Sims 3:Modding

CAS (Create a Sim)

Things you can stick on your sims - skintones, clothing, and more.

General CAS Tutorials

• How to Make a Simple Texture Replacement by ThomasRiordan - Scroll down to post #17 by HystericalParoxysm for info on replacing skintones and eyes.
• Creating Default Replacement Skintones for TS3 by Aikea Guinea
• Default Replacement Eyes, Plus Changing The Whites by Aikea Guinea

CTU Tutorials

Tutorials on using Delphy's CTU:

• Quick and Dirty Guide to the CAS Unitool by Hanlon Razor

• Creating Custom Clothing Stencils by daluved1

• Adding Custom Clothing Stencils by daluved1

• Creating A New Base Texture by daluved1

• Replacing the Base Texture by daluved1

CAS Tools

Blender GEOM Mesh Plug-In By morgade

Morgade is currently working on a GEOM (body meshes) import/export plugin.

• GEOM Mesh Plug-In

Delphy's CTU

Currently in beta - allows creation of new stencils, full clothing retextures, and more.

• Delphy's CAS Texture Unitool

Patterns

Burberry, burberry, burberry.

Delphy's Pattern Packager

The Pattern Packager program allows you to add new Patterns (aka items that appear in Create a Style) to your Sims 3 game.

• Delphy's Pattern Packager

TSR Workshop

The TSR Workshop tool has a pattern plugin that can be used as an alternative, offering a somewhat easier GUI and auto-upload to TSR, if you are a member there.

• TSR Workshop

Pattern Tutorials

• Four-Color Patterns In Paint Shop Pro 9~Graphic Intensive! by Misty 2004

• Pattern Guides at TSR

• Colour Patterns in Paint Shop Pro by Regina

• Separating Patterns Without Vectors by JaneSamborski

• Custom Patterns by HystericalParoxysm - French - German - Italian

• How to convert a Sims3Pack file to a Package file

General Modding

Creating gameplay modifications and the like.

The Lepid Llama Unpacker by Echo

This is a fairly simple tool to extract the contents of a sims3pack exported file. Simply choose the sims3pack file when prompted, then select the file to extract and click the "Export Selected" button on the bottom left.

• Lepid Llama Unpacker

Postal Package Editor by Echo (Alpha)

If you're joining in the fun of figuring out file formats and how to make mods, this is a pretty good place to start. If you're looking for content-creation wizards, this is probably not what you're after just yet. This is a very generic tool, for exploring the innards of the game's package files.

• Postal-Package Editor

S3PE Demo Package Editor

This is a package editor, created mainly to test and demonstrate the s3pi library, but it is quite a useful package viewer/editor and packer in its own right. Created by Peter L. Jones

• S3PE Demo Package Editor

s3pi Library - Programmers Only

This is the rudiments of an open source library to support people wishing to make tools for The Sims 3. It is written in C# under .Net 3.5 and contains wrappers that implement methods to read and write package files, unpack packed files, and interpret several file types.

• s3pi Library

TS3 STBL Editor

With this editor you can change ingame text, like item description, job description, job names, etc.

• TS3 STBL Editor

Sims 3 Package Explorer

A tool to examine, extract, replace and modify Sims 3 package content, by Okeanos.

• Sims 3 Package Explorer

Save Game Editor

• Save Game Editor by Tiggy

Snaitf's FNV Generator

• Snaitf's FNV Generator

Simple Encoder for Making Hashes

• Encoder for Making Hashes by ChaosMageX

Modding Tutorials

• Sims 3 Gameplay Modding for Dummies by Inge Jones
• Sims 3 XML Tuning Modding (a more user friendly version of the above tutorial, with pictures)
• How to Make a Simple Texture Replacement by ThomasRiordan
• Core Modding Tutorial (For complete and total nincompoops, like me!)
• Creating a New Book
• Adding Clothing to a Category (for beginners)
• IL and DLL overview / tutorial
• Custom Painting In Sims 3

Installation and Content

To help you get custom content working in-game, and other related utilities.

Delphy's TS3 Install Helper Monkey

Use this program for easy set-up and installation of Sims 3 .package files.

• TS3 Install Helper Monkey

Delphy's Sims3Pack Multi Installer

Designed for mass installing multiple Sims3Packs into a specific folder.

• Sims3Pack Multi Installer

Marhis' TS3 Framework Installer for Mac OS X

Help has arrived for Mac users looking for an easier way to install Sims3 .package files.

• TS3 Framework Installer for Mac OS X

JFade's 3Viewer (Beta)

The 3Viewer aims to be a Sims3Pack Installer, Editor, and overall Download Manager all without using the Launcher provided by EA. Think of it as the Sims 3 version of the Clean Installer with additional content management capabilities.

• The 3Viewer

JFade's The Compressorizor Redux! (Beta)

The Compressorizer Redux! will compress DBPF package files to save hard drive space. Just like the Sims 2 Compressorizer, the Sims 3 Compressorizer allows you to pick a directory and will search for all known file extensions utilized by the game.

• The Compressorizor Redux

Building

Instructions and help on building the perfect lot in Sims 3.

Building Tutorials

• How to create a basic roof with different slope angles
• Building an Aquarium pool in S3
• How to build a specific lot type, where to have a party and why it matters
• How to Create Split Levels With and Without Warped Walls
• Creating a sunken room with floor to ceiling windows by Beefysim1
• Building a Yacht!! a basic framework by Ralphael
• How to build a pool in a lake
• Roof Height Adjustment in The Sims 3-Video Tutorial
• Indoor/Outdoor Pools

Meshing Tools

WesHowe is doing great work with some Milkshape plugins:

• Sims 3 tools (packages and mesh)

Meshing Tutorials

• Modifying a TS3 Mesh by Wes Howe
• Tutorial: How to UV Map a Sphere by Rapsheba555