Why Zip files & How Do I open them?

Where do I extract the downloads to?

I downloaded and saved a file to the correct folder but the object isn't showing in my game-what's going on?

I downloaded a skin and SimsFile Cop removed the bmp -what's going on?

I downloaded a skin and it's not appearing in the game-what's going on?

The walls and floors I downloaded keep disappearing..why?

How do I create a pond or lake to use your water objects?

I want to create objects, skins , walls or floors for my game..what do I need?

How can I become a part of the Simsylvania team?

I have a site, can I upload your files ?

Q~Why Zip files & How Do I open them?~

A~ Zip files are Common place among Sim Sites due to the large sizes of various downloads. Zipping/compressing these files makes for cleaner/quicker downloads.
You must have a Zip Program installed on your computer, if you intend to download from our site. A recommended zip Program is WinZip

*For those of you new to using WinZip, Simplus has a great tutorial on using this program and can be found in their help section.*

Q~ Where do I extract the downloads to??

A~ You need to extract various downloads as follows:

Walls- Unzip to C:/ Program files/Maxis/ The Sims/Game Data/Walls

Floors- Unzip to C:/ Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/Game Data/Floors

Roofs- Unzip to C:/ Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/Game Data/Roofs

Objects- Unzip to C:/ Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/Downloads

Skins/Heads - Unzip to C:/ Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/Game Data/Skins
* To prevent problems be sure to insert all .skn. .cmx. and bmp. files*

Houses- Unzip to C:/ Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/Userdata/Houses
*If you already have a house on the lot it will ask you if you want to overwrite it..this is up to you. But be careful or you could easily overwrite the houses you have already created. Be sure to back up your house files to avoid this from happening. If you have Living Large you have 5 choices of neighborhoods...so if you aren't sure if you have a house already on a lot on it might be a good idea to save it to a different neighborhood. by instead Choosing UserData1/houses or UserData2/Houses (and so on).*

Q~I downloaded and saved a file to the correct folder but the object isn't showing in my game-what's going on??~

A~There could be several reasons for this.
First thing first..it's in good interest to your game to download an object viewer such as Transmogrifier and Elisim to check to see if it shows up in the viewer. This is a good habit to cultivate after download sessions. It's also a good idea to download Sims File Cop located at Maxis to check for corrupt files as well.

The object was completely corrupt or unusable.

There could be an object id conflict.this can happen when you have downloaded from a number of places, especially new sites that haven't yet retained a magic cookie number, or from places that are using an older version of the Transmogrifier to create their objects.

Have you accidentally overlooked it. Sometimes objects appear in different categories in the game than you might expect. Especially build mode objects, as some creators have started to change build mode objects to buy mode to avoid the Build mode Object limit that some users have surpassed. If you have downloaded to many build mode objects they may start to disappear.

Did you download an object that has to have an expansion pack to work and you don't have it??

* Simsylvania staff use the newest Version of Transmogrifier and each have their own unique magic cookie .All objects are extensively tested before uploading*

Q~ I downloaded a skin and SimsFile Cop removed the bmp -what's going on??~

A~ The bmp. was not saved in 256 mode. To work in the game all skins must be saved in this format. If you have a paint program, you can make the changes yourself . However it is in your best interest to contact the site/ creator of the skin to inform them of this problem and have them correct it.

Q~ I downloaded a skin and it's not appearing in the game-what's going on??

A~ Did you install all the files that came with the skin?? It is important that you have the correct corresponding cmx. and skn. files. You can check this by going into your skins folder and checking or run EliSims. If you don't have them you will need to download them again.

Q~ The walls and floors I downloaded keep disappearing..why??

A~ Do you have Livin' Large or House Party?? If you don't then the limit for custom walls is 90. The limit for custom floors is 63.Once you have passes that limit you will see the custom walls you downloaded be replaced by Maxis walls and floors.

Q~How do I create a pond or lake to use your water objects??

A~ This is done with a Cheat Code and is safe to use. First you must place the object you want down first.Now go into Build mode and pick the hand tool. Hold down Ctrl C and then type in water_tool. Use the hand to now "draw" water on the ground. If you are unhappy with the way it turned out simply Hold down Ctrl C and use the left mouse button to recreate land. To deactivate the water tool simply choose another tool. Do keep in mind that water blocks Sims from passage way.

Q~ I want to create objects, skins , walls or floors for my game..what do I need???
A~ First off you need a paint program such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. If you have that then you need to download various Sim Programs that aid in creating.

Simshow -This lets you preview the new head/body that you created in your paint program on various meshes you have installed in your SimShow folder. You MUST put the meshes in the program to use them. If you like the way your new skin came out the Program will export it into the game for you and you can now find it in the create a sim screen or in any of the dressers. *again remember you must have the correct cmx. and skn. files in your skin folder or they won't work..Simshow does not export those with the bmp*

Transmogrifier by Don Hopkins-This tool lets you clone objects that already exist in the game to create your own objects. This comes with a tutorial to get you started. You also edit the prices and descriptions.

Homecrafter-This tool allows you to preview floor and wall patterns to see how they will look in the game after you have created them. If you like the way your new wall or floor came out the Program will convert to a wll. file then export it into the game for you. They will now be available in the build mode.

Q~ How can I become a part of the Simsylvania team??

A~ You can either email us or you can visit our forum and leave a message to us in ~Web Weaving~                                                        

*Please do send some of your sample work!*

Q~ I have a site, can I upload your files ?????