I get a ton of questions every week from folks trying to understand how to properly use the Bodyshape custom mesh sets.  So, I've done a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a Bodyshape Sim.  This will only cover how to create a new sim with the Bodyshape series.  To convert existing sims to Bodyshape skintones requires SimPE and some fairly complicated editing, of which detailed information can be found at the SimPE website or MTS2.

HOT NEWS!  Christianlov over at MTS2 has created a new mod to allow switching of existing sims to the BodyShape Collection Skintones!  Work is ongoing with the mod, but it currently supports all of my base skintones.  Stop by and have a look!  Christainlov's Skintone Selector Mod at MTS2 

INSTALLATION

All Bodyshape series files are packaged in .RAR format.  I prefer to use RAR as it compresses better than .Zip files, resulting in smaller uploads, so I can fit more into the packages you need to download.  This is important, since the hosting sites have a 10mb limit to files uploaded, so if I can fit more into a file, there are less files for you to download.  To open .RAR files, you need a program like WinRAR or 7-Zip, which are freely available for download.  For more information, I recommend the FAQ at MTS2.

To Install, extract the files contained in the various archives to your My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads folder.  If you have NightLife or a later expansion, you can also use subfolders to Downloads if you wish, to organize things better.

For an outfit to work, there must be an Outfit package and a Mesh package for the desired size.  All of my base Outfit files are named "Warlokk_...", while the meshes are named "MESH_...".  The naming structure for all my files follows the basic Maxis naming conventions, with the size included in the middle.  This format is as follows:

• MESH_(outfit type)_(Top-Bottom sizes)_(outfit name).package
• Warlokk_(outfit type)_(Top-Bottom sizes)_(outfit name).package

The outfit type will be either "af" or "tf" for Adult Female or Teen Female, followed by Body, Top or Bottom, depending on which type it is.  The sizes will be listed Top-Bottom, with "e" for Enhanced and "n" for natural breast sizes.  The Outfit name is the Maxis name for the clothing item.  So for a 34D Enhanced top, 38" bottom Chinese Dress, for example, you will have the following 2 files:

• MESH_afBody_34De-38_DressChina.package
• Warlokk_afBody_34De-38_DressChina.package

Both files must be present for the outfit to appear in the game.   The MESH file is required for any custom outfits made for this size by the rest of the community, generally they will only include the outfit file.

Skintones are a little different, as they reference the Top and Bottom Separate meshes, so if you have a sim that is missing half or all of her body when she hops in the shower, you are missing those meshes.  So for a skintone in the 34D Enhanced - 38 size, you need the following files:

• Warlokk_BeosTan_Skn34De-38.package
• MESH_afTopNakedHi_34D-Enh.package
• MESH_afBottomNaked_HiDetail_38.package 

These files are all found in the Complete Nude Collection at the adult sites, due to their fairly explicit nature.

If you have difficulty getting the series to work, drop me a line at the forums over at InSim or MTS2.

How To Use the Series

1 - Getting Started
For this tutorial, I have decided to make a 34DD Natural Top, 38" Hips sim, or 34DDnat-38.  I started by opening Create-A-Sim (CAS), and letting it create a random Adult Female.

2 - The Skintone 

The first step is to choose a Bodyshape Mesh-Linked Skintone for the size you wish to use.  This is very important, as this is what allows your sim to keep the shape you chose while naked.  If you do not choose a Bodyshape-linked skintone, your sim will revert to the default size.

All of my skintones have a descriptive icon that notes the size it will use, as well as pop-up help text with the same information.  Skintones created by others may not have this information, but most creators will include it (hint-hint to skintone creators ;))

So, shown below is the result of choosing the 34DDnat-38 skintone, found in the Hi-Res Nude Tops set.  Please note that the size will not change immediately, as you can see... the meshes linked by the skintone will ONLY appear when the sim is truly nude, like when showering or bathing.  Since CAS does not show this state, you will not see the change here until we add the appropriate clothing.

 3 - Clothes - Everyday Top

Ahh, that's better... for the Everyday outfit, I decided to go with Top/Bottom Separates.  As you can see, I have chosen the 34DDnat Tshirt, found in the 34DD Tops Separates Set.

 4 - Clothes - Everyday Bottom from a Collection

Here you can see I have selected the 38 Hips collection at the bottom of the screen, to let me find the correct size more easily.  The collection files can be found with the Bottoms Set for the various Bottom sizes.  More collections will be available for Top sizes as they are created.

Note that there is no pop-up text for outfits in Collections.  This is normal (although I have no idea why Maxis did this). 

5 - Clothes - Bottom Separates from the Catalog 

 If you do not have your outfits sorted into collections, you can choose them from the Catalog instead.  All of my outfits will have a pop-up note with the size the outfit was created for, as will most custom outfits made by others for my meshes (another hint for creators :D) 

 6 - Formals, full-body clothing, mixing shapes/sizes

Here we see the Formal outfit for our sim.  Note that full-body outfits work just like the Separates above, but each outfit will note both a Top and Bottom size.  All of my Top Size sets will have outfits for the various bottom sizes, although I may not include certain combinations, such as I did not create a 34DD Top with a 32" Bottom, since I felt it looked out of proportion, and I am trying to keep my series at least somewhat realistic.

In this case, I have chosen a 34DD Enhanced size, even though my sim was created for the 34DD Natural.  This will work fine, you can actually choose any size you like for any outfit, it's totally up to you... if you want a 34B Sim to have a specail dress that turns her into a DDD, by all means go for it!

In this case, the idea is that she would be wearing a bra or have some support built into the dress, giving it the "Enhanced" look.  Experiment with the various sizes and shapes, and let your imagination be your guide! 

7 - PJs, other outfits

Continue to assign the other clothing types to your sim, choosing the appropriate size options as you like.  Shown below is the 34DDnat-38 Nightgown, which I chose for her sleepwear.

Note that if you have the Hi-Res Nude/Topless outfits, they will appear in the various categories as well. 

8 - Finishing Up

Once you've assigned all the clothing categories, you can set the Personality, Aspiration and Turn-on/offs, and you're done!  You can now create more sims, or you can go to the Neighborhood screen and move them in! 

I hope this guide helps everyone get the most out of the Bodyshape series.  As always, if you have questions or comments, drop by Warlokk's Tower at inSIM, ModTheSims2 or SexySims2 (adults only) and join the discussion!

Converting Standard Outfits/Skintones to Bodyshape Meshes

REMINDER:  Do not upload any outfits OR Sims containing outfits converted to my meshes using textures created by other artists, without those artists explicit permission!  I allow folks to do what you like with my meshes, but you shouldn't post other people's textures without permission AND credit. 

For an excellent alternative tutorial with pics, check out GothPlague's post at InSIMenator! 

Clothing:

IMPORTANT:  This tutorial is to convert a texture onto one of my BodyShape mesh outfits. 

The texture you are applying to the mesh MUST come from an original mesh/outfit that is at least similar in shape to the BodyShape mesh you are applying it to, i.e. skirts to skirts, pants to pants etc, or it will not align correctly.  

Textures can be modified to make them fit, however that will require the proper texture editing software and skills.  Many tutorials for texture editing can be found at MTS2.

Open BodyShop, Create Clothing, start a new Clothing project, and export the outfit you want to use the textures from. Name it something you can find later (PurpleShirt, for example). Once it exports the textures, cancel that project.

Now do another Clothing project, using the outfit of mine you want to use, and give it the name you want to use for this outfit, preferably with the size you're using (Nat36DTankTop for this example). You're limited to a certain number of characters so you may have to be creative. It helps if the mesh is based off the same one you're transferring to, but not always necessary if you can make it work.

Once the files export, open an Explorer window (keep Bodyshop open), and browse to your My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\ folder, and find the Projects folder. Inside you should see a folder named for each project you made. Copy the .bmp files from the first project folder (PurpleShirt) into the 2nd (Nat36DTankTop), overwriting the ones there, there should be 2 or 3 of them depending on if there's a normal map (bump map) or not. Make sure you don't overwrite the .package file, or you'll have to start over.

Now go to BodyShop again, and click the little circle-arrow Refresh button, and you should see the new texture over my mesh. If everything looks OK, you can put some notes in the Comments field and import it to your game, and select which categories you want the outfit to show up under, and you're done! If you need to make some tweaks, you can use your favorite graphics program and edit the .bmp files in the new project folder, and use the Refresh button to check your progress after each save.

Now here's a cool trick... if you want to use the same mesh to do a number of different outfits, you don't have to re-export mine, you can just use the same project you already created. You just have to export the outfits you want to use the textures from, and copy them into that project folder and re-import, it will create unique outfit files each time and put it in your SavedSims folder.

Skintones:

Again in BodyShop, go to Create Parts, Genetics, and export the skin you want to convert, which will dump the textures into the project for you. Like before, give it a name that's descriptive, 'cause you may want to use it again later (We'll call ours LightReal).

Next, cancel the project (the files will stay where you dumped them), and start a new one to export the custom mesh skintone with the shape you want, and name the project something with the size in it (Nat36D36) so you can find the files later. Then, in Explorer copy the texture files (.bmp's) over from the first folder you exported (LightReal) to the new project folder (Nat36D36)--don't MOVE them, unless you feel like going through the whole first part again, and make sure you don't copy the .project file, just the textures.

In Bodyshop, click the little refresh icon to make sure it worked(you'll see the updated texture, but still no shape, that's normal since the mesh isn't a true nude), and re-import my skin to your game. If you want, you can edit the swatch.bmp file so the icon looks better, but it's not necessary. That's it! You can redo it with other sizes too now that you have the textures exported you want from your favorite skin (you did copy them, and not move, right?). To do more sizes with the same skintone, repeat the process starting at the 2nd paragraph. I'd advise putting something in the Notes field telling which skintone and mesh it is using.

I hope this helps some people tailor all these new custom meshes coming out to suit their needs. Remember, don't upload or distribute anything you make using someone else's work without permission! My meshes are free to pass around, but many textures/outfits/skintones are not.