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:-)
