Sims 3:CTU Guide

CAS Texture Unitool v1.9

The following is simply a guide/handbook/manual (however you want to look at it) for the CAS Texture Unitool (CTU). This is not a creation tutorial, so do not expect to specifically learn how to edit, modify or design textures from reading this.

Refer to CTU Tutorials for a list of tutorials. Or, poke around the MTS Sims 3 Creation Forum.

What does this tool do?

The CAS Texture Unitool (CTU), is a tool that allows for editing and creation of Sims 3 CAS Parts. With this tool you can import custom textures, designs and meshes to create your own unique clothing for the game.

What do I need?

Windows XP/Vista

A PC running Windows XP or Vista. The CTU has NOT been tested on OS X or on Windows 7, so nothing is guaranteed.

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0

The CTU was built with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, so you must have have it installed! If you ONLY have Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 installed make sure you have 2.0 installed as well.

Vista Users

When you go to install .NET Framework 2.0, you'll notice that the system requirements says that it does not support Vista. Don't panic, because Windows Vista usually comes preloaded with .NET Framework 2.0 and it's also rolled into the .NET Framework 3.5 installation as well. So ignore this prerequisite and proceed on with using the CTU.

DirectX Runtime (March 2009)

To run the CTU you'll also need DirectX Runtime (March 2009).

Where can I find it?

The CTU can be found here.

How do I install it?

• Download and extract both the CasParts.rar AND the CasTextureUnitool.rar to the same place. A good idea is to create a new folder specifically for the CTU.
• Once everything is extracted, you should see the CasTextureUnitool.exe and a bunch of other files, and then a casparts folder and an xml folder.
  
  

KEEP FOLDER STRUCTURE INTACT: Do not delete/move/change or otherwise do anything to the file arrangement!

How do I run it?

Double-click on CasTextureUnitool.exe

Creating a Shortcut

For easy access it's a good idea to create a desktop shortcut. Simply right-click on CasTextureUnitool.exe and go to Send To → Desktop.

General Information

CAS Parts

A .caspart file itself can be thought of as a "placeholder" in Create-A-Sim. By linking meshes, textures and other details to the .caspart, you create what is commonly know as a CAS Part. CAS Parts are what a the game actually displays on the sim (i.e. shirts, shoes, watches, etc); this includes the mesh, shape, color, lighting, transparency or anything else that affects the look of the design.

DDS Files

A DDS file is a type of raster image, commonly used by many games, including both Sims 2 and Sims 3. DDS files can be saved in a variety of formats, both compressed and uncompressed. You will need to save your textures in DDS format for use in the CTU.

Image Editor
Your everyday run of the mill image editor like MS Paint or Paintbrush will not suffice for TS3 skinning. Instead you'll need a program that at least has these basic features:

• RGB Mode
• Channel View
• Layers
• Image Adjusters (i.e. desaturate, colorize, etc.)

Most people use Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. However, there are free alternatives like GIMP or Paint.NET.

Plugin
Many imaging programs do not initially know how to save/handle DDS files, so you'll have to install a plugin for them. Here are two of the most common ones.

• Photoshop
• GIMP

Packages

The CTU saves your finished creations as .packages, similar to what was used with The Sims 2.

For help with installing .packages, see Installing Sims 3 Package Files

Getting Started

Creating A New Package

To create a new package, go to File → New. By default, you should be in the Find a CAS Part tab. Here is where you pick what mesh you wish to start off with.

Parameters

To help quicken the search for a mesh, you can dial up the type of mesh you wish to use by setting the age/gender/type parameters.

Mesh

Once you set the parameters, you can either pick the mesh you want to use from the drop-down list or you can select it using the Quick Find box by clicking on the thumbnail.

Extracting

When creating new designs for your CAS part, it's a good idea to use the existing textures/meshes as guides.

Meshes

To extract a mesh, simply click on the "Extract Meshes" in the Find a CAS Part tab.

Bump Maps

Additionally bump maps may be extracted by.....

Textures

The easiest way to extract textures is to use the "Extract Textures" button in the Find a CAS tab. However this will give you all the game textures linked to that mesh.

Quick Extraction

If you only need one or two files, instead of digging through all the textures, you can use the quick extraction method:

• Anywhere you see a key number, click on it to highlight it then hit the "find" button nearest to the key. (Alternatively, you can double click the key).
• A DDS preview window will come up, when it does click the "export" button at the bottom of the screen and choose a destination to save the file.

This also comes in handy when you need to retrieve a file you may have lost or deleted, simply open a preexisting package and follow the steps above.

Do not extract and/or use another creators textures without their permission. Yes it's your computer and yes no one will know, but it's better to respect people's wishes don't cha think? :)

Creation and Designing

Find A Cas Part
Part Details
Part Category
Designs

• Stencils
  
• Patterns
  
• Logos
  
• Textures
  
• Other Details
  
• Thumbnails

Design Type
Meshes
3-D Preview

Miscellaneous

These are extra actions found under File in the navibar.

Find Key

If you know the key number of a certain game texture, then you can type it in here and the CTU will retrieve it from the FullBuild2 package.

Generate Thumbnails

Generates all 1k+ thumbnails for faster loading.

Debug Mode

Debug mode shows some advanced buttons best left for more experienced simmers. While in Debug mode you can modify the TGI lists to change linkages to VPXYs, etc.

Options

Sims 3 Root

By default the Sims 3 Root folder is located in C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3. If your game is installed in a different location, you can change the path here.

3D Render View

By clicking the colored square, you can change the default background color of the 3D view window.

FAQ

CAS Issues

CAS Part Not Showing Up At All

Make sure you:
(1) Have the game configured for .packages
(2) Didn't put the .package in My Documents

CAS Part Won't Recolor

Some meshes are not recolourable and will simply not work at all in CAS. (i.e. the burglar gloves)

Wrong Thumbnails

Try deleting your caches.

Original Texture Won't Disappear

Sometimes no matter how many changes you've made to the base texture/specular you'll still see the original texture in CAS. What you're seeing is not the texture, but bumpmaps linked to the mesh.

CTU Errors

CAS Part Editor has stopped working....

Make sure you have DirectX Runtime installed or installed properly.

System.Core Error

Make sure you have .NET Framework 2.0 installed or installed properly.

Greyed-Out Mesh Parameters

If the mesh parameters are greyed out, and they won't let you change them make sure you hit File → New.

System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException Error

Change your Regional settings to make "." the decimal place separator instead of ",".

If All Else Fails...

If you've read the above FAQ and you still can't get the CTU working then go to the MTS CTU post to see if you can find an answer there.