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- Game Guides - Mini Tutorials
#1
29th Aug 2017 at 9:45 AM
Last edited by Charity : 10th May 2023 at 1:47 PM.
Posts: 10,920
Thanks: 5469 in 47 Posts
Mini Tutorials
Just recently Rosebine gave me a mini tutorial on how to fix the bone assignment mistake on sexy feet. I bookmarked it and then discovered to my dismay when I came back to the bookmark that it had defaulted to the current page of the Stupid/Random Questions thread and I had to search back for the tutorial. Over time I've seen several useful mini tutorials posted in threads and then left to vanish to the backs of them. I thought that it might be useful to collect links to them in one place.Rosebine's tutorial on how to fix the dodgy bone assignment on Sexy Feet.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...998#post5257998
Rosebine's link to Cat of Evil Genius' tutorial on removing the lines at the waist of separates.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...184#post5263184
Removing sim references from a lot
http://www.modthesims.info/showpost...64&postcount=33
How to get rid of solid blue water and hay grass terrain from the neighborhood view - useful in case you've got a new graphics card... one too new for TS2 to recognize
Making coastal elevation changes stick when moving/packaging BV beach lots - a (bit of complicated) way to retain changes made to the beach part of a beach lot when moving said lot around
How to build a functioning deck/foundation/room over a beach area on BV beach lots - for those bitchin' over-the-ocean patios
How to safely move all characters to a new neighborhood - I think there are simpler ways to do this than following the tutorial, though ... check Jawusa's replies in thread
Resurrecting Sims without using Resurrect-O-Nomitron - mostly for people without UN/FT/AL or those playing the Stories series games
Tutorial by Rosebine about using Theo's Alt sim surgery plugin
Fixing SimPE for use with UC
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...921#post4463921
http://modthesims.info/t/529706
Changing the transition length of sunrise and sunset
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...220#post3647220
Read the whole thing, or jump to post 11.
Using DTX to recolor clothing...
Extracting sims from game tips.
My tips & trick for an easy adventure.
Editing items to make them duplicate on placement. Full instructions: http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...ing#post4355916
Deleting CC from game.
How to backup and fix in-game pictures that went blank/flashingblue/became sunset (paintings, photobooth pictures, career reward pictures), by Lili975 - here.
Translating objects/mods to your own language, by Gummilutt, found here.
minitutorial by @maxon on fixing elevations of apartment sublots that end up sunken.
Editing Sims' Relationships
How to merge Squinge's Lecture mod with Inteen
Values for skills in SimPE
Wallmasks made easy
wallmasks tutorial by Numenor
mini-tutorial to edit the pie menus for custom foods
Tutorials for using GIMP.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...082#post5444082
Fixing problems with the Ultimate Collection
Extra steps to try before doing a 50/50
How to make your sim parents act like better parents with a cocktail of mods that stop them putting babies on the floor, etc.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...587#post5358587
Moo's Tutorial on GridAdjuster for making a no-slope basement.
http://www.modthesims.info/download...894#post3180894
Supplementary tutorial to the above.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...662#post5405662
Tutorial on making NPCs look like playables with SimSurgery.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...940#post5492940
How to grab information from the game so that it can be sorted in a spreadsheet.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=616359
Altering a sim's facial features.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...350#post5499350
Copying lots from one neighbourhood to another.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...613#post2132613
How to create a bump map.
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...233#post5523233
Renaming a neighbourhood with Advanced Renamer.
https://modthesims.info/showthread....783#post5477783
Regenerating stuck family portraits.
https://modthesims.info/showthread....216#post5603216
Editing ACR for custom lifespan mods.
https://modthesims.info/showthread....292#post5605292
How to tell if a mod includes an NPC.
https://modthesims.info/showthread....293#post5259293
Monique's Computer Edits: How to Change the Interest Rate and Only the Current Family Gets Charged Interest
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...049#post5628049
Making a custom garage door rotatable
http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...183#post5632183
How to put Lots in the Specialty Bin
https://modthesims.info/showpost.ph...postcount=20164
How to get rid of strays showing up on edited CAS lots (in a thread of a mod that gets rid of freezing Sims on custom CAS lots as well!)
https://modthesims.info/download.ph...080#post5872080
Simsfreq's quick tutorial on how to get rid of social class townies from AL (Gearheads, Bohemians, Jocks, Techs and Socialites)
https://modthesims.info/showpost.ph...73&postcount=27
Any other helpful stuff buried in a thread just give me a link and I'll add it to the first post.
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#2
29th Aug 2017 at 11:01 AM
Last edited by joandsarah77 : 29th Aug 2017 at 11:15 AM.
That last one might have been mine. Somewhere... I may have saved it.
Okay I found it in my Word documents
Cleaning a lot of sim references
What I do is open the lot in simpe. So open SimPE and go up to Tools >package Tools> Open sims2 pack. Having the pack on the desktop makes it easy. That will open a window, just click open.
Look to the list on the left and scroll it down. You will see things such as sims scores, sim relations etc. Click on each one in turn and highlight all of them over in the right column. I click in the blank space and do CTL A to highlight them all. Then I right click the highlighted part and select delete. You will see all those files now has a line through them likethis Once they are all done go up to save, you will only have Save As, as an option.
Go to your desktop and you will find that SimPE file that you just saved with whatever name you saved it as. That is your new clean lot.
What I do next is go to documents, the sims 2. In there you will find the Lot catalog. Now there is probably more than one way to do this. I simply make a new folder and put all those lot files into it. Then I grab that cleaned lot file, paste it in the lot catalogue folder so it’s the only one and rename it Cx_00000001.package
Run your game and go to the new test hood. If you have lots of cc, it's best to not only have a test hood but also a test game. It's very easy to rename your sims 2 folder and force the game to make you another. Because there is no cc in the new one it will load super fast. So in your test game open that test hood and you should find it’s the only lot in the lot bin. When you grab it you will see it has some ridiculous low price tag, that is your nod that the lot is now cleaned. Now don't worry everything is still there and once you place the lot its price will show up like it should.
Now that you have your cleaned lot placed down, load it up and move one thing. Could be a chair, then place it back. Now save and go to hood view. Your lot is now cleaned and ready to be packaged.
This is the way I do, other people may do things slightly differently.
Just adding no lot, not even a blank unplayed lot is free of sim references. They may be universals or something else. I am really not sure. There is a huge difference in the amount and type of references that that show up in SimPE between a lot that has had sims in it and a blank lot. So if you open a lot in simpe, even a cleaned lot, do not be alarmed at seeing some sim references.
Okay I found it in my Word documents
Cleaning a lot of sim references
What I do is open the lot in simpe. So open SimPE and go up to Tools >package Tools> Open sims2 pack. Having the pack on the desktop makes it easy. That will open a window, just click open.
Look to the list on the left and scroll it down. You will see things such as sims scores, sim relations etc. Click on each one in turn and highlight all of them over in the right column. I click in the blank space and do CTL A to highlight them all. Then I right click the highlighted part and select delete. You will see all those files now has a line through them like
Go to your desktop and you will find that SimPE file that you just saved with whatever name you saved it as. That is your new clean lot.
What I do next is go to documents, the sims 2. In there you will find the Lot catalog. Now there is probably more than one way to do this. I simply make a new folder and put all those lot files into it. Then I grab that cleaned lot file, paste it in the lot catalogue folder so it’s the only one and rename it Cx_00000001.package
Run your game and go to the new test hood. If you have lots of cc, it's best to not only have a test hood but also a test game. It's very easy to rename your sims 2 folder and force the game to make you another. Because there is no cc in the new one it will load super fast. So in your test game open that test hood and you should find it’s the only lot in the lot bin. When you grab it you will see it has some ridiculous low price tag, that is your nod that the lot is now cleaned. Now don't worry everything is still there and once you place the lot its price will show up like it should.
Now that you have your cleaned lot placed down, load it up and move one thing. Could be a chair, then place it back. Now save and go to hood view. Your lot is now cleaned and ready to be packaged.
This is the way I do, other people may do things slightly differently.
Just adding no lot, not even a blank unplayed lot is free of sim references. They may be universals or something else. I am really not sure. There is a huge difference in the amount and type of references that that show up in SimPE between a lot that has had sims in it and a blank lot. So if you open a lot in simpe, even a cleaned lot, do not be alarmed at seeing some sim references.
"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
#3
29th Aug 2017 at 11:12 AM
Posts: 4,361
If someone could find a tutorial on Gimp (I've had no luck, naturally), I would so love the link. I'm new, new, new to trying to do ANYTHING, and I don't want to mess anything up. I never even used the little paint program that used to come with windows, so none of the icons make sense to me. And I can't figure out how to import the mesh I want to recolor to the program.
"Fear not little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom". Luke 12:32 Chris Hatch's family friendly files archived on SFS: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603534 . Bulbizarre's website: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C...CoveredPortals/
"Fear not little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom". Luke 12:32 Chris Hatch's family friendly files archived on SFS: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603534 . Bulbizarre's website: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C...CoveredPortals/
#4
29th Aug 2017 at 1:48 PM
Posts: 7,361
Thanks: 2939 in 27 Posts
Great idea..now it just makes me want to write more stuff. lol
@smorbie1 I have Gimp, but never really learned how to use it. It confuses me. I guess I stuck with paintshop pro 9, got used to it and everything else looks discouraging. Don't bother with Paint (comes with Windows) I cannot figure this one out, and it does not have what it takes for sims 2 creating anyway.
I still use very old tutorials as reference, even though techniques have changed a lot since the sims original, but i think it is time to upgrade everything.
@smorbie1 I have Gimp, but never really learned how to use it. It confuses me. I guess I stuck with paintshop pro 9, got used to it and everything else looks discouraging. Don't bother with Paint (comes with Windows) I cannot figure this one out, and it does not have what it takes for sims 2 creating anyway.
I still use very old tutorials as reference, even though techniques have changed a lot since the sims original, but i think it is time to upgrade everything.
#5
29th Aug 2017 at 7:27 PM
Posts: 3,776
I tried Gimp on my old laptop, but didn't like it because it was missing adjustment layers and some other features I feel are necessary for what I use it for. I was used to Jasc's old Paint Shop Pro 9 and liked it a lot. I have Corel's Paint Shop Pro X7 now (it came free with my other computer). I don't like it as much as Jasc's version, but it does what I need it to do (mostly photo retouching/repair). Windows Paint is a very basic paint program. It doesn't have advanced features like layers and will likely not be useful for what you want to do anyway.
Searching Google and YouTube came up with a lot of tutorials for Gimp. Several of them were specifically labeled as being for beginners. I haven't looked at any of these myself so I don't know how good any of them are.
Get some idea of what you need a paint program to do for you. This will determine what features you need the most and what kind of tutorials for that program will be most useful to you. I've never made anything for TS2, so I'm not sure what features would be required to use a paint program to make stuff for it. I assume layers are a requirement - I can't imagine doing anything useful without them. Adjustment layers are a "must have" feature for me, but I don't know if they're really necessary for the kind of things TS2 creators do. Gimp doesn't have them anyway and I get the impression that quite a few TS2 creators use it.
Thanks to Crmelsimlover for sharing these rare Christianlov mods for TS2: Cpack editor with working face DNA fixer and Skin Selector Painting Prototype. Instructions for adding custom skins to Skin Selector at post #5 here. Instructions for using the DNA fixer at post # 2662 here.
Searching Google and YouTube came up with a lot of tutorials for Gimp. Several of them were specifically labeled as being for beginners. I haven't looked at any of these myself so I don't know how good any of them are.
Get some idea of what you need a paint program to do for you. This will determine what features you need the most and what kind of tutorials for that program will be most useful to you. I've never made anything for TS2, so I'm not sure what features would be required to use a paint program to make stuff for it. I assume layers are a requirement - I can't imagine doing anything useful without them. Adjustment layers are a "must have" feature for me, but I don't know if they're really necessary for the kind of things TS2 creators do. Gimp doesn't have them anyway and I get the impression that quite a few TS2 creators use it.
Thanks to Crmelsimlover for sharing these rare Christianlov mods for TS2: Cpack editor with working face DNA fixer and Skin Selector Painting Prototype. Instructions for adding custom skins to Skin Selector at post #5 here. Instructions for using the DNA fixer at post # 2662 here.
#6
29th Aug 2017 at 8:26 PM
Posts: 8,855
Thanks: 3118 in 87 Posts
When I tried Gimp and clothing recolors for the first time, I could not get some of the steps right, and then asked somebody who uses it a lot, and she told me to download a Windows run time environment for Gimp, since it was written for Mac, not for Windows.
I did succeed with some basic clothing recolors after downloading that. So it may be something to look at.
Windows 10 and the Ultimate Collection
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=568275
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=614833
I did succeed with some basic clothing recolors after downloading that. So it may be something to look at.
Windows 10 and the Ultimate Collection
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=568275
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=614833
#7
30th Aug 2017 at 3:45 AM
Posts: 7,361
Thanks: 2939 in 27 Posts
#8
30th Aug 2017 at 6:36 AM
Last edited by gazania : 31st Aug 2017 at 5:34 PM.
Posts: 4,778
Thanks: 160 in 7 Posts
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
That last one might have been mine. Somewhere... I may have saved it. Okay I found it in my Word documents Cleaning a lot of sim references What I do is open the lot in simpe. So open SimPE and go up to Tools >package Tools> Open sims2 pack. Having the pack on the desktop makes it easy. That will open a window, just click open. Look to the list on the left and scroll it down. You will see things such as sims scores, sim relations etc. Click on each one in turn and highlight all of them over in the right column. I click in the blank space and do CTL A to highlight them all. Then I right click the highlighted part and select delete. You will see all those files now has a line through them like Go to your desktop and you will find that SimPE file that you just saved with whatever name you saved it as. That is your new clean lot. What I do next is go to documents, the sims 2. In there you will find the Lot catalog. Now there is probably more than one way to do this. I simply make a new folder and put all those lot files into it. Then I grab that cleaned lot file, paste it in the lot catalogue folder so it’s the only one and rename it Cx_00000001.package Run your game and go to the new test hood. If you have lots of cc, it's best to not only have a test hood but also a test game. It's very easy to rename your sims 2 folder and force the game to make you another. Because there is no cc in the new one it will load super fast. So in your test game open that test hood and you should find it’s the only lot in the lot bin. When you grab it you will see it has some ridiculous low price tag, that is your nod that the lot is now cleaned. Now don't worry everything is still there and once you place the lot its price will show up like it should. Now that you have your cleaned lot placed down, load it up and move one thing. Could be a chair, then place it back. Now save and go to hood view. Your lot is now cleaned and ready to be packaged. This is the way I do, other people may do things slightly differently. Just adding no lot, not even a blank unplayed lot is free of sim references. They may be universals or something else. I am really not sure. There is a huge difference in the amount and type of references that that show up in SimPE between a lot that has had sims in it and a blank lot. So if you open a lot in simpe, even a cleaned lot, do not be alarmed at seeing some sim references. |
Every lot, even ones previously cleaned, will have Sim Information. I usually see just one.
I always see Sim Relations and Sim Scores as well. On a bare-bones house, though, the number is much smaller. I have a prototype of a lot I saved. It wasn't the easiest of builds, and just in case I messed up in a further step, I could fall back on this version. It isn't even remotely completed and is an empty shell, and it has four Sim relationships! They are unknown/unknown, but are still relationships; most likely concerning Universal NPCs.
I believe, though am not sure, that the more worrisome references are the Family Tree, Sim Wants and Fears and Sim DNA ones, or any Sim Relationship files that are NOT Unknowns. I've packaged many, many lots, being extra-careful to never package a played one, and have never seen these in my lot packages.
Simpearls has several tutorials. Many are pretty easy to follow. Two links, though, don't work properly. (Fortunately, I got the good version of one of them before Black Pearl Sims closed.) You might have to register for these, though.
Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.
RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
#9
30th Aug 2017 at 12:00 PM
Posts: 12,355
Thanks: 855 in 4 Posts
Sim Rels are standard in all lots, especially furnished. Some of those things seem to come from linking furniture like kitchen units and so on (don't ask me why). I did some experiments a while back and posted a thread about it somewhere. You should see SimRELs and SimSCORs and Sim Information (usually one of those). In my last upload, Cherry Tree Road, the furnished version had 152 SRELs compared with the unfurnished (12). They were identical builds with the furnished version being just a copy of the unfurnished with furniture and plants added. SimSCORs and Sim Info were the same for both (I think the Scor value depends on your EP/SP set up). Both were built in an otherwise empty hood with no sims at all present.
#10
10th Sep 2017 at 1:11 AM
Any more mini tutorials?
"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
#11
10th Sep 2017 at 9:51 PM
I've written a few, but I don't remember in which threads or how long ago, so too much trouble to find them. The one I wrote recently is in a tutorial sub forum, and I don't think that is what Charity had in mind when making this thread, right?
Creations can be found on my on tumblr.
Creations can be found on my on tumblr.
#12
10th Sep 2017 at 9:57 PM
Posts: 7,361
Thanks: 2939 in 27 Posts
#13
11th Sep 2017 at 8:44 AM
Posts: 10,920
Thanks: 5469 in 47 Posts
Yeah, this was meant for the ones that hadn't been written up as proper tutorials. Because some of them are still very useful and they vanish in threads.
#14
11th Sep 2017 at 2:04 PM
Posts: 2,085
Thanks: 530 in 3 Posts
Brilliant idea for this thread, and even more brilliant way for me to get distracted and not do my studying for the fall term - searching for ancient threads!
How to get rid of solid blue water and hay grass terrain from the neighborhood view - useful in case you've got a new graphics card... the one too new for TS2 to recognize
Making coastal elevation changes stick when moving/packaging BV beach lots - a (bit of complicated) way to retain changes made to the beach part of a beach lot when moving said lot around
How to build a functioning deck/foundation/room over a beach area on BV beach lots - for those bitchin' over-the-ocean pattios
How to safely move all characters to a new neighborhood - I think there are simpler ways to do this than following the tutorial, though... check Jawusa's replies in thread
Resurrecting Sims without using Resurrect-O-Nomitron - mostly for people without UN/FT/AL or those playing the Stories series games
How to get rid of solid blue water and hay grass terrain from the neighborhood view - useful in case you've got a new graphics card... the one too new for TS2 to recognize
Making coastal elevation changes stick when moving/packaging BV beach lots - a (bit of complicated) way to retain changes made to the beach part of a beach lot when moving said lot around
How to build a functioning deck/foundation/room over a beach area on BV beach lots - for those bitchin' over-the-ocean pattios
How to safely move all characters to a new neighborhood - I think there are simpler ways to do this than following the tutorial, though... check Jawusa's replies in thread
Resurrecting Sims without using Resurrect-O-Nomitron - mostly for people without UN/FT/AL or those playing the Stories series games
DJ. who?
The Sims: Castaway Stories Advanced Guide || Felicity Island for TS2 || All simler90's Mod Descriptions TL;DR
Haluun olla sekasin ja vapaa huolista
#15
12th Sep 2017 at 8:05 AM
Posts: 10,920
Thanks: 5469 in 47 Posts
Added to first post, thanks. Now get back to work. :P
#16
12th Sep 2017 at 3:50 PM
Posts: 2,542
While searching for something else, I find this tutorial by Rosebine about using Theo's Alt sim surgery plugin
#17
12th Sep 2017 at 5:01 PM
I have a mini picture taking tutorial with keyboard shortcuts in my signature, I added it as a comment on the actual stickied post in the pictures forum.
Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.
My SIMBLER | SIM WHIM | SIM VIDS | SIMS 2 STORIES | SIM PICTURE-TAKING TIPS | MY HOOD | SIMSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TWITCH
Alchemist
#18
14th Sep 2017 at 9:27 PM
Posts: 3,003
Thanks: 896 in 4 Posts
Fixing SimPE for use with UC
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...921#post4463921
Changing the transition length of sunrise and sunset
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...220#post3647220
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...921#post4463921
Changing the transition length of sunrise and sunset
http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...220#post3647220
#19
15th Sep 2017 at 4:17 AM
Posts: 10,920
Thanks: 5469 in 47 Posts
If you don't want to do the fix yourself, someone already did it. http://modthesims.info/t/529706
#20
15th Sep 2017 at 4:34 AM
I just made a tutorial for enabling pose boxes for visiting sims and community lots but it may be too big to be considered 'mini'. All that formatting....
Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.
My SIMBLER | SIM WHIM | SIM VIDS | SIMS 2 STORIES | SIM PICTURE-TAKING TIPS | MY HOOD | SIMSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TWITCH
#21
15th Sep 2017 at 7:00 AM
Posts: 10,920
Thanks: 5469 in 47 Posts
Yeah, not mini. It's a real tutorial, which is even going to the Tutorials section.
#22
15th Sep 2017 at 3:46 PM
Posts: 7,361
Thanks: 2939 in 27 Posts
Might be useful to some, and short enough to post in here,
Read the whole thing, or jump to post 11.
Using DTX to recolor clothing...
Extracting sims from game tips.
My tips & trick for an easy adventure.
Read the whole thing, or jump to post 11.
Using DTX to recolor clothing...
Extracting sims from game tips.
My tips & trick for an easy adventure.
#24
17th Sep 2017 at 12:39 AM
Posts: 2,854
Thanks: 198 in 2 Posts
Rosebine taught me how to edit items to make them duplicate on placement. Full instructions: http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...ing#post4355916
"Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend." - Kingdom Hearts
XPTL Mod Archive | Change a Mod's Mesh into a CC Object | Increasing the Game Difficulty | Editing ACR 4 Your Age Mod
aka Kelyns | she/her
XPTL Mod Archive | Change a Mod's Mesh into a CC Object | Increasing the Game Difficulty | Editing ACR 4 Your Age Mod
aka Kelyns | she/her
#25
17th Sep 2017 at 1:29 AM
Posts: 7,361
Thanks: 2939 in 27 Posts
Wow..I totally forgot I wrote that one. lol Thanks!
Maxon gave directions about..some minutes ago, a mini-tutorial about deleting CC's from game. Very useful!
Maxon gave directions about..some minutes ago, a mini-tutorial about deleting CC's from game. Very useful!
OK deleting in game - a mini tutorial:
Well, I say a tutorial but it's more a procedure you can follow to delete cleanly. I've written it before on here but can't find it. So here goes again.
There are three main things you can delete in-game: floors, walls and terrain paints; objects; skins. They all need slightly different approaches.
There are many things you can't delete in-game - mainly mods and hacks and watch out because there are some mods need special uninstallation and any object mod which uses an invisible NPC (usually a moving object) needs to be handled differently. Watch out also if you have catalogue mods which make EAxis stuff gain the CC star (usually done by putting said mods into Downloads instead of the game files). If you attempt to delete an EAxis object/skin/whatever you'll bork your game. This can be prevented by making the objects.package read only - something you should probably do anyway. Other things like changes to game settings by fiddling with files can't usually be uninstalled in game either ... anyway:
1. Walls/Floors/Terrain Paints
Delete these at will - there's only one file involved and it can be deleted without problem.
Provisos - you can't delete any of them if they're in use on the lot (true for objects too). So use an empty lot. Generally, deleting this type of file is no problem but .... if you delete a wall, floor, terrain paint and it's been used elsewhere in your neighbourhoods, when you go back to the lot in question, there will be a gap - missing floors or walls - not usually a problem but can be irksome if you didn't remember. Terrain paints can occasionally be a PITA with this - sometimes they disappear, sometimes they flash blue (a sign the game can't find the texture - you deleted it so no surprise there). This can usually be remedied by using the terrain paint tool to delete. Just a warning though.
2. Objects
Objects often come in two or more files. There will be the mesh file with the base colour and one or more recolour files. Deleting the mesh file - the one you see in the catalogue - without deleting the recolours first will orphan those recolour files. In other words, they will lie around clogging up your Downloads folder doing nothing and you won't be able to see they are there. So you delete the recolours first before you delete the main mesh file. You do this by using the swatch tool. Place the object on lot, use the swatch tool on it which brings up the recolours to choose from. Delete the recolours - the swatch tool will have a little dustbin/trash icon you can press. Delete all the recolours before you then come out of that menu, remove the object from the lot and then delete the object including its base colour from the catalogue. Incidentally, recolours to EAxis objects can be deleted with the swatch tool without problem.
Provisos - if you're deleting recolours from objects with multiple channels, bear in mind that one channel recolour maybe connected to a colour in the other channel. This happens when people recolour both parts of the object at the same time. You will know if that's the case if you then see a white texture with writing on it if you select it. This is usually not a problem if you're deleting everything but if you're only deleting selected recolours because you want to keep some of them (and the base object), then you can sometimes end up deleting something you wanted to keep. Anyway, the white colour with writing means the texture is no longer there.
Watch out for slaved sets - in this regard, slaved sets are a PITA and is one reason I generally dislike them. The recolours for a slaved set are linked to one master object only in the set (or sometimes to EAxis recolours - don't try and delete those). You can delete recolours for slaved sets just like you can regular recolours but bear in mind that deleting a recolour for one member of the set, means all the members of the set lose the recolour - because they all use only the one, the one for the master object. When you delete a recolour for any member of the slaved set, you delete that one recolour. You can also delete the main files of slave-master sets from the catalogue but if you delete the master but retain some of the slaves, they will no longer work. You have to have the master whether you like it or not if you want to use any member of the set. I'd generally advise deleting slave sets by hand.
3. Skins
Skins also generally come in two files - a mesh and recolour. There are lots of different skin files, of course, but the main distinction for deleting purposes is whether they are part of the genetics system or not.
Genetic skin files include eyes, skintones and hairs. If you delete them (from CAS say or Bodyshop) and you have a sim using them, you can cause problems for that sim. Fixable problems, as it happens, but problems nonetheless. It will bork their genetics. You can correct this with SimPE but I'd avoid it generally - at least for skintones and eyes. Hairs can be fixed by changing their hairstyle at a mirror. The other thing you might want to delete are defaults. You can't delete these in game - because you can't isolate the file - and they have to be deleted manually.
You can delete stuff like makeup and facepaints without a problem (though any sims using them might end up looking peculiar). Unfortunately, if you have the full game, you can no longer delete make up in game though you can in Bodyshop.
With skins with meshes you can only delete the recolours in game. There's no way to delete the mesh and that has to be done by hand (which also means being able to identify the mesh file). Deleting all recolours for a mesh makes it invisible in game.
All skins actually have meshes it's just that some of them are EAxis meshes and come with the game. If you have recolours of EAxis clothes or things like make up, you can delete them without problems (only bearing in mind that they will be missing - usually replaced with something hideous - from any sim using them).
Skins with custom meshes, e.g. an outfit with a new shape, new shaped glasses etc, can be deleted in game but, as I said above, you can't delete the mesh in game (and can't see it if you delete all the recolours). So you need to know what the mesh file is called and delete manually.
Provisos - watch out for slaved sets, especially those which share recolours across ages. I really dislike those - they're a complete and utter PITA to delete in game.
Well, I say a tutorial but it's more a procedure you can follow to delete cleanly. I've written it before on here but can't find it. So here goes again.
There are three main things you can delete in-game: floors, walls and terrain paints; objects; skins. They all need slightly different approaches.
There are many things you can't delete in-game - mainly mods and hacks and watch out because there are some mods need special uninstallation and any object mod which uses an invisible NPC (usually a moving object) needs to be handled differently. Watch out also if you have catalogue mods which make EAxis stuff gain the CC star (usually done by putting said mods into Downloads instead of the game files). If you attempt to delete an EAxis object/skin/whatever you'll bork your game. This can be prevented by making the objects.package read only - something you should probably do anyway. Other things like changes to game settings by fiddling with files can't usually be uninstalled in game either ... anyway:
1. Walls/Floors/Terrain Paints
Delete these at will - there's only one file involved and it can be deleted without problem.
Provisos - you can't delete any of them if they're in use on the lot (true for objects too). So use an empty lot. Generally, deleting this type of file is no problem but .... if you delete a wall, floor, terrain paint and it's been used elsewhere in your neighbourhoods, when you go back to the lot in question, there will be a gap - missing floors or walls - not usually a problem but can be irksome if you didn't remember. Terrain paints can occasionally be a PITA with this - sometimes they disappear, sometimes they flash blue (a sign the game can't find the texture - you deleted it so no surprise there). This can usually be remedied by using the terrain paint tool to delete. Just a warning though.
2. Objects
Objects often come in two or more files. There will be the mesh file with the base colour and one or more recolour files. Deleting the mesh file - the one you see in the catalogue - without deleting the recolours first will orphan those recolour files. In other words, they will lie around clogging up your Downloads folder doing nothing and you won't be able to see they are there. So you delete the recolours first before you delete the main mesh file. You do this by using the swatch tool. Place the object on lot, use the swatch tool on it which brings up the recolours to choose from. Delete the recolours - the swatch tool will have a little dustbin/trash icon you can press. Delete all the recolours before you then come out of that menu, remove the object from the lot and then delete the object including its base colour from the catalogue. Incidentally, recolours to EAxis objects can be deleted with the swatch tool without problem.
Provisos - if you're deleting recolours from objects with multiple channels, bear in mind that one channel recolour maybe connected to a colour in the other channel. This happens when people recolour both parts of the object at the same time. You will know if that's the case if you then see a white texture with writing on it if you select it. This is usually not a problem if you're deleting everything but if you're only deleting selected recolours because you want to keep some of them (and the base object), then you can sometimes end up deleting something you wanted to keep. Anyway, the white colour with writing means the texture is no longer there.
Watch out for slaved sets - in this regard, slaved sets are a PITA and is one reason I generally dislike them. The recolours for a slaved set are linked to one master object only in the set (or sometimes to EAxis recolours - don't try and delete those). You can delete recolours for slaved sets just like you can regular recolours but bear in mind that deleting a recolour for one member of the set, means all the members of the set lose the recolour - because they all use only the one, the one for the master object. When you delete a recolour for any member of the slaved set, you delete that one recolour. You can also delete the main files of slave-master sets from the catalogue but if you delete the master but retain some of the slaves, they will no longer work. You have to have the master whether you like it or not if you want to use any member of the set. I'd generally advise deleting slave sets by hand.
3. Skins
Skins also generally come in two files - a mesh and recolour. There are lots of different skin files, of course, but the main distinction for deleting purposes is whether they are part of the genetics system or not.
Genetic skin files include eyes, skintones and hairs. If you delete them (from CAS say or Bodyshop) and you have a sim using them, you can cause problems for that sim. Fixable problems, as it happens, but problems nonetheless. It will bork their genetics. You can correct this with SimPE but I'd avoid it generally - at least for skintones and eyes. Hairs can be fixed by changing their hairstyle at a mirror. The other thing you might want to delete are defaults. You can't delete these in game - because you can't isolate the file - and they have to be deleted manually.
You can delete stuff like makeup and facepaints without a problem (though any sims using them might end up looking peculiar). Unfortunately, if you have the full game, you can no longer delete make up in game though you can in Bodyshop.
With skins with meshes you can only delete the recolours in game. There's no way to delete the mesh and that has to be done by hand (which also means being able to identify the mesh file). Deleting all recolours for a mesh makes it invisible in game.
All skins actually have meshes it's just that some of them are EAxis meshes and come with the game. If you have recolours of EAxis clothes or things like make up, you can delete them without problems (only bearing in mind that they will be missing - usually replaced with something hideous - from any sim using them).
Skins with custom meshes, e.g. an outfit with a new shape, new shaped glasses etc, can be deleted in game but, as I said above, you can't delete the mesh in game (and can't see it if you delete all the recolours). So you need to know what the mesh file is called and delete manually.
Provisos - watch out for slaved sets, especially those which share recolours across ages. I really dislike those - they're a complete and utter PITA to delete in game.
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