Getting Monte Vista Objects to show in CAW Metadata and In-Game

The next step to editing Monte Vista in Create A World is setting up a framework to let CAW know to look for the object files and modding the files so CAW can read them. While we're at it, we will set up a folder so the objects will appear in-game as well. 

Create Your CAW Framework 

The original tutorial by AuntieLynds that I used can be found >here<, there is also a wiki >here< in the wiki there is an alternate method to use where you create a "symbolic" link. I do not recommend you use that method unless you know how to undo it. It did not work for me and I wasted a lot of time getting it out of my way so I could use the method that does work below.

Using the path C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create a World Tool add a new folder and name it Packages. Next scroll down to the resources.cfg file. Copy and paste into your safekeeping file. Using Notepad (in Windows 10 it is found under Windows Accessories in the start menu) open the original resources.cfg file from your The Sims 3 Create a World Tool folder. Copy and paste the following to the very bottom of the file in Notepad.

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles Files/... autoupdate
Priority 500
PackedFile Packages/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package

 

It should look like the picture above when you are done. Save it and close Notepad. Your framework is done. Should something go wrong and it causes problems just remove the altered file and replace it with a copy of the original you kept in your safekeeping folder. 

While we're at it, using the path C:\Users\[you]\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup add another new folder and call it Edited Monte Vista. Don't worry if your DCBackup folder is a bunch of package files instead of the folders like mine is because that is exactly what mine looked like before I started trying to edit Monte Vista in create a world. The DCBackup folder holds all of your store content and the last time I had to reinstall all of mine, I created all of the subfolders and moved package files into them as I downloaded and installed store content. But we do want to keep the "new" Monte Vista files we are going to mod in the next step separate in case you need to work with them again. 

Mod Your Package Files

The original tutorial I used to learn this is by SimSample and can be found >here<.

Next we're going to use S3PE to import each of the package files in our MV Extracted folder (except the world file you've set aside) into a new file and make some changes to allow the objects to appear in our CAW metadata. The problem is there are a lot of packages to work through one by one and they don't have easily distinguishable names nor will we be modifying the originals to use time stamps to distinguish the files we've done from the ones we haven't. The easiest way I've found to keep it all organized is to add a sub-folder to the MV Extracted folder and move the original package files to it as I finish with them so go ahead and create your sub-folder then open S3PE. 

Open S3PE 

 

Click File>New

Then Resource>Import>From package

Select a package file. If you work methodically from the first package, you can move each one to the finished folder when you are done with it. Larger packages are usually the rabbit holes so I am going to use the 2,299 KB file to demonstrate. 

Using the default settings shown above, click Import. When asked if you wish to auto-save click No.

Scroll down to the file with the OBJD tag. Click the Grid button at the bottom.

In the Data Grid, click to expand the Common Block. Change Version to 0x0000000E if it isn't already. Click Commit.

Expand the Common Block again. Scroll down the the BuildBuyProductStatusFlags. It it is an item that should show up in World Editor - things like trees, rabbit-holes, road signs, street lights, bridges, city walls, poppies - change the IsVisibleInWorldBuilder from false to true. If it's a wallpaper, a hairstyle, any object that would only appear on a Sim or a Lot, leave it false. Click Commit.

Scroll through the information on the right side of your screen. Check to see if the BuildCategoryFlag is appropriate. The original tutorial I used suggested it should always be changed to either Landmark, Tree, or Rock and that was probably true at the time that tutorial was created but so far it doesn't seem to be the case now.

If the BuildCategoryFlags does need to be changed, click on Grid again. Scroll down to the BuildCategoryFlags and click to expand. Select the appropriate category and change from false to true. Click Commit.

Now just go to File>Save and you will be prompted for a file name. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be a string of numbers and letters, you can use something that makes sense. I usually use the object name - in this case I would call it criminalAsylum_DOT07. 

Now you just need to do the same thing to all of the other files in your folder. A couple of things to watch for:

• there are 3 separate packages to the city wall. 
• there are 4 individual ruins packages
  
• there are 2 street light packages.
• there are 2 mail-box packages
  
• be careful in your file naming that you do not accidentally overwrite a needed object. For instance there is a foodEatpizza package and there is a foodServepizza package. In the wallpapers you might have a topL, topC, topR along with a BottomL, BottomC and BottomR.
  
• you absolutely do need the poppies and the trees visible in world editor along with the rabbit-holes, the bridge, the lighthouse and the street signs. You do not need things like Shutters, food, roofs, etc. so for those items leave the IsVisibleInWorldBuilder set to False.
  
• the OBJD in some packages will already be set to all the settings above. Save the new file under a new name anyway or CAW will not recognize them. 
  
• some packages do not contain any OBJD tagged files. Just save under a recognizable name anyway and we can discard them later if we need to. 
• No matter how tempting it is, you can't just open the original package, edit and then save. You must import the original package into a new file. CAW will not recognize edited Monte Vista packages. I know this because I tried it. 
  

When you are finished you should have a folder with 112 packages that are saved under easily identifiable names and a sub-folder with the same number of packages named with seemingly random numbers and letters. Copy and paste everything except the sub-folder and it's contents, to the Packages folder you created in your CAW Framework. I don't know if it's necessary but since it doesn't hurt, paste another copy to the Edited Monte Vista folder you created in your DCBackup folder. 

There is some further information that looks interesting at >this Link<