I spend the last couple of days redoing my whole entire mod folder and documenting each and every single one i downloaded. Everything works and is compatible. It also gets updated every time i add another mod๐ค
By clicking the link you will open up a Google Document where i listed every mod. By clicking the purple underlined name you can access the link to each mod.:pinkheart:
To install a mod you simply open up your downloads folder and you will see either a .package file or a .zip / .rar folder.
.package:
simply drag the file to your *Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages* Folder and put it in there. DONE!
.zip / .rar folder:
If it is a .zip folder you can simply dopple click it and it will open up the folder where you can grab the files and put it in your Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages Folder
If you have a .rar folder you will need a program like WinRar to open up that folder. Once you have it installed you can open up the Folder and also up the files in your Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages folder!
Hi guys! I made a post on Reddit comparing some of the most popular lighting mods for The Sims 3, and I thought Iโd share it here on Tumblr for my first post.
I mainly did this for myself to see how each mod affects the Sims and the environment.
Itโs not 100% accurate, since the position of your Sims can have a big effect on the lighting and many of these mods have unique colours/weather transitions over the course of each day.
All of my testing was done during Summer! Unfortunately, I was only able to add the EA lighting into my second comparison, which was strictly on Sims only.
The lighting mods I used to do my comparisons are linked below:
Uranesia by @nilxis
St. Claires by @brntwaffles
Pudding's Lighting by @pudding-parade
Perfect Day by @brntwaffles
Monte Vista by @dystopianam
Fresh Cut Day by @brntwaffles
Clear & Bright by @potato-ballad-sims
Blue Skies & Sunshine by @brntwaffles
Beta V1 by @boringbones
Hopefully this helps anyone trying to decide which lighting mod to use in their game. Also, a big thank you to these amazing creators who keep this game looking awesome! Have a great day. :-)
This warm and inviting mid-century home blends natural stone, rich wood tones, and bold orange accents to create the perfect retro-inspired retreat. Surrounded by lush greenery, the house features an open floor plan with large windows, cozy fireplaces, and spacious living areas designed for both entertaining and relaxing. The interior combines vintage charm with modern comfort, using earthy textures, warm lighting, and iconic mid-century furniture throughout. With its stylish kitchen, airy dining space, and peaceful atmosphere, this home feels like a luxurious escape inspired by classic Palm Springs design.
Everyday, Formalwear, Sleepwear, Not Valid for Random
11 Presets + 1 Recolorable (2 Channels)
All Morphs
TS4 Original by Babyetears
I might convert one or two other dresses from the same set in the next days, but I'm not sure yet. I'm happy to get suggestions on what I should convert next! :3
Download: SFS
Texture looks a bit odd in cas, but is fine in live mode
And also a preview of the fat and pregnant morphs!
There's some clipping when your sim puts their hands on their belly in the pregnant state, but I will look into fixing that with my next af conversions
bold, magnetic, and a little chaotic. cecelia thrives on attention and knows exactly how to hold it, slipping between charm and mischief without missing a beat. she doesnโt chase things, she lets them come to her.
cecelia vanderbilt
traits: ambitious, flirty, irresistible, kleptomaniac, social butterfly
lifetime wish: heartbreaker
favourites: vegetarian grilled salmon / pop / pink
loud in the best way, emotional in all the right ones. rainey lives through music, sunlight, and whatever sheโs feeling in the moment, never holding herself back from anything that feels real.
rainey drew
traits: ambitious, childish, loves the outdoors, over-emotional, virtuoso
Hey friends! I just wanted to share a little Sulani Islands teaser! Here are some screenshots of my progress!
I still have a long way to go! My last CAW (create a world) project took a few years to complete so I am imagining this one will go that way too. I can't believe that I started this project last fall and I've already come such a long way! It's looking so good so far! I am very excited to finish this project!
delicate but a little bold, this tattoo set blends soft florals with fine-lined wings for that dreamy, slightly ethereal vibe. made to feel light on the skin but still eye-catching, whether itโs a subtle detail or the main moment.
With DXVK and S3SS living their high days, older Sims 3 installment guides are rapidly starting to become outdated. So here's a brand new and up-to-date step-by-step guide to go through when you do a fresh install of your game that will help you get the best performance you could possibly imagine for this old and laggy gem of a game.
Have Sims 3 installed, but is it performing abhorrently? I highly recommend a fresh install. You don't have to delete your saves or mods. Just get yourself a fresh bin to work with by uninstalling, going into your program files The Sims 3 folder and deleting any remnant files still in there. Then follow my guide!
All of the steps to follow are below the line ->
Step 1: install your game through your respected platform.
Just follow the regular steps and install the game without adding any other stuff yet whatsoever.
(I personally have a legit copy of the Sims 3 on Steam. If you use another app and have any questions, I'll probably not be able to help you.)
Step 2: run the game once through the official launcher. Once you get to the main menu, you can quit again.
It is very important you run your game through the original launcher at least once after installing it. Not doing so can cause problems with programs like CC magic. You only need to do it the first time. After that, we'll be skipping the launcher entirely.
Step 3: Create a short cut of TS3W.exe on your desktop.
You'll be skipping the launcher from now on. This helps with performance and it starts up your game much faster. It is also important to do this because of DXVK.
You can find TS3W.exe in your bin folder. For me (Steam version) it's in this location:
Right click TS3W.exe, click 'show more options' and choose 'create a shortcut'. Place this shortcut on your desktop and Run Sims 3 from there from now on.
Step 4: Run the GPU Add-on Support patcher
You can find this patcher here. It is essential to run this because Sims will otherwise not recognize your graphics card unless it's over 10 years old. This patcher helps to get your GPU recognized.
The patcher will create a new Graphicsrules.sgr and new Graphicscards.sgr for you in your bin folder. After installing this, you can move the ones that have _old behind them somewhere else (or delete them).
Step 5: Install DXVK
Make sure you follow this guide by Nornities and do every single step. Don't skip anything!
I'd say DXVK is pretty essential nowadays, especially if you have a modern graphics card with 6GB of VRAM or higher. It'll greatly help to keep your game stable and can prevent a lot of crashes. The way Dxvk works, is that it loads textures through your VRAM instead of your RAM. Especially when you use a lot of CC or HD textures, this will make a huge difference for your RAM usage. Sims 3 can only use 4GB of RAM at once and will start crashing once you hit the 3GB mark in your task manager. With DXVK, you will use a lot less RAM and it'll take much longer for your game to reach this hard cap.
When not to install DXVK: if you have a shitty GPU (like an integrated graphics card on a laptop, or one with 4GB of VRAM or less).
Step 5: Start up the game
Use your new desktop shortcut that also has 'run as administrator' permissions now if you followed the DXVK guide properly.
Step 6: set up all your settings through the ingame options menu
The best graphics settings for you will highly depend on what computer you're using. But there are some things you should always turn off because they negatively affect performance. I will share my (relevant) settings with you (I use a custom UI so your screen style will look a little different from mine). Click on the images to enlarge them so you can read them:
Things of note about these settings:
I recommend you play in windowed mode, especially if you plan to use ReShade. Playing fullscreen is possible, but it does make Reshade presets behave differently in your game. I will include a step in this guide that you can follow to play windowed borderless. So, when you plan to do this: make sure you set the resolution to your display resolution.
Enable object hiding helps with performance. Advanced rendering is essential because otherwise your game looks like absolute shit.
Set your High Detail Lots to any value between 2 and 4. Don't go lower or higher, because you'll get rendering issues that lag out your game.
All other graphics settings can be set to your heart's desire. I'd say start with the highest settings and only go down if you notice your frames per second are bad.
Disable shop mode and lessons and fully disable memories or use this mod to severly limit them. Disable interactive loading screens as well. These are all performance eaters. Interactive loading screen also causes crashes. Memories also don't do anything for your sim, it's just a scrap book with no in-game effects.
Disable any online mode feature. This also lags out your game. Unless you really want to use these features it's best to just play fully offline.
Save your settings, close the game again.
Step 7: Install Sims 3 Settings Setter
This is the most recent magic genie that Sims 3 was blessed with. Especially combined with DXVK it is a life changer. Installing it is simple. You download the most recent version here and drop the .asi file in your bin. Also grab 'wininet.dll' from here (the 32 bit one) and drop that one in your bin too.
Start up your game and load up a save. Once you're inside your save, you press 'insert' to open up the menu for Sims 3 Settings Setter. Go to the 'patches' tab and enable what you like. These are my enabled patches and they all work really well for me, but feel free to experiment with them to find your own performance sweet spot:
Only enable uncompressed textures if you have a GPU with at least 8gb of VRAM. My game will use over 6gb of VRAM easily with this enabled, so you've been warned.
Once you have everything you desire enabled, press 'file' in the top left corner and click 'save settings'.
Step 7.5: if you're playing windowed mode: go into the Other/QoL tab and enable 'Borderless Window'. Set it to 'Full Screen'.
Save your settings and close your game again. No need to save the game you entered for this unless you want to.
Step 8: Install Nraas Errortrap, MasterController and Overwatch
These 3 mods by Nraas are pretty much essential to keep your game from breaking down in the long run. You can download the mods here. Have you never installed a mod for Sims 3 before? Here's a guide (skip the part about Sims3pack and go straight to the part where it explains how to install .package mods).
That's it! You can now play The Sims 3 and it'll be as smooth and stable as it'll ever be. From here on, you can stock your game with more mods and CC (check out my mods masterlist!), or you can install Reshade (here's a guide).
Some important things to keep in mind while playing:
Clean up your game regularly. You can easily do this by using Regul Save Cleaner.
When you install a new mod or update/change Sims 3 Settings Setter, always restart and clear your caches.
Use CC Magic for installing CC, because it merges your files and this really helps with performance. Here's a handy guide on how to use it. Don't put your script mods in here, just your CC.
If you plan to travel to vacation destinations in the EP World Adventures, Nraas Traveler is a must to prevent most of the bugs and crashes that happen in this expansion.
Always keep in mind: mods and corrupt CC can still break your game, make it laggy or unplayable. Always be mindful of the mods you add, so you can always trace any issues you're having back to the mod causing it. I highly recommend not downloading a ton of mods in one session, but adding them step by step and see what they do to your games performance.
Use 'Reset the entire town' from Nraas MasterController at least every other sim week. It'll help clear up any lag that happens because of NPC sims getting themselves stuck routing or annoying stuff like that.
Got a slow CAS? Use Nraas MasterController Compact mode! (Make sure you have the Nraas MasterController Integration module installed).
Navigate to NRaas > MasterController > Settings > CAS.
