jagged shadow problems

It's like this in other games too if you ever look for it. I've had jagged shadows ever since I upgraded to a gaming computer in 2015 and I still continue to see it with different gaming hardware. (All have been beyond system requirements.) It's true, at a higher screen resolution it does become more obvious. I'm not sure if it's related to Nvidia graphic cards. :/ This is the fix I've been applying myself... It's not perfect but pretty close to it.

Find the file GraphicsRules.sgr in this location C:/Program Files (x86)/Electronic Arts/the sims 3/game/bin
(This location may be different depending on where you have installed the base game.) :warning: Make a copy of that file and place it somewhere else. You will need this in case you make a mistake.

Open GraphicsRules.sgr with a text editor like Notepad

Press ctrl+f keys and a search window should appear. Type in:

prop $ConfigGroup ShadowMapSize 2048

- click Find Next.

Change the numbers 2048 to 3840 for 4k or 7680 for 8k. *4k & 8K is the shadowmapsize you're changing, not the games screen resolution. Performance may take a hit so try both (separately) to see what works best.

Save the file and open the game to see the results. Make sure Lighting settings are set to Very High.


This works for both S3 and S4 but you will need to edit both graphicsrules for those games.

"SimplyJen;c-17183926" wrote:
It's like this in other games too if you ever look for it. I've had jagged shadows ever since I upgraded to a gaming computer in 2015 and I still continue to see it with different gaming hardware. (All have been beyond system requirements.) It's true, at a higher screen resolution it does become more obvious. I'm not sure if it's related to Nvidia graphic cards. :/ This is the fix I've been applying myself... It's not perfect but pretty close to it.

Find the file GraphicsRules.sgr in this location C:/Program Files (x86)/Electronic Arts/the sims 3/game/bin
(This location may be different depending on where you have installed the base game.) :warning: Make a copy of that file and place it somewhere else. You will need this in case you make a mistake.

Open GraphicsRules.sgr with a text editor like Notepad

Press ctrl+f keys and a search window should appear. Type in:

prop $ConfigGroup ShadowMapSize 2048

- click Find Next.

Change the numbers 2048 to 3840 for 4k or 7680 for 8k. *4k & 8K is the shadowmapsize you're changing, not the games screen resolution. Performance may take a hit so try both (separately) to see what works best.

Save the file and open the game to see the results. Make sure Lighting settings are set to Very High.


This works for both S3 and S4 but you will need to edit both graphicsrules for those games.

Thanks ! I did this and i think it will be the best ill get.

I think it depends on the angles of the game sun and the object to cast a shadow; but mostly the shadowing technic chosen in the game's making. Also that the game is old and meant to function on lower-spec computers. It takes resources to compute and render shadows, at all, in games; and more to render them in a way pleasing to an idea of how shadows work in real life - this means higher specifications, which means less consumers, since not everyone has a high gaming computer. I think the jagged lines are more visible for players with a higher resolution (and better eyes), but I do not think it is a problem. :smile:

But to get better answers you might want to post in forums where players that are knowledgeable in technicalities of game making are posting.