  I would have preferred that.

I think this is a worthwhile project.  Unfortunately, I'm not knowledgeable enough to help.

Yay!  Bad Cat, read more carefully next time!  No biscuit!

Your app reads CSV spreadsheet data generated by the SimPE QA, if I understand correctly?  Had there been a C++ library that lets you read package files and spits out sim objects would that have been useful to you?  Something with a sim class with get* functions that give you age, lifetime want, etc?  Or do you prefer CSV data?  Would a standalone app that reads sim packages and spits out CSV been useful to you?  So that you wouldn't need to rely on SimPE?  You used Windows, but I'm thinking that might have been handy for Mac developers.  Not that I have anything like that, but I am curious if there's a need / desire for it.

You asked a while back if people want this just for PCs or for all sims, so if you still want input, I just care about PCs.  I have so many of them that they and their descendants usually take over most of the 'hood.

Rufio, thank you for making the source for this project available, especially since it's in C++.  I know there are other sim package processing code tarballs out there, but most are in tcl or C# or something else I'm too lazy to port or learn.  I know, that's not how I should be making design decisions, but I do.   I am curious, now that you've spent much time on this project, what you think of the decision to write it in C++?  Would you go that route again, or would you try to use some existing tcl or C# libraries?  For apps such as this, that don't do lots of involved computations, does it matter much whether you make something that's compiled or interpreted?

This app is far preferable to my current system of covering my desk with scribbled sim geneologies, histories, plans, and rotation charts.  It also has the added bonus that it can't be eaten by my cats and dogs, or destroyed by spilled tea.  If I get through my RL and Sims2 projects and actually play the game again, I'll use this and let you know if I run into any problems.  However, I will probably hold out for the version that can handle variable life stage lengths (from platinum aspiration, elixir of life, etc.)  I've read the app description and several pages of discussion, and I don't think that's out yet.  If it is, clearly, I don't read carefully enough.

The extra TXTR remover now has a GUI.
You can download it from MTS2, link below, it's in the FIRST post.

extra TXTR remover program

I would like to see 25 Toboggan way redone as well.  That poor house is a box with a pyramid on top!  If external walls have to be kept, how can that be made to look attractive?  Also, I'm sure many builders here could improve on the traffic flow / congestion of a Maxis house.  I'm curious to see what people will do with a pond.  Lots of possibility there.  Fishing dock and diving platform have been done often, but I like them regardless.  Maybe a water garden?  With big rocks, plants of varied heights, perhaps a bench for quiet meditation or canoodling?  Or make the lot post-apocalyptic, add a garbage pile, and turn the pond into toxic sludge?  That would explain why you pull boots out of it and hallucinate after eating boot smoothie.

Faizah's Tomb of the Ancients has what looks like a snack shop or bar with a life preserver hanging on the wall.  I am curious what it's for.   Is it to rescue sims who fall in the altar fountain?  Can't be for the blasphemers who turn the water to lava, unless it's very heat resistant.  As Jim noted, a lavatory after a long climb up many steps is definitely useful.  I would download this just to watch my sims run up and down stairs to pee.  Ok, and I can't resist touristy ruins.  If I can't afford to travel, I'm sending my sims.

Yes, you can (and should) do this with skins.  I have some CC skins created this way (not mine, I'm not that artistic).  If you want, try my automatic duplicate texture remover.  Back up your files first.  I think it works fine, but it's still in testing.

Hope I'm not being too off topicy discussing skins here, but the question seemed related.

Yes, the cute one on page 1.  Don't know how I missed the bathrooms.  Maybe got too excited about the stairs?  Clearly, I need to wear my glasses, they work better that way.

oops, forgot to say which of Faizah's 3 lots I meant...

Faizah's cute entry *on page 1*, while not the most whimsical or fanciful, is the one that's most like buildings in my real life neighborhood.  Where I live, we have buildings like Faizah's that are several tiny studio apartments.  They have those exterior stairways.  No wood siding here, but slap some colorful stucco on that building, add some fancy exterior moulding, and it would look just like one of ours.  Hope this comment's not too off topic?  Has anyone tried playing Faizah's lot as apartments?  You'd have to squeeze in a tiny bathroom on each floor, of course.  Nevermind, the bathrooms are right there, how did I not see them?

*Cat wonders off to find here glasses*

I agree with you that adding the 3 object repackaging feature should wait until the texture cleaning is all done and thoroughly tested.  I've put it on my list'o'stuff'todo.  The repackager will probably end up being a separate program.

I also need it now, that's why I wrote it.   If you can live with no GUI, then the command line, single package version is available now:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=318324

I will add a GUI and the ability to look for duplicates across multiple files, check back in a week or so.  I'll also add the optional ability to tell the program to remove user selected textures that are "almost identical", since this sometimes occurs in hair files.

Combining adult / YA GZPSz and hunting references in 3IDRs sounds like something it would be useful to automate.  While I'm not yet very familiar with hair, I have chased instance / group references in clothing and makeup.  If you all would like me to take a crack at automating the processes Theo and Pescado discussed, I would be glad to.  Theo, if you already have plans to incorporate this into your color binner, let me know, so I don't duplicate your efforts.  Either way's fine with me.

An alpha version of the extraTXTRremove program is now available for testing.
It will automatically remove extra TXTRs in hair (and clothing) recolors.
If you want to test it and have any comments or bug reports, please put them in the MTS2 thread below.
I don't want to clutter this thread.

extraTXTRremove alpha version available for testing here
.

Yes, A is the trivial case.  B I have seen in almost every hair package made by a certain creator, so perhaps its just that one person?  Been looking at more hair packages from different creators and different sites.  "Unfortunately", almost all the hair I have in Downloads is by creators who took the time to clean up their packages.  Anyone know a site with lots of hair packages in need of cleanup and dupe removal?

Or maybe someone can suggest some Maxis hair, that when recolored with BodyShop, gives you a recol package with duplicate TXTRs?  The "short cute" hair I tried recoloring with BodyShop had dupe images in Projects, but the final recol package in SavedSims did NOT have duplicate TXTRs.  When BodyShop recolors clothing with a single TXTR used by multiple TXMTs, the resulting recol has dupe TXTRs, but it doesn't make this mistake with hair, at least not for me with the hair I tried.

I did notice I got added to Bowels, thank you.