ok not sure if this is known but if not.

I made a Tattoo for a friend and she uploaded her sim to the exchange with it on. I then Download it without having the Tattoo installed on my machine.

It Downloaded, Installed, and showed up in CAS when i looked at it in the pre-made sims, once i click the check mark to use her in CAS the game crashed.

I tried it again and the same thing happened. I have done the same with a sim that someone sent me wearing a custom shirt but i already had the shirt installed and that worked fine.

So it must be if you don't have the custom item installed that is causes the crash.

So you are trying to download a sim off the exchange that was uploaded wearing custom content? They should know to warn people that they are in custom content it will of course crash your game.

So it seems that TS3 doesn't install on his own the Sim's custom content as TS2.

In Sims 2, there were EA tools for CC creation, and so the Exchange supported CC. I think that the lack of support in Sims 3 relates to the fact that EA provided no creation tools, therefore they don't feel they have to support it.

I think it's hard for them over there. When you look at the cc pages, you see a page of thumbnails. You don't see each individual creation. This doesn't give them the option to say if it's using store bought or custom content.

I don't use the exchange though, so there could be a way to see it. I know last time I clicked on something it took me to the persons profile and not a description.

I don't believe anything gets uploaded properly to the Exchange except for things you can make by default in the game. Actual items we've made ourselves - like true custom patterns and new CASParts - don't. I guess the moral is, don't download from the Exchange, because it's made of suck and fail.

Lol at HP!

But I agree, with HP, avoid downloading from the exchange. In fact, I avoid downloading premade sims/lots in general. You never know what you're downloading....