Create your very own Invisible CAS kit, so you won't have to deal with those anoying objects in your decor anymore !
Weither you want to make them invisible, or edit them to create something new, this tutorial will show you step by step how to proceed, along with some useful pictures...without tears !

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For this tutorial I’ll be using SimPEv.0.62.1.100 and MilkShape 3D v.1.7.0

Changing your CAS scene is not a veryhard thing to do…actually, pretty simple, when you know how to do it !

In this little tutorial, I will showyou how to make your CAS familyroom and podium area completely invisible…

*OR, edit it, so you can change theactual meshes and textures, to put yours instead.*

*This part would need a bit ofknowledge about cloning, meshing and UV mapping…as I won’t explain how to doit, but I may write another tutorial about it…:0)

 

But first things first

A huge big thank to Saraswati5 (kath), who made thistutorial on creating a custom CAS,

originally written by vashti71 , who gave me the will to try…:0)

Another thank , goes to Echo, who wrote this other very usefultutorial on how to make a custom BHAV…

This is the tutorial that made mefigured out, that invisible thing…:0)

And…an enormous thanks to Targa who posted another very goodtutorial on how to replace NPC’s in the game.

Originally posted by WDS BriAnna.

This tutorial showed me a very neatway of using the FINDER tab in SimPE…witch you will be using in my tutorial :0)

So lets get started!

Basically, we have to make a new.package file for each GMDC we want to edit\make invisible.

Each of them must contain ONE gmdc,containing only ONE group…choose any one you want, except Alpha…:0) and deleteall others.

That gmdc must be the real one;belonging to the real group; 0x1C532FA, in order to overwrite the original.

How I did it…

Making those Objects Invisible

Maybe, you are already aware that boththe familyroom and the podium area are each one of them, one unique object.*

GMDC, containing a lot of differentgroups,

So different meshes.

FamilyRoom gmdc                             PodiumAreagmdc    

*You’ll notice that, in thePodiumArea, the reflection part of the mirror is missing, along with therotating podium…

They are 2 other different gmdc‘s.

Now…all those CAS gmdc’s arealone…there is no CasGlobal file to find in SimPE to import as a semi-Globalfile. They belong to Globalcatbin.bundle, and you won’t find that one in ImportSemi-

Global file.

So you have no choice, you must create a Global hack !

First Step.

To use as a reference, open SimPE andclone the

CAS - Backdrop, under unknown.

Uncheck the change description, don’tchange the name, no need to update neither, leave it as it is.

When it is time to save your clonedpackage, name it CAS_Reference, or something you’ll remember, but I will usethis name in this tutorial, and put it on your desktop in a folder of the samename.

*This file would be completely uselessin your Downloads folder because of the way it is made,

You will be using it only as a reference.*

So, done cloning ?

SimPE will be opening the package foryou.

Let’s find the gmdc’s we have to edit…

Click on GMDC on the upper leftwindow.

There will be 11 gmdc’s in total. Wewill need 4 of them.

Lucky you…you won’t need to go throughall of them to know which is which, I will tell you.

The first one, that ends withtslocator_gmdc, is the first one to edit : family room gmdc.

Click on preview, to be sure. Yes, itis pretty long to load a preview of it ! :0)

Now, you’ll need to make a newpackage, containing ONLY that tslocator_gmdc file.

BUT ! Don’t clone it, or extract itdirectly from your cloned package…remember, this clone is useless.

Click on the resources tab, bottomscreen, thank you Echo, and take a look at the group number…0x1C050000.

If you try and edit this clone, itwill not overwrite the original, as the real group number is 0x1C0532FA. Thegame will look for the originaleal one, as it does with NPC & CO.

So we found the first gmdc…but we needto extract the real one.

Click on the FINDER tab bottom screen.

Make sure you are lookingin Namemaps

Match : regular Expression

And type .*CASFamilyArea_tslocator_gmdc.*with the dots and stars…(thanks Targa :0)

Hit START !

NOTE : very important, no space after or before the dot or star…otherwise, you’ll get an empty search result.

There it is !CASFamilyArea_tslocator_gmdc

The one and only…under Objects03.package.

This is the one you need…look at thegroup number :0)

Double click on it, and SimPE willhighlight it for you in its top right window.

Now that we found it, make a subfolderin your CAS_Reference folder, desktop, and call it FamilyArea…or something.

Right click on it, top right window,and select Extract. Put it in your new subfolder.

Yes, my SimPE is a frenchie…sorryabout that, since my puter is also a frenchie, there is nothing I can do…:0/Blame the phone CO. Lady…

Okay ! One gmdc found, let’s find andextract the other 3 gmdc’s that we need.

NOTE : leave your SimPE open during allthe process, it makes it a lot less messy and a lot  easier.

You’ll find the other gmdc’s, byclicking on

File\Open recent\ CAS_reference,

To get your .package back, then Plugin view.

Again, click on GMDC on the upper leftwindow,

The one to edit next would becaspodiumarea_root_rot_gmdc

So click on it, then if youwish…preview it.

Knowing the true name of this gmdc, caspodiumarea_root_rot_gmdc ,

Click again on the finder tab,and do the same as we did previously with the family room.

.*caspodiumarea_root_rot_gmdc.*

Hit Start !

It will be the only one result, easyto find huh ?

Continue with the same process, rightclick on it, then select Extract, and put it in another subfolder namedPodiumArea, inside your CAS_Reference desktop folder.

Move on to the second to last gmdc,reflection part of the mirror, caspodiumarea_glass_rot_gmdc

Wanna see it first ? …

File\open recent\CAS_Reference. Clickagain on GMDC in the left window, and on caspodiumarea_glass_rot_gmdc in theright window, then Preview.

Repetition…:0), Findertab…caspodiumarea_glass_rot_gmdc, Extract…in new subfolder.

And the last one,caspodiumarea_platform_rot_gmdc,

The famous rotamatating, podiuminum.

Now do it all by self…:0)

So what’s next?

You are now ready to edit your 4gmdc’s, and make 4 new .package files.

Click on File and select New, or clickon that white paper sheet with a curly corner icon under File, Createa new package. Hopefully, this is the name used for English…:0?

You’ll have an empty top right window,of course, as it is new, and so empty. :0)

Right click in that top right windowand select Add…

SimPE should automatically direct youin the last subfolder created, so it would be the rotating podium extractedfile that is there, and alone.

So your choice…either you start withthis one, or you browse for the first one, the family room extracted file, inyour familyRoom subfolder.

It is as you wish.

Once you are decided, click on open inthe pop up window, and here you are, a new package containing only ONE gmdcwill be created.

Save as…give it a name that describesit, like InvisibleFamilyroomCAS by… or else. Save it to your Downloads folder.

NOTE : as I don’t know what happen if youalready have a downloaded hack for invisible CAS in your Downloads folder,better put that downloaded hack aside, elsewhere…after all, when you‘ll be doneediting all of your 4 packages, you won’t need any downloaded hack anymore :0)

Now, you have to decide witch one ofthe groups you want to keep and then edit\make it invisible.

Click on your only file gmdc in thetop right window.

A list of groups will be displayed inthe bottom left window, less or more depending on witch extracted file yourpackage contains.

For the rotating podium, for example,there will be only 2 groups, the podium mesh, and the alpha floor shadow mesh.

So in this case, you have no choice;you must keep the podium mesh, and delete the alpha mesh.

Go to group tab, and select the alphamesh, then delete. Commit and save your package.

Editing the Mesh

Now that youhave only one group mesh remaining,

Make sure it is selected, it should bewith a little check in a box…:0)

And click on Export, to export themesh.

Export it in its proper subfolder, thename will be different than the extracted gmdc file, so you cannot get confuse…

Open MilkShape, and select File\Import\WavefrontOBJ… and go hunt for your just exported mesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once imported, you mesh will appear asthe whole thing…but only the group you decided to keep, and exported, will  really be there…see rather :

This is what it will look like, forthe family room.

Right click on the blued window, anddeselect Wireframe Overlay.

Now you’ll see only the group youkept…I kept the big photo backdrop thingy…

 

Time to editit, press on Ctrl+A to select all.

If all is red, all is well. Re-checkthe Wireframe Overlay in the blue window, to have your smooth shaded mesh red,too.

You don’t need to know how to mesh forthat part, as we only want to scale it down, and move it down, wayyyyyyyy belowthe floor height. :0)

Click on Model, top rightwindow of MilkShape.

Press on Scale, and enter thosenumber, in each of the 3 boxes, .5\.5\.5.

Hit Scale !

Hit scale as many times you need, toend up with a so tiny mesh, that only red dots are showing…

 

 

 

 

And then, select Move, and withonly the Y box checked, left click in the top left or right window, and move itbelow the floor height, below the pink and yellow lines, like this !

Can you see that little red dot ?

When you are there, you are doneediting the mesh !

Go to File\export\Wavefront OBJ, andgive it a NEW name !…mynewfamilyroommesh, for example.

NOTE : if you just export it without givingit a new name, so exporting it, overwriting the mesh you exported from SimPE,your new mesh won’t show in the preview of SimPE, after you Import it…this willnot work. :0|

Now that this is done, in MilkShape,go to Edit, and Delete all.  You need to clean up the place foryour next mesh editing !

Now that this is done, in MilkShape,go to Edit, and Delete all.  You need to clean up the place foryour next mesh editing !

Leave MilkShape open, go back to SimPEand to your new package file, and click on Import, browse for your new scaledmesh.

TADA ! This one is made, commit andsave your work.

All you have to do next, is…the exactsame thing for all the other gmdc you have…

Don’t you love repetition ?

*EXCEPT for the rotating podium*… I amnot sure, but I think it is better to not move this one.

So, instead of scaling it then movingit down,

simpler than that, select all,then go to Face tab, upper window tabs, and select the first one: ReverseVertex Order.

You now have an all black podium mesh, witch means, the original texture will still be applied on it, butyou won’t see it ingame…as the mesh has its inside out ! :0)

TADA ! Your podium is now also,invisible. Export it as an Wavefront OBJ, and don’t forget to give it a newname :0)

Go back to your new podium packagefile, and Import it.

If making your CAS invisible was allthat you wanted, well…close everything, when MilkShape will ask you if you wantto save anything, just look at it in the eyes and say NO.

I don’t need any .mds file, thank you.

SimPe won’t ask you anything…youalready saved your work. Just close it !

Go admire your 4 new .package files inyour Downloads folder…isn’t it beautiful ?

Launch your game…and enjoy !

 

Replacing Textures

As we did for the gmdc‘s, we have tocreate a new package file, containing ONLY one file, the extracted-real texture, and this is true for each and every texture you want to replace.

That texture has a special MaterialDefinition*, that NEEDS to be changed also ?

Same deal. This will be, another newpackage file,

containing ONLY one file, theextracted-real Material Definition texture.

Re open SimPE, or if you didn’t closeit, open recent, your clone…

This time, you are looking fortextures, so click on Image - Textures (TXTR) (30)

Yes, 30 textures there are.

Browse through them, and find the oneyou want to replace.

Do the same thing as previously, spotits true name, and use the finder tab to find it, export it.

Create a new package file, and Add your new extracted texture.

Save as…you decide, then save it toyour Downloads folder, with the others. :0)

When I did it, I choose to replace the

casfloormedallion-partmarble_txtr

Now…depending on how the object’s UVmapping is done, you may have to redo it, to fit your own texture…and this iswhere you need to know a bit more about meshing, to have fun, withoutfrustrations. :0)

I’ll take as an example, the rotatingpodium, as it is the one I made.

If you take a look at the texture ofthe rotating podium, you’ll see that the texture is just a corner,1\4 of thewhole thing…so that little piece of texture is repeated on each 1\4 of theround podium mesh.

That was easier for me, to just make anew round mesh, and create an easy UV map to work with.

Here is the texture I used…

And this is my new UV map…

So first thing, I made another podiummesh, bring this new mesh into MilkShape, assign my new texture to it, then abit of Texture Coordinate Editor, to make it look even better, export it backas Wavefront OBJ.

Replace the one in my invisible CASpodium package. (Of course, my podium is not invisible nomowe…)

Then I created another package file,with the real medallion texture ONLY, then Build DTX, as you would donormally.

Put my new texture.

*The rotating podium as a differentMaterial Definition than any other “normal” object you would recolor or clone,to make a new one.

It wasn’t made so you could changeanything about it…and it is not very “light reflective”.

So, if like me, you decide to edit themesh and texture of this podium, you’ll most likely have to edit its MaterialDefinition as well.

Using the same process as anythingelse, create another .package file containing that file only:

 caspodiumarea_floormedallion_txmt

Since I didn’t know what had tobe changed to that Material Definition file, I looked at one of my alreadycreated object’s Material Definition, that has a very look-a-like texture…

Then, replace the values that weredifferent, into that new Material Definition .package of mine.

Here are the new values, use them too,if it suits your project! :0)

And, here is the final result.

Now that is better! 

Of course, it still works as the originalPodium…

Turning and all :0)

Marelle is now all set for school! Seeher wonderful enthusiasm…

Don’t worry if when clicking onPreview in SimPE, after Importing your new created mesh, your new texturedoesn’t show, the texture file is in another .package file…:0)

But it works, it works…

Rosie’s Tips

As you may want to create plenty ofdifferent custom CAS screens, you might want to keep that CAS_Reference folderthat contains the clone of CAS_Backdrop, and your CAS Neighborhood. You may wantto create different invisible packages, using different group…and if you followthe next part of this tutorial, why not using a Music box, as a rotating podium?…or a pretty landscape texture instead of that brown photo backdrop…

You can use it also, to pick up somewell done meshes, as the cine-camera, the spot light, etc…and create decoobjects! Or if you are good at coding, clone the telescope…turn it into acine-camera…A lot of neat ideas there is !

I really enjoyed making this littletutorial…if you have any questions or comments, if you think I missedsomething, feel free to email me!

Invisible podium

Edited podium

Edited familyroom

Besides Maxis’ trees, street lamps,far away park bench,clothing, hair meshes and fences, all objects that areshown in these pictures are my own creations…you won’t find them in yourgame…:0)