Sims2 & 3 What editors do you use?

There are lots of different tools for modding the sims games - image editors, 3d images editors, modding frameworks such as SIMPE.

Which editors do you use and why? Or why not? (I'll get the ball rolling)

I use Photoshop 7 as my image editor, though really I only use it for wallmasks and Milkshape as my 3D editor.

I chose those because back when I started modding stuff for the sims games there were more tutorials for those than any other editors.

My modding framework for sims2 is SIMPE - I just use it for objects really, I don't think I have even scratched the surface of this remarkable tool.

For Sims3 I tried TSRW and S3PE and CTU. My favourite is CTU - lean and mean and a nice interface. Sadly, I don't really make clothes.

S3PE is powerful, but I have no idea what is going on with that thing - wrapper this, wrapper that, C++ programming tools. It makes my head hurt and as I have other hobbies besides sims then I can't really be bothered to invest a load of time in learning how to use this tool to mod stuff for a game I don't even play.

TSRW - its easy to use, and I think it does have some umf to it, but apparently it creates enormous bloated packages. The mesh editor thing is nice, and the main reason for me choosing it over S3PE. Maybe the S3PE one has improved since I last looked.

Great topic!

For image editing - textures as well as screenshots - I use Photoshop 7. I've been using Photoshop in its various incarnations for years, but 7 is my favourite, so I've stuck with that even though there are newer versions.

For body meshing, I use Milkshape, for the same reason as Lee: When I started modding, it was pretty much Milkshape or nothing tutorial-wise, especially for body meshing.

For object meshing, it's Blender nowadays - mostly, anyway. I found Milkshape to be a bit clunky when it came to making objects, I think Blender is much smoother. But I'm still much better at Milkshape than I am at Blender, so I often end up switching back and forth between the two to tweak details.

My modding framework is, of course, SimPE. I love SimPE and want to have its children.

Edit:
Oh! I also use UV Mapper Pro for UV mapping objects. How could I ever forget that program? It's great! * Nix gets no cookie

Image editing: Photoshop CS3, a Dutch version. Because that's the one I managed to get my hands on.
Meshing: Mikshape, on rare occasions Wings3D. Milkshape because it's what I learned to mesh in, Wings because there are a few things I can't seem to figure out how to do in Milkshape, like inset.
And SimPE for all Sims 2 related things.

For my 'work', there's only one tool: SimPE. I hate it, and I wish I could do without, but it is the natural order of things that I need it to do what I do. So be it. It serves its purpose, and that's that. Nuff said.

Besides that, I dabble a bit in Photoshop CS (the oldest CS version one can imagine), which I merely use for such mundane tasks as cropping & resizing screen shots when needed, and for the 'creation' of the thumbnails for my uploads.

Sometimes I use the Compressorizer to shrink my mods, but I wouldn't call that an editor. Besides, SimPE can compress most resources as well, so most of the time I use that one in stead.

So that's BO's secret: the bare minimum number of tools required.

SimPE:Originally I used it to 'surgerize' the sims I created and then I begin to apply it to NPCs. Shell helped me use SimPE to learn to recolor and change or broaden function of clothing, such as make a garment useful as swimsuit as well as say, gym clothes.

Milkshape:Used only for lessons with Levini or Jon in meshing or resizing. I still need so much more practice and many more tutorials.

Gimp:I was very resistant to using it until Shell took me through recoloring clothes and objects, now it is beginning to fascinate me. I used to use only Windows Paint.

BodyShop: Originally used to package sims I had created but now with the help of Shell, I am beginning to learn the basics of recoloring.

I use....
1. Milkshape for meshing,
2. Blender for baking,
3. TSRW and S3PE as my package editors, depending on what I'm making,
4. Photoshop C3 and paint.NET for images,
5. and then UVmapper and Lithunwrap for mapping.

Edit,
I totally forgot the "why"-part
1. Cause it's easy to use, and does what I want it to do.
2. I dislike Blender cause it's way too complicated for my brain, but the baking function is awesome!
3. TSRW cause of the user friendly interface, S3PE cause TSRW simply can't do some stuff.
4. Are awesome programs, I'm really a noob with the photoshop, but it has a lot of features I like. Paint.NET=<3
5. I use UVmapper to scale the map, and then Lithunwrap to resize and move the pieces. Then I usually do final adjustments on Milkshape.

Now I am interested in lithunwrapper. I keep seeing people saying they use it, but I am just bewildered. I use the texture coordinate editor thing in Milkshape.

Can I have a link to this pithy wrapper please??
Anyhow I use:
SimPE for sim extraction , cloning objects , and recolors
Wings3D because It's newbie friendly (I would love to learn blender or milkshake .. I want badly to animate stuff)
GIMP for almost everything . I never liked photoshop it was cinfusing for me to wrap my mind around

Seeing how I've only just begun my journey it's Photoshop CS3 and SimPE. SimPE for extracting the textures I want to recolour and PS for doing the actual work.

I may dabble in meshing I may not, but it certainly is nice to have options lol.

Here is the link to Lithunwrap, though google could have done the same http://www.geeks3d.com/20090303/lithunwr...r-windows/