Okay - so I DID make a lot of excited screaming noises in the background.  Now shushed.  But GREAT NEWS FOR BUILDERS!

Early days, but the first object I made with the in-beta-this-week Object Workshop (a bad lamp not even worthy of picturing) DOES actually package properly with uploaded lots!!!  That's the first time I've been able to upload a lot with a custom object inside it!  All my previous objects (experiments) have refused because they were installed as .package files rather than Sims3Packs.  Failures included stairs, windows - even terrain paints.  But it seems a Sims3Pack installs content properly, and is picked up by lots when they're shared.

I am one very happy builder!  Kudos to the TSR developers for what is looking to be a fantastic object creation program.