#sims 3 cc tutorial

tiny forward: thank uuu!!!! it feels nice to log in and see people still liking and sharing s3ps. i am too old / don't have time to edit and post my 1,000,000 screenshots that i've been sitting on for half a decade to try to have the ~kewl simblr~ i dreamed of when i made my account, so if creating and sharing s3ps is the only tiny mark i make on the simming world, i am content :-)

i've had some questions about s3ps' best use cases, or why it exists at all when cc magic is right there, so i wanted to share my sims 3 cc workflow. it's similar to gruesim's cc cleaning/sorting process, because that's what i used when i started playing, but with additional steps for s3ps.

i imagine every ts3 player knows these things already, but maybe this'll land in the hands of someone coming into sims 3 for the first time ...maybe jumping ship from ts4 teehee.

i download a lot of cc. too much cc. i dump everything lazily into a folder named something like "skjfslg".

if there are sims3pack files, they go into a backup folder and are converted to .package files using s3ce or delphy's sims 3 pack multi-extractor (except patterns. yes, i have tried following this tutorial. no, it has not worked. i am too tired and not smart enough to try again).¹

i use ReNamer² to remove special characters from all filenames. everything is alphanumeric: no punctuation, underscores, or hyphens. i do not add prefixes or any additional identifiers to tell me where files belong. that's what s3ps is for!

once everything has been converted and renamed, i open my "skjfslg" folder in s3ps and sort everything by category by clicking the Type column.

i keep a separate folder structure that is a 1:1 match of my cc magic folders/subfolders, so i bulk select files in s3ps by their category and move them into their respective backup folders.

i open a second explorer tab and navigate to the folder where i keep s3rc redux. in my first tab i go to a folder where i've moved new cc into and copy and paste³ the files into the second tab + drag and drop them onto s3rc / use a .cmd file to compress everything.

after compressing the duplicate files, i move them into a third tab where Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Downloads is open (where files go to be ingested by cc magic).

i open cc magic and import the files. i import one folder/category at a time because a) it doesn't overload the program, and b) i can shift+click to select all the newly imported files in cc magic and know exactly which folder to drag them to, rather than having to sort them a second time.

repeat steps 6-8 for each folder/category that contains new cc.

and that's it! i throw everything into cc magic except mods + counters. i have read that adding (non-script) mods to cc magic is fine, but i prefer to keep them separate. i don't delete duplicate images or sort every single piece of cc in s3pe, but gruesim's post has more info if you want to go the extra mile.

the main benefit of using s3ps over cc magic to organize custom content is that you can categorize your cc backups before importing files to be merged. and you absolutely should keep backups, because show me a sims game that hasn't borked something somewhere. i've also had issues with cc magic not showing correct categories or not showing categories at all.

there's a tiny update i've been wanting to make to s3ps that i've been dragging my feet on, and i'd love to work on a version for mac! but i take so long to do anything, so the best i can do is spend an unreasonable amount of time writing this post instead. goodbye!

footnotes beneath the cut, i've gone on long enough

Suggested Skill Level: Pretty basic honestly. But this is written with the assumption you know these programs and how to use them. This is also focused on the mesh and getting it into game, in a working state, not textures. Programs needed for the mesh _____________________________ TSRW Sims4Studio Blender Milkshape 3D s3ce (Converting sims3pack to package files) Sims 3 Package editor Art program with dds stuff. (I use Photoshop, GIMP scares me, sorry) _____________________________ STEP ONE: Pick 'n choose wisely, smash 'n grab Pick your fence and your fence base from sims 3. This is the most important bit or else everything will go tits up. Alpha map or no Alpha map.

And whether you are going to choose a fence with glass for this lil thingy, and the fact it has two mesh groups, not just one.

Levels of difficulty, most to least difficult Glass Alpha Map Sans Alpha Map So we are going to do both glass and an alpha map one. :)

Now youre gonna grab these three mesh bits from sims 4 studio and export to blender. LOD 0 - Straight fence LOD 1 - Diagonal fence LOD 2 - Post (In this case for both the Vampire and Spa Day one. On other fences you may have to go further down to even LOD 6 to find the post, so scroll down carefully!) Dont forget the diffuse texture and the specular, keep the specular dds or else TSRW will spit on your face and steal your kidneys. In blender, do your exporting. Remember to tick that selection only box. Behold. Your Bounty.

STEP TWO: Prepping to slam it into TSRW Make your TSRW Base file, remebering to rename the project and title cuz this program is finicky as fuck. Im using the Into the Future Fence because it comes up when you search glass in the search bar. Its mesh groups Group 0: Non glass bit Group 1: Glass In milkshape 3D, import your obj file, select the one mesh group to highlight it. If its the glass, move that boi down. If you grabbed the fence but, shift it up. And then. Just export it as a tsrw object there are no bones/joints praise fucking be!! Repeat for the Vampire fence. Just import, export. What you want is just the, I hope, neatly named Spa fence parts, vampire fence parts, and the diffuse and specular. That is all we need for this.

Now, go back to your TSRW file and head to that mesh panel. You will see this.

Dont fret, just replace it with my handy dandy naming system in your head! Cuz its all it is. ______ High level of detail: Straight fence Modular 1: Diagonal fence Modular 2: The post ______ Import on the straight fence bit and you should see this. This is how you know you did the grouping right.

Finish that importing. Do the whole renumbering shpiel not saving when prompted yadah yadah. Repeat the process with the vampire one. Im using the wrought iron fence because the tall one doesnt show a texture section, for some reason.

Once you set up both files, exit TSRW fully to reset the program and give yourself more time before it runs out of memory but only tells you when you to go fucking save.

You did a good chunk already!! Yay!! Take a moment, breathe. Get yourself a cuppa. Because now its time for STEP THREE: Those Gosh Darn Texture Maps GLASS FENCE You will see that there is no texture for the glass bit, and that is because that mesh bit works entirely on its own internal shaders, unlike Sims 4 that relies on the diffuse map. If you keep the glass texture on the diffuse map, you will run into issues. Open up your diffuse texture and delete the glass texture bit. Repeat with the specular map. (Remember, this is not including how to make a recolourable fence, so we wont be colour editing. Just make a fully red mask as big as the diffuse, and slap it on. If you want, you can also make an overlay file like I did. For funsies. )

You want this! Go through to make sure you dont have duplicate texture files. Save the file to solidify your changes and export to Sims3pack. Congrats! You just made a glass fence! High five! ALPHA MAP FENCE

For this fence you can easily import the diffuse and specular with no edits. But when you make the mask map, clip that layer or else you loose the bit that makes it alpha and its just a hot mess.

YOU WANT THIS FOR ANY FUTURE MASKS YOU MAKE. DONT FORGET. You should see this in the mesh texture bit. Youre good if you do!

Behold your finished alpha mask fence! Save, export, all that jazz. STEP FOUR: We have A Post Issue Convert the sims3packs to package files. Im sorry, but this is non negotiable due to one teeny tiiiny issue.

The fences will look like this if you just click and drag. But fear not! We can easily fix this! Open the package files.

Click CFEN Grid, go to Tile Spacing Turn that 1 to a 0, hit commit. Save the file and tadah!

Create your own CUSTOM PAINTINGS for Sims 3 (Tutorial)

The skill level needed for this tutorial is high. You will not get any beginner advice here and I expect you to be good at these needed programs and skills. Youre on your own with the textures, Im just here to explain the mesh and joints/bones. Programs: Blender Sims4Studio TSRW Milkshape 3D Skills Separating a whole mesh into mesh groups How to see, apply joints, and regroup objects in Milkshape 3D Applying Normal Maps, working with Alpha Masks, and adjusting footprints in TSRW Patience, so much patience STEP ONE: So it Begins Firstly pray to a deity of your choice for good luck. If you’re an atheist, threaten tsrw at least once so it knows its place. Secondly choose the gate you want to convert from sims 4 to sims 3. I’m going with the Razzle Dazzle Gate from Realm of Magic. The Sims 3 base I’m choosing is Fence_Pediment balustrade_gate_2x1 tall comp, because it fits the size and has two mesh groups. One for the non-moving part and one for the moving part. That comp is important. If you choose anything else, you won’t get the texture bar. So, make sure your selection includes a comp. Export both LOD1 and LOD2 from Sims4Studio Export LOD1 from TSRW as an obj then as a wso file for the joint guide Chuck the TSRW file, you won’t be seeing this program again for a while. Ignore texture stuff for now, that’s for after the battle with joints and footprint shite. STEP TWO: The Blendering Start a fresh blender file, sacrifice the cube to the Blender Gods, import the sims 3 obj file as your guide. Append both LOD1 and LOD2 from the sims 4 mesh. You will see that the Sims 4 gate meshes are not in line with the Sims 3 one. Select both LOD1 and LOD 2 and move them. Luckily for us, you can move them smack dab in the middle on their Y and X axis by 0.5   Should look like so.

Save this file as BASE. This is gonna be your backup if the splitting bit goes wonky. Open Milkshape 3D and import the wso file. Select Draw Vertices with bone colours. You will see colours tied to three joints. This will help us know how to separate the Sims 4 meshes.

0x87CC8398 – Yellow, right gate 0XE8B7CAFD – Magenta, left gate 0xCD68F001 – Blue, post Back in Blender, duplicate your LOD meshes to prep them for splitting. Personally I made one duplicate to delete the posts from, clearing the gate bit. Then I duplicated that to make the seperated gates. I suggest using the UV map to quickly isolate the posts. I also suggest checking your mesh with the diffuse map visible now and then to see any floating lines/verts easier during clean up process. When choosing what should be a gate or post bit, keep in mind what makes sense to move in the opening swing animation. And make sure with face orientation on you’re deleting the right middle bit of the gate.

Double check the meshes, make double sure there are no surprise floating verts. They will bite you in the arse if there are. Export both LOD groups. (and maybe tidy up the folder for ease of navigation.) STEP THREE: Applying Joints I hope you named your mesh groups so you know what the fuck is going on because if you miss apply joints, your gate is gonna have some funky animations. Keep your head, apply each joint to each part of the gate and refer to the hex codes to select the right joints before hitting that apply button!

You should see this if you did it right.

Now, select both gate groups and hit that nice regroup button to get Regroup01. It will have been punted down to the groups so just move it back up above the post group. Now you can export as a wso file. Repeat for LOD1 STEP FOUR: TSRW Hell Re-open TSRW and make your clone file. I like to do the rename bit as AAAAAAAAAA or PLEASEDEARGODWORK for gate. It depends on my level of desperation that day honestly. When you import your meshes, just hit yes on the bounding box. When you do the shadow bit be sure to select both groups like so

DO NOT CLICK THE TOP ONE OR YOU WILL GET THIS AND YOUR PROJECT WILL CRASH

Oh the mysteries of how this program was cobbled together. I suggest using the calculate from mesh and using the posts to get a nice footprint for this mesh. Renumber, save as the whole shebang. Export to sims3pack and convert to package file because we now have to test this bad boy in game! I love building a lil pen for the sims.

If everything went right, you should see that and we can prep for the texture bit. If not, redo the steps and make sure to double check every step. Also don’t fret if it cant go on diagonal fences – none of EA’s gates can either without moveobjects on.

This list will be updated as I find more. COMFORT Beds Base Game: Bed Double Colonial Base Game: Bed Single Colonial Late Night: Altar Bed Supernatural: Bed Bunk Antique Supernatural: Bed Double Antique Canopy Dining Chairs Base Game: Chair Dining Community Lot Misc Comfort Base Game: Loveseat Park Bench Living Room Chairs Supernatural: Char Living Antique Fabric Sofas Supernatural: Sofa Antique Fabric Loveseat Base Game: Loveseat Expensive Camel Back SURFACES Dining Tables Base Game: Table Dining Community Lot (1x1) Pets: Table Dining Ranch (1x1) Seasons: Table Dining Seasons Etched Branches (2x1) End Tables Generations: Table End Gen Baby Skirt PLUMBING Sinks X Toilets X Showers and Tubs Base Game: Bathtub Clawfoot

DÉCOR Curtains and Blinds Base Game: Curtain Victorian Long Mirrors X Paintings and Posters Base Game: Painting Neoclassical Figure Supernatural: Painting Antique 2x1 Sculpture Base Game: Sculpture Floor Museum Base Game: Sculpture Wall Mask

BUILD Column

Normal Map Tutorial by VKG: https://vkg-simblr.tumblr.com/add-nm If you cannot follow it, ensure you have the version of 2.0.86 (Do not attempt to apply a normal map to phong alpha. It will result in a glowing red mess on your mesh.) Very specific issue I ran into: “Whenever I try to edit any of the values in the property box it just, doesnt let me. I have to hit the esc key to be able to do anything in the program again.” CardinalSims’ solution: "If you click the plus sign to see the dropdown menu, you can see them separated. You might have more luck adjusting them there?" Where to find the dropdown

Tutorial: manually adding speculars to patterns made with TSR Workshop Since I’ve been asked about it, I thought I’d make a quick tutorial on how to manually add speculars to custom patterns made with TSR Workshop!