Use S3PE to Remove Individual Items from Merged Packages by Nona Mena
This tutorial will show you how to remove individual items from a merged package. If you have never merged your custom content into one package and you want to learn, I recommend taking a look at Crinrict’s blog for combing packages: TUTORIAL: Combine Package Files to reduce Lag and the .dbc mod merging support thread here at Simlogical.
You will need:
- S3PE - Please ensure you are using the most recent version of S3PE. Test version is recommended.
- Your merged package file *
- The separate packages you want to remove from the combined file.
* Keep a back up of everything you merge!
Before beginning, make a back up of your merged package.
Click images if you would like to see them at full size.
Step 1 – Locate your merged package and the separate, unmerged package(s) which you want to remove from the merged package.
Step 2 – Open the merged package in S3PE: If you have S3PE as the default package opener, just double click it. Otherwise, right-click and choose “Edit Sims 3 Package.”
Step 3 - Drag the separate, unmerged package that you want to remove from the merged package onto the S3PE window.
Step 4 – A window will pop up. Make sure you choose “Replace duplicates.” Then click Import.
Step 5 – Another window will pop up: “Autosave current package after each package imported?” Click No. This is very important and the key to removing the file from the merged package! Click No!
Step 6 – Click the Chunkoffset button at the top of the resource list table to sort by Chunkoffset.
Step 7 – Notice you have a number of packages with the chunkoffset 0xFFFFFFFF – This denotes that these resources have not yet been saved to the package. These are all the resoruces for the package you’ve newly imported into the merged package.
You can compare the number of resources with Chunkoffset 0xFFFFFFFF with the number of resources in the original package if you want to verify all resources are being removed.
Step 8 – Select all resources with Chunkoffset 0xFFFFFF and then hit your DEL button.
Step 9 – Save the package. You have now removed an item from a merged package, nice work!
HELP: I don't have the original package and I don't know where to find it!
You can still use this method if you don’t have the original package(s) for the content you want to remove. However, it will require a few extra steps. You will need to use s3oc to clone the item you want to remove from your merged package. Before doing this, make a back up of your merged package, just in case something goes wrong.
- If you don't already have s3oc, download the tool and install it.
- Open s3oc.
- Click File > Open Package (Ctrl+O)
- Find your merged package file and open it
- Find the object to remove from the package
- Now, click the "Clone or Fix" button
- Make sure the "Create clone package" button is ticked.
- Do tick "Include thumbnails"
- DO NOT TICK "Renumber/rename internally"
- When you're done click, "start."
You will be prompted to save your package somewhere. When s3oc tells you your package is ready, find the new package and use the steps in the tutorial to remove the cloned package from the merged package.
Keep this in mind:
That's very clever and quite simple, but be warned this may cause issues if there are shared or identical resources in the merged files, which some custom content creators will do. If unsure, it will be safer to re-merge.
Remember: Make a back up before you begin, just in case!
Questions
Can I do this for multiple pieces of custom content at once?
Yes, just drag (import) multiple .package files into S3PE (remember to replace duplicates and don't autosave). Also, you may need to limit the number of packages you remove so your computer doesn't run out of memory while processing.
Do I have to drag and drop to import the package?
No, you can do it the old fashioned way, and right-click in S3PE to find the Import option. But isn’t dragging and dropping so much more fun?
More questions? Feel free to ask.
Additional Credits:
I did not come up with this method of unmerging a file from a merged package. I can’t remember where I saw it, or who did it, as I actually just sort of stumbled upon it while searching for something entirely unrelated to merging and unmerging package files. I do not take credit for coming up with the method, although I did write this tutorial and make all the screenshots on my own. Either way, it’s always good to have more tutorials floating around.
This tutorial was originally posted at my blog.
