serize

[heldhram]

Tutorial: How to Install TS3 with DXVK, Sims3SettingsSetter (S3SS), and ReShade in 2026

This is a long-overdue update of my previous, now obsolete tutorial on how to use DXVK and ReShade (d3d9). If you do not use ReShade, you can still follow this guide up until where it is to be installed.

At the time of writing (April 2026), this guide is compatible with and corresponds to Step 1 to 3 of The Sims 3 Performance & Bug Fix Guide 2026, featuring an extra step on how to install ReShade.

If you followed any other guide (including my own) on how to install DXVK and/or ReShade, it is strongly recommended that you start from scratch, meaning you should uninstall DXVK AND Reshade completely. Believe me when I say this: it will save you a lot of time, frustration, and make your life so much easier.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I am on Steam version 1.67.2.024037 on Windows 11, but it should work for discs 1.67 and EA App 1.69 versions, too. This guide does not cover GShade.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Backup your files, even the entire folder (EA Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin or steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin) if you want to be extra safe; you will thank yourself later. If you do not wish to backup the entire folder, at the very least backup the following:

reshade-presets

reshade-shaders

Reshade.ini

Options.ini (Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3)

Keep them somewhere secure, for your peace of mind (and sanity).

Firstly, to fully uninstall DXVK, you should remove the following files:

d3d9.dll (if you hover your cursor over the file, it will read: Company: DXVK)

dxvk.conf

TS3.dxvk-cache (or TS3W.dxvk-cache)

Secondly, remove remnant files of previously installed ReShade (you did create a backup, right?):

d3d9.dll (located at the Bin folder, if you hover your cursor over the file, it will read: Company: crosire)

ReShade.ini

ReShade.log

⚠️There are a couple more steps. Please follow the instructions here.

Get the latest version here on GitHub:

Click on the version that has the 'Latest' tag next to it (2.7.1 as of now), scroll down to 'Assets', and click on dxvk-x.x.x.tar.gz to download DXVK.

Open dxvk-x.x.x.tar.gz, click on x32, and locate d3d9.dll from within.

Download a copy of dxvk.conf from this page by clicking on the tiny icon on the right.

Drag both d3d9.dll AND dxvk.conf to the Bin folder (EA Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin or steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin); that is where TS3.exe and TS3W.exe are located.

Open dxvk.conf with Notepad or Notepad++, 'Ctrl + A' to select all, and hit delete. Yes, delete everything inside. Once you've emptied the file, enter the following:

d3d9.textureMemory = 100 d3d9.presentInterval = 1 d3d9.maxFrameRate = 60 d3d9.samplerAnisotropy = 16 dxvk.hud = devinfo d3d9.customVendorId = 10de d3d9.customDeviceId = 1080

Hit 'Ctrl + S' to save. That is DXVK installed!

Copy your Options.ini from your backup folder (you did make a backup, right?) into your Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 folder.

Because we have 'tricked' the game into recognising our modern GPU as a GTX 580, we must edit one single line within the Options.ini to keep our preferred in-game settings intact.

Hit 'Ctrl + G', type in '150' to go to that line, and replace it with:

lastdevice = 0;10de;1080;65535

'Ctrl + S' to save.

⚠️Thanks to DXVK, from now on whenever there's a GPU driver update, we no longer need to keep the 'lastdevice' line up-to-date to prevent your in-game settings from being reset. You can leave it alone forever, once and for all. The last digit of '65535' is a placeholder value for driver versions and remains constant as long as you are using DXVK.

Launch the game to confirm that DXVK is working. By default, the debug HUD should show up in the top left corner of your screen. What's more, your graphics settings should not have reset.

If you're still not convinced that DXVK is working, go to your Bin folder and look for a file called: TS3_d3d9.log or TS3W_d3d9.log and inspect its content:

If you see these correctly documented in your log file, DXVK is working as intended.

⚠️ NB: This newer version of DXVK no longer generates a cache file by default, meaning that there will not be a TS3.dxvk-cache or TS3W.dxvk-cache any more.

Get the latest version here on GitHub:

Click on the version that has the 'Latest' tag next to it (1.5.0 as of now), scroll down to 'Assets', and click on Sims3SettingsSetter.asi to download S3SS.

An ASI Loader is required for S3SS to function properly, and now so we need to install it.

However, if you use any of the listed LazyDuchess mods:

Mono Patcher Library;

Pixel Shader Modding Framework;

Shadow Extender (TS3);

or Split Level Light Fix,

you should already have an ASI loader (in the form of wininet.dll) located inside your Bin folder, and you can use that instead.

As you can see in the screenshot below, LD's Shader Framework came shipped with an ASI loader, as the other 3 mods do.

If you do not use any of the mods listed above, or that you wish to get a newer version of ASI loader for the game, you can get it from here (Ultimate ASI Loader by ThirteenAG):

To install, drag Sims3SettingsSetter.asi AND wininet.dll to your Bin folder.

And that is S3SS and its prerequisite successfully installed, now we should launch the game (again) and check if it's working.

Once the game has launched, hit 'Insert' key to toggle on S3SS interface.

⚠️ If nothing happens after pressing ' Insert', remove a folder called 'S3SS' (located at: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3) and reinstall from Step 2 again.

From S3SS interface, select 'Patches' on the top.

Here I recommend enabling all performances patches, but choose only one flavour for the Smooth Patch: Original or Precise.

Next, click on 'Other/QoL' tab, tick the box next to 'Enable Memory Warning', and increase the warning threshold to 3.8 GB.

Navigate downwards to 'Borderless Window' and choose 'Fullscreen' in the drop-down menu. This will allow you to play in borderless windowed mode.

⚠️ Please note that I do not play TS3 in exclusive fullscreen mode, nor do I recommend doing so; therefore, I cannot provide support for that.

Lastly, don't forget to click on 'File' on the top left corner to save any changes you've made.

Exit the game, it's time to install ReShade.

Download the latest version (with full add-on support) from the official site; it is 6.7.3 at the time of writing.

Select TS3.exe (EA App) or TS3W.exe (disc, Steam), and then choose Vulkan as rendering API, click 'Next'.

If you would prefer not to install any shaders/effects (i.e, you want to keep using your existing ones), click 'Skip'.

On the following page, you'll get to choose to install add-ons. Hit 'Skip', unless you know what you are doing.

Click 'Finish' to complete installation.

At this stage, a new, vanilla ReShade.ini file will be placed in the Bin folder; you may now replace it with the one from your backup folder to recover all preferred settings (such as hotkeys for taking screenshots, directory for shaders etc.). Same thing goes for your reshade-presets and reshade-shaders folder.

Launch the game (for the final time) to check that ReShade has been properly installed.

To toggle S3SS interface, press 'Insert' (or whatever hotkey you've set it to).

⚠️NB: under ReShade's 'Settings' tab you may need to change 'Input processing' to either 'Pass on all input' or 'Block input when cursor is on overlay' to tweak S3SS settings whilst ReShade's GUI is visible. Otherwise, you'll need to toggle ReShade's menu off first.

That is the end of this tutorial.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed DXVK, S3SS, and ReShade! You may now open dxvk.conf and remove line dxvk.HUD from it.

Whew, what a long tutorial. If you've made it this far, great job. 🎉

Hope you've found this helpful; comment down below, or send me an ask/DM if you've any questions. I'll try my best to troubleshoot with you. Happy simming! ⭐

Credits:

doitsujin for DXVK

ThirteenAG for Ultimate-ASI-Loader

@sims3fiend, just-harry, @lazyduchess, and swiffyjk for Sims3SettingsSetter

crosire for ReShade

@nectar-cellar @desiree-uk and @kevinvoncrastenburg for their help.

[sims3fiend]

S3SS 1.4.0!

New big version woo

Changes:

New detailed memory statistics in the QoL section (above)

Memory monitor made more accurate

Version number now shown in the menu header

Patch UI now correctly displays user-friendly text and has improved overflow styling

Fixed S3SS folder placement for usernames containing ƒün ĉħαřäĉťℯřś, should now place the S3SS folder at the correct location

Some changes to the borderless QoL mode, this may be better or may be worse, apologies if it's the latter for you 😶

Patches:

New "Smooth Patch Precise" rewrite. The tick-rate limiter has been fully replaced with a hybrid sleep/busy-wait implementation. Default tick-rate raised to 480. Preset values changed to 480/960 (multiples of 60) for potentially smoother frame-pacing. Now includes a frame-rate limiter. Can be safely toggled on/off at any time now also

New Oversized Thread Stack Fix. Reduces memory wasted by the game's file-watcher threads. The game creates several dozen of these with oversized 1 MB stacks when they need less than 64 KB. Saves ~80-170 MB depending on your setup

Expanded crash logging patch. Adds detailed access violation info (memory state, protection flags, read/write/DEP), S3SS version, and a full virtual memory statistics breakdown to TS3s crash logs. Please enable this when reporting crashes (may become a default later)

Experimental GC_try_to_collect removal from Simulate. Should improve Simulate calls/s quite dramatically. May increase memory usage

The vast majority of this patch was written by "Just Harry" huge huge huge huge thank you to him and all the people who have tested this.

As always, the latest version can be found here

[philosimy]

Download: Sims 1 to Sims 2 neighborhood with all sub-neighborhoods.

Hello! This is a really quick, but pretty big update from me. I'm not really active in the Sims community as of late. But I have from time to time been working on this project, whenever I needed to sort of clear my head. And now was a moment I thought I should share it, because it would be kind of a waste if it just gathers dust on my laptop ;) I've made an Old Town neighborhood (Sims 1) for the Sims 2. I've done that before, but this time Downtown, Studio Town, Vacation Island and Magic Town are all sub-neighborhoods instead of being part of the main neighborhood. And, all lots are built and in place, for as far as it was possible to recreate certain Sims 1 lots in the Sims 2. I thought some people might enjoy it, so here is the download link You can just place this in your Sims 2 documents folder, inside the neighborhoods folder. This version has no sims in it. And I removed the characters folder, because it was massive, so it might literally not have any sims in it, not even townies. I've not had a chance to test it, so let's see how that works out... If anyone wants to complete the neighborhood with sims, or change it, go ahead, you can share your version, as long as you credit me. I'll try to check back in soon to see if there are any massive problems. But other than that, this is not a fancy CC release, just me sharing a project I've been working on as is, so that it might be of some use to someone 😅 I hope some people will enjoy it!

[nocturne-vi]

Lightning Mods and My Gshade Preset

So, to make the game beautiful and my preset look like mine, we'll need some graphics enhancements:

- First and foremost, lighting mods (I use both, depending on the world)

- Second, improving the world backgrounds. His recommendations also include replacing background trees and adjusting graphics settings (read the installation instructions carefully)

- Additionally, replacing clouds

- Lighting in the CAS (also affects the lighting of characters in the game)

- Remove the blue tint in rooms and sims

Now, regarding the preset, you can look at the images here and download it from there (I've written about each shader in detail; the archive includes shaders and textures for its proper work).

@sssvitlanz @coffee-cc-finds @s4library

💓 thanks for reblogs, support and activity 💓

[alienara-simblr]

📜 The 2026 To-Do List

Many projects in the pipeline, despite a significant delay caused by the holidays, family dramas, the flu and constant distractions.

1.✨The 450 Followers Gift 🎁

Yes, already! A milestone reached discreetly during the Christmas holidays. Thank you again for your support and comments !! But I was so busy that I forgot to prepare something special for the occasion. It will probably be a map, but since I have several projects underway, from a Sixam planet to a remake of the vacation subhoods, I haven't decided yet.

2.🍄The Sixam Flora recolors collab 🛸

💮 Ever since @jawusa released those plants, I've been obsessed with the idea of ​​recoloring everything and creating amazing alien scenery. Her versions, besides being true seasonal plants, are beautifully animated with custom lights. We're collaborating to bring many different color variations to this set. The neighborhood decorations are all ready, and I'm actively working on recoloring the LOT version plants.

🖥️ As I am really a noob when it comes to content creation (I started less than 2-3 months ago), @jawusa is actively helping me to see more clearly some technical difficulties. I thank her again for her patience. The work is progressing well, and I should be able to deliver it to you soon.

🪄 work in progress...

🏬 After recoloring the Sixam Flora, I'm going to handle the recolor of the Tech Residence buildings by @cityof2morrow, to match the recolors I already made of his Anno-2070 Eco-production Buildings

3. The Uberhood project 👨‍👩‍👦

👫 The neighborhoods have been completely made for some time, but recent discoveries and setbacks have led me to reconsider the project's structure. I think there will be two uberhoods: one with and one without CC. The idea is to provide a different structure for how families are arranged in relation to each other. They will be less disconnected, and some ancestors will disappear. I'm exploring the possibility of adding "genetically correct infant faces", but I need more info for that. And perhaps I'll need to review the files that have already been published.

4. Map making 🗺️

🏞️ In 2026, I would like to continue and make the creation of playable maps more complex, and I have many projects in the works, such as a separate version of MagicTown, a separate version of the TS1 Downtown (including maybe the TS2 Downtown lots), with/without their NPC/downtownies. For now, there was only the "all-in-one" version of my TS1t2 Project, with all these districts on a single map. That can be a lot to load for less efficient installations and result in pink soup.

🔮 MagicTown, work in progress

5. Gameplay 🎮

🕹️ I would have loved to be able to play and share the stories I created for Uberhood, which are the result of 20-25 years of play. A grand story in two parts: from Old Town to New Old Town (from TS1 to TS2), with more fleshed-out backstories for certain characters like Tech Poll 9 or Olive Specter, or the Capp/Monty feud. Then making a more overarching story of the different families of the Uberhood.

6. 💥My personal purgatory 🔥

😈 I'm probably going to have to review a lot (maybe all) of my CAS default replacements, the compatibility of my mods and do a big big clean-up of my CC sets, because I've reached the limit imposed by the game. I also noticed a bit of a mess in my SavedSims files; some no longer seem suitable or up-to-date. Maybe I'll start a new version of my premade Sims, or my PT pool... and my plantsim pool. I'm also thinking of sharing the eye colors I've created for my own gameplay....

🎊 AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR !! 🎉

[surely-sims]

would you ever consider making furniture like in the sims 1? The weird shapes and patterns are something i desperately need for my game!

I've made a few things inspired by TS1 already!

Gonna throw it below the cut cause it's a little bulky. Feel Free to Reply to this post or Reblog and add more suggestions from other creators as well!

Livin' Large Golden David Statue

Livin Large Tiki Bar - Juno Set

Makin' Magic Inspired Simblreen Set with @doctorsimcraft

And speaking of DoctorSimcraft:

Unleashed Travelin' Joes Espresso Cart Unleashed Pastry Cart Unleashed Old Town Set

Superstar Memories of Studio Town Set

Hot Date Cursed Bear Rug

But of course, we keep goin and making things! If you're looking for Livin' Large Styled things, I'd definitely check out past Shrimpmas Hauls as well.

[dusksimulacre]

**Finally my time has come** I collected a list of all the TS1 to TS4 conversions I could find, but the list had too many links so tumblr wouldn't let me post it so it has remained in a word doc until now...

UI = Vyxated TS1

Font= TS1 Font by ThePancake

Music= TS1 Music by Buurz

Build Mode

Flooring= All Flooring by MadRayne

Walls= 25 Nostalgia Walls by cgLizard

Walls= 6 sets by Philosimy

Window= Boomerang Window by MadRayne

Buy Mode

Banquet Table by DoctorSimcraft

Bed= Vibromatic Heart Bed by Mathcope

Bed= 3 beds by TheSims1Master

Counters= 4 Counters by TheSims1Master

Chairs= 5 Dining Chairs by MadRayne

Chairs= Egg Chair by ATS

Chairs= Makin Magic Toadstool Chair by Eli

Chairs= Sir Laxalot Dinette Chair & Table Ferme by MadRayne

Chairs= 3 Sofas and Loveseats by MadRayne

Chairs= Tub Chair by Philosimy

Deco= Death's Scythe by Gauntlet101010

Deco= 4 Rugs by MadRayne

Deco= Wall Art by MadRayne

Gelato Stand by Balkanika

Heartshaped Hottub by Imfromsixam

Livin Large Cake and Dancer Poses by Simmerberlin

Magic Town Collection by 5MFC

Makin Magic Faerie Queen Mara's Cart by Eli

Makin Magic Kitchen set by Eli

Makin Magic Mini Set by Eli (wands, Charms, spellbooks)

Makin Magic Retail Display Shelves by Eli

Makin Magic Trashcan by DoctorSimCraft

Makin Magic Visions of Sugarplums set by Eli

Newbie Bedroom Set by MadRayne

Newbie Dining Set by MadRayne

Pet= Parrot Override of L&D bird by The Kalino [DL]

Pet= Persian Pet Bed by Eli

Pool Table Mod by Utopya [preview here]

Skydiving Simulator by ThePancake Pics here

Store Set by TheSims1Master

Tables= London Mesa Dining by MadRayne

Tables= Makin Magic Basket End Table by Eli

Unleashed Fridge by Eli

Unleashed Wind Chime by Eli

Volleyball Mod by Waronkcc

CAS

Clothing= Bella Goth Outfit by Philosimy

Clothing= Butterfly Outfit by Philosimy

Clothing= Disco Jacket by Philosimy

Clothing= Grim Reaper Outfit by Gauntlet101010

Clothing= Rave Outfits by TheSims1Master

Clothing= Servo Outfit by Gauntlet101010

Clothing= Sexy Sarong Outfit by Philosimy

Clothing= Travelling Merchant Dress by Philosimy

Hair= Bella Goth Hair by JoshSeoh

[my-dailydreams]

[anxietyproblem]

[new52s]

KIEFER SUTHERLAND as DAVID The Lost Boys (1987) dir. Joel Schumacher

[eddysims]

February 4th, 2000 - 2025 25 Years of The Sims

[spikedaily]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.07 | "Fool for Love"

[dystopianam]

Lighting Mods 庁 for The Sims 3~ 笨ｨ

(Updated 05/02/2024)

(Choose only one at a time) - and look here for other masterposts

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[death-by-glitter]

..ꜰɪꜰᴛʏ. ♄

..ʜᴏᴛᴀʀᴜ ᴛᴏᴍᴏᴇ.

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜᴜᴜ♡ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴄ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀꜱ:

@grafity-cc @grafity-public-cc @trillyke @jius-sims @simstrouble

@twisted-cat @serawis @zenxsims @badddiesims @cosimetic

@pralinesims @msqsimsofficial @miikocc @candysims4 @helgatisha

@leosims4 @leosims4cc @mincts4 @wondymoondesign @irinaseverinka

@myshunosun @syboubou @soloriya @arwenkaboom @simcredibledesigns

@kikiw-sims @opaltearsims

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛ ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ: ʜᴇʀᴇ

[nectar-cellar]

making default replacement CAS - TS3

hi i'm writing a rough outline of one way to make default replacements. i discovered this method recently on reddit as shared by 80sBabyGirl and it's worked well for me so far, so i want to share with other creators out there.

a disclaimer: i'm no expert on how to do this so please read w a grain of salt. please also feel free to add further comments and correct me on any errors. i'm sharing this post not as a 100% foolproof tutorial but more of a guide or outline of the basic steps.

i like this method because you can easily turn any CC package into a default replacement package, without exporting a bunch of textures meshes etc that beginners may not be comfortable doing. also great for lazy people like me.

i have had success using this method to make default replacement hairs, beards, and clothing. i assume the principle is the same for most other CAS items although i'm sure there are more complicated exceptions out there.

so with those disclaimers out of the way, let's start:

first, you will need to download Sims 3 Package Editor (S3PE) and Sims 3 Object Cloner (S3OC)

next, you will use S3OC to clone the in-game item you want to replace, such as a hairstyle.

make sure to "deep clone", include the thumbnails, and do not check "renumber internally".

next, you will open the cloned in-game hair using S3PE. you will also be opening and editing your cc hair package in S3PE, so make a backup of that somewhere before proceeding with the edits.

80sBabyGirl on reddit:

"First, export the Maxis hair's CASP resource to a folder, and close the file. Then, export the CC hair's CASP resource to a different folder. Go back to the Maxis hair folder. Don't open the CASP file, don't copy the file either, just copy its name. Go to the CC hair folder and paste the Maxis hair's name to replace the CC hair's name. Then import the renamed CC CASP resource into the CC hair file. Delete the original CASP resource to avoid duplicates. Then you can do the exact same process with thumbnails. For hairs with accessories, you can retrieve thumbnails for all 3 swatches inside the CASThumbnails.package file that's in the Thumbnails folder."

finally, save the cc hair package, close it in S3PE, and put it in your overrides or packages folder to test in-game. it should now function as a default replacement.

thumbnails

another way to make the cc item's thumbnail into the default replacement item's thumbnail:

in your cloned game item, double-click on the thumbnail resource. click on "copy rk".

in your cc item, double-click on the thumbnail resource. click on "paste rk".

this will make the game read the cc item's thumbnail as the default item's thumbnail.

handy reference for which thumbnail codes are for what

in summary

ultimately you are just editing 2 resources in the cc package to turn it into a default replacement.

the CASP resource

the thumbnail resource

testing in game and the textures are fucked up??

whenever you default replace anything, you usually have to delete your caches and re-apply the item in CAS for it appear properly.

the textures are still fucked ?

if this happens, it may be because the default textures and the cc textures need to be properly linked in S3PE.

in your cloned game item, double-click on each "_IMG" resource. click on "copy rk".

in your cc item, double-click on the corresponding "_IMG" resource. click on "paste rk".

you will need to do this for the multiplier, mask, specular, and normal map textures.

this will make the game read each texture as the default item's texture.

in conclusion:

[simplykitsch]

Sims 3 Halloween / October CC list. [ UPDATED 10.2015 ]

✪ = NEWLY ADDED

(Please not that my CC lists are in no way comprehensive - I’ve most likely missed things out! So - if you have anything / know of anything suitable to the themes posted, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

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[firefoxsims3]

The Sims 3 default clothing replacement tutorial

Hi everybody!

A couple of weeks ago an anon asked me if I could make a tutorial about default replacing clothes.

Well here it is.

This is my first time making a tutorial, so if something is not clear leave a comment.

You can find the whole tutorial under the cut.

Programs you need:

Sims 3 Object cloner (S3OC)

Sims 3 Package editor (S3PE)

Milkshape + plugins

In this tutorial I'm going to replace this base game top (amTopShirtLongTee) With this conversion from Sim-songs

Step one: Clone the clothing that you want

open s3oc

There's actually 2 ways you can clone a clothing with s3oc, and I'm going to show both of them.

1.5.1 The First way of cloning a clothing is to click on Cloning -> CAS Part.

It will give you a big list of every Create a sim stuff, which is fine, but I personally don't like it.

1.5.2 The second way of cloning is to go to Tools -> Search

This one allows you to search for a specific thing.

For example if you want to clone a top then write top in the search bar, if you want bottom, then write bottom, but if you want to clone an outfit, then write body and not outfit.

You can even specify the age and the gender.

f=Female

m=Male

u=Unisex

p=Toddler

c=Child

t=Teen

y=Young Adult

a=Adult

e=Elder

You always have to write the age first, then the gender and then the type of clothing, so for example "amtop".

You can also specify that you want to clone CAS Part.

2. Now, if you've found the clothing you're looking for you can clone it by selecting it and then clicking on Clone or fix.

In the next window, on the right side you can recategorize the clothing if you'd like, on the left there are options that we have to tick and untick.

3. Tick Deep Clone, Include thumbnails and untick Renumber/rename internally and then hit Start and save it somewhere.

Step two: Replace everything that needed

Now that we've cloned the clothing it's time to replace the stuff.

open the cloned package with S3PE

1.5 A completely optional step but you can delete everything that we're not gonna replace in the cloned package.

Things that you have to keep:

Basically this is how it has to look:

2. Now moving on to actually replacing the stuff.

Open the custom content package in S3PE and export the texture files. Just right click on the file -> Export -> To file...

Give it a unique name or don't, it doesn't really matter just make sure that you know what is what.

Now go to the cloned package. Right click on the texture -> Replace.

And then select the corresponding texture.

Do the same thing with all the textures, but make sure that you replace mask with mask, multiplier with multiplier, specular map with specular map and normal map with normal map.

3. Go to the custom content package and export the BGEO files. Right click on them -> Export -> To file...

Again give them a unique name, but for real this time, because this can be confusing. It's hard to know which is which, but usually the first one is the fat morph, the second one is the fit, the third is thin and the last one is special.

Go to the cloned package. Right click on one of the Bgeo files -> Replace.

Do this with all of the Bgeo files. Replace the fat with fat, fit with fit, thin with thin and special with special.

4. Now export all the Lods (Geom files) from both the cloned and the cc packages. (right click -> Export -> To file...)

Make sure that you save them as " .simgeom " file.

Open Milkshape and import Lod1 of the EA mesh.

If you get a pop-up like this just hit ok.

Go to Groups tab and then click on Comment

This window will pop-up. Select everything and then copy it.

I would recommend opening notepad and pasting it in there to make sure that it copied.

Now in milkshape click on File -> New (you don't need to save anything) and then Import the Lod1 mesh of the custom content.

Then go to Groups -> Comment and the same window as before will pop-up, but instead of copying everything delete everything.

So it should look like this.

Then paste in the one that you copied from the other mesh (the EA mesh).

Then hit ok and export it.

Do this for all the Lods.

Now go to the cloned package, right click on one of the Geom files -> Replace, and then select the corresponding Geom file.

Now do this for all the Geom files and then it's pretty much done.

Save the package file and then it's time to test it in game.

Two things you should check:

if all the morphs work

if you can recolor it properly and it has the right amount of channels

For me the morphs work fine, but the channels are not right. It's recolorable, but it's not the right amount of channels.

So let's fix it!

Optional step: Copy the cc presets to the default replacement

Open the cc package, click on Casp file and then click on grid.

A small window will pop-up. Click on Presets then click on that small rectangle.

A similar window will pop-up. Click on [0] Preset, then click on Xmlfile, a drop down arrow will appear, click on it, then click on Export, and save the presets.

Now open the default replacement package, do basically the same thing as before (Casp -> Grid -> Presets -> XmlFile) but instead of clicking on Export click on Import and import all the presets.

Then hit ok and commit and you're done. You've copied the presets from the cc to the default replacement.

I hope that everything was understandable. If something was not clear leave a comment.

[nornities]

How to use DXVK with The Sims 3

Have you seen this post about using DXVK by Criisolate? But felt intimidated by the sheer mass of facts and information?

@desiree-uk and I compiled a guide and the configuration file to make your life easier. It focuses on players not using the EA App, but it might work for those just the same. It’s definitely worth a try.

Adding this to your game installation will result in a better RAM usage. So your game is less likely to give you Error 12 or crash due to RAM issues. It does NOT give a huge performance boost, but more stability and allows for higher graphics settings in game.

The full guide behind the cut. Let me know if you also would like it as PDF.

Happy simming!

Disclaimer and Credits

Desiree and I are no tech experts and just wrote down how we did this. Our ability to help if you run into trouble is limited. So use at your own risk and back up your files!

We both are on Windows 10 and start the game via TS3W.exe, not the EA App. So your experience may differ.

This guide is based on our own experiments and of course criisolate’s post on tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/criisolate/749374223346286592/ill-explain-what-i-did-below-before-making-any

This guide is brought to you by Desiree-UK and Norn.

Compatibility

Note: This will conflict with other programs that “inject” functionality into your game so they may stop working. Notably

Reshade

GShade

Nvidia Experience/Nvidia Inspector/Nvidia Shaders

RivaTuner Statistics Server

It does work seamlessly with LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch.

LazyDuchess’ Launcher: unknown

Alder Lake patch: does conflict. One user got it working by starting the game by launching TS3.exe (also with admin rights) instead of TS3W.exe. This seemed to create the cache file for DXVK. After that, the game could be started from TS3W.exe again. That might not work for everyone though.

A word on FPS and V-Sync

With such an old game it’s crucial to cap framerate (FPS). This is done in the DXVK.conf file. Same with V-Sync.

You need

a text editor (easiest to use is Windows Notepad)

to download DXVK, version 2.3.1 from here: here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/releases/tag/v2.3.1 Extract the archive, you are going to need the file d3d9.dll from the x32 folder

the configuration file DXVK.conf from here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/blob/master/DXVK.conf. Optional: download the edited version with the required changes here.

administrator rights on your PC

to know your game’s installation path (bin folder) and where to find the user folder

a tiny bit of patience :)

First Step: Backup

Backup your original Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path! The DXVK file may overwrite some files! The path should be something like this (for retail): \Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin (This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located.)

Backup your options.ini in your game’s user folder! Making the game use the DXVK file will count as a change in GPU driver, so the options.ini will reset once you start your game after installation. The path should be something like this: \Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 (This is the folder where your Mods folder is located).

Preparations

Make sure you run the game as administrator. You can check that by right-clicking on the icon that starts your game. Go to Properties > Advanced and check the box “Run as administrator”. Note: This will result in a prompt each time you start your game, if you want to allow this application to make modifications to your system. Click “Yes” and the game will load.

2. Make sure you have the DEP settings from Windows applied to your game.

Open the Windows Control Panel.

Click System and Security > System > Advanced System Settings.

On the Advanced tab, next to the Performance heading, click Settings.

Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.

Select 'Turn on DEP for all programs and services except these”:

Click the Add button, a window to the file explorer opens. Navigate to your Sims 3 installation folder (the bin folder once again) and add TS3W.exe and TS3.exe.

Click OK. Then you can close all those dialog windows again.

Setting up the DXVK.conf file

Open the file with a text editor and delete everything in it. Then add these values:

d3d9.textureMemory = 1

d3d9.presentInterval = 1

d3d9.maxFrameRate = 60

d3d9.presentInterval enables V-Sync,d3d9.maxFrameRate sets the FrameRate. You can edit those values, but never change the first line (d3d9.textureMemory)!

The original DXVK.conf contains many more options in case you would like to add more settings.

A. no Reshade/GShade

Setting up DXVK

Copy the two files d3d9.dll and DXVK.conf into the Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path. This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located. If you are prompted to overwrite files, please choose yes (you DID backup your folder, right?)

And that’s basically all that is required to install.

Start your game now and let it run for a short while. Click around, open Buy mode or CAS, move the camera.

Now quit without saving. Once the game is closed fully, open your bin folder again and double check if a file “TS3W.DXVK-cache” was generated. If so – congrats! All done!

Things to note

Heads up, the game options will reset! So it will give you a “vanilla” start screen and options.

Don’t worry if the game seems to be frozen during loading. It may take a few minutes longer to load but it will load eventually.

The TS3W.DXVK-cache file is the actual cache DXVK is using. So don’t delete this! Just ignore it and leave it alone. When someone tells to clear cache files – this is not one of them!

Update Options.ini

Go to your user folder and open the options.ini file with a text editor like Notepad.

Find the line “lastdevice = “. It will have several values, separated by semicolons. Copy the last one, after the last semicolon, the digits only. Close the file.

Now go to your backup version of the Options.ini file, open it and find that line “lastdevice” again. Replace the last value with the one you just copied. Make sure to only replace those digits!

Save and close the file.

Copy this version of the file into your user folder, replacing the one that is there.

Things to note:

If your GPU driver is updated, you might have to do these steps again as it might reset your device ID again. Though it seems that the DXVK ID overrides the GPU ID, so it might not happen.

How do I know it’s working?

Open the task manager and look at RAM usage. Remember the game can only use 4 GB of RAM at maximum and starts crashing when usage goes up to somewhere between 3.2 – 3.8 GB (it’s a bit different for everybody).

So if you see values like 2.1456 for RAM usage in a large world and an ongoing save, it’s working. Generally the lower the value, the better for stability.

Also, DXVK will have generated its cache file called TS3W.DXVK-cache in the bin folder. The file size will grow with time as DXVK is adding stuff to it, e.g. from different worlds or savegames. Initially it might be something like 46 KB or 58 KB, so it’s really small.

Optional: changing MemCacheBudgetValue

MemCacheBudgetValue determines the size of the game's VRAM Cache. You can edit those values but the difference might not be noticeable in game. It also depends on your computer’s hardware how much you can allow here.

The two lines of seti MemCacheBudgetValue correspond to the high RAM level and low RAM level situations. Therefore, theoretically, the first line MemCacheBudgetValue should be set to a larger value, while the second line should be set to a value less than or equal to the first line.

The original values represent 200MB (209715200) and 160MB (167772160) respectively. They are calculated as 200x1024x1024=209175200 and 160x1024x1024=167772160.

Back up your GraphicsRules.sgr file! If you make a mistake here, your game won’t work anymore.

Go to your bin folder and open your GraphicsRules.sgr with a text editor.

Search and find two lines that set the variables for MemCacheBudgetValue.

Modify these two values to larger numbers. Make sure the value in the first line is higher or equals the value in the second line. Examples for values: 1073741824, which means 1GB 2147483648 which means 2 GB. -1 (minus 1) means no limit (but is highly experimental, use at own risk)

Save and close the file. It might prompt you to save the file to a different place and not allow you to save in the Bin folder. Just save it someplace else in this case and copy/paste it to the Bin folder afterwards. If asked to overwrite the existing file, click yes.

Now start your game and see if it makes a difference in smoothness or texture loading. Make sure to check RAM and VRAM usage to see how it works.

You might need to change the values back and forth to find the “sweet spot” for your game. Mine seems to work best with setting the first value to 2147483648 and the second to 1073741824.

Uninstallation

Delete these files from your bin folder (installation path):

d3d9.dll

DXVK.conf

TS3W.DXVK-cache

And if you have it, also TS3W_d3d9.log

if you changed the values in your GraphicsRule.sgr file, too, don’t forget to change them back or to replace the file with your backed up version.

OR

delete the bin folder and add it from your backup again.

B. with Reshade/GShade

Follow the steps from part A. no Reshade/Gshade to set up DXVK.

If you are already using Reshade (RS) or GShade (GS), you will be prompted to overwrite files, so choose YES. RS and GS may stop working, so you will need to reinstall them.

Whatever version you are using, the interface shows similar options of which API you can choose from (these screenshots are from the latest versions of RS and GS).

Please note: 

Each time you install and uninstall DXVK, switching the game between Vulkan and d3d9, is essentially changing the graphics card ID again, which results in the settings in your options.ini file being repeatedly reset.

ReShade interface

Choose – Vulcan

Click next and choose your preferred shaders.

Hopefully this install method works and it won't install its own d3d9.dll file.

If it doesn't work, then choose DirectX9 in RS, but you must make sure to replace the d3d9.dll file with DXVK's d3d9.dll (the one from its 32bit folder, checking its size is 3.86mb.)

GShade interface

Choose –           

Executable Architecture: 32bit

Graphics API: DXVK

Hooking: Normal Mode

GShade is very problematic, it won't work straight out of the box and the overlay doesn't show up, which defeats the purpose of using it if you can't add or edit the shaders you want to use.

Check the game's bin folder, making sure the d3d9.dll is still there and its size is 3.86mb - that is DXVK's dll file.

If installing using the DXVK method doesn't work, you can choose the DirectX method, but there is no guarantee it works either.

The game will not run with these files in the folder:

d3d10core.dll

d3d11.dll

dxgi.dll

If you delete them, the game will start but you can't access GShade! It might be better to use ReShade.

Some Vulcan and DirectX information, if you’re interested:

Vulcan is for rather high end graphic cards but is backward compatible with some older cards. Try this method with ReShade or GShade first.

DirectX is more stable and works best with older cards and systems. Try this method if Vulcan doesn't work with ReShade/GShade in your game – remember to replace the d3d9.dll with DXVK's d3d9.dll.

For more information on the difference between Vulcan and DirectX, see this article:

https://www.howtogeek.com/884042/vulkan-vs-DirectX-12/