Pixel Threads

Getting Started: The Clothing Guide

Amazing to see you starting your journey here! Clothing conversion may seem difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes so much easier.

Please pay close attention to Druu's video guide on our Resources page, as the skills learned there will also help with hair and other assets later on!

Step 1: The Golden Rule - Permissions & TOS

Before we touch any software, we need to cover the most important rule of converting: getting permission from the original Sims 4 creator.

How to Check and Ask for Permission

Some creators have a public TOS that already states their rules. A great example is Nitro Panic, who allows conversions as long as you follow their terms. You can read their TOS here.

If a creator's TOS isn't clear or you can't find one, you must reach out to them directly. Send them a polite and clear message. Here is a template you can adapt:

Hi [Creator's Name]! I absolutely love your creations and was hoping to ask for your permission to convert a few for personal use in a FiveM (GTAV) server. I would provide full credit with links, and the files would never be shared or re-uploaded. Please let me know if this is okay—no worries at all if not. Thank you!

If they reply with a YES, you're good to go! If they say NO, or if they **DO NOT REPLY**, you DO NOT have permission. Do not use their work.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Workspace & Essential Files

Now that the permissions are sorted, let's get our software and files ready. This step covers the one-time plugin installation and the key files you'll need for your project.

Creating Your Project Folder

For this test, we will use one of Nitro Panic's shirts. Download their files to a place you can easily find them. As mentioned before, a clear folder structure is your best friend!

For example, your folder path for this specific shirt might look like this: Documents/FiveM Conversions/Nitro Panic/KHUCIN TOP/

Keeping everything organized in its own folder will make your life much, much easier in the long run.

Step 3: Exporting from Sims4Studio

Now we move onto the technical part: getting the files out of The Sims 4 and into a format Blender can use. You will need Sims4Studio installed for this.

The Export Process

1. In Sims4Studio, click on My Projects and find the .package file for the shirt you downloaded.
2. Once open, go to the Textures tab. Select the main texture (usually called Diffuse) and click Export. Save it in your project folder as shirt_diffuse.png.
3. Next, go to the Meshes tab. Click Export to save the 3D model. Save this in the same project folder, naming it after the clothing item (e.g., khucin_top.blend).

Step 4: Importing into Blender

With our files exported, it's time to bring the shirt into our main Blender project. Open the female or male body blend file you got from the Downloads page.

1. From the top menu, go to File > Append...
2. Navigate to where you saved your exported mesh (e.g., khucin_top.blend). Double-click to enter the file.
3. A list of folders will appear. Go into the Object folder.
4. You will see one or more files named s4studio_mesh_.... Select all of them and click Append.

Note: If you import multiple mesh parts, they may need to be joined together. We will cover this in a bonus section later.

Cleaning Up The Scene

The appended object will bring a few extra Sims 4 items into your scene. You will likely see:

• bone_bone_shape
• rig
• s4studio_mesh_1 (your shirt)

Step 5: Cleaning the Clothing Mesh

Now that the shirt is in Blender, we need to remove the unwanted parts of the original Sims 4 body that came with it.

1. In the top-left corner, switch from Object Mode to Edit Mode. The body mesh will turn orange, showing all its vertices.
2. Click anywhere in the empty space to deselect everything. Use your scroll wheel to zoom and the Hand icon (under the XYZ gizmo) to pan your view so you can see the shirt clearly.
3. Hover your mouse over one of the Sims 4 arms and press the L key. This will select all "linked" vertices, meaning the entire arm.
4. Continue pressing L on all the parts of the Sims 4 body (arms, torso, neck) until everything you want to remove is selected. Hold your middle mouse button (scroll wheel) to rotate the camera and make sure you get the back parts, too!
5. Once all unwanted parts are selected, press the DEL key (or right-click) and choose Delete > Vertices from the menu. The Sims 4 body should now be gone, leaving only the clothing!

Step 6: Positioning and Fitting

With a clean mesh, it's time to fit it to our GTAV body.

Positioning the Shirt

1. Switch back to Object Mode.
2. First, select the GTAV body. Then, hold Shift and left-click on your shirt mesh so that both are selected.
3. Press G then Z to move the shirt down along the Z-axis. Position it so it sits nicely on the GTAV body's shoulders.
4. Rotate your view with the middle mouse button to check the fit from all angles.

Scaling the Shirt

Finally, you might need to resize the shirt slightly. On the left-hand toolbar, select the Scale tool (it's the fourth one down, a box with an arrow). A gizmo will appear on your shirt.

You can click and drag the colored lines to scale it up, down, or widen it. Make small adjustments until you're happy with how it sits. Don't worry about any parts of the body clipping through the shirt—we'll fix that next!

Step 7: Sculpting to Fix Clipping

Now that our shirt is positioned, we need to fix any areas where the body is clipping through the mesh. We'll do this in Sculpt Mode. Select the shirt and switch from Object Mode to Sculpt Mode.

Sculpting Tools & Setup

Our main tools will be on the left-hand toolbar. You'll also see settings for them at the top of the screen.

• Main Tools: We'll mostly use the Grab brush and the Elastic Deform brush to pull and push the mesh into place.
• Strength: A good starting point is around 0.375. You don't want it to be too strong.
• Radius: This is your brush size. Use a larger radius for big areas and a smaller one for fine details. You can change it at the top or by pressing the F key.
• Symmetry (The Butterfly Tool): To save time and sculpt both sides at once, enable symmetry. At the top-right of the 3D viewport, click the little butterfly icon and make sure X is selected.

The Sculpting Process

Now you can begin gently pulling and pushing the shirt's mesh so it no longer clips through the GTAV body. Take your time with this process—you are not on a time crunch! Practice is key.

Once you are happy with how the shirt fits and there is no more clipping, switch back to Object Mode.

Step 8: Getting GTA V Properties (The XML Method)

Now that our mesh is sculpted and fits well, we need to give it the properties that will make it work correctly in GTA V. We'll do this by generating an XML file from a similar in-game item using Codewalker RPF Explorer.

As a reminder, this step requires the Sollumz plugin, which you should have installed back in Step 2.

Generating the XML with Codewalker

1. In Codewalker RPF Explorer, navigate to the location of the vanilla clothing files. A common path for female clothing is:
   x64v.rpf > models > cdimages > mp_f_freemode_01.rpf
2. Once inside, find a model with similar properties to the one you're making (e.g., jbib_000_f.ydd for a top).
3. At the top of the Codewalker window, make sure you enable Edit Mode.
4. Right-click on the desired .ydd file and choose the option "Export to XML...".
5. Save this XML file to your project folder.

This single XML file is the key to the "easy way" of transferring properties, which we will now use in Blender.

Step 10: Transferring Weights & Properties

This is the most technical part of the guide, where we make our shirt move correctly with the body (weights) and give it the final properties it needs to work in-game. Follow these steps carefully.

Importing the XML File

1. In Blender, go to File > Import > Codewalker XML (.xml).
2. Find and select the XML file you exported from Codewalker and import it. A new object, the vanilla GTA V shirt, will appear in your scene.

Transferring the Weights

Now we will copy the weight painting from the GTA V shirt directly onto our custom shirt.

1. In Object Mode, select the GTA V shirt FIRST. Then, hold Shift and select your Sims 4 shirt. The GTA V shirt should be outlined in dark orange, and your shirt in light orange.
2. Switch from Object Mode to Weight Paint Mode. Your shirt should turn solid blue.
3. Go to the menu at the top of the viewport and click Weights > Transfer Weights.
4. A small options box called "Transfer Mesh Data" will appear in the bottom-left. Expand it.
5. Change the Source Layers Selection from "All Layers" to "By Name". This correctly maps the GTA V bones to your mesh.
6. To make the weights smoother, go to the menu again and click Weights > Smooth.

You can check if it worked by going to the Vertex Groups list on your shirt. Clicking on names like "SKEL_Spine2" or "SKEL_L_UpperArm" should now show colorful gradients on your mesh.

Joining for Final Properties

The weights are transferred, but the shader and other properties are not. We'll use the "join" trick for that.

1. Switch back to Object Mode. Select only the GTA V shirt and go into Edit Mode.
2. Select a small, easy-to-grab piece of the mesh (like a bit of the hem).
3. Invert the selection (Select > Invert or CTRL + I) and delete the rest (DEL > Vertices). You are now left with just a tiny piece.
4. Switch back to Object Mode. Select your Sims 4 shirt FIRST, then hold Shift and select the tiny GTA V piece.
5. Join them by pressing CTRL + J. Your shirt will inherit the properties and may turn transparent or pink. This is normal!
6. Go back into Edit Mode, select the tiny piece you joined (hover and press L), and delete it.

Final Cleanup: Correcting UV Maps

After joining, you may have extra UV maps. We only need the ones from the original Sims 4 mesh.

1. With your final shirt selected, go back to the Object Data Properties tab (green triangle).
2. Find the "UV Maps" list. Sims 4 maps are often called `uv_0`, `uv_1`, etc., while GTA V maps are `UVMap`.
3. If you see extra maps, you can clean them up. Newer versions of Sollumz make this easy: click the down-arrow next to the list and select Rename by Order. This will automatically fix the naming convention for GTA V.

Now it may seem like it is almost there, but we have some extra steps to go through.

Step 11: Final Touches in Blender & Beyond

The final steps involve preparing your texture, doing vertex painting, and exporting the final files. These are highly visual processes that are much easier to understand by watching them being done.

You Did It!

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the entire workflow for converting a piece of custom clothing for FiveM. This is a complex skill with many steps, and making it to the end is a huge accomplishment.

From here, the key is practice. Every new item you make will get easier and faster. Feel free to experiment with different clothing types, textures, and techniques. You now have the foundational knowledge to bring any creative idea to life. Happy modding!