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Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Jun 2026 at 9:21 PM
Default How can I change a counter to a deco sculpture?
Hello everyone, I've been trying to put together some matching bedrooms in my game.

However, a problem I have with the base game dressers is that some of them only have a wardrobe or a chest of drawers, not both. I like my bedrooms to have a wardrobe, chest of drawers, bed and 2 bedside tables.

I downloaded a nice counter which matches the Moroccan wardrobe, as I could not find a matching chest of drawers.

I don't need it to be functional as a dresser, I just need it to act as a decorative sculpture of a chest of drawers (so that I can at least pretend the sims are keeping their socks in there).

How can I stop the game seeing it as a counter please? I don't want sims to interact with it.

Is it something I can change in SimPE please?

Thanks to anyone who can help
Mad Poster
#2 Old 16th Jun 2026 at 9:48 PM
The easiest is to extract the textures and the mesh parts (as OBJ or GMDC, whichever you're comfortable with), then clone a deco mesh (preferably one with two subsets, if you don't want to add a second one), and go from there as you'd do with any deco object.

(Counters have a lot of extra bits and pieces in the file, so this is really the easiest way).

An alternative would be to use deco items and/or slot blockers on the counter, so sims won't use it. Much less work involved.
Scholar
Original Poster
#3 Old 17th Jun 2026 at 3:15 AM
Hello, thanks for the advice.

I did have a go at cloning a deco mesh, then replacing the GMDC (the textures of the CC counter are repositoried to the base game Moroccan wardrobe), I followed this tutorial here https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=399438, although I found it a bit difficult, because it's aimed at making your own object from scratch, which I have never done before (I have used Milkshape years ago, for shoe swaps etc.). I ignored the parts of the tutorial about creating your own mesh and textures (skipped Step 5 to Step 7, just carried on with Step 8 onwards. But I went wrong and just ended up with a recolour of a Maxis object.

I have done lots of clothes and hair defaults, but always used either the method of replacing the GMDC, GMND, CRES and SHPE and textures (I call that a Mesh DR), or the method of replacing the GZPS and 3DIRs and textures (I call that a Property Set DR).

I have DR'd a few objects in my game sucessfully using the Mesh DR method (like for like though, eg. single bed replacing single bed), so I'm comfortable with that.

I've never done the DR method where people only replace the GMDC, I'm a bit baffled by how it works. I never found a tutorial for it.

So for now, I think that might be beyond my skills, but thanks for suggesting it anyway.

I think the other option you suggested might be best for now, of using deco items or a slot blocker (I have one already that I used for something else), so I'll do that for now, thanks for your help though .
Mad Poster
#4 Old 17th Jun 2026 at 3:59 AM
No idea how you ended up with a recolor istead of a standalone object (did you give the item a new GUID?Did you select "clone item" and not "recolor item"?)

Looks like you can skip step 5-7 of the tutorial, but read through them just in case.

Making a standalone object is not the same as doing a clothing DR - swapping the mesh and texture in a standalone mesh has more in common with a direct GMDC/TXTR DR swap, since you have to make sure to use the subset names from the original file (subset names can be changed, but it can be lots of work and is unnecessary unless actually needed).

If the original item is repo'd, the deco item can also be repo'd to the same item. I linked some tutorials in the other topic.
Scholar
Original Poster
#5 Old 18th Jun 2026 at 1:48 AM
Thanks, yes I did give it a new GUID (I could not register as I got an error when trying to Register New User, but I used this https://grilledcheese-aspiration.tu...issue-in-simpe), and I did clone.

Where I think I went wrong is that I got in a tangle on Step 8, when importing the mesh, there were a lot of groups, not just shadows but for the corner counter etc., and I wasn't sure if I needed to import them all, or just guess and choose 1, so I guessed and chose 1 (I assume that was wrong).

I deleted all the files because I also realised I had chosen the wrong Maxis object to clone and it only had one subset.

So I will try again, it might not be for a couple of days, as I'm going on holiday on Friday, so tomorrow will be a busy day!

I hope you don't mind if I ask you another question though please?

I have some other items that I would like to change from what they are into another category, but I would need those to be usable and not just decorative. One of them is the base game end table for the Moroccan set, I would like to change it from an End Table to a Dining Table.

Another one is a nice stool (Dining Chair, the one which looks like a mini version of the base game end table) that I downloaded from here https://modthesims.info/d/528121/merokkan-add-ons.html, which is like a mini version of the base game end table, so I would like to make that one into a 1 tile Coffee Table (as I think it matches the base game 2 tile coffee table nicely).

Would I use the same method for those 2 changes too?
Mad Poster
#6 Old 18th Jun 2026 at 3:37 AM Last edited by simmer22 : Yesterday at 8:09 PM.
Counters have a lot of mesh parts, so if you want spesific parts, you have to extract multiple mesh parts to see which one(s) you want to use. Sometimes you need to look at them in a meshing program, too. In your case I'd assume you want a countertop and a bottom part.

There's a couple of tutorials for adding subsets in the list of tutorials I posted here: https://modthesims.info/showthread....182#post6044182

Chair to endtable - cloning is likely the go-to method here, too (changing object type)

Not 100% sure about the end table to dining table - it's possible that one can be changed via some other options (tuning? Not sure...) since it's less of a change between items (table to different table), though it's not something I tend to do so I'm a bit unsure. The cloning method is the safest bet.
Scholar
Original Poster
#7 Old 18th Jun 2026 at 7:25 PM
Thanks, I appreciate you helping me

Just washing and packing today, but I'll probably give this a go when I get back from holiday, thanks
Me? Sarcastic? Never.
staff: administrator
#8 Old Yesterday at 7:43 PM
For usuable items you'll want to clone that item in game, basically create a new object. Then use the mesh from the other object and repo it. You can do some fiddling with a package to make it something else, but it's far easier for a new creator to just start from scratch.

For the counter to a decorative item, you could try changing the GLOB from counter to sculpture? Sometimes this works, sometimes not.
Scholar
Original Poster
#9 Old Today at 9:45 AM
@HugeLunatic = Thanks, I'm on holiday now, but might have some time in the evenings to give it a go (as we tend to just watch TV).

Could I ask another question please, what is the difference in function between a Coffee Table and an End Table?

Or do they function the same way, and an End Table is just taller?
Mad Poster
#10 Old Today at 1:52 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Dizzy-noodles
Could I ask another question please, what is the difference in function between a Coffee Table and an End Table?
Or do they function the same way, and an End Table is just taller?


Definitely the height.
Possibly what you can put on them (type of item, some are allowed on certain surfaces, some not), possibly the relation to living room chairs and sofas (sims being able to get past them if they've been put close to the sofa/chair). Not sure, though.
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