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How Walls, Floors & Roofs Work
The easiest type of CC to make
Wall and floor CC doesn't require any mesh files, UV layouts, or 256-colour restrictions. You create an image in any paint program, run it through Home Crafter or save it directly, and the game reads it. It's genuinely the most accessible entry point into Sims 1 CC creation.
.WLL extension. They go in GameData\Walls\ and subfolders are supported – you can organise by style or creator. Home Crafter generates .WLL files from any image you import..FLR extension and go in GameData\Floors\. Subfolders are supported here too. Home Crafter generates .FLR files the same way as walls.GameData\Roofs\. No subfolders – the game won't read them otherwise. These are made manually in GIMP without needing Home Crafter.Getting Home Crafter Working
Needs the registry fix and compatibility settings
Home Crafter needs the Legacy Collection registry fix plus two compatibility settings on its .exe: 16-bit colour mode and Windows XP SP2 compatibility. The Feraligatr installer handles all of this automatically.
HomeCrafter.exe → Properties → Compatibility tab → tick 16-bit colour and set mode to Windows XP (Service Pack 2).Route A – Feraligatr Installer Recommended
Download and run the installer
Get it from github.com/Secondhand-Feraligatr/Sims-1-Programs-for-Legacy-Collection. Choose Custom Install → Select manually and include Home Crafter. Tools install to a Programs folder inside your Legacy Collection directory.
If you get a 16-bit colour error
Right-click HomeCrafter.exe → Properties → Compatibility tab → enable Run in 16-bit colour mode and set compatibility mode to Windows XP (Service Pack 2). Click OK.
Route B – Manual
Download Home Crafter from the Internet Archive, apply the registry fix, and set the two compatibility settings manually as described above.
Designing Your Image
Where to get images, how to work with them in GIMP, and what the restrictions are
Restrictions at a glance
| Type | Size | Colour mode | Save as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall covering | 128×232 pixels | Any – full colour fine | PNG or JPG (Home Crafter converts) |
| Floor tile | 128×128 pixels | Any – full colour fine | PNG or JPG (Home Crafter converts) |
| Roof texture | 32×32 pixels exactly | Indexed 256-colour only | BMP – done manually in GIMP |
Where to get your image
ambientCG – also completely free. CC0 licensed, no account needed. Similar range to Poly Haven. Click a material, scroll to Downloads, and grab a JPG.
Working in GIMP
GIMP is a free image editor. Download it from gimp.org. Choose your path below depending on whether you are starting from scratch or using an existing image.
Path A – Create from scratch
Create a new document at the right size
Go to File → New. Set the dimensions:
- Wall covering: Width 128, Height 232
- Floor tile: Width 128, Height 128
Set “Fill with” to White. Click OK. You now have a blank canvas at exactly the right size.
Paint your design
Use the Paintbrush tool (press P) to paint freehand. Use the Bucket Fill tool (press Shift+B) to flood-fill a large area with a single colour. To pick a colour: click the foreground colour swatch at the bottom of the toolbox to open the colour chooser, or press O to pick a colour directly from your image with the eyedropper.
For regular patterns (stripes, grids, checkerboard): the Rectangle Select tool (press R) lets you select a precise rectangular area, then Bucket Fill fills only that selection.
Path B – Use a downloaded or existing image
Open the image in GIMP
Go to File → Open and browse to your downloaded texture or photo. Click Open. The image appears in GIMP. If the image is in a format GIMP prompts you to convert (such as an sRGB colour profile notice), click Keep or Convert – either is fine for this purpose.
Resize to the correct dimensions
Go to Image → Scale Image. Turn off the chain link icon between Width and Height (click it once so it shows as broken) so you can set each dimension independently. Enter:
- Wall covering: Width 128, Height 232
- Floor tile: Width 128, Height 128
Set Interpolation to Cubic for the best quality. Click Scale.
Crop if needed
If the aspect ratio of your image is very different from the target dimensions, scaling alone may stretch it. In that case, crop first: use the Rectangle Select tool (press R) to draw a selection over the part you want to keep, then Image → Crop to Selection. Then scale to the final dimensions.
Both paths – check tiling and export
Check that it will tile correctly
Wall and floor textures tile – the game places copies of your image edge-to-edge across the surface. If the edges do not match, there will be a visible seam line.
Preview tiling: go to Filters → Map → Tile and increase the width and height to 3× or 4× your image size. Click OK. You can now see exactly how the edges join when repeated.
Fix non-tiling edges: go to Filters → Map → Make Seamless. This automatically blends the edges so they join without a visible line. It works very well for organic textures (stone, fabric, grass). Solid colours and geometric patterns with matching edges do not need this step.
Export as PNG or JPG
Go to File → Export As (not Save – that creates a GIMP project file, not an image). Navigate to where you want to save the file. Type a filename ending in .png or .jpg. Click Export, then Export again in the options dialog that appears (the defaults are fine). Your image is ready to import into Home Crafter.
Making a Wall Covering
Import your design into Home Crafter to generate the game file
Have your image ready
Your wall design should be 128×232 pixels, saved as PNG or JPG. See the Designing Your Image section above for how to create or find one in GIMP, free texture sources, and how to make it tile without seams.
Open Home Crafter
Launch it from the Programs folder in your Legacy Collection install (if using the Feraligatr installer) or from your Start menu. Select Wall Coverings from the main menu.
Import your image
Click Import and select your image file. Home Crafter shows a preview of how it tiles on a wall in game. You can see both the interior and exterior views.
Fill in the details and export
Give your wall covering a name and description (these appear in the game's Build mode catalogue). Click Export – Home Crafter generates the .WLL file.
Place in GameData\Walls\
Copy the .WLL file into GameData\Walls\ in your Legacy Collection install folder. Subfolders are supported – you can organise by creator or style.
Making a Floor Tile
Same workflow as walls – with a few things specific to floors
Have your image ready
Your floor design should be 128×128 pixels, saved as PNG or JPG. See the Designing Your Image section above for how to create or download one, and how to resize and check tiling in GIMP.
Open Home Crafter and select Floor Tiles
Launch Home Crafter from the Programs folder in your Legacy Collection install (or from your Start menu). From the main menu, select Floor Tiles.
Import your image
Click Import and select your 128×128 PNG or JPG. Home Crafter shows a preview of how the tile looks when repeated across a floor. Check that the edges join without obvious seams. If there is a visible seam, go back to GIMP and run Filters → Map → Make Seamless, then export again and re-import.
Fill in the details and export
Give your floor tile a name and description (both appear in the Build mode catalogue). Click Export – Home Crafter generates a .FLR file.
Place in GameData\Floors\
Copy the .FLR file into GameData\Floors\ in your Legacy Collection install folder. Subfolders are supported – you can organise by style or creator. The tile will appear in the Build mode floor picker the next time you load the game.
Making a Roof Texture
No Home Crafter needed – GIMP only
Roof textures are tiny 32×32 pixel BMP tiles. The game tiles them across the roof surface. You make them directly in GIMP – no Home Crafter, no registry fix.
GameData\Roofs\ with no subfolders. Any of these wrong and the texture won't appear.Create a 32×32 image in GIMP
File → New → set Width and Height both to 32 pixels. Design your roof tile – roof tiles are small so keep the design simple: a brick pattern, shingles, thatch, concrete etc. Consider that it will tile correctly across a large surface.
Convert to Indexed 256-colour
Image → Mode → Indexed → Maximum colours: 255 → Convert.
Export as BMP
File → Export As → name your file (e.g. DarkSlate.bmp) → select BMP format → Export. Leave BMP options at their defaults.
Place in GameData\Roofs\
Copy the .BMP directly into GameData\Roofs\. No subfolders. The texture will appear in the Build mode roof picker the next time you load the game.
Common Mistakes
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Wall / floor not appearing | File in a subfolder inside Walls or Floors (not valid – subfolders are supported but the game must see the files directly in Walls/ or Floors/) | Move the .WLL / .FLR to the correct root folder, or to a single subfolder level inside it |
| Home Crafter won't open | 16-bit colour mode or XP SP2 compatibility not set, or registry entry missing | Use the Feraligatr installer, or set both compatibility settings manually on HomeCrafter.exe |
| Roof texture not appearing | File in a subfolder, wrong size, or saved as 24-bit BMP | Must be 32×32px, Indexed 256-colour BMP, directly in GameData\Roofs\ root |
| Roof texture looks blurry/wrong | File saved at larger size and scaled down by the game | Design natively at 32×32 – the game doesn't scale roof textures up |