Hi All!

So I've been at this since 2PM (EST) and it's not 2:44AM. Maybe I need to sleep, I don't know... Anyway, I am trying to merge cc using S3pe. I've read/watched tutorials twice. For starters, I have Ambitions, World Adventures, Late Night, High End Loft, Outdoor Living, Supernatural, Seasons, and Island Paradise. I have Framework 4 and I'm certain this is the current version of s3pe.

I've downloaded a number of Sims3pack files that I'm trying to merge into one single .package file. I -thought- I had already done so correctly but when I load the game, none of the content shows up.

Let me clarify. First Round:
.package files into one single .package file <--- files show up
.Sims3pack files into one single .package file <--- do not show up

I then re-read and re-watched the tutorials and realized I was importing the .Sims3pack files incorrectly. I was using Import>From File, when I was supposed to use Import>as EXPERIMENTAL dbc

Second Round
1) No Import>EXPERIMETAL dbc <---okay, go ahead and import dbc (pic related)
2) Import>dbc <--- pic related
3) Error message <--- pic related, same error message on all attempted

What am I doing wrong?

Those files should be first converted to .package then you can Import - From package.
To convert Sims3pack to Package files, use these handy little program: Sims3Pack Multi Installer

Where are you "installing" your package files? Just for reminders, they should be in The Sims 3 - Mods - Packages and there should be a file called Resource in your Mods folder.
For reference : Sims 3 Mods Setup

Okay! Thank you--yes, I'm putting them in the Documents>Sims 3>Mods>Packages.

Question--will I be able to merge .package and the newly created .package (from the Sims3pack) into one .package file?

Yes you can, but first make sure you checked them with Sims3Dashboard before you merged them, if they are a lot, put them into separate categories like hairs, clothing, etc, it's better that way rather than 1 big merged package file, try to keep each merged package file less than 200MB per category.

Are you on Windows ? If yes, please do yourself a favor and have a look into CC Magic :

http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=461888

It should save you a lot of headaches. Here is a tutorial written by a competent mod author that explains how to use it step by step :

https://nonasims.wordpress.com/2012...-a-late-adopter
https://nonasims.wordpress.com/2012...d-with-cc-magic

It isn't the perfect (nor the most user-friendly) tool for everything. However, in my opinion it's the best tool bar none to keep your custom content neatly packaged, however you like it, and almost effortlessly once it's setup and working.

Later on, you will able to switch (for example) between zero CC, some light CC and heavily modded configurations at a fingertip without ever having to think about manually repackaging again.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

Thank you, I find doing it the painstaking way saves me a lot of headaches. I will look into CC magic (I already have it!) it's just that it's so complicated for me that it makes my eyes cross. That could be because I haven't found a decent tutorial.

Non CC-Magic related though, I'm beginning to realize that I have a lot of merged .package files--I download today, merge; download next week, merge; download next month, merge...etc. etc. (organized by type of course) and I'd like to know if it's okay to merge these (per category) into one or should I start the merging from scratch? For example I have Objects_001 and Objects_002 and I'll have Objects_003 and 4 within the week (I'm currently gorging myself on cc since my game is loading so much faster and never freezes...) so I'm wondering if I can merge 1&2 to make Objects_A then merge that with Objects_003 to make Objects_B and then merge that with Objects_004 to make a brand new, large, Objects.package.

I'd suggest it's better to merge from scratch so you'll know all your package files, and you can test them one by one to make sure it works, but it will take more time to do that. Basically it doesn't matter which kind of package file you're going to merge with another package file as long as you can see them in Sims3Dashboard were not conflicting or double or corrupted. But it will be easier if you organize them per category for a later use when you need to.

You can merge your object package with script mod package, with body mesh mods package, or any package as long as not conflicting, but it's better if you put them per category as it's also helps your system to work faster, for example when the game needs to open your clothing mods collections you have, it will open all of them at once, the system won't have to go back and forth to reopen your clothing mods package file if you put them into one category.

It's up to you how to organize your mods/cc files, everybody has different style playing the game, but for me I put them into 5 categories, they are: Cars, Hair and Eyebrows, Clothing and accessories, Body and makeups (contains body mesh, skins, sliders etc) and gameplay package (contains object, script, core mods, etc). I even made two versions of the last three packages I have, one for rated M and one for rated PG, rated PG is for my daughter and her friends to play. PS: I separated makeups from clothing and accessories category because it's faster when the game in CAS mode.

I would agree about merging from scratch.

Once you've gotten used to CC Magic, merged packages as direct input (like a collection of outfits) are actually more of a bother to us than single packages (like a single outfit). You can leave the whole packaging business to the program, to only focus on HOW you wish to organize your custom content outside the game (in CC Magic's interface), and WHAT you wish see once inside your game (what custom content needs to be activated).

EDIT: well, just make sure not to create "monster" packages with too much stuff inside them either, <200 Mo seems to be the recommended size.

The first step is the most difficult one, but once you're past it, it's really worth it, I assure you. Since a picture can be worth a thousand words, below is my current organisation under CC Magic : it's not yet finalized, and by no means optimal to fit YOUR custom content, so I invite you to play with the program and see with what you can come up with ^.^

folders in CC Magic

folders under My Documents\Electronic Arts (generated by CC Magic)

Am I doing something wrong, or does S3PE also compress the file? It has been a while since I last combined packages, but I thought I remembered that the combined size was about the same as the combined packages added? But now when I combined 74mb of CC, I ended up with a 34mb file. Is this possible?
These were converted packages btw, sim3pack->.package.

I didn't know this thread was about CC Magic. I installed and used it per nonasim's instructions and now a lot of content is missing from CAS and buy mode.

edit:
okay just CAS. Shows up in CC Magic. I have my config set to load all sets so idk.