Sims 3:CTU Guide
This page is under construction :) - daluved1
Contents |
Delphy's CAS Texture Unitool v1.7
Overview
The following is simply a guide/handbook/manual (however you want to look at it) for the CAS Texture Unitool (CTU). This is not a creation tutorial, so do not expect to specifically learn how to edit, modify or design textures from reading this.
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Refer to CTU Tutorials for a list of tutorials. Or, poke around the MTS Sims 3 Creation Forum.
CAS Parts
A .caspart file itself can be thought of as a "placeholder" in Create-A-Sim. By linking meshes, textures and other details to the .caspart, you create what is commonly know as a CAS Part. CAS Parts are what a the game actually displays on the sim (i.e. shirts, shoes, watches, etc); this includes the mesh, shape, color, lighting, transparency or anything else that affects the look of the design.
DDS Files
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A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games, including both Sims 2 and Sims 3. DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed. You will need to save your images in DDS format for use in the CTU. |
Image Editor
Your everyday run of the mill image editor like MS Paint or Paintbrush will not suffice for TS3 skinning. Instead you'll need a program that at least has these basic features:
- RGB Mode
- Channel View
- Layers
- Image Adjusters (i.e. desaturate, colorize, etc.)
Most people use Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. However, there are free alternatives like GIMP or Paint.NET.
Plugin
Many imaging programs do not initially know how to save/handle DDS files, so you'll have to install a plugin for them. Here are two of the most common ones.
DXT Compression Chart
When working with CAS Part textures the compression type most commonly used is DXT. There are several different DXT compressions available so refer to the chart below to see which one to use for each specific part.
| Texture/File | Acceptable Compression(s) | Alpha Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Base Texture | DXT5 | Yes |
| Clothing Specular | DXT1 | No |
| Clothing Ambient | DXT1 | No |
| Mask | DXT1 | No* |
| Overlay | DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 | Yes |
| Part Mask | DXT1 | No* |
| Stencil | DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 | Yes |
| Skin Specular | DXT1 | No |
| Skin Ambient | DXT1 | No |
* If the mask has 4 pattern regions, then you'll need to include the alpha channel.
Packages
The CTU saves your finished creations as .packages, similar to what was used with The Sims 2.
- For help with installing .packages, see Installing Sims 3 Package Files
Getting Started
Creating A New Package
To create a new package, go to File → New. By default, you should be in the Find a CAS Part tab. Here is where you pick with mesh you wish to start off with.
Parameters
To help quicken the search for a mesh, you can dial up the type of mesh you wish to use by setting the age/gender/type parameters.
Mesh
Once you set the parameters, you can either pick the mesh you want to use from the drop-down list or you can select it using the Quick Find box by clicking on the thumbnail.
Extracting
When creating new designs for your CAS part, it's a good idea to use the existing textures/meshes as guides.
Meshes
To extract a mesh, simply click on the "Extract Meshes" in the Find a CAS Part tab.
Textures
The quickest way to extract textures is to use the "Extract Textures" button in the Find a CAS tab. However this will give you all the game textures linked to that mesh.
Quick Extraction
If you only need one or two files, instead of digging through all the textures, you can use the quick extraction method:
- Anywhere you see a key number, click on it to highlight it.
- Next, hit the "find" button nearest to the key.
- A DDS preview window will come up, when it does click the "export" button at the bottom of the screen and choose a destination to save the file.
This also comes in handy when you need to retrieve a file you may have lost or deleted, simply open a preexisting package and follow the steps above.
Never extract and use another creators textures without their permission. Yes it's your computer and yes no one will know, but it's better to respect people's wishes don't cha think? :)
Creation and Customization
When you've finished editing your textures and you're ready to import them into your packages, see
