I'm using the tutorial by Xanathon on how to clone paintings using s30c and s3pe... I followed it to the letter, and then went to try it in-game. However, it's not showing up?

The tutorial is a little different with the newer version of s30c though and I think my problem may lay there. When it comes to the last step, which is this:




After I change the name from krupaturtles (from earlier) to redleigh86_StacieKrupaTurtlePainting there is no save option? And when I close the program and go back to desktop the latter can't be found, just the former. But when I open the former it still has all the features (description, thumbnail, etc), but not the name I wanted it to have (the latter).

As to why it's not showing up period within the game I have no idea...

So I need to understand what you've done.

After cloning the pic you take it to the graphics programme of your choice right? (photshop/gimp)

Then you save the new image you made as the one that was originally there, yes? That's the dds.

Then you go to SimPE and click import and bring it all back in again and make a package? yes

Then you go to S3OC and choose open/fix and then rename?

Not sure by what you've written above and I'm trying to work out where you're going wrong as cloning pictures is very simple really.

If I have more info I can help, I can almost do this in my sleep now, lol

That's everything I did, lol, to the letter of the tutorial! That's exactly why I don't understand why it won't work... it's strange. I feel cursed or something, my project is never going to end!



This is the step where the weirdness I described above happens.

The cloner doesn't make a new file.
You open your package in it and enter your catalog description/price etc, enter a unique string into the "renumber/rename internally" box (at the left side), and then click the Start button. It will "fix" and overwrite your file. The string you entered is used to make your object unique so it won't clash with other cc or the original game objects, it doesn't affect the filename.

The last step should go really smoothly but you'd really need to explain what you're doing in that step. I can't say what's wrong if I don't know how you do it.

If you already have made the package of your clone then in S3OC it really is just a matter of doing open/fix and a pop up box will ask for a unique name, you enter that name you said you choose and then just click save. It won't seem to do a lot, it only takes like a second and your package should be fixed up.

Right, do you have the latest version of sc03? Please check it was recently updated. When you choose file > open > fix, you should then locate the package you made of your cloned object with s3pe. You should see it there on the left hand column.

There's not any need to change any tick boxes anywhere as a painting is a painting. I don't anyway and I've made loads.

What you will see is a box to change the thumbnail. As long as you've made the thumb correctly 128 x 128 .png24 then you click 'replace' and find your thumb.

Now you will tick 'copy english to all languages and then hit START. This will bring you up a list of the files in the .package.

Once they are all there, that start button changes to a SAVE button. Hit save and then go take your package and put it in your mods/packages folder. Then open the game and look for your painting.

As you're saying there is no option to save, I think you might be over looking that START button. If I'm wrong please let me know

Ohhh, okay. But then that still doesn't explain why it's not showing up in-game?

btw, this is what my S3OC looks like (if that's helpful):

I do all of this, but a save button never appears... I'm using the most up-to-date version. Here's what it looks like:




sorry: fixed the image

Flutter, you don't have the latest Cloner. There's no popup box and there's no save button when you're fixing.

And Redleigh, you pasted a pic from the tutorial 3 times now
-edit-
Okay that's better.
Click the button at the right side that says FIX.
Then enter the unique ID etc etc.
Then click Start.
And you should be fine.

oops! you're right lemonCandy but still I don't think she's making the mistake in s3oc. I think she might be doing something wrong before that in s3pe.

Even without the pop up that we had in the old one, you can rename it there, although I already rename my .package when I save in s3pe.

I know this is a stupid question but redleigh, I have to ask it, are you remembering to put it in your .packages folder? I have done this before and it's easy to forget such a simple thing.

When do you rename the .package?

Yah, I fixed them - I was using MSpaint and it automatically saves to user\pictures, when I thought I was saving and replacing the item on desktop

yep, didn't think it was the s3oc, glad you got it fixed redleigh

Yah, I'm putting it in the packages folder I even double-checked after I noticed it wasn't in the game, and it was in the folder...

As for what I do in s3pe, this exactly:






I don't know if this makes a difference - I thought it was just supposed to happen - but when I mark the _IMG-resource file I want to replace, and then import the one I want, on the screen my new file appears and the old one has a line through it? Though I followed Xanathon's instructions exactly.

And the only time I re-named anything was the very beginning step when you first save the new file in S3OC

That's how it's supposed to be. Otherwise you're not replacing anything.

And it's not the filename renaming that matters. Your file can have just about any name you want. What matters is that the cloner renumbers/renames the resources inside your package to a unique name during the "fix" stage.

Which should be done automatically, right? Because nothing like that is mentioned in the tutorial at all...



PS: I have to leave for work in a few minutes so if I don't respond for a few hours, that's why.

The tutorial was written for an earlier version of the cloner. But you need to do the fixing nevertheless. Instead of using that popup thingy that is described in the tut and doesn't exist anymore, you use this:

That tutorial is like radically out of date. These days you shouldn't have to take your package into cloner that second time unless you're doing some very unusual work. Just do all the cloning and fixing in one go (which is pretty much a case of leaving the default ticks ticked and letting it get on with it) and then do your editing in S3PE or postal or whatever you like without having to open S3OC again.

so we don't have to fix a package after reimporting it into S3PE again then?

Not if you had "renumber" ticked the first time round. It does it all in one go then.

brilliant, thanks Inge, that saves a good few minutes

Do have a read through the Help too, as it explains exactly why you would choose each method (single or double pass), and what to set to get the best from each approach.

will do, thanks for the info. I really must stop expecting the next version of any software to be the same as the one before. I already looked silly over the start button with the old way of keeping clicking it till it said save and I was still doing that in the next one for half an hour hahaha

Erm, I'm still unsure as to what I did wrong and why the painting won't show up in the game.

Here is a zip file with my work files (sorry I don't know how to include it like I've seen in the forums before): http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=...04e75f6e8ebb871


Also: I'd like to recolor a usermade mesh, but when I use s3oc, only Maxis files show up. How do I get custom files to show?



And sorry for being so slow on this This was all so much easier with Sims2! I'm really unfamiliar with these programs.

To clone a usermade object, assuming it is a .package file and not a sims3pack (if the latter you have to unpack it first), use the open(fix) option and browse to the file. Tick the "clone" option in the cloning options, which would have been ticked by default if you had been cloning an EA item.

Does the original painting show up in the game?

There is nothing wrong with your painting, it shows up properly in my game.

Thanks!