Custom content:Skins: Difference between revisions

Skins are available for different modes of dressing: Everyday, Pajamas, Swimwear and Formal. Some jobs also have "uniform" skins. There are also nude skins for when a Sim is using a toilet, using the [[WooHoo|Vibrate]] interaction on another Sim or is taking a bath or shower. (a censor blur appears on top of a naked Sim).

In ''The Sims'', all information about a skin file is carried in its filename. The first letter identifies the type of skin. Heads are identified with "C" (for Cranium). Everyday skins are identified with "B" (for Body). Pajamas are identified with "L" (for Lingerie). Formal, Swimwear, Winterwear{{vgversion| (Vacation}}) and High Fashion{{vgversion| (Superstar}}) skins are identified by their initial letters, though players should note that hand files also begin with "H". The next three characters are an identifier for the mesh. [[Maxis]] always used numbers, but creators could, and often did, use letters. The next two letters identify gender and age, respectively. Gender is identified with "f" (female) or "m" (male), while age is identified with "a" (adult) or "c" (child). Technically, child skins could be identified as "uc" (unisex child), but this was rarely done in practice. For body skins (but not heads), the next three letters identify the body type. Next, there are three letters which identify the skin tone as either light (lgt), medium (med), or dark (drk). This is followed by an underscore and the actual name of the skin. Mesh files do not have skin tone information, but otherwise follow this convention, though there are some naming conventions that only apply to mesh files.

Unlike ''The Sims 2'', ''The Sims'' does not distinguish between custom skins and those included with the game. All head skins and Everyday skins are available when aging a [[baby]] to a [[child]], aging a child to an [[adult]] with the '''Age of Instant''' [[Spells (The Sims: Makin' Magic)#List of charms|charm]], or generating a [[townie]].

Once created, a Sim's appearance is not editable from within the game, except for their clothes, which can be changed by using a [[dresser]]. Some third-party utilities let players change a Sim's appearance.

A Sim's body is now separate from their [[Clothes#The Sims 2|clothing]], and there are now 4 basic skin tones (light, medium-light, medium-dark and dark) with each skin tone's graphic files being divided by age and gender. Some skin tones are hidden, and can be accessed by placing [[Create a Sim]] in [[Create a Sim#Debug Mode|Debug Mode]]. In addition, custom skin tones are now possible, and many are available as [[custom content]]. That Sims' bodies and clothing are separate makes all outfits available to all Sims of the appropriate age and gender, regardless of their skin tone or body shape. It also means it is now possible to create distinguishing marks such as tattoos that are unique to a Sim, although in practice this is not an economical use of drive space. (Some outfits are made so that Sims wearing them appear to have tattoos. Pre-made Sims who have tattoos are actually wearing one of those outfits.)

Hair is also separate, with different colors and styles, and eye color can also be set. These traits are carried in a Sim's [[genetics]], and passed on to their [[child]]renchildren. While ''The Sims 2'' generally distinguishes between custom skins and those included with the game, hair is a partial exception. Some hair creators place their creations in their appropriate color bins. Hair that has been "binned" will still be marked as custom content, but it will not be treated as custom hair, and the game may use it when assigning hair to a newly generated Sim.

Sims can [[Change Appearance|change their appearance]] through a [[mirror]]. Hair color, hairstyle, facial hair (male teens and older only) make-up, glasses/head accessories, and face paint can be changed.

[[Pregnancy|Pregnant]] Sims will wear maternity clothes in place of their Everyday outfit. The player cannot [[Plan Outfit|assign]] a pregnant Sim's maternity clothes without using [[mod]]s or modified objects, but many [[custom content]] creators have made default replacements for the Maxis maternity clothes. Pregnant Sims will also have will have maternity PJs, swimwear, and undies, which appear to be Maxis PJs, swimwear, and undies that are using a pregnancy morph. These outfits are not added to the household's wardrobe. Sometimes, a pregnant Sim's hair style will change to a Maxis default when the Sim is in maternity clothes. If the Sim is using custom hair, that is likely because the custom hair style does not have a texture that is set to appear when a Sim is in maternity clothes. Some Maxis hair styles also show this behavior, at least on pre-made Sims. It may be possible to prevent this by using [[Change Appearance]] to change the Sim's hairstyle, then using it again to restore the original Maxis hair style.