Uses for S3PE in World Creation

There are several different ways to utilize s3pe for World Creation. I'm sure this is just a few, so if you know of other uses, post, and let us know.


First off, this is where you'll find the download for s3pe;
http://www.simlogical.com/s3pe.htm

Second, Back up any files you will be working with, just in case.


These are the things I use the program for. I'll do a quick tut in a new post for each of these.


Designating a World a City

Recovering Caw Files for an Exported World

Changing out the WPID File
So you can upload more than once to the exchange, or install more than one version of your world to your game.

Adding & Extracting Metadata Objects: Recolors, Rabbit Holes, Trees, ect.

Deleting the _KEY file to fix the brown uck

Designating a World a City



Overview:
1. Download the resource file Simsample at MTS has isolated, and extracted for us.
2. Open your .world file in s3pe
3. Import the new resource file, and save!

Bingo! Bango! Bongo! You got yourself a city!



Step by Step:
Here are step by step instructions for those of you who have never used s3pe;
Please read Simsamples thread also.

s3pe download: s3pe Package Editor
Download the resource file. Simsamples City Resource File


Okay, now you've downloaded s3pe, and the City Resource File. Put it where you can find it. I made a folder for it and put it on my desktop.

Open up S3pe, click on "File" on the bar at the top, click on "Open", and find your .world file you wish to add these files to.

They should be in;
Documents,
Electronic Arts,
Sims 3 Create a World
UserToolData
Worlds

It should look like this, I'm opening up my WhovilleBeta;
Make sure you click the "All Files" option, or your .world file won't show up.


Once you open it up, this is what it will look like;



Now, just click on the "Resource" tab on the top bar, Click on "import", and "from file". Find your City Resource File, and click on it;



Now just highlight the file, and click "Open". This is what you'll get. Just click "import", and then click on "file" on the top bar again, and "Save".

First off, you should take a look at the Original thread at MTS
Editing Pre-made Worlds

Also, this method by Inkantator at MTS http://www.modthesims.info/showpost.php?...stcount=30 Works very well, and cuts out a few steps in this tutorial.

Overview of Process;
Note: You will need to have the World installed in your game.

   Open Caw, and start a new world the same size you'll be editing, 300 height.
   Make a temporary folder on your desktop to transfer the resource files into.
   Import the World into s3pe from your installed worlds folder.
   Select all the files, and export to the file you prepared on your desktop.
   Now, take the .world file you just created in Caw, and open it in S3pe.
   Import the resource files from the file folder. Check the" Replace duplicates", "use resource names", and "compress".
   At this point make sure you save.
   Open the world in Caw, once open, do a "Save As".


*For Store Worlds, please see the notation at the end of this post.




Step by Step Instructions
Open Caw, and start a new world the same size you'll be editing, 300 height.

Make a temporary folder on your desktop to transfer the resource files into.

Open s3pe, click "File", then "Open". Top left corner. Go to;
Documents
Electronic Arts
Sims 3
Installed Worlds

Click on the world you need to edit, and click "Open".



 

Select all the files by clicking on the first resource file, it will highlight blue. Hit Ctrl/Shift, then scroll to the bottom, and click on the last resource. They should all be blue now. It may take awhile, and say it's not responding, but just wait a few min.

Click on Resources; Export; To File, and choose the file you set up on your desktop.





 

Back to s3pe. Open the new world you just made in Caw in s3pe. It will be here;
Documents
Electronic Arts
Sims 3 Create a World
UserToolData
Worlds
Make sure you do the "All Files"




 

Under the Resources tab, click on "Import", "From File", and choose the folder you just placed all those resource files into.
Select all the files in the folder, and click "Open".

" />

 

Check the" Replace duplicates", "use resource names", and "compress".




 

At this point make sure you save in s3pe do not do a "save as" in s3pe

Open the world in Caw, once open, do a "Save As".

I always take the world into EIG at this point, and save just to make sure everything's good.

How I get rid of the sims;
I use Twallens Master Controller to accomplish this.
Open the world up in EIG, (make sure the game play is paused) placed a large lot, anywhere, (you could do this before entering EIG, I just forgot sometimes), edit the lot it as commercial, no visitors, and placed the BG City hall on it, and save. *close EIG, close the world in caw with another save from there. Then opened it all back up, and back to EIG. Enter the command * "makesim". Now you can click on the City Hall/ NRass/ Town/ and Total Annihilation. This leaves just one homeless simmie in your .world file. Click on the Town Hall again/ Town/ and Reset all Objects. Bulldoze your City Hall, and lot, then save the whole thing again.

I edited Egypt this way, and the lone, homeless sim didn't cause any problems. before you Reset all Objects, you can un-pause the world, and click on the command that sends your sim home. He'll get a taxi, and disappear on a random lot. Just make sure you reset the town after that. When you're all done with the world, you can make a new sim, and do the Total Annihilation thing again, just in case that lone sim got corrupted during editing the world.

*closed EIG
I do this because the NRass interaction is not available until you do this. I've tried just saving, then making the sim, and clicking on the City Hall, but still no NRass interaction. That's why I save and back out of everything, and reopen.

* "makesim"
Assuming you've already done the "testingcheatsenabled true" cheat.


Store Worlds:
You will need to "Decrapify" the .world file before s3pe will open it up.
Download the Recompressor from MATY to a new folder:

[url=http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,15129.0.html ]TS3 Recompressor[/url]

There will be two Application, (.exe) , decrapify, and s3rc. We'll be using the
decrapify.exe.
Copy the .world file from your "Installed" folder.
Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3
& paste it into the same folder.
It won't work unless it's in the same folder.




Click and grab the .world file, and drop it on top of the decrapify.exe, a black box will
pop up momentarily. When it disappears, your .world is done, and should open up in
s3pe.

Changing out the WPID File

The WPID file is what the game, and the Exchange use to identify the world, kind of like a product number. Change the file, and the game views it as a different world.

Open up S3pe, click on "File" on the bar at the top, click on "Open", and find your .world file.

They should be in;
Documents,
Electronic Arts,
Sims 3 Create a World
UserToolData
Worlds

It should look like this, I'm opening up my WhovilleBeta;
Make sure you click the "All Files" option, or your .world file won't show up.






Once you open it up, this is what it will look like;







make sure on the lower menu in the center there, you check the "display" "names" and "tags".


Click on the "Tag" bar at the top a couple times and you should see the "WPID" File







Now just click on the WPID, right click, "Deleted". Then click on "file" on the top bar again, and "Save".

A brand new WPID file will be generated, thus the game, and the Exchange will recognize it as a different world.

In this tut I'll be recoloring the plant brambles from the base game, a very simple recolor. I'm sure there are other ways to do this, but I self taught myself this method by reading the forums. If you know of a better way to do this, tell us how, or link us to a tut.

Overview of Process

• Make a copy of your FullBuild2.package file found in;  Program Files/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Game Data/Shared/Packages.
  
• Open s3pe, and open the Full Build.  Find  "plantBrambles", there should be two IMG files for it. Export them.
  
• Open the exported files in an image editor. I'm using Paint.net. You'll see you will only be using one of the image files, so delete the other one.
  
• Click on "Adjustments', then "Hue & Saturation". Move the sliders to the desired colors you want. Now just save.
  
• Open your.world file in s3pe, click on "resources", and import the file you just altered, into your .world file, and save.
  

Step by Step Instruction

Make a copy of your FullBuild2.package file found in;  Program Files/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Game Data/Shared/Packages.
I keep a file with a copy of each full build from the Base Game, as well as each EP. Most of the things you will want to recolor from the Base Game are located in the FullBuild2.package. The Full Builds are numbered 02, 03, 04, for each EP & SP, but I rename them so I can quickly Identify them.


 

 


Open s3pe, and open the Full Build. Tick the Display - "Names" & "Tags" at the bottom of the window.  Create a new folder on your desktop for your image files.  Find  "plantBrambles", there should be two IMG files for it, Highlight them by clicking on the first one, then hold Ctrl + Shift, and click on the second one.  Right click on them, and "Export" "to file".





Open the exported files in an image editor. I'm using Paint.net. You'll see you will only be using one of the image files, so delete the other one. Click on "Adjustments', then "Hue & Saturation". Move the sliders to the desired colors you want. Now just save.

   

   




Open your.world file in s3pe. You will find it in My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3 Create a World/UserToolData/Worlds.  
Click on "Resources", and import the file you just altered, into your .world file, and save.


   

   




These are my brambles in my Arizona, desert world. I want them more of a silvery greenish blue color, so I will recolor them again, until I get them right.

Simsample from MTS clued me in on this nifty info.
Ever had this happen?



 

 

 simsample Wrote:If you open the world in s3pe, delete the _KEY resource, then enter CAW and reassign the terrain textures> save, it should work okay. It seems to be a corruption of the database caused by an invalid file path in the terrain texture assignment.

Open up S3pe, click on "File" on the bar at the top, click on "Open", and find your .world file.

They should be in;
Documents,
Electronic Arts,
Sims 3 Create a World
UserToolData
Worlds

It should look like this, I'm opening up my WhovilleBeta;
Make sure you click the "All Files" option, or your .world file won't show up.






Once you open it up, this is what it will look like;






make sure on the lower menu in the center there, you check the "display" "names" and "tags".


Click on the "Name" bar at the top a couple times and you should see the "Texture Database"






Now just click on the _KEY file, right click, "Delete". Then click on "file" on the top bar again, and "Save".

Delete your Cache files, or it still might show up in EIG. I know, I keep quoting Simsample, why rewrite what already makes sense I ask you? Chaplin

   

simsample Wrote:Clear Caches:

       First, clear your CAW caches- delete Documents\ Electronic Arts\ The Sims 3 Create A World Tool\ WorldbuilderCache and Documents\ Electronic Arts\ The Sims 3 Create A World Tool\ UserToolData\ LocalWork.
       Next, clear your game caches- click here!


   Gelis has found that for Windows 7 users you may need to delete your Virtual Store files too- C:\Users\\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create a World Tool. You can also delete the corresponding files for The Sims 3 from there safely, too. These files are hidden so you may need to set your operating system to show hidden files to find these.