Let’s Rip A Sim...Again ( A TS4 SimRipper Tutorial for Blender 2.8x)
I got a request from the sweetest anon the other day to do an updated tutorial and I couldn’t say no. So, let’s get into it!
You’re gonna need the following things:
TS4 SimRipper
Blender 2.8x (The ‘x’ stands for any number after .8, this could make it 2.80, 2.81, etc)
Blank Posing Rig from Sims 4 Studio or a premade pose from a pose maker
A basic to intermediate understanding of Blender. ( I assume that if you’re using 2.8x, you at least understand how to use 2.79 )
Fun fact! This process is the exact same as my last tutorial for 2.79, but if it were in cycles render instead of blender render!
If you do not already have SimRipper downloaded, please download, install, and open SimRipper . Load your save file by pressing “Select”.
Unlike in the last tutorial, we will actually be using Aaliyah lol
Use the filters on the left to narrow down your chosen sim. Select your sim from the list. Using the controls on the right, select the outfit you want your sim to wear.
For this tutorial, I am using SimRipper version 3.1.0.0. Because of that, my right sidebar might look different, if you are using an older version of SimRipper. Don’t worry, this process will be exactly the same for the older version.
If you are using the updated version of SimRipper, make sure that instead of “Single mesh and texture”, the right hand dropdown box says “Solid and Glass meshes and textures.” Click on the button on the right that reads: “Save as DAE”
Importing The Ripped Sim
Open Blender. Open the blank rig.
Click file and click on import. Import as Collada (.DAE)
Delete the base Sims4Studio sim from your imported rig or pose. Also, delete the Rig.001 that imports with your sim’s .DAE file. Do not delete your sim, please.
Attaching the Rig
Click on the modifier tab, which looks like a wrench, or spanner if you’re not American, on the bottom left panel. Click on the “Object:” box and select “rig”.
NOTE: The face area might be slightly unaligned to the rig and that is NORMAL. It is supposed to be. When you move things around in CAS, the rig stays the same. Do not worry about it.
NONE #2: If you are using height sliders, you sim will not align to the blank rig at all. You have to have made your sim without the height sliders and use height rigs like this one with this tutorial to have an accurate height for you sim. Basically, have two versions of your sim, one with the height sliders and one without, and use the height rig to have your sim be the right size while posing.
Adding The Texture
Now, for this part of the tutorial, I am going to split the glass textures up into two parts, because Cycles and Eevee renders transparent textures slightly differently and I want to make sure I’m as clear about that process as possible.
If you are using the most recent version of Simripper ( as of making this tutorial, that version is 3.1.0.0 ), when you import your .DAE file, it will also import the texture along with it, which is helpful if you do not want to do a lot of work, but not so much if you want your glass textures to show up correctly. As you see below, there is Aaliyah in all her shiny glory.
If you are using an older version of SR, it will not automatically add the texture to your sim for you, so let’s do it together.
Select your sim and go the materials tab. There, you will see a button that says “New”. Click on it. After doing so, there will be different sections. We’ll focus on the “Surface” section. Under Surface, there is another button that reads “Principled BSDF”. Under that, there is another button that reads “Base Color”. This is where our image texture is gonna go.
There is a small circle next to Base Color, click on it and it will open a menu. Select “Image Texture” under the “Texture” column. Click “Open” next to your new image texture shader and locate and open your texture. If you already have your image in Blender, click on the small picture icon and select it from that menu.
Now we have a textured, but shiny sim. To quickly fix that, scroll down the material tab and you’ll find a value input labeled “Specular”. Make it 0.00. Now your sim isn’t shiny! Yay!
Glass Textures
To add your Glass textures a lot easier, you’re gonna need to open the node editor. Follow the above instructions for your Glass object exactly, except use you glass texture. Yes, including the specular step. Luckily the only thing you have to do add two nodes, the “Mix” shader and the “Transparent” Shader.
After doing so, situate your nodes as below:
For Eevee, you’re going to want to do one really important thing. Scroll down the material tab and find settings. Under there change Blend Mode from “Opaque” to “Alpha Blend”. If you are working with more complex transparent objects ( Like hair or fluffy objects ) use “Alpha Hashed” instead.
Here is a comparison of Cycles and Eevee for glass textures. It is very subtle.
Now, your sim is in Blender 2.8x. Like last time, this tutorial is not a posing tutorial, so and questions that are off the topic of SimRipper or have already been answered in my tag for this tutorial will be ignored. Here are some good tutorials for posing.
My own posing tutorial
Simmerberlin
Voila!
Before you send me a message for this tutorial, please refer to this tag and this post. Also, I am not a Blender expert and becuase of that I am not the best person to ask for help in regards to Blender. @thefoxburyinstitute has a whole database of great tutorials and resources for Blender!