How Do You Change the Description & Price of Objects in SimPE?

[BlueSoup]

I'm so bloody tired of creators making their objects based on some insanely expensive vase and then not changing either the desciption or price of said vase-turned-pillow!

So, I know there is a way to change this in SimPE, but as a SimPE novice, I don't have the faintest idea how.    I've been bugging Baddmark for a tutorial, but so far, no dice.  Anyone out there who could help me out would be much lubbed. 

[Hegelian]

I'm not certain about the description, but to change the price, once you have opened the object in SimPE, you open the Object Data file and choose the RAW Data tab. From the three radio buttons toward the right end of the frame, choose "decimal," and then in the data table scroll down (or up) to the second section from the top, "Catalog Money." Set the Price to the value you want (I think the Sale Price is what you get if you sell the item). Then click the Commit link on the right side of the frame, and be sure to save the file from the toolbar or File menu.

That's it! Of course, you can only change the price of a game object, not a recolor. But you knew that.

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[BlueSoup]

Ok thanks for the help, Hegalian. 

I just changed the price of a set of pillows from §4000 to §100.

[Hegelian]

You're welcome. I share your frustration:  I had a §5000 towel warmer, and an §800 toilet-paper holder. 

[nectere]

heh, I used to have that toilet paper holder, I even told the person and they never changed it. I downloaded windkeepers instead, then I found the most awesome functional toilet paper holder - of course I didnt like the texture - but hey thats what Simpe is for!

[BlueSoup]

Thanks be to nectere as well, since she helped walk me through it in SimPE. 

[Hegelian]

heh, I used to have that toilet paper holder, I even told the person and they never changed it. I downloaded windkeepers instead, then I found the most awesome functional toilet paper holder - of course I didnt like the texture - but hey thats what Simpe is for!

I also have all three, but so far I've only used the cheap stuff—just like RL!

Thanks be to nectere as well, since she helped walk me through it in SimPE. 

It can be a little intimidating at first, since you can really mess up your game—or at least your object—if you're not careful. SimPE can do way more than I know how to do, but a lot of things are really easy once you know how (and what to leave alone); in some ways it's just a matter of getting comfortable with it (and working on copies of files in case you make a mistake).

[Torkle]

For the descriptions:
1. Open the object's package file in SimPE.
2. Find the Catalog Description resource in the resource tree (upper left) and select it.
3. The first line in the Text String Editor (below) will have the object's name (which you can change).
4. The second line will have the object's catalog description (which you can change).
5. After making your changes, hit the Commit File button (on the far right).
6. Then save the package (From the menu: File/Save).

[BlueSoup]

It can be a little intimidating at first, since you can really mess up your game—or at least your object—if you're not careful. SimPE can do way more than I know how to do, but a lot of things are really easy once you know how (and what to leave alone); in some ways it's just a matter of getting comfortable with it (and working on copies of files in case you make a mistake).

Actually, I never make back-ups...if I mess up something I'm not comfortable with, I just start over.  A little foolish perhaps, but I sorta like starting over.  So far the only things I've played around with in SimPE is this, and editing Sims (relationships and wants mostly).

[Hegelian]

Actually, I never make back-ups...

Lol—I don't either. OTOH, I have all the original downloads stashed in an archive folder (in fact, last week I spent a couple days creating a brand-new Downloads folder, reorganized and sub-foldered, using "clean" installs of all my CC from their original Zips and RARs). And I have a PG-rated game set up on the Guest account on my desktop, and another (original only) on the laptop, so in reality I have several backup copies of everything, although it can take some time to find a file.

[BlueSoup]

Lol—I don't either. OTOH, I have all the original downloads stashed in an archive folder (in fact, last week I spent a couple days creating a brand-new Downloads folder, reorganized and sub-foldered, using "clean" installs of all my CC from their original Zips and RARs).

I did the exact same thing!  I have a separate folder for all of the original zip files, and everything in my Downloads folder is subcategorized into type of file, then creator.

[nectere]

I burn everything I download to a disc(s) for future reference, by creator so I can follow the updates etc

[Ancient Sim]

then I found the most awesome functional toilet paper holder

Functional as in they wipe their dirty bottoms?  If so, where can I get it?

[nectere]

LMAO!

uh no, as in they get the hell off the pot when they are done

[windy_moon]

Oh my.  This looks most awesome.  I could "make" my own Fortune Sims art collection to satisfy those high $ wants.

('kay, I can't actually make a blessed thing, but I do think I can handle typing a few numbers in and pressing save.  I have plenty of downloaded art objects that I could reprice to "make" my own collection. )

Appreciation/depreciation?  If I want a product to appreciate modestly, advice?

Woo hoo, my Fortune Sims will be discerning Art Collectors and not just run around sucking resources on a whim.

[Hegelian]

'kay, I can't actually make a blessed thing, but I do think I can handle typing a few numbers in and pressing save.  I have plenty of downloaded art objects that I could reprice to "make" my own collection.

There may be a way to change the price of Maxis objects, but I don't know what it is. You can change the price of downloaded objects, but not of recolors of Maxis objects. To get 'round this you would clone the Maxis object and change the price of the cloned object, and then recolor it. (Hmm . . . I wonder if this is why I had a copy of the Lady in Red object in my Downloads folder?).

It isn't difficult to recolor a painting using the Photo Studio function in SimPE; you just need to do some very basic resizing and cut-and-paste in Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro (or other image-editing app). The biggest problem I've encountered is that most paintings and posters are neither square or nor in the ratio of 1:2 (usually they are 2:3 or 3:4) so getting the image onto a game object without a lot of distortion can be a challenge. Sometimes you can do it with cropping, and sometimes with the addition of borders.

I made a few modern-art type recolors that I like. I'll stick them on a wall and add a pic to this post.   

UPDATE: Okay, in Pic 1 we have in the top row:  Braque, Robert Motherwell, Andreas Feininger, and Motherwell again.
In the bottom row we have Picasso, A. Feininger in a different size, and Joseph Stella.

Pic 2:  Top row is another Motherwell Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 57 (different size). Bottom row is A. Feininger (yet another size), Jasper Johns, Lyonel Feininger, and Braque in a different size.

UPDATE No. 2:  Now available for download at http://laverwinklesims.com/index.php?topic=409.0 !!   

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[windy_moon]

Wow, I want to be you.  You may say it's not hard, but the end result looks pretty impressive.

You're inspiring me.  I'm not incapable of using computer programs, even if I'm not a talented artist. I'll have time to play around this weekend.

I'd love to have some expensive "rare" classic rock albums for my Fortune Sims to collect.   How hard could it be?   

The BFBVS could be my head, trying to learn new things.

[BlueSoup]

I adore those paintings, and I am definitely going to give this a try later.  My Sims can never have too much culture in their lives. 

[Hegelian]

Windy Moon:  All I did was use Photoshop to make the images the right size, and the SimPE Photo Studio to create the recolor package files. The art I found on the Web by browsing poster-dealer and gallery Web sites. The tutorial for Photo Studio is pretty straight-forward and the interface is pretty easy also. At its most basic, it just involves pasting your new art over the existing image—the Lady on Red, for example. You can also mess with some of the frames since they are often part of the image on the game object (although sometimes it's a separate image), but it isn't necessary. I changed the silver frame to black on some of the Lady on Red recolors simply by selecting those parts of the image with the marquee tool (the tool that draws a box with a dashed border on the image) and then filling the box with black set to a transparency of about 60-70% so that the texture of the frame would remain visible. The more transparent, the more the frame looks gray; less transparent means it looks more black.

As for wanting to be me:  well, I think you probably don't. For one thing, I grew up in south Jersey myself so you wouldn't be gaining anything there. And I'm older than you.   


Anyway, you can get a zip file with all the art recolors shown in the pics I posted above [since deleted] at:
http://laverwinklesims.com/index.php?topic=409.0

 

[eaglezero]

I now have my own highly unimpressive Web site where you can download my modern art recolors AND my group portrait wallpaper. Hey, maybe I should add a PayPal link for donations! 

Last night, I actually saw a site that had barely more content than yours and half of it was pay content. I was so confused by that I didn't even download the free stuff. (Really now, you can't put up five skins and some recolors of Maxis hairs and expect me to PAY for it!)

Also, thanks for putting your paintings up. I always need more good paintings for my sims!

[BlueSoup]

Yay!  Hegalian, thanks so much.  I was wondering how I was going to wrangle my way into getting my hands on the New York painting...

[Hegelian]

You all are quite welcome.

In addition to the Andreas Feininger photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge and NYC skyline, the Joseph Stella painting (the one that looks like a stained-glass window) is also the Brooklyn Bridge.

http://www.gallerym.com/artist.cfm?ID=23
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Brooklyn-Bridge-Posters_i290838_.htm

Allposters.com is a good place to get jpegs for making your own art recolors. Another good source is museum and gallery online stores, like the one at the MoMA (http://momastore.org). The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a lot of stuff on its store Website, http://store.philamuseumstore.org/posters1.html. The Philly has two major collections of modern art, its Duchamp collection (including Nude Descending No. 2 and The Bride Stripped Bare), and the Arensberg Collection.

In all cases, just be sure to get the largest jpeg available at the site.

[Hegelian]

More Fun with Art

It occurs to me that I also made recolors of the default replacements for Sim paintings made by saramkirk at MTS2. These replace the paintings the sims paint in the game.

Edit for correction:  these are recolors of saramkirk's templates; there is no hack involved. You can find the templates and instructions on how to use them to make your own replacement art at: http://www5.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=82329. Thanks Sara!

It's been a few months since I made these, and since none of my sims are very accomplished painters, I've only seen a few in my game. I can tell you that the artists include Rothko, Mondrian, Picasso, Braque, Magritte, Cezanne, and Gris; there is also Milton Glaser's Dylan poster, and The Endless Summer. Twelve paintings in all.

You can get them at Laverwinklesims, http://laverwinklesims.com/index.php?topic=410.0   

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[BlueSoup]

These are really great, Hegelian.  I definitely will download these tonight.

Also, did you know there's a Sim-site devoted almost entirely to paintings?  It's www.casa-darte.de, and it's one of my favourite sites out there.

[veilchen]

Consider yourself to be on the receiving end of a great big hug. I didn't even know you could replace those awful paintings in the game. I got everything, your wall-paper (I got both sizes, because I'm not too sure which one I need :D), your recolors that are very nice, and the replacements. Now let's see if I can do what Saramkirk tells me to do in SimPe.

Thank you so very much for putting those up. I think I'll put Hegelian-sim into the art career now, he more than deserves it :D.

Blue, I knew there was a reason I voted 'yea' :D

Edited: because I need to say "yay, in German too, how the heck did I miss that?"