I'm not sure how to post my inquiry/question/plea for help without sounding whiny, but here goes. How can I recategorize clothing items? I have tried/researched three different methods, and so far nothing works. The Awesome Mod was suggested in my research, but reading the specs 4x, nowhere do I see awesome mod does this. Then I downloaded s3pe. Great! Can't figure out how to find the files I want the recategorize, nor how to change them once I do. Finally, I downloaded something from simlogical that lets you change categories for clothing and objects in-game. Great! It appears to have installed correctly, but doesn't work.

All I want to do is make some everyday shoes and tops available as formal, and add some tops to athletic and pajama categories that are only in everyday right now. Most items I want to change are Sims 3 game items, but some are store or custom content.

I was pretty savvy with all the tools out there for various Sims 2 functions and mods, but so far what should be pretty simple (imo) has turned into a frustrating hunt for tutorials and help for Sims 3 functions.

Does ANYONE have the knowledge and time to help me? I can't be the only one with similar requests and similar frustrations.

Did you follow one of those methods?
Using CTU, S3PE or S3OC: see this thread (post #2) or this other thread (post #3).

I personally like using S3PE and S3OC. If you still have a problem with these after reading those posts, you could tell me your specific issue.


Or with Nraas Master Controller, you could also disable category filter, as an example, you could have all formalwear available as everyday/sleepwear, etc. in CAS:
clicking on a Computer / City Hall > Nraas > Master Controller > Settings > CAS > Disable Clothing Filter, choose which categories you want available for every occasions and plan a new outfit.

Little downside, residents/NPCs generated after disabling the clothing filter could be wearing a swimsuit as formalwear, but once you're done planning the new outfit, you could re-enable the clothing filter using the same path, because once you've chosen the outfit, it should stick even without filters disabled.

Kuree's EasyCASP Editor is another option and is easy to use.

If you don't understand how to use S3PE post it and I will try to help give you directions.

Thank you! I figured out how to use S3PE, but that leads me to two other questions. First, I used Delphy's extractor to make all my simpacks into package files. But when I try to open them in S3PE, some say they are protected, or don't have the correct heading, or have a file name that's just numbers and letters. How do I figure out what they are, and edit them if they are clothing? My second question: how do I edit game files? The clothing and shoes that come with the base game, EPs and SPs? And what format will they be in? Will I also run into protected or file name issues? Thanks again!

Are said protected files from the Store? Maybe you need to decrapify the Sims3packs before extracting them? Here's how to do it.
Try opening it again with S3PE?

To recategorize game files, someone else may give you an alternate method, but I personally use S3OC:

1) After installing S3OC, you'll have to set up your game folders for the base game and each expansions and stuff packs.

a) Go to Settings > Game Folders > click Edit next the EPs and SPS you own and find the path where they are installed (example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3).
b) Close.

Now that you have your game folders set up, so when you are looking to clone an item, S3OC will be able to look in the resource packages for each expansion/stuff packs.

2) If you know the name or maybe you have a specific idea of what you're looking (example: a top, hairs, adult female hairs or any items for females), you could use the search tool:

a) Go to Tools > Search > enter something in the search box (example: "top", "hair", "afhair" or "af").
b) Tick Resource name and in the drop-down menu select CAS Parts.
c) Click Search and wait for the program to look through all your resource packages. It may take a bit of time depending on how many expansions or stuff packs you have.
d) Now you'll see a list of all the items that matched your search. Click on one of them and you'll see on the right side what they look like.

3) Maybe you just want to browse through everything:

a) Go to Cloning > CAS Parts.
b) Once again, this may take a while.
c) Just like before, you'll see a list of all CAS parts. Click on one of them and you'll see on the right side what they look like.

4) Now you have chosen an item:

a) On the right side, click Clone or Fix.
b) In the category part, you can tick the categories you want your item to be seen in.
c) If you want a separate item, on the left side, make sure "Renumber/rename internally" is ticked. Name your file. Click start. Save anywhere you want. You're done! Place your package in your Mods folder.
d) If you want an override/default replacement, untick "Renumber/rename internally". Name your file. Click Start. Save.

For this previous step (default one), I open the newly created package in S3PE, and delete everything but the CASP file. It's the only file you need to override after all and it reduce the size of your package.

And you should be done! Just place your package in your Mods folder. And look in game, if everything works.

Ok, so my Norton anti-virus software won't allow me to open/use Easy CASP Editor. I'm done. I'll just use the stuff in the categories it started in. This is way more complicated than it should be. Thanks anyway for all the advice.

I don't use Norton, but I'm pretty sure there must be a way somewhere to add Easy CASP Editor in some sort of exception list?

As I said, the fast and dirty way to go is using MasterController and the clothing filters. Plan your outfit and then get the filters back on.

Or also using MasterController, say you have an outfit that you could plan in Everyday, but you wanted to have it as Outwear:
Click on a Sim > Nraas > MasterController > Intermediate > Copy Clothing Between Categories > Choose the outfit you want to copy > Choose the category in which the outfit will be copied. This should create a new outfit (example: Outwear 2).

For your sim to use this outfit, you just should have to use a dresser or click on a sim, change outfit and choose the newly created outfit. Check that it is now Outwear 1 and your sim should change into it anytime they wear Outwear.

Again, thanks for your advice, but I'm done downloading things that don't work, or downloading an entire mod program just to get everyday shoes to show up in the formal category. I wish there were a Body Shop-type add-on like in Sims 2. All you had to do is export an everyday outfit, and then re-import it with as many other clothing categories as you wanted it to be in, and that was it. This system of modifying files, being unable to modify store stuff without "de-crapifying" them, or downloading mods from sites that treat you like idiots if you don't know what speed an imaginary bird flies is too much. I'll just work with the items I have in the categories they are currently in, and be done with it. I should spend more time on game play than on figuring out what shoes my Sims should wear anyway.