The Grim Reaper and the 'Neat' Trait

My Sim decided to have a party to further his charisma skills.  Regardless of the fact that he turned in early and had a guest croak through lack of food, the party turned out 'epic', possibly due to his 'legendary host' reward.

I watched the Grim Reaper as he 'took' this unlucky and stupid Sim (I say stupid because there was a buffet table full of food so his demise was totally unnecessary), and then the Reaper done something that I've not seen before.  He picked up 'yesterdays' newspaper and placed it in the trash.  He then decided to make the bed:

And proceeded to clean out the toilet:

However, the toilet blocked and he then disappeared.  Typical!

My conclusion to this is that the Grim Reaper probably has the neat trait.   Either that, or he just has a sense of humour.  Unfortunately, he hasn't been back since so my Sim hasn't had a chance to chat with him to find out.

Has this ever happened to you?  Please comment below if you have a similar story!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Autumn Sweaters for Girls

My Autumn Sweater for Girls was published yesterday over at The Sims Resource:

Again, I had great fun creating these, placing a wool effect on the multiplier first.  I then designed the images in Photoshop and placed a carpet effect overlay on them to make them look softer.  I created the ribbons for the balloons with the action script that I purchased from Atomic Cupcake:

I then placed the images on the clothing as an overlay which of course means that these images are non-recolourable.

If you would like this item in your game, you may download from the link below:

Download Autumn Sweater for Girls!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

The Sims 3 University??

I just finished watching the replay of The Sims 3 Seasons - Maxis Live Chat over on Origin as I unfortunately missed the live chat yesterday.

Just like a lot of other people, my first taste of The Sims was playing Sim City.  I remember playing this with my son on his Sega Mega Drive, I believe.  We had great fun building the city and watching the disasters as they struck.  When Maxis announced the new Sim City, I was very interested in how this would look, seeing as that computer graphics have come a long way since the original.  What did worry me was the feature of playing with others within the game.  I prefer to play alone, especially with my Sims.  However, when I heard on this chat that you have a choice of playing either with others or alone, seeing the gameplay and graphics, I'm now hooked, to say the least!

The Sims 3 Seasons looks fantastic in Moonlight Falls and now our Sims get to Woo-Hoo in leaf piles.....

Curtis done an awesome job asking questions on our behalf and I'm really looking forward to seeing his next video telling us about his trip.

Ryan Vaughan announced the new Sims magazine which unfortunately is only available on iPod and Android tablets so if you, like me, don't have these, you won't be able to get the magazine.  I for one would love to see a 'real' magazine that you can purchase off the shelf in stores.  I would certainly subscribe to that!

If you've seen this chat, you will have noticed that three 'guru's came on towards the end dressed in 70's, 80's and 90's clothes, giving the game away about the next stuff pack which is, yep, 70's, 80's and 90's clothing.  This is great news for us creators because it looks like there may be a few new meshes in there somewhere. There will also be lots of new hairstyles and clothing too.

After the announcement of the stuff pack by Sarah, Ryan recapped on the chat and then something weird happened.  Two people came on stage, one dressed in a cap and gown and the other dressed as some type of animal.  Ryan then told Lucy that maybe those guys belong back in University......

WHAT!!! UNIVERSITY!!!!!

I thought, OMG!!  Is this a hint of the next EP????

So I popped over to The Sims 3 website and found this:

The Sims 3 University

Okay, okay, it's just a 404 page but the page IS there.

I hope so - I just LOVED Uni for The Sims 2!!

Let me know what you guys think - just place your comments in the section below!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Create a Seamless Tile Pattern in Photoshop

To create a pattern for The Sims 3, we were given CAP (Create A Pattern) which contained images that we could use.  Here is a great example of patterns made with CAP from All About Style:

However, you can only make so many patterns with the same images and although you can import images into CAP, I found that it didn't really give a good result.  I soon realised that TSR Workshop's pattern feature for me was the best way to make patterns for the game.

Creating patterns for The Sims 3 means that the user can change the colour of them in game to suit their own needs and also apply them to not just clothing but also furniture, wallpaper and curtains etc.

On many of my toddlers and childrens clothing items for The Sims 3, especially the sleepwear, I like to create a pattern with the image I create in Photoshop.  The way I do it is unconventional and does not contain the channels needed to change the colours or apply the pattern to other items and therefore they are non-recolourable.  However, as I use my pattern as an overlay, I don't need to create them the 'right' way.

For example, my Rainbow Sleepwear for Toddler Girls had a little rainbow on two of the variations with a rainbow pattern on one half of one variation and a rainbow pattern on the whole of another variation:

This creates an item of clothing which is more unique as the pattern is not seen as a pattern in game as such and therefore cannot be used for other items.

Whether you create a 'proper' pattern which has channels to enable the user to change the colour and use it on whatever item they wish, or whether you create a pattern as I do, for an overlay on an item of clothing, you will need to seamless tile by hand in Photoshop, or whatever paint program you are using.

If you've never done this before, it may seem a little daunting but it is very easy to do and much easier than creating a seamless tile with 'channels'.  To create a pattern with 'channels' you need to keep the colours seperate and usually you only get to have 3 or 4 channels or colours.  By creating a seamless tiled pattern with an image for use as an overlay, you can have as many colours as you want as no channels are involved.

First of all, I use a template which was basically a screenshot from CAP:

The pink square in the middle is where I design my pattern (256 x 256 pixels) - any image that overlaps the pink square will need to be cut.  I use my rulers along the top, bottom and sides to define the area.  The white area is basically my working space.

Once you have the image that you want to pattern, place this on your template and then duplicate the layer so you don't mess up the original.  For the purpose of this post, I will be using the rainbow image I created in Photoshop for the toddler sleepwear:

Take this duplicated image and place this somewhere on the pink square:

Then duplicate the original image again and use this somewhere else on your pattern:

As you can see, I turn the image so as to make it a little more interesting.

Now comes the more involved bit :-)

Duplicate the original image again and place this on the pink square but overlap it into the white area:

Using your rectangular marquee tool, cut off the excess (this is where the rulers come in handy):

Then paste the part of the image you have cut and line this up back together again:

Using your arrow cursor on the keyboard, bring that part of the image down so that it rests on the bottom of the pink square:

I tend to group these two pieces together so that I know that image has been cut.

Keep doing this by duplicating the original image and overlapping it onto the white area, (top, bottom and sides) cutting and matching up.  You will then end up with something like this:

Once you have your design, hide the original image and the background and go to image > trim. You will be left with a square of 256 x 256 pixels.  You can then go to edit > define pattern and you will have your pattern in Photoshop that you can use.  Test out the pattern by creating a large square about 3000 x 3000 pixels and create a new layer with your pattern.  Your pattern should seamlessly tile.  If it doesn't, you will have to go back to your original file and tweak.

Once your pattern tiles seamlessly and you are happy with the result, you can go ahead and make your overlay file.  I use my multiplier and/or mask file as a guide.

If you have any questions or comments, please use the comment section below and if you liked this post, please consider hitting the 'like' button below and/or click the 'tweet' button!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Penguin Pyjamas for Boys

When I made my Penguin Sleepwear for toddlers, it was suggested over on Facebook by Sara that I create some bigger ones for the kiddies.  So I got to work and created Penguin Pyjamas for boys:

 

This item comes in two parts so you can mix and match if you want to and of course you can recolour them in CAS.  Obviously the penguin itself and penguin pattern cannot be recoloured as these are overlays.

If you would like these pyjamas in your game, you can download them today over at The Sims Resource.

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Creating for The Sims 3

I have been asked by a few people how I create my clothing for The Sims 3 and I always point them in the direction of Ekinege's fantastic tutorial over at The Sims Resource.  Although I used other tutorials when I first started and which got me on the road to custom creation, as soon as Ekinege's tutorial was released, I learned a little more about what each file does.  Her tutorial is a more in depth one but still easy to follow.

If you ever created anything for The Sims 2, you will soon realise that creating for The Sims 3 is very different.  For example, custom creation for The Sims 2 meant that the design as well as the colours and textures were placed directly on one file and any variations would have to be created as a seperate item.  Now that we have CAS (Create a Sim), the file needs to be greyscale or colourless with seperate colour 'channels' to enable the user to change the colour and/or texture of the item themselves in game.  All of this may sound a little daunting but it is in fact quite simple.

Multiplier File

The 'multiplier' file is where you place your design.  For example, add a belt to a dress and for more involved creating, change the neckline, change the sleeves from long to short or vice versa as in the images below:

The 'alpha' layer in the channel of your multiplier determines where your design goes.  The white part shows your design where the black part blocks it out.  For example, I created this two piece swimsuit from the swimsuit for girls:

The original multiplier looks like this, with the alpha layer being completely white to show the one piece swimsuit:

Here are my changes to create a two piece swimsuit:

The 'white' part determines how much of your design shows through, so if it's black, it doesn't show through at all.  Had I made the white part of the swimsuit grey, the swimsuit would have been see-through which is something you can implement on adult clothing such as this top from Juttaponath:

The see through part on the top has been made with that part of the alpha layer being grey.

Mask File

The 'mask' file determines where the colour channels go on your creation.  Usually there are three channels or colours however, you can just use one or two.  Red is the first colour, yellow is second and purple third but please be aware that these are not the actual colours your item will be; these colours are used to basically tell CAS which of your chosen colours go where on the item.  So for example, if you have a blue t-shirt with a green neckline and white sleeves, you would create the mask with red for the t-shirt, yellow for the neckline and purple on the sleeves. 

Once in CAS, the item will show three colours on the specific parts you have chosen, enabling the user to change these colours and/or textures to their liking.  You can even create a pattern on the mask.  Here is an example of a mask file which again is taken from my Strawberry Swim for Girls:

Normal File

The 'normal' file is basically the bump map.  I remember using the bump map in The Sims 2 to make the pattern and texture stand out more as in the image below:

To achieve this effect, I placed a copy of the design on top of the bump map which is something that you cannot do with Sims 3 creating. 

For Sims 3 custom content, this 'normal' map does the same job by making things 'stand out' and basically highlighting details such as making a belt buckle look as though it is raised.

Clothing Specular File

The 'clothing specular' file is great for highlighting parts of your creation that you want to remain shiny, such as the belt in Ekinege's tutorial here:

Otherwise this file is basically very dark or even black.  If the file is too light, your whole creation will be very shiny.

Overlay File

The 'overlay' file is great for adding little extra's to your design, such as buttons or even an image or non-recolourable pattern.  I tend to use this file on all of my creations and I prefer to use this for placing an image on the item instead of using the 'logo' file as I find that I get a better result with the 'overlay' file.

Any images that you place on the overlay file cannot be recoloured in game by the user which means that you can make your design more unique.  If you are going to create three variations of your item however, you will need to have three different overlay files - one for each variation.

Here is an example of an overlay file together with the alpha that I created for one variation of my Smart and Casual Outfit:

I would recommend that you use TSR Workshop for creating custom content as it is extremely easy to use and also download and follow Ekinege's tutorial to get a great result.

You will of course need a paint program such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro however, if you don't already have a paint program, there are some free ones on the web such as Gimp which you can use for creating custom content for The Sims 3.

Here are the links to the free downloads for you:

Ekinege's Tutorial

TSR Workshop

Gimp Paint Program

If you have ever wanted to have a go at creating custom content for The Sims 3, I hope the above will help you understand the process more and get you started on the road to becoming a Sims 3 custom content artist.

If you have any questions, please comment in the section below or if this post has helped you, feel free to 'tweet' it or click the 'like' button! :-)

Cheers!

~Minicart:-)

Deer and Owl Pyjamas

My Deer and Owl pyjamas for girls has been published today over at The Sims Resource.

I created both the deer and owl in Photoshop with shapes and the pen tool and added some 'noise' to the flattened images, just to give a nice effect:

I then created a pattern by hand with these images, adding trees, flowers and butterflies, again using the shape tool in Photoshop.  I used Immajer's Simlish font on one of the pyjama tops, adding a warp to the text.

Here's the finished product:

Again, I had great fun creating this and was very pleased with the end result.

If you would like this item in your game, you may download via the link below:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

The Emperor's New Clothes

There's an old short story written for children by Hans Christian Anderson entitled The Emperor's New Clothes.  The story tells of two weavers who promise the Emperor a suit of new clothes that is invisible to the lower classes and stupid people, or so the Emperor is told.  However, when the Emperor parades himself in front of his people with his new 'clothes', a child shouts out "but he isn't wearing anything at all!"

You may wonder what this has to do with Sims stuff; well, since I installed Showtime, the career outfits don't seem to work.

My Sims get out of the shower and change into their Emperor's new clothes outfit - check this out:

The Sim doesn't seem to have a care in the world - they believe they are wearing clothes but then so does everyone else and so does the game because there are no sensors.  There is a way around this however.....

If you experience this problem, take your Sim to a dresser and 'plan outfit'.  This will take you to CAS where you can create a second career outfit that your Sim will wear instead.  The small problem with this is that when your Sim is promoted, they will carry on wearing the second outfit that you created for them so you will need to go back into CAS via the dresser to change it again.  I have found that once the Sim reaches the top of their careers, the first outfit (which originally didn't show) will work and won't show your Sim as being nude.

I'm sure this must be a Showtime glitch as it never happened before in my game.

Have you experienced this problem?  If so, please comment below!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Seasons!!!

Yep, I know this was announced a month or so ago but as I hadn't updated my blog in a while, I have decided to post about it now :-)

For The Sims 2, Seasons was my favourite expansion pack which I'm sure goes for many other Simmers.  It was my favourite, not just for the actual weather but for the different types of clothing that was added to the game.  Having to dress up warm in winter and cooler in the summer gave us extra categories and styles of clothing which was great not just for the player but for creators too.

As for the weather, my favourite was the thunder and lightening and especially the snow!  I loved getting my Sims to make a snowman, which I believe was first introduced in the vacation EP for The Sims 1.  By the morning however, the snowman looked a little rough for wear.

And didn't you just LOVE that penguin....

When I saw the announce trailer, I went to have a look at the announce trailer for The Sims 2 Seasons.  Do you remember this:

And here's the trailer for The Sims 3 Seasons:

Seasons for The Sims 3 looks absolutely fantastic and I can't wait for it to be released on November 13th!

 ~Minicart :-)

Penguin Sleepwear

My Penguin Sleepwear for Toddler Boys has today been published over at The Sims Resource.


I created the penguin in photoshop with shapes, placing the letter 'x' on the scarf as a pattern.  I then added some snowflakes to finish off the design:

The penguin pattern was created by hand and I used this and the penguin motif as an overlay to the sleepwear which means that the actual image and pattern of the penguin cannot be recoloured.

Here is the finished item:

I had great fun creating this and was quite pleased with the way it turned out.

You can download my Penguin Sleepwear for toddler boys here.

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Little Sweetie Toddler Dress and More!

It's been a while since I updated this blog and I've created a few things since then so here are the pics:

All of the above can be found on my site at The Sims Resource.

Today I have had my Little Sweetie dress for toddlers published:

You can download this from the link below:

Download Little Sweetie dress for toddlers here.

I will try and make sure to update more frequently in future! :-)

I hope you enjoy the above creations - happy Simming!

~Minicart

Keeping Fit!

My new Keeping Fit! athletic outfit for girls is now available for download over at The Sims Resource!

This outfit has three recolourable parts and comes in three variations.  I created the images for the t-shirts in Photoshop with shapes and added them as an overlay, which of course means that they are not recolourable.

I hope you enjoy this set just as much as I enjoyed making it.

You may download via the link below:

Download Here!

Cheers and Happy Simming!

~Minicart :-)

Time for Bed!

Dress your Sims 3 girls in this pretty 'Time for Bed' nightdress which was published yesterday over at The Sims Resource!

I decided not to create an image for these as they looked better with a pattern on the top.  One of the patterns is non-recolourable as I created this as an overlay with the heart pattern I used on the Hearts 'n' Bows set.

I added a bow which I created with the action script I purchased from Atomic Cupcake.

You may download my Time for Bed nightdress via the link below.

Download Here!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

Motorcar Sleepwear for Toddler Boys

I'm a little late in posting this; on Saturday, my Motorcar Sleepwear for Toddler Boys was published over at The Sims Resource.

I created the motorcar in Photoshop with shapes and added a gradient and bevel for a nice effect.  I then created some trees, clouds and a bird and popped them all together to create a 'picture':

I then created a pattern with the car and trees by hand tiling in Photoshop and used this for the parts I wanted to place a pattern on as an overlay.

Here is the finished result:

Again, I was pleased with how this turned out and had great fun making it!

You may download my Motorcar Sleepwear for Toddler Boys on the link below:

Download Here!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)

I Wanna Play With Brains.......

Woohoo!! The next EP for our beloved Sims 3 game is Supernatural as I'm sure you already know by now :-)

If you want to see the recording of the live chat from The Sims 3 team, you can get that here.

And, here's the announce trailer:

I will of course be changing the options on the poll (to the right) as this one covers the 'Makin Magic' theme.  Love the idea of this and cannot wait for September when it's released. 

Cheers and Happy Simmin'!

~Minicart :-)

Summer Playtime and More Action Scripts!

My new Summer Playtime set for girls is now available for download over at The Sims Resource.

I created the images for the tops with shapes and the pen tool in Photoshop and added patterns to them that I got from The Fat Strawberry.  I then placed these on as an overlay which means that these images are not recolourable although the actual tops are.

The denim shorts I created The Sims 2 way which means that these are also non-recolourable.  However, I was really pleased with how these turned out. 

I created the flowers and hearts embellishment with shapes in Photoshop and then used an embroidery action script that I purchased from Atomic Cupcake to give a nice stitch effect.  Here is one of them:

And this is what it looks like placed together:

For the buttons on the pocket, again I used an action script from Atomic Cupcake after creating the shape and colour of the button in Photoshop:

Unfortunately Atomic Cupcake is no longer trading but there are loads of action scripts you can purchase on the internet - just do a Google search!

Again, I was pleased with how this set turned out and I had a lot of fun creating it. 

If you would like this set in your game, you may download it from the link below:

Download Here!

Cheers!

~Minicart :-)