Raw Tutorial - How to Make Custom Harvestable/Orchard Trees and Make Them Season Friendly.
Apr. 23rd, 2025 05:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
For who asked on discord, hope it's understandable to people other than myself:
How to Make Custom Harvestable/Orchard Trees and Make Them Seasons Friendly.
First thing's first, I am a mere beguinner when it comes to editing bhavs. The tips i've added might seem obvious to some, this is what i mustered on my own. I wrote this tutorial because I hadn't found one when I needed it, and when searching for tutorials, I saw an unanswered ask from recent years on making them.
I relied on Echo's tutorial for Making Trees Season Friendly [MTS], the first steps are repeating her tutorial.
I also recommend reading her tutorial on BHAVS for Beginners since we'll be editing them later on.
Another thank you goes to Simler90 on MTS (https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=654471).
Ingredients:
- SimPe.
- Your new tree mesh.
Foliage, bark, and fruits need to be in separate objects/obj groups, and so are any other parts for the different states if you have them; bloom, untrimmed.
- A separate single fruit mesh to become a harvest produce. That will be in a separate package.
- a fake null mesh for states you don't have.
Xxxxxx (I extracted from Aysarth's tree on MTS, you should ask their permission before using for upload, as they dont have a TOU listed).
- Textures for all the various states - seasonal changes for foliage and bark, quality changes to the fruits.
Instructions:
1. Cloning an Orchard Tree and getting all the missing resources.
1/2) Missing Seasonabilty resources:
Xxxxx (try to clone a tree and see if Seasonabilty is really missing, this step might be redundant, i don't remember).
- Clone an Orchard tree. found under Other -> Ambrosial Apple/Lemon/Orange Tree.
- In the cloning menu, on top of the usual settings, tick "pull animations" and
"create a standalone item".
Pic
- In the model name popup, get a bit sneeky and name it exactly the same as the Maxis CRES line, without the suffix. We will change that later. Save the new package, of course.
Pic.
- copy your model's name (without any suffix) and open another copy of Simpe.
- In your clone package, delete all of the following resources:
GMDC, CRES, SHPE, TXMT, TXTR.
Save, and don't close the window.
We're going to import them with all the missing pieces now.
- In the second window you've just opened, go to "search xxx" (little binoculars icon at the bottom).
Change search options to "search Name Maps" and "Contain."
Paste your model name and search.
This can take a moment or two, depending on your computer.
- In the results, double-click a result to highlight it in the resources tab above.
Go through all the results and export all the resources regarding your chosen tree. Xxxxx
No need to get all three trees.
You can select multiple lines in the resources tab, just make sure you export everything.
Save them in the same folder so you can import them back in one go.
Xxxxx Run a secound search?
See if you're missing resources named sw05 and sw06, (more seasonal resources). run a second search for these names and export as well. [I might have got mine of off Aysarth as well].
After exporting everything, close the window and head back to your package.
Tip: Keep these resources for making more Orchard Trees in the future, so you won't have to repeat this. Or make a template, as will be shown further on.
- now, there's still a missing resource, because Maxis fucked up and didn't make xxxxx (resource I forgot)
Thankfully Aysarth (the one on MTS who made a bunch of seasonal Orchard Trees mentioned earlier, just check theirs for whats missing) got it their package.
Export it from theirs (or figure out how to get it from game files) export it and save it in the same folder with the rest of the resources.
- in your folder with all the exported resources; move them out of their subfolders into one place. (I recommend using Total Comander over Windows Explorer).
- In simpe, right click an empty space in the resources tab, choose add.
Ctrl A to select all the new resources and import.
2/2) Getting the missing functionality.
- Delete the following resources:
Anim
BHAV
BCON
Pie Menu
Pie Menu xxxx secound pie menue line.
Strl (Text list?).
- Go to Import Semi Globals, under object creation, and search for OrchardTree Globals.
- Select all the resources under the types you've just deleted:
Anim
BHAV
BCON
Pie Menu xxxx
Pie Menu
Text list.
Import them.
Xxxx there might be some redundant one's in bhavs, I imported everything and then compared to Aysarth's tree).
2. Editing the resources to match your package:
- Change the model name to your own, so it won't override anything else. Fix integrity -> change the name.
Tip: If you'd make any more Orchard Trees in the future, save the package in this state as a cloning template. When making more, copy the template file and make the following changes over the copy, instead of repeating the whole cloning process.
- Change the GUID into your own. Have it written down.
If your tree is big, you might want to expand its footprint.
While in OBJD, xxxxx xxxxx
In CRES: XXXXX.
Fix Integrity and save.
(Deedee on dw made the tutorial about that)
- BHAVS:
3 things needs to be altered.
The GUID of the fruit you'll be "summoning."
The material references.
The names of the new BHAVS.
Materials:
- go to material definitions and take note of all of the TXMT names, without suffix.
- In bhavs, choose the line "Material Names" something.
In the bottom tab, where all the details are;
Go over them and change each reference according to its original name.
Replace "season_fullsnow" with your "season_full snow" txmt name etc. etc.
Commit file.
Go to STRL (Text List) at the bottom of the resources list to the left, and change the material references in there as well.
Commit and save.
Pic
Change GUIDS:
- Prepare a Guid for your future fruit package. Have it written down.
- Replace the Maxis GUID with your fruit's in the following places.
[Remmember, change only the lines concerning the fruit you cloned. Lemon for lemon tree etc]:
(Link to og explenation on MTS:
https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=654471)
- Get # fruit:
[Pic]
- Sell all:
[Pic]
Commit and save.
- Change BHAV names:
Go over all of them and delete any initial "Global".
[xxxx idk if that's correct, but I had to change that]
Don't forget to commit each name change.
When done, Fix Integrity and save.
PIC.
- Go to xxxxxx and xxxx and make sure the names have been updated there. If not, Xxxx][the other places where bhavs are shown, with their gaurdian - I don't remember what's that called, sorry, its covered in Eco's bhavs tutorial mentioned in the beginning].
Pic
Getting close to the end.
4. Edit the mesh:
Import your tree mesh into the main GMDC, it's the one with all the tree parts.
If your mesh has a separate group for small decorative branches, I'd import them as a replacement to the "untrimmed" state.
Import null blank for all the redundant subsets your mesh doesn't have [i got mine off of xxx said modder on MTS]; Bloom, Untrimmed and the two other fruits.
If you cloned a lemon tree, then that's the real fruit.
- replace the other seasonal GMDCs; only foliage and bark are stored there.
- Replace the LOD GMDC with a low poly mesh, preferably. This is for Neighbourhood view.
Don't forget to commit each change.
When you're done, Fix Integrity and save.
- Replace all the textures with your own.
(LOD texture should be smaller, preferably).
Optional: Add a Normal Map.
Xxxxxxxx
Optional: making pseudo repository trees:
Texture reference.
Xxxxxxxxx
4. Making the fruit package.
- Clone a fruit. Under xxxx --> xxxx.
- add functionality? [Is really missing?]
Manually or with Deedee's package.
- Edit GUID.
- Edit Buy Category if you want it buyable.
- Edit BHAVS:
Xxxxx
(Link to same MTS explenation as above
https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=654471).
- Replace mesh.
- Replace textures.
And voilla.
Test it in the game to see that everything works right.
Enjoy your new harvestable tree and share it.