Tutorial: Getting Started with CC Magic
Scope of this Tutorial:
This tutorial will teach you how to set up CC Magic for the first time. I will not focus in-depth on downloading and installing CC Magic . It’s up to you to know how to do that (or ask in the comments, or on my simblr).
Intended Audience:
If you’ve never set up CC Magic before, and you’re nervous about using it for the first time, this tutorial should be a great help. This tutorial should also be of interest to people who have tried to use CC Magic in the past, but were frustrated with process, or for people (like me) who panicked when they used CC Magic for the first time. If you’re not sure about using CC Magic, check out my recommendation: Recommendation: CCMagic (it’s true, I’m a Late Adopter).
I highly recommend CC Magic to anyone who has a significant amount of CC in their game. It will make organizing your CC a breeze, and will significantly reduce the amount of time you spend organizing it yourself.
To complete this Tutorial, you will need:
- CC Magic Installer, available atModTheSims
- Download CCMagic_2920_Setup.zip to use the installer program.
- Don’t forget, you may need to install the pre-requisite software, if you don’t have it already.
- the .NET Framework V4.0
- the Visual C++ runtime for 32 bit (required for both 32 and 64 bit!)
- the Visual C++ runtime for 64 bit
- Some Custom Content that you would like in your game. This can be in either sims3pack or package format.
Before You Begin:
- Create a Copy of your Entire “The Sims 3” Folder in Documents\ElectronicArts\. If you have a lot of stuff, this may take a long time. However, backing up your entire “The Sims 3” folder will ensure that you can very easily return to pre-CC Magic installation should something go wrong.
- You can put this copy on your desktop temporarily, to make the process a bit easier.
- Another easy way to make a backup of the entire Sims 3 folder is to select the folder, right-click and use Send to… Compressed (zipped) folder.
- If you would rather not back up your entire The Sims 3 Folder, simply make a back up of your Mods folder.
- Although it is not necessary, if you want to be very safe, you can also back up your Downloads folder (in addition to the Mods folder).
- Backing up the entire Sims 3 folder is overkill, but it is the ultimate peace of mind for people who are unsure about CC Magic.
- Once you have backed up your The Sims 3 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts, go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 and select the Downloads folder. Right-click the folder and select Cut (or use ctrl+x).
- Go to your Desktop and right click where you want to paste your Downloads folder and choose “Paste.”
Part One – Installing CC Magic
Now that you have backed up your content and prepared for CC Magic, you can install the program. To do this, find the CCMagic_2920_Setup.zip you downloaded from ModTheSims and double-click on it to open it. Run the executable inside to install the program.
Part Two – Setting Up CC Magic
Before you start CC Magic for the first time make sure you complete the steps in Before You Begin. If you haven’t completed them already, go do them now, seriously. Those steps are not required to make sure you don’t mess up your game, but you will have peace of mind for doing it. And who knows, you may thank me later for making you back up your stuff.
Step 1 – Launch CC Magic. If you let it create a shortcut, it should be on your desktop. Otherwise, you may need to launch CC Magic from the Start Menu.
Step 2 – Your CC Magic will look like this:
If you select the Legacy folder, you’ll notice that everything in your Mods folder is listed there. If you use an Overrides folder, CC Magic won’t see that at all, but it will notice you have a higher priority for your Overrides folder. To check that CC Magic will load your Overrides properly, click on the Options tab. You should see a text box labeled “Additional Resource.cfg entries” and it will have the information for the Overrides folder in it. If it’s empty, you can add it yourself:
Priority 1000 PackedFile "Overrides/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*/*.package"
Organizing what’s in your Mods folder
Now that you’ve seen that your Mods folder is safe, you can decide what you want to do next. If you would like to move many of the packages from your mods folder to a place where CC Magic will process them, let’s do that now. Otherwise, you can skip this step.
1. Close down CC Magic and navigate to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3.
2. Open your Mods folder and find all the packages you want to install with CC Magic. I recommend that you add packages to CC Magic in small chunks, so you have an easier time sorting through the content in CC Magic. Move a small chunk of packages into Documents\Eletronics Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads (This is the part where having a back up of your Mods folder will give you peace of mind)
3. Start CC Magic.
4. You will notice that the packages you put in your Downloads folder are now in the Default tab. At this point, all packages in your Downloads folder have been moved to Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic\Content and CC Magic is waiting for you tell it what to do. You can either sort these packages into different sets or just leave them all in the Default set. If you always use the same packages, there’s nothing wrong with leaving everything in the default set (however, it is better to leave the default set empty, for rebuild purposes). But if you think you might want to delete, remove or just not use certain objects at certain times, you can create custom sets.
5. To create a custom Set, select the Default set and click Add. Then select the New Set and rename it in the right hand panel, where the Name field is located. *Note: If you add a set to the Legacy set and want to delete it, you will have to navigate to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages and delete the folder CC Magic created. Before you delete the folder, make sure there are no packages inside it that you want to keep.
6. To move a package into a set, go back to the Default set by clicking on Default. Then simply drag and drop your package to the new set. To drag multiple packages at once, see this tip from Grant:
It is possible to drag and drop multiple items in CC Magic. You just have to start dragging with the last click as you make your multiple selection. So for example if you have 5 items you want to move, you can click the first one, ctrl-click numbers 2 through 4 and ctrl-click-AND-HOLD number 5 and start dragging. If you hold the mouse button down on the last selection, it won’t reset to only selecting one item as you drag. (source)
7. Now you can keep adding more chunks of packages to CC Magic by moving the packages into the Downloads folder. Once you’ve sorted everything into sets, you can use the Build button. Do that now. CC Magic may take several minutes to merge all the packages, depending on your computer and how many packages you had.
8. Go to the Configurations tab, and enable the sets you wish to load when you load your game.
9. Optional: Start the game and check if you have all of your items. You should not get a message that you’re missing items (even though we didn’t process the original downloads folder). If you do, you may have somehow misplaced a package file. However, you should notice that all of your legacy files are working just fine.
Processing Your Downloads Folder
So, now that you’ve got your Mods folder done, you need to consider your downloads folder. This one is a bit tricky. If you’re like me, your downloads folder is always empty. This is not because of CC Magic, but because after installing something through the launcher, you back up your sims3pack on another hard drive and delete the one in the Downloads folder. Chances are, though, you might not be like me, and you have a downloads folder full of stuff.
If you want to keep everything you’ve installed through the launcher and don’t want to turn it into package files, simply place your downloads folder in a safe place and you’re done. You won’t need it again unless you have to re-install all of your Sims3Packs for some reason.
If you want to install all of your custom content as Package files instead of through the launcher, the solution is fairly straight forward: delete your DCCache and InstalledWorlds folder. Please keep in mind — this will remove everything you have installed through the launcher. Do not do this unless you want to uninstall EVERYTHING in one fell swoop. I am serious about this!
Part Three – Using CC Magic on a Regular Basis
Whew! You made it this far, great work! You’re almost done.
To install new CC/mods via CC Magic:
1. Put the sim3packs, package files OR compressed file (.zip, .rar. 7z) in the Downloads folder. **
2. Run CC Magic. Sort the new CC into the sets you wish (or don’t, up to you).
3. Click the Build button.
** Some creators include both sims3pack and packages of their objects in one compressed file (for example, OBP does this). In that case, you may want to unzip the file and delete the format you don’t want to use. If you don’t do this before starting CC Magic, simply delete the duplicates and then sort and re-build.
To Update Mods via CC Magic:
1. BEFORE you put the new mods in your Downloads folder, start CC Magic and delete mod version you’re currently running. You can use the Filter to help you find the mod.
2. Click Build, then close CC Magic.
3. Put the new version of the Mod in your Downloads folder and then start CC Magic again.
4. Sort the mod into the set you wish, and then click Rebuild.
Some CC functions better if you install it through the EA Launcher as sims3pack:
- Counters (corner counters are often not re-colorable when installed as sims3pack)
- Patterns made with Create-A-Pattern
- Worlds
Using Delphy’s Dashboard with CC Magic
Delphy’s Dashboard will pick up any conflicts in your Mods folder, whether the packages are create by CC Magic or put into the Packages folder yourself. In fact, I highly recommend using the Dashboard alongside CC Magic, as you will be able to identify if you have somehow managed to get duplicate items in your packages.
One Easy way to get duplicate items is to run the Build command on CC Magic when you have objects in your Default set. Later, if you move some objects to another set, you could end up with duplicates. To prevent this, you can use the “Clear Cache” button in CC Magic. This will delete all CC Magic generated packages. Then use the Rebuild button to rebuild your packages.
Sims 3 Store Objects and CC Magic
If you want to install your Sims 3 Store objects as package files, you will have to run them through s3rc before you put the sims3packs in your Download folder.
FIN
Please feel free to ask questions and share comments and critcisms.
Additional Information:
- Nella’s CC Magic Walkthrough at TFM’s Naughty Sims Asylum (you must register to read the thread)
- How to use CC Magic by Ninoo
- How to Use CC Magic by Liegt
CCMagic forums(currently defunct)
Nona's Sims 
Thank you so much for this tutorial nona! It really helps.
There are however a few things I can’t figure out.
I am like you 🙂 My dl folder is always empty after installing via launcher. On Awsome’s it’s said that you can safely delete the dlbackup folder. Is that where all the duplicates go? And by removing it, ccmagic won’t be able to reinstall deleted downloads? Or do I have to manually remove unwanted dl’s from ccmagic/contentfolder? Or should I make sets from stuff I don’t want anymore? (thought deleting them from default would do the trick..)
I always clear cache after playing.
Thanks again and sorry for the long post and 1000 questions. 🙂
Hi Plumbob. Thanks for leaving a comment and asking a question.
You can safely delete everything in the DCBackup folder except the ccmerged.package. If you delete that, your premium content items will stop working properly and you will have to restore the ccmerged.package too fix them, or download it from elsewhere (for example, MATY). See this post for more information. If you don’T have any premium content items form the Sims 3 store, you can ignore this.
CCMagic doesn’t look in your DCBackup folder, so it shouldn’t matter what you have in your DCBackup folder. The reason people get duplicates in their game, is because they don’t delete anything in their Downloads folder. When they launch CC Magic for the first time, the program finds everything in the Downloads folder and think it’s supposed to install it. It has no idea that those objects are installed already via the launcher.
If you have ended up with duplicates somehow, just delete them from anywhere. You can delete from the Default set, which is the easiest. No need to make an extra set just to delete everything in it. You don’t need to remove it from the CC Magic\Content manually, though you could do that as well.
I hope this answers your questions and let me know if you have any more.
Nona, What I really want to do is to be able to see and delete non store items. I’m having difficulty understanding how to put those files in without showing the store stuuf too? Does cc magic know what is store stuff and what is not? Is it even possible to just delete store stuff? Mainly I want to be able to see and dlete some ugly clothes and hair that came with some Sims I downloaded fro the exchange. I want to learn more later about putting stuff into folders and things later. Example: I have this fugly shirt which does not show up in my launcher to delete. Nor can I delete it in CAS and it puzzles me as to why EA included a trash can icon in CAS when it doesn’t seem to have any purpose.
I wish to Thank You and all the simmers out there who help us newbies, playing the sims without CC is hardly any fun at all, and I am learning a little everyday. Than you.
Hi, Brandon. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂 If I understand you correctly, you want to uninstall some cc that came with sims from the exchange, yes? Unfortunately, cc magic won’t be able to handle that, because cc magic does not read the DCCache, which is where everything that you installed via the launcher is stored.
On top of that, there is an extra problem with custom content that comes with sims. Sometimes it is only possible to remove that CC by completely uninstalling the sim. For some reason, the CC attached to sims does not always show in the launcher, making it difficult, if not impossible, to remove. Crinrict has some more information on sims that have this kind of CC attached to them at her blog: http://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/custard-downloads-that-are-attached-to-sims-directly.html
What I suggest doing is this: If you know which sim has the offending objects attached to them, you can try to uninstall that sim through the launcher. If you can’t find the sim in the launcher, go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saved Sims and try to find the sim that has the CC. If you don’t know what sim it is, you could temporarily remove the whole folder and start the game. If the CC does not appear, you know it’s attached to a sim in the SavedSims folder. Put the folder back in your The SIms 3 folder, but remove 50% of the sims and start the game. If the objects don’t appear, you know they can be found in the sims you removed. If they are still in game, remove another 50% of the sims in the SavedSims folder and try again, until you find the culprit.
If you aren’t attached to any of the sims in your SavedSims folder, you can just delete the whole folder and start again. This will not affect any of the sims in your game, unless your sims are wearing CC that are attached to the sims you delete. In that case, the CC will be replaced with something from the game.
While you are doing this, you might also need to clean up your DCBackup folder. You can safely delete everything in the DCBackup folder, except the ccmerged.package. If you have a ccmerged.package, don’t delete it! You will only have a ccmerged.package if you have a store premium content item that provides custom moodlets/recipes/skills.
I hope this helped. I know, it’s a lot to digest and a lot to go through. For future reference: If you don’t know it already, get CUSTARD and use that to find sims that have CC attached to them, before you install them. Crinrict has a tutorial about custard here: http://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/tutorial-delphys-custard.html
Let me know how it goes.
I have followed your instructions, spent ages sorting my content into folders and built (and enabled the sets). However, they are not showing in game. Really frustrating and I don’t know why.
Help!!!
I have all games up to Supernatural
Hi Natalie, if you are sure you have enabled the sets, I’m not sure how I can help you. I think you need to post at the CCMagic forums, because grant will know better what might cause your problem. CC Magic forums are here: http://sims3.the-prof.net/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html
Thanks for getting back to me. I have had a fiddle with it and seem to have some stuff working.
The stuff that doesn’t seem to be working is the ‘launcher’ installed stuff that was in my ‘downloads’ folder.
Do you know how I am supposed to get this working?
It seems to have placed the files within the folder ‘ccmagic’ and in ‘sims3packs’ and ‘store sims3packs’ but they don’t show in game.
There doesn’t seem to be any where to enable these files. Do you know where I am going wrong?
P.S the link that you gave me doesn’t work now!!!
Hi Natalie, I’m sorry the link didn’t work, but it should work now. I think Grant was having trouble with his site.
About your stuff that was in your downloads folder, presumably you mean objects that were already installed through the Launcher before you started using cc magic? Did you remove your DCCache folder, or any of the files in it? Everything you install via the launcher is stored in the DCCache. I’m not sure why those objects are not loading, as I would have expected for you to possibly have doubles of them.
The objects that are being sent to the “store sims3packs” cannot be processed by CC Magic. You will have to install those objects through the launcher in order to use them. If you would rather install them as package files using CC Magic, then you will need to go to MATY and download s3rc. You can use that to remove the store encryption from the sims3pack and then CC Magic will be able to process the file.
Hello,
How does one completely uninstall ccmagic? I’ve tried on win7 via programs and features and when I restart the sims3 it is back. I’ve got a corruption and need to remove and reinstall, I do not want to have to reinstall everything.
Hi Sheila, Have you uninstalled CC Magic via the Control Panel? You can find instructions for that here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Uninstall-or-change-a-program
That said, can I ask what the corruption problem is? Have you tried using the factory reset method? You can re-name your Sims 3 Folder to somehting else, and the game will make a new folder. Then you can move your old library, saved sims, etc. back into the new folder.
Hello Nona,
Thank you. I have removed ccmagic from control panel, but when I start sims3 the content is back and two minutes later my game freezes. Are there any other files I should delete?
Thanks.
Yes, you must remove the Mods folder.
Hello Nona,
Do I have to wipe the entire packages folder? When I did the uninstall I pulled out the packages folder and saved it to the desktop, not the resource configuration file just the packages folder. I then proceeded with a complete uninstall of my game including all expansion packs. I rebooted my box, it’s win7 ultimate 32 bit. I reinstalled the base game plus all expansions, when I went in to put my packages folder back in everything was regenerated from my old game as if I had never done an uninstall, my game continues to crash.
This is frustrating, and angring, I’ve got rid of viruses easier than this, I want my content back the way it was.
Do you know how I would contact ccmagic’s developer via email?
Thanks.
Sheila
Like I said, remove the Mods folder. Everything is in the mods folder. CC Magic does not install its packages in Mods\Packages but rather in Mods\Cache. Just cut & paste the mods folder to the desktop and you shouldn’t have any extra mods/CC as long as you never put them elsewhere.
However, I don’t understand why you didn’t just go with what I suggested originally. Rename your Sims 3 Folder to something like The Sims 3.old and let the game generate a new folder. You will have a completely fresh install without having to uninstall your games, plus any content in your Sims 3 folder will be safe in the old folder (your saves, saved sims etc). Then you can launch the game and make sure it runs fine. After that, re-download the Mods framework from MTS and start adding back your mods.
Another thing you need to take into account is that CC Magic stores all un-merged packages in Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic. As long as you are not running CC Magic and re-building the packages, you shouldn’t have a problem. But you can also cut the CC Magic folder to the desktop to be sure.
Finally, I think it is overboard for you to contact grant by e-mail about this. While I understand you are frustrated, you need to post at the CC Magic forums if you are having trouble. http://sims3.the-prof.net/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html
some things can’t be seen:c I follow all the steps one bye one and this happens whta can i do
Do you mean, some of your custom content isn’t in game? Did you do Step 8 in Organizing what’s in your Mods folder?
What exactly can’t be seen? CAS Parts? Objects that were sism3packs? You must be specific. Also, I highly recommend posting at grant’s forums: http://sims3.the-prof.net/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html
I’ve done step 8 some hairstyles and skins aren’t in game :c
I’ve seen my game and only the sims3packs are working
Try making a separate set for the hair styles and skins and rebuild. Also, I really do recommend grant’s forums because this blog format is not the best for trying to respond to comments.
I’m slightly confused around this duplication matter… first off I thought the default download folder also held installation, as in removing content (.package) from the folder would remove the content in-game before re enabling the content in it’s own folder. Which doesn’t seem to be the case from what’s written above. Hence creating a lot of hassle to remove through the original launcher 2-3 times (cause it doesn’t select all mods in one go for some reason) or picking out the select items in downloads, DCbackup/(cache?) or scrolling over the 5000 different files in CC magic to find and disable 2/3 of the 500 I’ve installed already since cc magic can’t tell the difference between .package and .sim3pack files and doesn’t remove the original installation either from the looks of it…
I guess I’ll find out eventually.. Anyways. End line: Would there be any faster way that doesn’t include deleting complete folders, unzipping, copy pasting and running installations all over again?
Or do I got it all wrong?
Ok, let me make sure I understand what you’re saying:
“first off I thought the default download folder also held installation, as in removing content (.package) from the folder would remove the content in-game before re enabling the content in it’s own folder.”
What you’re saying is, you thought that whatever is in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads was installed in the game? If so, then yes, you were wrong (Sorry). The Downloads folder is, for all intents and purposes, a back up folder. When you download from Sims 3 store, the sim3pack is placed there temporarily so the launcher can extract the .package inside the sims3pack and merge into the files in the DCCache. When you download a sims3pack from else, when you double click on it, the launcher put a copy in the Downloads folder, and then proceeds to extract the package from the sims3pack and merge it into the DCCache. The launcher never removes the sims3pack from the Downloads folder. Players who have never deleted anything from their downloads folder or DCBackup will essentially have 3 copies of every thing they have installed.
CC Magic DOES know the difference between sim3pack and package. If it did not, it would not be able to install the sims3pack. What it doesn’t do is read the DCCache (and it wouldn’t even be able to read anything installed from the store because those files are encrypted). But when you place sims3pack or package into the Downloads folder, CC Magic is told “I want you to install this” and it moves the sims3pack/package to Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic\Content. Sims3Packs go into the Sims3Pack folder, and Packages go into the Packages folder. That means if you don’t have an empty Downloads folder when you run CC Magic for the first time, it will think everything in the downloads folder needs to be installed, though it may already be installed in the DCCache.
As far as “scrolling over 5000 different files in CC Magic” goes, this is why I recommended you add CC in chunks in this post: https://nonasims.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/recommendation-ccmagic-its-true-im-a-late-adopter/ . I should add that here as well, so thank you for bringing that up. I try to maintain this tutorial as much as I can but it gets put on the back burner a lot for mod making and stuff.
Do I know an easier way I doing this? No, I’m sorry. If I did, I would have tried to explain it. Maybe if you try Nellas’ Walkthrough at the Sims Asylum (you must register to see thread) you will have an easier time: http://simsasylum.com/tfm/index.php?/topic/1529-ccm-walk-through-holy-update-batman/
Hello Nona
thank you for your detailed tutorial about this awesome software
I encounter some problem, however..
whenever the CCmagic “rebuild”, my hard disk (C) always lose a considerable amount of free space (about 2-3 GB)
do you have any idea what where I might have gone wrong?
I checked the sims 3 folder on my document and I see nothing’s changed. no new files and the size of the folder remains the same. there is also no change in the sims 3 folder in Program Files.
can you please help me out?
I am at wit’s end here and even if I can’t make CCmagic to work, is it possible to recover the hard disk space that I have lost?
thank you so much in advance
Have you checked the size of Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic?
That is where CC Magic stores all unmerged packages and sims3pack, so you will essentially have 2 copies of all content installed via CC Magic: One in Mods, and one in the CC Magic folder. Grant is working on being able to store the files in Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic somewhere else for the next build of CC Magic.
If you don’t believe this is the issue, please post on the CC Magic forums.
thank you so much for the advice. I’ll check it right away.
have a good day, Sir/Lady
*Damm, I hit enter and I only had written if* anyway Can I run the game from other executor (the one that bypasses the launcher) and still use the cc magic settings or in order to use the cc magic settings I have to use the ‘play’ they include?
Short answer: Yes, you can. just use the Rebuild button before you start your game however you prefer.
Alternatively, you can override the .exe. that CCMagic will use when you press the Play button. Click on the Options tab and at the top you will see a field labeled “Game EXE Override” Pus the path to the exe that you wish to use there. So, for example, if you’re using FPS Limiter, put the path to the FPS Limiter in that field. When you hit Play, it will start your FPS Limiter.
You can do it either way. It is not necessary to start the game with CC Magic’s Play button. In fact, I often don’t.
PS, deleted your mistake comment 🙂
Thank you!!
Thanks for the walk through I have a small problem with my mods … none of them are showing up (pose player / skins / default eye replacements…etc) even though I copied all of my packages to my downloads folder last night I didn’t do that and just organized my legacy folder and that’s when I noticed that non of the mods are showing up so I uninstalled CC magic and read this post and followed the steps … still my mods won’t show up … any advice ?
Hi 🙂 Is your Legacy folder enabled in the Configurations tab?
Hi Nona, I have the same problem as purpled0tMesho and the legacy folder is enabled, I don’t know what the problem could be, could you help?
You told us to cut and paste our downloads folder onto our desktop and move all of our packages over to that…so why would I have another downloads folder in my sims 3 folder?
Well, it’s something I overlooked. But the Downloads folder is re-created by the Sims 3 Launcher. Just make a new Downloads folder (Right click > New > Folder and name it Downloads) or start the Sims 3 Launcher and close it again, you’ll have another downloads folder.
I will update the tutorial when I have some time. Right now I’m a bit busy. Thanks for the comment.
Hello None, I know I may be a few years too late to comment but I thought it was worth a try. Your tutorial actually was so detailed and perfect I understood it completely, but I was a fool and didn’t see that I shouldn’t install CAP through Ccmagic. So I quickly realised my mistake when I was in game and all of the patterns were the same wooden floor and so I deleted them from ccmagic. I then installed them through the launcher but I kept getting the notice ‘Already installed!’ I have no idea how to delete them completely from my game so then I can successfully install them. Any pointers please? Thank you! X
Hi Gillian, I’m happy that you had an easy time using the tutorial. I hope I can help with your current issue.
If you get the message “Already Installed!” when you install through the launcher, that means the pattern is already installed through the launcher. The launcher doesn’t know what you have in your Mods folder. So, that actually means that once you’ve made sure the patterns are definitely removed from your Mods folder, they should actually be usable in your game. IT should be easy to be sure that the patterns are gone, because all the patterns in CaST will be visible. Unfortunately, the launcher can be really clunky to use, but try checking the patterns tab in the Installed Content area in the launcher. You might find your patterns are still there.
If you originally installed some objects as Sims3pack before switching to CC Magic, you might have duplicate objects. You’ll have to uninstall any sims3pack from the launcher that you put in CC Magic. This can be a royal pain, so I hope you don’t have to do that.
I hope this helps. I’d be happy to know either way.
I just started using CC magic and I was happy when I found out about it earlier today. I’ve been having trouble with The Sims 3 launcher forever and it’s been a pain. I got CC magic to work fine, I made my own collections and everything using sims3 files, but now when I try to put in my mods folders, saved games, and saved sims folders back into the Sims 3 folder my game goes back into not responding as it once did before CC magic. Can anyone help out with what happened or what I did and how to solve the problem. From what I’m reading both sims3packs and package files can go in together correct? Or do I have to create 2 seperate Mod files? Please help 🙂
Hiya, could you please be more specific when you say “my game goes back into not responding”? When does the game stop responding? Is it randomly while playing? Are you able to get past the initial loading screen?
If you game is randomly crashing during gameplay with the message “The Sims 3 has stopped working” or is randomly freezing while playing, try checking out the most common causes of crashing issues in the following article: Crash To Desktop: DasmX86Dll.dll not found
Other tips I can offer without more information:
– Make sure you do not have any duplicate mods in your Mods folder and in CC Magic. You can use Delphy’s Dashboard to scan for duplicates.
– Make sure your mods are up to date.
– You may need to use the 50% Method to identify the problem file
– If you’re getting a black screen when you try to load your game initially, go to your Saved Sims folder and look for a file called downloadedsims.index. If it’s there, delete the file, or move it to your desktop and see if that helps.
Thank you for responding so fast, I am completely amazed and thank you for getting back and helping me out 🙂 By “the game stops responding” I mean when I go directly into the game, before the load screen. It just stays black. I had everything working fine, using CC Magic and then had the problem after I put in my saved sims and saves folders back in The Sims 3 folder. I’ve downloaded Delphy’s Dashboard but when opened it just stays it’s original form, (I’m not quite sure how to use it, or put in anything if that’s what I’m supposed to do). I’m beginning to start over again and try and find a resolution myself this morning, hopefully something works out, I’ve been having so much trouble and I would go nuts if I have to start all over again. I thank you again for helping me, much appreciated!!
Hi again. 🙂
Your problem exactly describes the last option I listed in my previous comment. Go into your Saved Sims folder and delete the downloadedsims.index file. Almost everyone I’ve seen that has had this problem fixed it by deleting (or otherwise removing) the downloadedsims.index file. Hopefully this will help you, too.
To scan a folder with Delphy’s Dashboard, open the program and click on File > Scan Folder.
Good luck!
Thank you so much!! Tried it and it seemed to work. Got Delphy’s Dashboard to also worked and seen I had a few issues. After I deleted downloadedsims.index file everything was fine. Also found I had 2 mods in the saved sims folder, i don’t know how that happened but thanks to your help I am back in the game and have no problem loading in (no more black screen issues) yayy!! Thank you so much!!!
That’s great! I’m so glad your game is working again 🙂
Hello Nona, first of all thanks for the amazing and detailed tutorial. I first download CC Magic a couple months ago since my game was always crashing and was incredibly slow because of the amount of cc – and my computer isn’t that great of a machine- and anyway, it worked really well I could play without a problem. But then I tried to install an expansion from the internet and it didn’t work so I deleted it and when I tried to run the game for the first couple times, it worked but one day it stopped working. Everytime I ran the game with the CC Magic it kept saying that I had installed an unofficial modification that was not compatible with my game version and that I should uninstall this modifications or get updated versions of them and if I wanted to quit or continue. If I click on continue the sims would not open. If I try to run the game by the sims setup it’d say the same thing. I’m sorry if I didn’t explain myself clearly english is not my main language, but I was wondering if you could help me?
You have an out of date core mod in your CC Magic, or in your Mods folder. You must find the mode and remove it (and update it if you want to continue using it). Core mods must be updated every time there is a new patch. The most popular core mods include:
NRaas ErrorTrap
XCAS Core mod by cmar
2x Weight and Fitness Integration core-mod by Consort
Awesomemod
There are very few core mods out, so it’s probably one of these. Good luck 🙂
Is there a way for me to wipe my current build and start a new one? Do I have to uninstall and reinstall CC Magic? I’d like to remove all cc from my game, -post and -pre CC Magic, and be a lot more organized this time with my installation and sorting in CC Magic.
All you have to do is delete the DCCache and the installed world’s folder. Remove any content in your Mods folder that you don’t want to keep. Then delete your caches.
You can also rename the Sims 3 folder in Documents/Electronic Arts, or just move it to your desktop. Then all your content will be backed up and you can copy over your saves, saved sims etc.
Thank you so much for the quick reply and help! 🙂
Hello Nona,
for some reason my game continues to crash during the loading into my actual game play, so as it loads up my family, it would suddenly crash. I noticed recently that in the “Mods included or whatever pops up before you select a game to play” that it lists all the mods I have, instead of just listing all the mod builds. Is there a reason why this happened? Could I just delete cc magic and start merging over again?
Hi Stephanie, the “Mod Scripts” found window will list all loaded assemblies (scripts) that it finds, regardless of how you have merged the mods. This means that what you’re seeing in that window is totally normal, and it is not the reason for your crash.
Since your crash is reproducible, it should be easy to find the cause of the crash. Use the 50% Method listed here. Basically, remove 50% of your mods and see if your game loads. If it does, you know the 50% you kept is ok. Put those aside and insert the 50% you originally removed. If your game crashes, remove another 50% of your mods and test. Continue removing 50% until you are able to identify the problem mod.
Good luck!
Hi Nona, thank you for all of your tutorials! If counters and patterns should only be installed via the launcher, how do you separate them from the sims3 store pack that you want to install as a package? Would the counters and patterns need separated before using the s3rc tool? Can worlds be converted into .package files?
Hi Wanda, if you purchased the set form the store, you can always download the counters separately. If you dind’t purchase the set, then you’ll have to use either CUSTARD to get rid of all the other stuff form the sims3packs, or you can probably use s3su for this also. I have never done this personally, so I’m not an expert on the topic. I prefer to install my store stuff through the launcher, mainly because of the ccmerged. That said, if you’re going to install decrapped counters, but only s3rc the rest, you will have an issue where the counters will end up being replaced by base game stuff when you use non-decrapped lots.
About the world files, I have read that you can change the extension of the world package file to .world, and I’ve also read the opposite. Again, I don’t have experience with this, but you could just try it out and see what happens. Use a clean folder, and keep your normal Sims 3 folder somewhere safe while you experiment.
Nona Thank you for your reply When you say install through the launcher, are you meaning the EA launcher or ccmagic? Is the ccmerged file supposed to stay in the dcbackup folder and the downloads that created the dccache put somewhere else safe, while using ccmagic for packages? Can you use the EA launcher to install some items and ccmagic for packages only, at the same time? Sorry to have such basic questions but I’ve read so much on different tools and forums, I’m getting confused. lol
Wanda, sorry for the delay in responding to this. I don’t remember seeing a notification for having gotten a new comment on the blog/on my phone. Maybe I clicked it off in my sleep (or while I was shopping and didn’t notice).
– When I say install through the Launcher, I mean the EA launcher. Personally, I install only Sims 3 Store stuff through the EA Launcher, and all other non-EA CC goes into CC Magic.
– Keep your ccmerged in your DCBackup.
– Once you install a sims3pack, you can remove it form the Downloads folder and keep it somewhere safe in case you need to re-install. Try reading Tips for Effective Use of the Sims 3 Launcher and Tips for keeping your mods organized and avoiding conflicts
– As stated above, yep, you can use the EA Launcher and cc magic together with no issues.
If you’re still interested, here’s some information about installing worlds without the Launcher. Again, I don’t have any experience with this though, sorry! Game Help:TS3 Installing Worlds Without The Launcher
Nona, again thanks for replies. I have re-installed all of my EA items through the launcher. I own 95%+ of the store, so I installed worlds, stand-alone venues, compilations, remaining sets. and a few single items. It has cut down my file ebc file numbers. I also delete the tmp files from dccache before saving my game. I keep my copies on my desktop, is that safe enough? For now I still have my ATS3(converted to packages, hoping I did that right) and OBP content in a combined package I made with S3PE. I want to use my uncombined copies of them in CCmagic. In cleaning a save or sims3 pack, do I just run it through S3rc and not use the decrap tool app that came with it?
One more question…dashboard shows a conflict with your food mod I have in mods overrides folder. I read on your download for it that it happens with OBP edibles and it’s ok, Are Sandy’s at ATS3 foods ok with your mod too? By the way I use most of your mods, thank you for sharing your abilities!
Hi again, Wanda. The best recommendation I can give you for your sims3pack backups is to place them on a USB thumb drive, or use an external hard drive. That said, not everyone has access to those things, so if you don’t, keeping them on your desktop is a lot safer than just deleting them outright 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend cleaning a save or a sims3pack with s3rc or decrapify. CC Magic will compress your packages for you, so you won’t need to use s3rc to do that for you. Using decrap is really only necessary if you want to remove the DRM from the Store content for some reason. If you want to clean your save to reduce the size a bit, I recommend Kuree’s Save Cleaner, available at Simlogical.
The message about the conflict applies to all edibles, not only OBP edibles, sorry if that wasn’t clear. There is no conflict, as long as you put my package in the Overrides folder. 🙂
I’m glad you’re happy with my mods! Thanks for leaving such a kind message, I really appreciate it.
Hi Nona! I have all my store content installed through the launcher and my CC installed through CCmagic. Thank you for your easy to follow instructions! I have a question though, under buy mode many of my store content items are showing up as a double. One has the store icon and the other has the folder icon for CC, is this normal? Or what could have I done wrong? I only have left in my downloads folder the 2 numbered folders, the few dynamic challenge files and the couple bin files that create with game install. I also delete the dcbackup files, leaving only the ccmerged file. Thanks again for your help!
This sounds like you left your sims3packs in the downloads the folder and then started CC Magic. CC Magic would have moved all of the sims3packs to: Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic\Content\Sims3Packs
You have a couple of options. Whichever you choose, make sure you back up your content first so that if you make a mistake, you can restore it easily.
Option 1: Start CC Magic, and go through the content in CC Magic and delete all the items you have dupes of.
Option 2: Go to Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic\Content\Sims3Packs and delete all sims3packs that are from the store. Then start CC Magic and use the “Clear Cache” button. this will cause you to have to rebuild your content but it will remove the dupes.
My CCMagic won’t open. I see in Task Manager that it appears to be opening for a second but then closes immediately, before the interface even shows up on-screen. It was fine yesterday, and now it’s not. My other applications/programs seem to be opening normally, so I have no idea what the problem could be. Do you think this is just a computer issue or could I have damaged CC Magic??
Did you update to Windows 8.1 yesterday? Try re-installing your graphics drivers. I had this exacty problem when I updated to Windows 8.1 and that’s because of the drivers.
Unfortunately, if you didn’t update to 8.1 it might not be the drivers. Grant’s old forum had a lot of information about this kind of stuff, but I don’t know it all myself. You might get better help at the MTS thread: http://www.modthesims.info/d/461888
hey Nona, I just found CC magic today and have readed some post about it. it sounds great and really helpful,especially you tutorial. there is only one thing I want to make sure about it,if I use CC magic to install all my Sim3pack file, when I export a house in game, will the file include all the CC i have used in the house?
No, I don’t think it will. CC Magic will install the sims3packs as packages in your Mods folder, so I don’t think any of the cc will be attached to your exports. I don’t export a lot of houses so I don’t have a lot of experience with this, though.
ah, ok. I think I understand now. thank you for your kind reply. hope you have a good time in school.
You’re welcome and thanks 🙂
I have a question:
Today i tried to merge my Costum content with cc magic.
In General it worked well. Now i have 13 package flies instead of 1000.
i put those flies in my mods Folder.
On startup the “Mod scripts found” popup shows only 6 of my files.
Are the other files unloaded?
How can i manage to load all files? Is it possible to Check wich files are packend together?
Thank you!
Mod Scripts found popup only shows if the game specifically finds a script mod. No other custom content or mods show up in the mod scripts found window. Your other content will be loaded fine, assuming your mods folder is set up properly. You don’t need to do anything special.
However, you say you “put those files in my mods folder.” Did you move the packages that CC Magic created? If so, that is unnecessary. Those packages will always be loaded in the game, there is no reason to move them. In fact, it is a very bad idea to move the packages because it means that the next time you launch CC Magic, cc magic will rebuild the packages and if you forget to move them again, you will have duplicates of everything, which is especially bad for script mods. Don’t move the package files that CC Magic creates. Just leave them where CC Magic puts them.
You can see which files are packed together by looking in CC Magic.
Hi Nona,
Thank you for this great program! I see you still answer questions. So would you please help me with mine.
Everything works great but I put new downloads in cc then disabled the old ones and then I put them in existing files. Then I rebuild them but now only the houses show up in my game and not the rest. What did I do wrong?
I do not understand the tutorial part of updating mods.
Thank you for your help!
Hi, Andrea. When you want to install new CC:
1. Put the new, uninstalled CC in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads
2. Start CC Magic (or, if you already had CC Magic open, press the “Refresh” button).
3. Your new CC will be located under the Default set. Sort the new CC into the appropriate by dragging it and dropping into the set set you want it to be in.
4. Once you’re done sorting the new CC press the Rebuild button.
5. When you’re ready to go into your game, press the Play button.
To Update a mod that you’ve installed through CC Magic:
1. Start CC Magic.
2. Find the mod that you are updating. For example, if you installing a new version of NRaas Overwatch, find the mod in the CC Magic Launcher.
3. Delete the mod from CC Magic.
4. Press the Rebuild button.
5. Move the NEW version of the mod to CC in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads
6. Press the “Refresh” button
7. The mod will now show up in the Default set. Move the mod into your desired set.
8. Press Rebuild.
9. When you’re ready to go into your game, press the Play button
I don’t know what happened to your houses.
Also, I didn’t make CC Magic, just this tutorial 😉 I hope this helps.
Thank you for you super fast replay! Oke so I did exactly the 5 steps you told me for installing new cc. But now the cc is not showing up in my game only the houses are there but not the furniture, clothes and hair ect.
You’re welcome 🙂 Make sure that the Set is enabled in the Configurations tab (Step 8 of this tutorial).
Hi Nona. Thank you for the walk-through. I’ve started using CC Magic but I rely heavily on collection files. And CC Magic ones are not working for me. I created a new collection, added 27 items to it, rebuilt. Instead, I had 1287 files in the new collection. So I attempted to delete it. I went in game and tried to make the collection in there. Showed up fine. Exited to main menu and went back in to do some more work, including organization the collection folders themselves into a specific order. Then quit. When I restarted the game with CC Magic, all the new collections and edits to my collections that I had made were undone and the collections I had deleted had come back. The organization/configuration part of this is nice but I have no idea where I am going wrong with collections. I really don’t want to put everything into a completely different set of user files, make the collections there, and then move into the collections folder in the normal set of user files. (Which is why I have all the collections I have right now).
Unfortunately, I don’t think I can help with collections. I had some issues with collections and I think it had been reported to Grant, but he’s not working on CC magic anymore. Honestly, I just don’t use CC Magic’s collections features.
What I do recommend is backing up your collections folder, then you can experiment more without fear of losing your working collections.
Ah, okay. Unfortunately that’s what I thought. Thank you for getting back to me though. Luckily I do have those collections backed up (benefit of creating a new set of user files; everything is stored in the old ones).
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help 🙂 But I’m glad you had a back up.
Hi I am not sure exactly how many files do you think CC Magic will hold i am getting close to 5,000 files right now i have 3,783 in CC Magic how much until i Crack it or something? And your tutorial helped me soo much! I love this 😀 thanks and if you could respond I would be so appreciative, and it’s amazing how you still respond after years of having posted this! Thanks!
Hi Alyssa, thanks for your kind words 🙂 Unfortunately I don’t know if there is a hard limit as to how many files you can put into cc magic without it “breaking.” I do think, however, that if there is a limit, it’s very high, possibly even up around 10,000 files or so. BUT and this is a huge BUT, I really can’t confirm that because I’ve never put that many files into cc magic before. My advice to you is: if you’re going to add a lot of packages at once, back up your folders first. I recommended backing up the entire The Sims 3 folder, and Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic
This will probably be a very lengthy back up process for you, because you seem to have a lot stuff. Maybe only back up once or twice a month, or only if you’re adding a lot of content at once.
uh…. this tutorial was surely helpful… but it didnt help me at all. the mods that didnt show before CC Magic, still dont show at all… i might not understanding the english since im polish, but it really didnt help me at all D:
Hi. The purpose of CC Magic is to merge and organize your content easier. There is no guarantee that it can help you get a mod working. If a mod doesn’t work for you, you may have several different problems, and CC Magic cannot correct them. I recommend posting your issue where you downloaded the mod. If that doesn’t help, you can always try to get help at MTS, NRaas or Simlogical. Unfortunately, most of the player base that uses those places are English speakers. You may want to ask at a polish community.
Good luck.
Hi.. So first, I searched this because i have the ”Update lastest software” problem with Roaring Heights, so i didnt know how to use CC Magic, i did everything okay as i know but when i try to open the game (via Launcher or CC Magic)it loads in black a while and then it says ”Sims 3 stopped working…” . So i deleted CC Magic and the Folder and it started to work… but i really want this world.. help.
You can’t install worlds through CC Magic properly. If you’re getting the ”Update lastest software” problem you may have an illegal copy of the world.
Thank you so much for this tutorial, it helped me so much. My question is if I wanted to transfer my cc magic to a different computer what do I have to do? Like what folders do I need to send myself? I just don’t want to go through all that downloading agian on my laptop xc
Thank you so much c:
You can copy your Mods folder and the entire CCMagic folder located in Documents\Electronic Arts.
Hi, I never really understand the instructions so when it imports my downloads, can i just press rebuild after that and play game? Because I’ve always done clear cache first and then rebuild and it takes long 😀 But i make it just for sure because my sims starts really slowly so do the downloads appear in my game still?
When you use clear cache and then rebuild, CC Magic will delete ALL of the merged packages it has already created. That’s why it takes a long time to rebuild.
If you are just adding new CC to your already created CC Magic set, yes, just press rebuild and don’t use the clear cache button.
Hi Nona. Thanks for the great tutorial! Just one quick question, how do I to prevent mods from merging? I can see my mods listed under Legacy in CC Magic but I’m afraid clicking “Rebuild” would merge them together. Is there a way to merge everything else except the mods and have them separate? Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance!
CC Magic never touches anything in your Mods folder. If it’s listed under Legacy, cc magic cannot alter it. I think you may be able to delete legacy files (i.e. files in the mods folder) through cc magic, but I’ve never tried.
Ah, I understand now thanks. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it! 😀
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Hello! CCMagic works fine for me until I hit play, whereupon it crashes with a “needs to close”. Here is the log file of when that happens: http://pastebin.com/DQnwkmX2
I already have the required files installed and the log doesn’t mention any corrupt packages/packs.
I notice I am able to play the game via the EA launcher, but animations in CAS (I’ve only played in CAS) are a bit off and anything using the Misc. material in Create-a-Style is lightened (pure black will show as light grey for example)
Any suggestions?
Sorry you’re having trouble with CC Magic. I’m not the creator of CC Magic, so I really don’t know what might cause the problem. I can only give you a few educated guesses on what might help, but they might be totally off.
You could try removing some sets and seeing if the problem if being caused by the cc itself. Since you’re mentioning a problem with CAS, I recommend disabling all patterns and seeing if that helps the CAS problem.
Good luck.
Hi Nona.. all knowing guru and benevolent helper of us lesser Simmers… I have tried my best to follow your instructions above and come across a perplexing circumstance in the process of trying to implement this much lauded tool.
I put a post on the Sims 3 forum (5 days ago w/no responses yet) thinking many other users go there and I don’t know how often you come here.
Here’s my experience:
I followed your guide to the letter as best I could (there’s no ‘Build’ button in the program, only Rebuild). “7. Now you can keep adding more chunks of packages to CC Magic by moving the packages into the Downloads folder. Once you’ve sorted everything into sets, you can use the Build button.”
I clicked Rebuild and it got to a point and crashed. I did this repetitively, ran System Mechanic Pro, my a/v, restarted my system and ran CC Magic again. Again it crashed. I removed the specific file it was stopping at – it crashed. I removed the next file it stopped at – it crashed. I removed all but 2 folders I had created – it crashed.
I started it again and it shows in Default a mash of files (I don’t know if all of them are there and it’s boggling cuz again, I spent all night creating these folders under Default to keep them straight).
I revisited the software requirement which made mention of the program crashing without these so I checked.
I have .NET framework 4.5
I have the C++ versions.. so, nope that can’t be it.
I looked at the other setup links you have at the bottom of the page.
On one it shows this: Play Box: After you are done with the tutorial, hit this to run TS3
Rebuild: Merges everything, you need to click this after each cc adding “session”
d-ccmagic-to-make-my-game-so#
Nona’s page doesn’t say to do that, but as stated I removed most of my folders to do that, to no avail.
I’m beyond baffled.
I would like to begin a dialogue so I can figure out and correct what I’m not doing. I’m thinking because it crashes when rebuilding there must be something wrong somewhere.
Oh, I even checked the files with Delphy’s Dashboard. *sigh..
I haven’t even tried to go back into the game since. From what I can determine in this guide you say to put copies of those folders on the desktop but not what to do with them after you move them into cc magic.
I haven’t perused the other posts in depth as it’s difficult for me to follow such small text.
Hi, thanks for your comment.
I am not the creator of CC Magic, so unfortunately my help in this matter is limited. There is a file you can delete to see if it helps with the crashing, but I don’t know which file it is anymore. I’ve never had this problem and I never looked into it. Since grant’s forums are permanently gone, there is basically nothing I can do to help you. I’m really sorry about this, but I guess this is what happens when you use 3rd party programs. It’s one of the reasons I was a late adopter with CC Magic. Again, I’m really sorry but I don’t know anything about this issue.
As a last resort, you could try deleting all the CC Magic Folders in Documents\Electronic Arts and see if it helps. Please do this with caution, as any cc that cc Magic has stored there will be deleted. Back up the folders first.
I have linked Nella’s CC Magic Walkthrough at the bottom of the tutorial. You might be able to get help at those forums. In order for you to be able to read the thread you have to register.
Some clarification : “Nona’s page doesn’t say to do that, but as stated I removed most of my folders to do that, to no avail.” I think you mean, I didn’t say ” you need to click this after each cc adding “session””. This is stated under the section titled “To install new CC/mods via CC Magic:”
“From what I can determine in this guide you say to put copies of those folders on the desktop but not what to do with them after you move them into cc magic.” It’s very difficult to address this question as it is not clear which folders you mean. If you mean the back ups from “Before you begin,” put them somewhere safe, as they are back ups.
I assume, however, you’re referring to step 2 of “Before you begin”: “Once you have backed up your The Sims 3 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts, go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 and select the Downloads folder. Right-click the folder and select Cut (or use ctrl+x). ” This is covered under the section called “Processing Your Downloads Folder”.
There are a lot of comments and most of them are not related to your issue, so you probably won’t find much help in them anyhow. You can use ctrl + mouse wheel up to zoom in with your browser though.
Does this work for mac?
Sorry, I don’t think you can use this on a mac.
Nona, I have another question for you. I’ve checked my CC Magic Options Tab and, it looks as though it’s set up properly to read Overrides, as you’ve listed above. However, I have some files in there that do not override as they should. My resource.cfg in the Mods folder just points to “scan” my sets caches (which I’m assuming is correct). Is there something I’m missing that’s causing CC Magic to ignore my Overrides folder?
Hiya, heaven 🙂 Try manually adding the “Priority 1000 …etc..” bit yourself. Just copy and paste it into your resource.cfg. You can put it underneath the part that says “scan …”
Hi ! I’m trying to conpress my mods but I run into a tiny issue. As long as my mods folder is in the sims 3 folder I can’t open it. I always have to move it to my desktop to work on it. Does anyone know why this happens ?
Sorry, I have to correct my comment, my package folder inside my mod folder won’t open
That seems strange and I can’t tell you why it’s happening. Maybe try opening the package by opening s3pe first, and then using File > Open (Ctrl+O). See if that helps.
I worked around the fact that my package file won’t open inside my mods folder. I’ve been working with CCMagic and I was wondering what does it mean that some package files show up with question mark and an unknown key message and others show up with some tools image and on the left side inside a red rectangle it says XML/Tuning. Are this bad ? Should I delete them ?
As far as I recall, this is not a problem.
Hi! I started to delete the items in CC magic and after I was finishing I pressed rebuild and made sure all the content I didn’t want was gone, I started my game and all the cc was still there, please help? Is there a video tutorial I can watch?
Hi kat, try using the delete cache button in cc magic, and then press rebuild. Another reason why this can happen is that you’ve installed the CC through CC Magic and also the Sims 3 launcher.
There may be a video tutorial but I don’t know where one it, if it does exist.
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VIRUS!!!! DON’T DOWNLOAD CC MAGIC!!!!
Edit by Nona: CC Magic is not a virus. Read reply for explanation.
I really cannot decide whether to delete your comment or respond to it.
First of all, CC Magic is absolutely not a virus. If your antivirus program is calling it a virus, it is a false positive. False positives happen all the time, especially with independent developers, because of the nature of most heuristic antivirus programs. However, CC Magic is NOT a virus.
Secondly, if you managed to get a virus around the same time that you downloaded CC Magic, it is because of something else you downloaded/installed, or some other website that you visited. You can easily get a virus just by looking at a page with a malicious ad (even trustworthy websites can be infected with a malicious ad sometimes).
Again, CC Magic is not a virus. The reason I want to delete this comment is because it is unnecessarily inflammatory and, most importantly, outright wrong. I do not want wrong information on my website, but if I delete the comment, I cannot respond to you directly. For now, at least, the comment will remain until you either respond or I get bored of waiting for you to respond.
Don’t worry Nona, everybody who uses CCMagic and knows his way around computers, knows that there is no virus there. There are always trolls around we should just ignore them.
Thank you 🙂 I just wanted to play it safe in case it isn’t actually a troll.
Hi! Thaqnk you for this amazing cc magic. I used it a lot and now i have a question; is it possible, inside the cc magic folder to create subfolders? Like C:\Users\Utilisateur\Documents\Electronic Arts\CC Magic\Content\Packages\new folder? And put thoses packages after manually into this new folder? That is something that came to my mind because i installed some new packages, put them in set etc, but i dont know what i did, the game just wont start anymore. (i try remove the news packages i installed, rebuild and everything, nothing just working now 😦 complicated to explain to me because well, bad english) i would like my cc magic package folder arranged like into the software itself, into subfolders. Can it be done? Thanks in advance for awsering me, please : )
Hi Nona.
Thanks to this great tutorial of yours, I think I’ve found some stuff that I’ve been doing wrong for a very long time, which may all be at fault for my extremely slow game.
I see you were still answering questions here about two months back and I’m hoping you still are, since Grant went ahead and killed the CCMagic board. Besides, some of the things you’ve written in this tutorial are complete news to me and I’ve been using CCMagic for two years, so obviously you’re better at in-depth explanations than Grant and everyone else on the old board.
Before I start completely over with everything there are a few things I need to be certain that I’ve understood right.
First off, the Downloads folder. As I understand what you’re writing, I should put both .sims3pack files and .package files in there before launching CCMagic, instead of putting only .sims3pack files in there and putting my .package files into Mods\Packages. If that’s right, then that means – after installing CCMagic – the Mods\Packages folder is more or less only there to have some place to put the Resource.cfg file and the Overrides folder, isn’t it? Or am I misunderstanding the whole thing?
The second thing is the .sims3pack files. I always thought the game read the files directly from the Downloads folder, so I’ve always installed them through the launcher and then just organized them with CCMagic afterwards to keep track of them. If I read your tutorial right, this is completely wrong and what I actually need to do is install them through the launcher and then get them out of the Downloads folder completely (either delete them or just move them somewhere else for backup) before even starting CCMagic. Am I understanding that right?
Third thing is mods. I’ve always put all mods – core mods, sliders, tuning mods, you name it – into the Mods\Packages folder and they’ve always worked, but as I can read from your tutorial, putting the core mods (like Nraas MasterController and such) in there is wrong and I should actually be putting them into the Overrides folder. Did I get that right and if so, what difference does that make? And how about slider mods and such? Should I also put them into the Overrides folder, or do they go in Mods\Packages or Downloads or what?
The fourth thing is my impending re-install. I’ve tried uninstalling CCMagic before, but it always seems like it’s retained some data when I re-install it. Even when I did a complete wipe a couple of weeks ago, uninstalling the entire game and CCMagic and starting over (including manually removing the folders that the uninstall doesn’t remove by itself). I re-installed the game, ran it, started a new game, saved it and then shut it down. Then I installed CCMagic and without having put a single .package or .sims3pack in the game yet, when I started it up, it still had the set/folder structure it had before I uninstalled everything. What did I do wrong?
The fifth and final thing (I’m sorry for making this so long, but after reading through all the previous posts, I couldn’t help but notice you often asking people to be specific, so this is me learning from other peoples’ mistakes 😉 ). Instead of doing a complete re-install, you’re saying I can do a “factory reset”, just by removing/renaming my current Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Folder and then starting the game, which will make it create a new folder that’s completely base game? From there, I just move everything I want to keep from my old folder to my new one and start over creating sets and stuff with a clean install of CCMagic, right?
Like I said, you’ve written a lot of stuff that I’ve never heard anywhere else before, so if I really have been doing things wrong, then there’s a good chance some of this could actually make my game run better (it’s really bad right now, even after a clean install only a couple of weeks ago), so I’m really hoping you’ll answer all my questions.
Thanks in advance – Joe
Hi and thank you for writing this tutorial. I am having extreme long load times which I want to shorten with help of CC Magic. That is how I stumpled upon your tutorial.
I have the following scenario and wish to know what I should do.
I have a lot of sims3packs installed with help of the launcher. You suggest getting those items with help of a program so it transfers back to .packes so I can use them? I deleted eveyrthing in the Downloads folder because of cluttering so I won’t have access to those items anymore.
Is the tool you suggested the way to combine packages with already installed content? Thanks very much, I hope this works and I hope you still read this after so much years making this tutorial.
I would like to know the same things that Joe explained as well since I’m also new to this CC Magic program.
Hi Nona,
I’ve been using CCmagic for a while now . Btw, it’s definitely NOT a VIRUS, lol.
I’d like to install the last expansion pack, “Into the Future”, which I put off because it doesn’t sound very appealing. Nevertheless, I need that EP to have the completed set. I’ve forgotten how to do it with CCmagic.
I know I have downloaded stuff packs and store content with no problem. I usually install them from their disc or from the launcher the first time then I shut the game back down and do a rebuild with CCmagic. Would I do an actual EP the same way?
Before CCmagic, I would remove all my custom content before I ran the disc for a new EP and then start adding everything back in afterwards according to what was compatible, otherwise the CC could break your game or the new EP would break your CC. Since I have all the patches by now, every bit of cc that I have should already be compatible with the last EP, right?
I have looked through every guide I could find on the net (I usually use yours). No one (that I’ve found) has instructions for installing a new EP once they have CCmagic. Pardon me if I missed it in your guide. Can you help me?
I move all my packages into downloads, then start CC magic and it says “file missing” in the legacy set but all my mods appear in the default. I clicked rebuild and went into my game and all of my mods were gone (I have a backup, which is why I proceeded into rebuild to see if it would fix the issue)
Freakin CCMAgic won’t open anymore !! All of a sudden. I reinstalled it and it works fine but as soon as I put my previous CCMagic file in. It won’t open !! HELP !!
[…] it so far, so I wanted to offer it as a possible option for helping folks with huge libraries. This tutorial and this tutorial may be […]
Pingback by Sims 3: Upping My Game | Aywren Sojourner - Just a Geek Blog | January 11, 2016 |
When I start the game after using cc magic it always crashes. Everytime. I don’t know what to do? It tells me “The Sims 3 has stopped responding”
Hello! I just discovered this after years of playing SIms 3 but I can’t get it to work 😦 I followed your steps carefully, sorted everything into sets, all sets are enabled, but when I go into the game, it says that some objects are missing and I can’t see any custom content. The forum is down, Google is useless as well 😦 Any ideas? I play on windows 10 and have all EPs, is it not compatible with Into the Future or something? Thanks!
[…] it so far, so I wanted to offer it as a possible option for helping folks with huge libraries. This tutorial and this tutorial may be […]
Pingback by Sims 3: Upping My Game – Aywren Sojourner: Gaming and Geek Life | November 23, 2016 |
When I put new Sims 3 Packs into CC Magic for some reason when I start my game they crash. I took out all my package CC in and it worked fine but as soon as I rebuild after putting SIms 3 Packs in it crashes instantly. I’ve been having this issue for weeks. Hopefully someone can help because I am out of my mind annoyed.
Ignore my last comment. Now it happens no matter what kind of CC I put in.
Hey Nona! You probably won’t respond, but I really wanna know how to move my CCMagic to another computer. I searched through this thread and I dodnt find anything about that
Hi Patita ! You need to reinstall CC Magic in your new computer. Then go to the old computer and copy your CCmagic folder. Library/ Electronic Arts/ CC Magic That folder has all your files installed through CC Magic and collection info. You paste that folder over the CCmagic folder that CC created when you reinstalled it in your new computer. Should be all. If you run into issues let me know.
Hello Nona~ Thank you for the wonderful guide, it really helped me at lot!!! I would like to know how do I uninstall unwanted CC? Do I need to uninstall it through the Sims 3 launcher or is there a way to uninstall it through CC Magic?
Unfortunately, Nona hasn’t responded to comments for three years. If you have a question, read through previous questions to see if someone else has already had your problem. There’s a chance a benevolent user may respond and help if you post a question, but Nona unfortunately has moved on (as is her right). Read everything carefully and make sure you didn’t skip any steps in the tutorial before asking a question. Have a nice day!
[…] is not a tutorial on how to use CC magic. There are several of those already. I highly recommend this one by Nonasims (as it was the one I used).Some people seem to find that one difficult to use though, so @gruesim […]
Pingback by CC Magic User Tips | Play Sims find or downloads the sims 2/3/4 Custom Contents or Mods | August 22, 2018 |
Interessanter Beitrag!
Avec Barcelone avec une avance de 2-1 et le jeu essentiellement sur, Messi a obtenu une chance de penalty pour étendre son avance à 3-1 et tout, mais mettre fin à la competition.