My Pets Have No Fluff -Companion Graphics Card List- PATCH 1.32 DISCUSSION

Ryhai · November 2011

Disclaimer
The following list is not meant to be used as a recommendation or buyer's guide in regards to purchasing a new computer. This list merely represents a collection of information based on the personal experience of fellow simmers with said cards.

***See information below about getting your card on one of these lists.***

Graphics Cards Reported To Have The No Fluff Issue (PC)

Intel
Intel (R) HD Graphics
Intel (R) HD Graphics Family
Intel (R) HD Graphics 3000
Intel (R) Graphics media Accelerator HD
Intel G41 Express Chipset
Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset
GMA- Mobile Intel (R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family

NVIDIA
NVIDIA GeForce 6200
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 6700 XL
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS/XT

NVIDIA GeForce 7300
NVIDIA GeForce 7600
NVIDIA GeForce 7650 GS
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS

NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G
NVIDIA GeForce 9100

NVIDIA GeForce GT 120
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M
NVIDIA GeForce 310M (if Optimus enabled, see note below)
NVIDIA GeForce 320M (if Optimus enabled, see note below)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (if Optimus enabled, see note below)
NVIDIA GeForce 525M 1GB (if Optimus enabled, see note below)

***NVIDIA 290.53 Beta Driver Fixing No Fluff Issue In Some Of The Remaining Cards***
A huge thank you to fellow simmer Mary182 who reported that the 290.53 beta driver has resolved the no fluff issue for the Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX. With this finding, it is highly likely that many other cards on the no fluff list will experience the same success. Please post a follow-up report with confirmation screenshot on this thread if you are able to resolve your no fluff issue with this driver.

To download the the beta driver, visit the Nvidia homepage and click on 'Download Drivers'. Under 'Option 3', select the link appropriate for your specific configuration (ex. Desktop GPU: Windows 7, 64-bit), and then download and install the driver.

For a complete and detailed explanation, look for the post by Mary182 near the bottom of the following linked page.

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/510/459616.page#7395082

***Nvidia Optimus Technology***
If you are using a card that employs Nvidia's optimization technology, please visit the thread linked below that deals specifically with switchable graphics and making sure that your computer is indeed changing over to your discrete graphics card when playing The Sims 3. While Optimus is great for the casual user, when it comes to gaming the situation gets a bit sticky as it sometimes fails to detect a high gpu load in certain games and therefore fails to initialize the discrete card. So if your game is actually running on the integrated Intel graphics card instead of the discrete Nvidia card, this is more than likely the cause of your no fluff issue. Please note that this is a very specific situation, your card must be Optimus enabled to benefit from the solution provided in the link below. After following MASchlabach instructions, restart your computer to ensure that the changes take effect. If the no fluff issue still persists, I suggest visiting the Nvidia homepage, and manually checking to make sure that your drivers are up-to-date.

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/464413.page

Graphics Cards Reported To Have The No Fluff Issue (MAC)

AMD/ATI
ATI Radeon HD 2400

ATI Radeon HD 4850

NVIDIA
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

NVIDIA GeForce GT 130
NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256MB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 512 MB

Intel
Intel HD 3000 Graphics ( under Lion 10.7.1; Snow Leopard 10.6.8 )

Graphics Cards Reported To Have Fixed The No Fluff Issue Through A Driver Update (PC)

AMD/ATI
ATI Radeon 3100
ATI Radeon HD 3200
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200
ATI Radeon HD 4250
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330
ATI radeon hd 4350
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 Series
ATI Raedon HD 4650
ATI Radeon HD 4770
ATI Radeon HD 4850
ATI Radeon HD 4870

NVIDIA
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX (resolved by updating specifically to beta driver 290.53)
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9700m GT 512 MB
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+

NVIDIA GeForce G100
NVIDIA GeForce GT220 1 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 230 card
NVIDIA GTX 260M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360m
NVIDIA GTX 460
NVIDIA GeForce 560 x2 (SLI)

AMD/ATI Cards That Always Had Fluff Regardless Of Having Updated Or Outdated Drivers

ATI Radeon HD 3200
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3430
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
ATi Radeon HD 3870 card
ATI Radeon HD 4200
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4270
ATI Radeon HD 4550 (512mb)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
ATI Mobility Radeon 4670
ATI Radeon HD 4850

***Graphics Cards No Fluff Issue Fixed Via The Sims 3 Patch 1.29 (PC)***

AMD/ATI
ATI Mobility FireGl v5200
ATI Radeon HD 5450
ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5470 512mb
ATI Radeon HD 5500
ATI Radeon HD 5570
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650
ATI Radeon HD 5670
ATI Radeon HD 5700 1GB
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730
ATI Mobility Radeon 5740
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1 gig
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 GB
ATI Radeon HD 5800
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 1GB
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870

AMD radeon HD 6250 Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6310
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6370
AMD RADEON HD 6450
AMD Radeon HD 6470M 1GB
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6550
AMD Radeon HD 6570
AMD Radeon HD 6620G
AMD Radeon HD 6670
AMD Radeon HD 6700 1 GB
AMD Radeon HD 6750M
ATI Radeon HD 6770
AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
AMD Radeon hd 6850
AMD Radeon 6900
ATI 6950 2GB
ATI Radeon HD 6970
CLUB 3D AMD Radeon HD 6970 2 GB GDDR5
Sapphire HD 6850
Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB GDDR5
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6990

***Graphics Cards No Fluff Issue Fixed Via The Sims 3 Patch 1.29 (MAC)***

AMD/ATI
ATI Radeon HD 5750

AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256 MB
AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB
AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1GB
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB

See a mistake, let me know below. I am simply copying and pasting information provided to me by fellow simmers. While I do try to cross reference the information provided, I simply do not have the time to double check everything. Corrections are always welcomed.

Ryhai · November 2011

What Exactly Is The No Fluff Issue?

The no fluff issue is when your pets, specifically cats and dogs, do not display soft, fluffy, furry edges, and instead appear as chubby looking blobs with smooth solid edges. Still confused, here are a few visual aids.

The large breed Chow Chow is being used in the following examples. This is a default breed from the game and the coat color has been changed to default white to make the no fluff vs. fluff issue easy to see.

No Fluff

Fluff

<- Left Side No Fluff vs. Right Side Fluff ->

Top: No Fluff

Bottom: Fluff

Fun Fact
All screenshots were taken on the same computer, obviously using the same graphics card. In the Create-A-Pet Demo the pets render fur properly, but in the Pets Expansion Pack they do not.

Detailed Information
For a more in depth explanation and understanding of the no fluff issue view this thread.http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/451611.page

Ryhai · November 2011

Mission Statement
The purpose of this topic is to provided documentation of the graphics cards that seem to be affected by the "No Fluff" problem. We are only addressing the no fluff problem, and not the issue of severely distorted pets.

Information We Are Looking For
If you are experiencing this problem and do not see your card on the list, please post the make and model of your graphics card below, along with the phrase "not on list", to be added to the list. If you are experiencing this problem and are on a Mac, please make a note of this too. If you were experiencing this problem, but were able to resolve it through a driver update, lets us know that, and make sure to include your graphics card information.

*Please keep all postings as tech related as possible.*

Use the following questions as a guide to the type of information we are looking to hear from you.

Information We Really Need
1. What type of graphics card do you have?

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card?

3. What are the specs of your computer? (Please include a dxdiag report)

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on?

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo?

Optional Information
6. What OS are you running?

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine?

8. In general, outside of the no fluff problem, does your game more or less run as it should?

These questions are merely suggestions and there is no need to answer them all. If you think of something else that is not listed, but feel is important and relevant to the no fluff issue, please feel free to include that information as well.

We are trying to provide EA with as much information as possible so that a clearer picture can be established as to how wide spread the no fluff issue is, and the types of graphics cards and computers it seems to be affecting. Hopefully the information that everyone provides will be beneficial in finding a solution to the problem.

General Discussion
For general discussion pertaining to the no fluff issue view this thread. http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/451611.page

Ryhai · November 2011

Updates & Announcements

12/19/2011
Explanation Of The White Outline Issue
Many users have asked about the white outline noticeable on some pets. It's not just limited to the AMD/ATI cards though, I've seen this outline on the Nvidia cards too. The thin white outline is an artifact of applying anti-aliasing to a transparent texture. This is mostly only noticeable on white, beige, light tan, and light gray pet coats. Some more than others, depending on the texture of the fur (curly vs straight) and the size and shape of the pet. It will also be more prominent the higher you set the fur density as you are increasing the transparency of the fur, and may be more or less noticeable depending on the pattern/color of the background behind the pet and how zoomed in you are. If you turn off edge smoothing the white outline will go away, but the graphics will be poor as the edges of all objects will be jagged. Perhaps in the future after EA fixes the no fluff issue for all supported cards, they can work on this small issue by refining how the game applies anti-aliasing to pets and specifically to the transparent edges of the fur.

Picture of pet with white coat on black background wall to display the issue:

Please note that your pet will never look that bad with a variety of background textures as seen here (same pet as above):

The outline is still there, but not as noticeable with various patterns of light colors behind the pet.

ETA- This issue is more pronounced when the color palette of the background is darker:

Picture of pet with brown coat on black background wall to display the issue:

Picture of pet with white coat on black background wall with applied anti-aliasing removed by turning edge smoothing off:

Please note that turning off edge smoothing is not a viable fix for the issue. While your fluffy pets will look fine, your smooth, short coat pets along with the rest of your game graphics will look absolutely terrible.

12/19/2011
Weekly Round Up Report

AMD/ATI (PC)
I have received enough reports to confidently state that all AMD/ATI cards have been fixed and are no longer experiencing the no fluff issue.

If you are experiencing the no fluff issue on an AMD/ATI card you need to either perform a driver update if you have a 3000/4000 Series card, or update to patch 1.29 via The Sims 3 Launcher if you have a 5000/6000 Series card. In both cases, also make sure that you have advanced rendering turned on (boxed checked) in your in-game settings menu. Performing the steps outlined above will resolve the no fluff issue.

Nvidia (PC)
Certain Nvidia cards are still experiencing the no fluff issue despite having updated drivers, advanced rendering on, and The Sims 3 updated to the latest patch.

Thank you to all the Nvidia users who have taken the time to post their dxdiag report. I will add any new cards not previously reported to the no fluff list on page 1 of this thread.

After looking at all of the new data that has been collected, it seems that the no fluff issue is a bit more widespread than I initially thought. The list of Nvidia cards on the no fluff list is actually growing as a result of the new dxdiag reports coming in. I am noticing that unlike the AMD/ATI cards in which there was an obvious division between the cards that worked and the ones that did not, that it is a little bit more tricky where the Nvidia cards are concerned as the affected cards are a bit scattered in terms of series, although I will say that I have noticed many of the NVIDIA GeForce 6000/7000 Series cards seem to be experiencing the issue. That's why it is so important to post a dxdiag report if you are experiencing the no fluff issue, so that EA can know exactly which models of cards are affected.

Intel (PC)
All of the Intel cards are still experiencing the no fluff issue despite having updated drivers, advanced rendering on, and The Sims 3 updated to the latest patch. There is not much else to say, but if you haven't done so already, please post a dxdiag report.

Mac
A bit of good news here. Based on the reports that I have received, all macs with an AMD 6000 Series card, which includes any mac released in 2011 that includes a discrete card (2011 13-inch MacBook Pro only has integrated), has had the no fluff issue resolved after installing patch 1.29 through The Sims 3 Launcher.

If you are still experiencing the no fluff issue and would like to create a makeshift report that will serve to provide some basic technical information about your Mac, please do the following:

1. From the apple menu(click apple icon upper left hand corner) select "About this mac" and copy and paste the processor and memory info into your post.

2. Continuing from "About this mac" select "more info"; click on the category "Graphic/Displays from the left hand menu under "Hardware" and copy and paste the name of your "chipset model"(graphics card) into your post.

Summary
I just want to reinforce that the no fluff issue is a game issue and not a card issue for the majority of users that are using an officially supported card. Outside of updating your drivers, having advanced rendering on, and updating your game to the latest patch, not much else can be done. The fix will need to come from a future patch for the game itself, if the current one did not resolve the issue. It may take some time, but I believe that the majority of the cards that had fluff in the Create-a-Pet Demo, should be able to be fixed so that the card renders fluff properly in the Pets EP.

12/19/2011
How To Create And Post A Dxdiag Report:

Windows XP & Windows Vista (link provided by SimGuruMeatball)

http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/22070.page

Windows 7
1. Click Start (windows icon)

2. type "dxdiag" in the "search programs and files" bar

3. Click the program dxdiag (blue circle with yellow x icon) *A new window should open with the title "DirectX Diagnostic Tool"*

4. At the bottom of this window click the button "Save All Information..." *Make a note where you are saving this file*

5. Open text file "DxDiag" press CRTL+A to select all text, and then copy and paste this information into your forum post.

12/15/2011
The No Fluff Issue, The Graphics Card List, and Patch 1.29
As you all know patch 1.29 was released today and among numerous fixes, it does resolve the no fluff issue for certain cards. So let's jump right in to the status update for the cards on the no fluff graphics card list.

AMD/ATI X1300, X1600, & X1800 Series Cards
These cards will be removed from all list for the following reason. These cards are nearly six years old and AMD/ATI has placed them on legacy status meaning that they no longer provide driver support updates for these particular cards. The last date of official support from AMD/ATI was February 2010. While the game will run, it cannot perform as expected due to a lack of driver support, and I am quite certain will never be able to render the fur of cats and dogs properly. Since this falls under a card issue and not a game issue, once a manufacturer stops supporting a card, unfortunately not much can be done.

AMD/ATI 3000/4000 Series Cards
Nothing changed for these cards as users were either not experiencing the no fluff issue, or if they were, a driver update was able to resolve the issue. I was able to verify that performing a driver update resolved the no fluff problem on the last four remaining 3000/4000 Series cards that were on the no fluff list, so they will be moving to the driver update list.

If you have a card from either of these series and are still experiencing the no fluff issue, I recommend that you visit the AMD homepage or the website of the manufacturer of your computer and manually check to see if there are any driver updates available for your specific card. A driver update and making certain that you have advanced rendering on in your in-game graphics settings should resolve the issue. If the no fluff issue still persists, post a dxdiag report (instructions available under the Updates & Announcements Section on page 1) and I will take a look at it and help you troubleshoot the problem.

AMD/ATI 5000/6000 Series Cards
Finally good news for this series of cards. With the release of patch 1.29, all reports that I have received are stating that this patch has resolved the no fluff issue on all cards from these series.

If you have a card from either of these series and are still experiencing the no fluff issue, make sure that your drivers are up-to-date and that you have advanced rendering on in your in-game graphics settings. If the no fluff issue still persists, post a dxdiag report (instructions available under the Updates & Announcements Section on page 1) and I will take a look at it and help you troubleshoot the problem.

Nvidia
I think that this patch should have resolved any lingering no fluff issues, but cannot be certain as I have not received any reports from Nvidia(PC) users since the release of Patch 1.29. If the patch did not resolve your no fluff issue, double check your graphics card driver and visit the NVIDIA homepage or the website of the manufacturer of your computer and manually check to see if there are any driver updates available for your specific card. If the no fluff issue still persists, post a dxdiag report (instructions available under the Updates & Announcements Section on page 1) and I will take a look at it and help you troubleshoot the problem.

Intel
Unfortunately all of the reports that I have received since the release of patch 1.29 are stating that the no fluff issue has not been resolved for any of the Intel cards. At the moment the only thing that you can do is to keep up with any future driver update releases and if you haven't done so already, please post a dxdiag report if you are experiencing the no fluff issue. Instructions are available under the Updates & Announcements Section on page 1.

Mac
I have seen a few scattered reports, with screenshots proving the some Mac users did have their no fluff issue resolved through the 1.29 patch. Unfortunately, they did not post any details about the specific model that they were using. So if you are reading this and you are a Mac user who now has fluff since patching your game, it would be great if you could do the following:

1. From the apple menu(click apple icon upper left hand corner) select "About this mac" and copy and paste the processor and memory info into your post.

2. Continuing from "About this mac" select "more info"; click on the category "Graphic/Displays from the left hand menu under "Hardware" and copy and paste the name of your "chipset model"(graphics card) into your post.

Those of you who are still experiencing the no fluff issue can also perform steps 1 & 2 if you would like to create a makeshift report that will serve to provide some basic technical information about your Mac for you to post on this thread. Just make sure to include a clear note stating if you are currently experience the no fluff issue or if patch 1.29 resolved your no fluff issue.

With this information I am looking to gain a clearer picture about which specific Macs have had their no fluff issue resolved through the latest EA patch. Just like with the AMD/ATI cards, it is a process of elimination in which you seek to identify the cards that are working, and then use that information to figure out why the other cards are not.

Summary
Expect to see a lot of changes to the no fluff list over the next few days. Due to the collective effort of everyone who posted their dxdiag report and additional information, we have effectively raised awareness of the no fluff issue and have successfully had the issue resolved on the 5000/6000 Series of AMD/ATI Cards. This victory is just as important to the Intel and Mac Cards that are still affected by the no fluff issue despite the 1.29 patch because it 100% proves that the no fluff issue is a direct result of a game issue, and not the cards that are experiencing the problem. So a huge thank you to everyone who has worked hard to keep this issue at the forefront, we are beginning to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, and I hope that you all will continue to advocate for the remaining cards that are still experiencing the no fluff issue.

12/15/2011
Quick Tip Concerning Fluff Appearance:
For people who feel that their pets still look a bit blocky and do not have enough fluff, increasing the fur density will both make your pet appear thinner and make the fluff of your pet much more pronounced. For a pet already in your household simply click on your pet and select "customize collar and coat"; click "coat" icon; click "fur shape" tab; click "advanced mode"(paintbrush button); and use the fur density slider to adjust the fluff to your liking.

*These three images are exactly the same angle and position, only the fur density was changed.

As can be see above, low density fur(slider to the left) closely resembles how the Chow looked with the no fluff issue. The Chow is slightly chubby/blocky with just a bit of fluff. Medium density(slider in the middle) will give you, in my opinion, the best balance of a thinner, svelte pet with delicate but pronounced fluff. High density(slider to the right) will produce a heftier pet with very pronounced thicker looking fluff.

There are an additional two in-between slider positions, but I felt that it was only important to showcase the main positions to really see the difference. I hope the dark color of the fur and white background serve to bring out the differences in the fur density as seen in-game.

12/15/2011
Explanation/Solution To Why Pets Don't Look As Fluffy In Game As They Do In Create-A-Household

Several users have brought to my attention that their pets do no appear as fluffy in-game as they do in create-a-pet. The good news is that this isn't a serious issue, just the tiniest of glitch with the game handling things a bit strangely.

So if you go into create-a-household and select the Chow Chow, most of the time the fur will look like this:

(I say "most" because sometimes the game will display a Chow with the lowest density fur)

But in the game it will appear less fluffy like this:

This is because despite what fur density automatically shows when you create a pet, the game for some reason secretly always has the default set to the lowest fur density. When I was performing some tests, I noticed that despite my Chow looking like the first picture, when I went into the fur density menu, the Chow changed in appearance display the lowest density fur despite the fur density slider being in the middle for moderately dense fur. Simply clicking on the plumbob slider was enough to activate the coat at the density originally displayed. From here you can also move the sliders to increase or decrease the fur density to your preference, but you at least need to go into Coat>Fur Shape>Advanced Mode>Fur Density and click the plumbob slider icon to activate the coat at the density originally displayed.

Same Chow as above after fur density slider icon was clicked (not moved) to activate the original fur density as displayed in the first picture in create-a-household.

I hope this made sense. If not, let me know and I will try to clarify the instructions better.

12/6/2011
Weekly Round Up, My Own Personal Observations:

Sorry the weekly report is a few days late, I was just trying to figure out what the next step should be. Right now I'm working on cleaning up the list, and am looking for information on the following cards:

AMD/ATI *PC Only (3000/4000 Series, older cards)
ATI Radeon X1300
ATI Radeon X1600 Series

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330
ATI Radeon HD 4770

NVIDIA *PC Only
NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
Nvidia GeForce 6200
NVIDIA GeForce 6700 XL
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GS/XT
Nvidia GeForce 7050
NVIDIA Geforce 7300
NVIDIA GeForce 7600
NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G
NVIDIA GeForce 9100
NVIDIA GeForce 9700m GT 512 mb
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS

Nvidia Geforce GT 120
Nvidia GEFORCE GTS 250M
NVIDIA geforce 310m
NVIDIA GeForce 320M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (try updating drivers, works for some)
Nvidia Geforce 525m 1GB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti
Nvidia nForce 610i

If you have one of the cards listed above, and have resolved your no fluff issue through a driver update or other means, please let me know and provide a screenshot of a pet with fluff so that I may visually confirm the fix. If you have one of the cards listed above and are not experiencing the no fluff issue, please let me know that too, along with a screenshot. These particular cards are unique in that similiar cards previously in these cateogories were able to resolve the no fluff issue through a driver update and/or change in the in-game graphics settings. I feel that many more may be able to be fixed, or possibly have already been fixed, but a follow-up report was not posted. Any information is greatly appreciated, and may possibly help other simmers to resolve their no fluff issue.

AMD/ATI (5000/6000 Series), Intel, & Mac
These cards are not listed above because to date, I have had no reports of users being able to resolve their no fluff issue through a driver update or change in the in-game graphics settings. If you have been able to resolve the no fluff issue on one of these cards, please provide your exact model of graphics card and if you are on a PC or Mac, a dxdiag report, state if you used a driver update or some other means of resolving the issue, and most importantly, please provide an in-game (not create-a-household) screenshot of a pet in which the fluff can easily be seen.

I know that this is not much in terms of helping the people with cards in which a driver update or change in the game graphics settings does nothing to fix the issue, but this is the only thing that I can think of at the moment. I figure by weeding out the cards that can be fixed with a driver update, we can then have a laser-like focus on the cards that cannot be fixed through these means which will hopefully be of benefit to EA and lead to the eventual resolution of this issue.

Last but not least, I just want to give a big thank you to all of the simmers out there who have contributed their data. Every bit of information really does help.

*As usual, if you are reading this and have not done so already, please post a dxdiag report if you are experiencing the no fluff issue. Visit page 1 of this thread for an explanation and visual examples of what the no fluff issue is, and see the Updates & Announcements Section for instructions on how to post a dxdiag report.

11/27/2011
Weekly Round Up, My Own Personal Observations:
Once again a huge thank you to all of the super simmers out there that have taken the time to report their cards and post their dxdiag reports. Although the no fluff issue still affects a great number of people, because of all the data that has been collected, it has become much easier to identify the cards in which a graphics driver update can resolve the problem, leading to several users being able to fix their no fluff issue. This is a direct result of everyone working together and contributing what they can, so cheers all around!

3000/4000 Series AMD/ATI & NVIDIA Graphics Cards

There has been a definite growing trend in the number of these cards that can be fixed with a driver update. So as always if you haven't done so already, please visit the website of your graphics card or the website of the manufacturer of your computer and manually check to see if there are any driver updates available for your specific card. Do not solely rely on an automatic driver update detection program to tell you if your drivers are up to date, these programs can sometimes falsely report that your drivers are current when they are actually outdated.

If you are able to fix your card through a driver update, please report back informing us of your success. I really think that many more of these cards can be removed from the no fluff list, but I need to have confirmation of the card being fixed, or an overwhelming majority of users reporting never experiencing the no fluff issue on a particular card to do so. Follow-up reports with screenshots included of a pet in which the fluff can easily be seen are very useful for identifying and confirming which cards can be fixed through a simple driver update.

Intel & Mac Graphics Cards

Not much has changed for those of you experiencing the no fluff issue. Even though it is not fixing the problem, keep checking the Intel homepage or the website of the manufacturer of your computer for any new driver updates. You may not be able to do much regarding this issue, but at least keeping your drivers current confirms that the no fluff issue is still an ongoing problem for your cards and that a driver update is not correcting the issue.

For the Mac owners out there that are affected by the no fluff issue, just be sure to keep up with your weekly software updates, and it may be worth visiting the apple website support downloads section on occasion to see if there are any updates available that may address your situation. I know that this is currently not going to resolve the issue, but that is all that can be done at the moment, and like stated above, this demonstrates that the no fluff issue is not a result of user error or incorrect in-game graphics settings.

5000/6000 Series AMD/ATI Graphics Cards

The 5000/6000 Series of AMD/ATI cards continue to be the most widely affected cards. I still have not received a single report of a user owning a card from either of these series, and not having the no fluff issue. I stand by my statement that the entire 5000/6000 series of AMD/ATI cards has the no fluff issue despite being updated to the latest 11.11 drivers, running the game with maxed out settings/advanced rendering on, and greatly exceeding the recommended computer specs for the game.

Summary
Keep up with any and all graphics driver updates and report back if you are able to fix your no fluff issues and be sure to include a screenshot. I know this issue can be frustrating, but we all just have to be patient and hope that all of the data that everyone has been posting will help in finding a solution.

*As usual, if you are reading this and have not done so already, please post of dxdiag report if you are experiencing the no fluff issue. Visit page 1 of this thread for an explanation and visual examples of what the no fluff issue is, and see the Updates & Announcements Section for instructions on how to post a dxdiag report.

11/20/2011 - Update 2
Fascinating Observation

So I just noticed some really interesting things that stemmed out of re-reading simmer oixsam's postings.

Post 1: No Fluff Issue

oixsam wrote:

1. What type of graphics card do you have?
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 Series

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card?
Yes

3. What are the basic specs (no dxdiag) of your computer?
Pentium Dual-Core @ 2.10Ghz
4GB RAM

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on?
Everything but Tree Detail is on high, and advanced rendering is on

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo?
Didn't install it - EDIT: Have installed Create-A-Pet Demo, and cats and dogs have fluff. But, there is still kind of like a thin white outline around the edge of the fur.

6. What OS are you running?
Windows Vista 32-bit Edition

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine?
Yes

8. In general, outside of the no fluff problem, does your game more or less run as it should?
Yes

Post 2: Fixed No Fluff Issue

oixsam wrote:

EDIT: (I have deleted the original post with my DxDiag to save space ) It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the no fluff issue for my ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 Series has been resolved through a driver update... Having had to go through the notebook manufacturer themselves to get the update, as the software direct from AMD does not support Toshiba notebooks.

Also, Ryhai, your efforts regarding this issue are outstanding! My little Shiba Inu would still be a fluffless tan blob without your help.

What stands out to me is the following:

1. Experiences the no fluff issue in the Pets EP

2. Downloads the CAP Demo and does not experience the no fluff issue in the CAP Demo

3. Updates drivers for the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 Series Card; no fluff issue is now fixed in the Pets EP

Now I've already stated that most AMD/ATI 3000 and 4000 series cards seem to be able to have the no fluff issue fixed through a driver update. That's not what peaked my curiosity. What's interesting here is that we have a documented case of a user having fluff in the CAP Demo, not having fluff in the Pets EP, and then needing a driver update in order to get the graphics card to render the fluff of cats and dogs properly in the Pets EP, despite already being able to render the fluff of cats and dogs properly in the CAP demo.

What does this mean? Are the CAP Demo and Pets EP working on two different engines? Why did this user need a driver update to regain something lost in the Pets EP, that was already present in the CAP Demo? Why doesn't a driver update fix the 5000 and 6000 series of AMD/ATI cards? Why are cards that are 3 to 4 years old able to fix the no fluff issue through a driver update, or have never experienced it in this first place?

The lack of continuity between the CAP Demo and the Pets EP is really curious and fascinating to me. I had always thought that if the demo rendered the fur of cats and dogs properly, then the game should too. But now we have documented proof of the CAP Demo having fluff, the Pets EP not having fluff, and then the Pets Ep needing a driver update to have fluff, despite the CAP Demo having fluff all along.

11/20/2011 - Update 1
Weekly Round Up, My Own Personal Observations:
Thanks to all of the awesome simmers out there that are reporting their cards and posting their dxdiag reports, a clearer picture is starting to come together concerning the no fluff issue and certain cards.

AMD/ATI
Two major developments this week. First thing that I have noticed this week is that I am removing more of the 4000 and 3000 series cards off of the no fluff list as more people are reporting that their cards have been fixed after manually updating their drivers.

Second thing that I have noticed this week is that I am adding more of the 5000 and 6000 series cards to the no fluff list. To date, I still have not received a single report stating that a card from the 5000 or 6000 series is rendering the fur of cats and dogs properly and is not affected by the no fluff issue. At this point, I feel pretty confident making the following statement.

All of the 5000 and 6000 series AMD/ATI cards are affected by the no fluff issue. (Being updated to the latest 11.11 drivers has no effect on this issue)

NVIDIA
The best advice that I can give to you is to manually update your graphics card if you are experiencing the no fluff issue. Either go to the NVIDIA homepage, or the website of the manufacturer of your computer to download and install the appropriate graphics drivers. Do not solely rely on an automatic driver update detection program to tell you if your drivers are up to date, these programs can sometimes falsely report that your drivers are current when they are actually outdated.

I am still getting that weird 50/50 split concerning some graphics cards where half the people tell me the don't have the no fluff issue and half the people tell me that they do. That is why I am urging people to do a manual check to see if their drivers are the most current ones. I'm hoping that if more people do this, that I will be able to develop a clearer picture concerning NVIDIA cards that are affected by the no fluff issue.

*If you are able to fix your card through a driver update, it would be great if you could leave a post telling me about your success so that I can pass that information on to others.

Intel
It's hard to notice any glaring trends concerning your cards and the no fluff issue just because there is not a large amount of cards listed, but I do recommend that you visit the Intel homepage or the website of the manufacturer of your computer and manually check to see if there are any driver updates available for your specific card.

Mac Owners
Unfortunately, not much can be done until it can be determined what is causing the no fluff issue for certain graphics cards. Going to your graphics card manufacturer's website won't help as any driver updates that you need would be included in the general software update. And I'm guessing that a driver update won't be a part of a general software update until it is determined for all computers and cards what exactly is causing the no fluff issue and how it can be fixed. So hang in there with the rest of us, I believe eventually this problem will be resolved. I am both a PC and Mac user, so if you have something regarding the no fluff issue, that you want me to check out on my mac, just let me know.

11/18/2011

***Really IMPORTANT UPDATE***

EA is requesting that people who are experiencing the no fluff issue to please post your dxdiag report so that they can get a clearer picture of the situation.

How to post your dxdiag:

Windows XP & Windows Vista (link provided by SimGuruMeatball)

http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/22070.page

Windows 7
1. Click Start (windows icon)

2. type "dxdiag" in the "search programs and files" bar

3. Click the program dxdiag (blue circle with yellow x icon) *A new window should open with the title "DirectX Diagnostic Tool"*

4. At the bottom of this window click the button "Save All Information..." *Make a note where you are saving this file*

5. Open text file "DxDiag" press CRTL+A to select all text, and then copy and paste this information into your forum post.

11/11/2011
List has been updated, and will resume being regularly updated on a daily basis.

***Nvidia Owners***
To the Nvidia owners with the no fluff issue, yours is the most perplexing as some users have been able to fix their pets through a driver update, while others have not. I'm trying my best to sort your cards into the proper category, but sometimes it gets tricky with all of the conflicting info. I make the final call by going with what the majority is experiencing, so if you don't agree with where your card has been categorized, just let me know and I will consider double categorizing it.

Also, I think I removed one or two of these cards off of the list because an overwhelming majority of users were not experiencing the no fluff issue. If at all possible, always manually check for any applicable driver updates and do not rely on a program to do it for you (it can miss updates).

Most of what I said above applies to PC only as similar cards on Macs run differently and updates are handled through a general all-inclusive software update.

***No Fluff Headquarters*** (My Pets have no fluff - List of Graphics cards with and w/o issue thread)

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/451611.page

A 50+ page lively discussion thread. Visit this friendly bunch to chat, vent, and discuss all things regarding the fluff issue.

sereia8 · November 2011

Yes, mine's already there on the no fluff list.

stikystuff · November 2011

I have AMD/ATI radeon HD 6770 .

Purchased card yesterday, updated drivers and have the no fluff issue.

tigerlily319 · November 2011

I have the GMA- Mobile Intel (R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family card. It is not on the list, but I do have the "no fluff" issue. I have updated my graphics drivers. I have advanced rendering on and all my settings on max. In the demo my pets did have fluff. I'm running Vista. It is only the cats and dogs and that have the fluff issue and all other animals are normal, and other than this my game runs completely fine as it should.

Jadeleine · November 2011

I have Ati Radeon HD 4870 and latest driver update did not help with white lines around fluffy pets problem.

Specs:
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9440)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 2808 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1016 MB
Shared Memory: 1791 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Intelcore 2CPU E8400 3Ghz
RAM: 4gt
Windows Vista 64

The game automatically sets almost all the graphic settings to the highest. I have actually lowered details in trees and turned smoothing edges off, but nothing helps with the white lines thing.

Lendyyen · November 2011

Nice job Ryhai. :-) Hopefully they will sticky this until there is a fix.

@Jadeliene- The white line is a separate issue. People with no fluff can't see the white line at all.

inf666 · November 2011

Ok, I'm coming to a conclusion on this issue and I don't believe it really has anything to do with the game itself in general. As for the ATI users it boils down to the Nivida PhysX/Cuda engine that is allowing the Overall Nvidia users to see this issue without warrant.

However, being as ATI does not support PhysX/Cuda like Nvidia this is one of the main reasons, in my opinion, why it is not working for ATI users.

Yes while the game will run flawlessly with an ATI card the graphics rendering will not. And I believe this is due to the fact of the above mentioned.

If you go and do your research ( and I imagine this is why EA has not fessed up to this issue ) it cannot be fixed till ATI comes up with something to fix this issue. Or...and this is a big Or...EA does something to the Graphics Engine of the game that renders the fluffiness of the animals in question that will compensate for the PhysX/Cuda Engine not running properly for the Pets Expansion with ATI cards.

This has been an ongoing problem for ATI and from my understanding ATI is trying to work out a deal with Nvidia to allow the PhysX/Cuda engine to run on their cards. At the moment though everything is up in arms as Nvidia is being very tight lipped about the whole ordeal and won't release any information about what ATI has proposed to them on terms for information to get those engines to run on ATI cards.

So, bottom line is, It's up to you EA to either DUMP the PhysX/Cuda engine in your game so a broader fan base can experience the game. Or, for those of us that are ATI users, we wait till ATI/AMD comes out with something to fix this issue. I'm going to go with the latter of the 2 as I know what it would take to rewrite the code based for the graphics engine of the game. And it's not something that could be done on an overnight basis.

So for all you ATI users, all I can say is Good Luck with your Non-Fluffy Pets.

What I want to hear from The Sims 3 Development Team is to answer a few very simple questions..

1. Was the PhysX/Cuda engine from Nvidia used during the development of the expansion or the game in general?

2. Was this expansion based solely on the assumption that it would run on Nvidia based video cards that support PhysX/Cuda and not thoroughly tested under ATI specs?

The only reason I'm even posting this information is because I have gone to the extent of purchasing an EVGA GeForce GTX 590 this morning.

I then installed the latest drivers and fired up the game.

Guess what?? I have fluffiness with PhysX enabled. I take off PhysX and the fluffiness disappears.

So, with this in mind knowing that it is something to do with PhysX for particle referencing, explain to me why you would even do that to your ATI Fan Base EA?

For myself, I will be running both cards in my system and using the GeForce card as my secondary and using my SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6990 as my main card. It outperforms the GeForce by a significant measure in numbers per FPS and graphics quality for my Sims 3 game along with all the particle referencing the game has to offer. All the while keeping the PhysX engine running in the background for the fluffiness of the pets.

I suggest for future expansions EA if you do come out with them for this series you take into consideration that not everyone can afford to do what I do. Nor can a lot of people actually be tech enough to figure out the issues to even configure a rig like this. Patience was my key to resolving this and coming up with a solution to fix my problem. A very costly one at that. So thank you for making me spend a little over $1400.00 just to see the expansion of your game look properly.

I'm an ATI fan and have been for years. And I will continue to use ATI products till my gaming pinky finger bleeds!!!

Kikionparas · November 2011

@inf666:

Are you saying the graphics card cost $1400.00?? :shock:

I'm still not convinced that it's the graphics card that is at fault, as the demo works fine on the same computer and has fluff. If it is the Particle Rendering thing that you said, then surely that means that EA added/removed something to/from the game after releasing the demo, which would probably be easy to put back in or fix, right?

Kylieb191 · November 2011

ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5470 = fluff working?

inf666 · November 2011

Kikionparas wrote:

@inf666:

Are you saying the graphics card cost $1400.00?? :shock:

I'm still not convinced that it's the graphics card that is at fault, as the demo works fine on the same computer and has fluff. If it is the Particle Rendering thing that you said, then surely that means that EA added/removed something to/from the game after releasing the demo, which would probably be easy to put back in or fix, right?

No the graphics card(s) did not cost individually $1400.00. Individually the SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6990 cost me $689.99US And the EVGA GeForce GTX 590 cost me $709.99US this morning. So combined it ran me a little over $1400.00US after taxes within the past week.

As for the Particle Rendering, PhysX is playing a part in this. Wereas with the GeForce card I can see all the effects perfectly. As soon as I shut off the PhysX engine and go direct to the ATI card I lose all that. So something is definitely amiss in the ATI cards.

As for the question at hand, I run both cards in my system at the same time. However, my Radeon is my primary card for my games. I just use the GeForce for the PhysX engine to run and let the Radeon do all the work.

I just wish that these 2 companies would stop fighting each other and look at the bigger picture. They are both in the gaming industry. They both have very powerful gaming video cards. They both have technology that would benefit each other. Stop fighting each other and make us a gaming video card that eats these games for lunch and stop making the people decide all the time what video cards play games and what do not. It's real simple...

If Nvidia and ATI would put their resources together and just come out with something together we wouldn't have these stupid little issues like this all the time. It's so frustrating and not at all a money conscious decision to the consumer.

Kylierose19 wrote:

ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5470 = fluff working?

Nope....

Ryhai · November 2011

@ Kylierose19

Could you please provide a bit more information. Are these screenshots from the Create-A-Pet Demo, or the actual Pets EP?

Kylieb191 · November 2011

Ryhai wrote:

@ Kylierose19

Could you please provide a bit more information. Are these screenshots from the Create-A-Pet Demo, or the actual Pets EP?

whoops, I forgot to put that part, it's the actual pets EP

I didn't download the create-a-pet as I heard all the horror stories and didn't want to risk it. If you want any information about my computer I can do that for you too

Ryhai · November 2011

Kylierose19 wrote:

whoops, I forgot to put that part, it's the actual pets EP I didn't download the create-a-pet as I heard all the horror stories and didn't want to risk it. If you want any information about my computer I can do that for you too

Yes please. Any of the suggested questions listed at the beginning of this thread that you feel like answering would be very helpful.

Jean · November 2011

Well, I have fluff and my card is a Nvidia Geforce GT 540M, with 2GB of memory.

Kylieb191 · November 2011

1. What type of graphics card do you have? ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card? Yes

3. What are the basic specs (no dxdiag) of your computer? 4GB Memory, 2.0GH, 1MB L2 Cache, 2304 MB Hypermemory, 500GB HDD... any more needed just tell me

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on? All High or on Very High, I do have advanced rendering on

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo? N/A - I didn't install it

Optional Information
6. What OS are you running? Windows 7 - I think that' what you mean

(that's what comes to mind when it's OS)

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine? yes - although I only have horses

8. In general, outside of the no fluff problem, does your game more or less run as it should? yes - just a bit of pausing to catch up for a few seconds which I don't mind

I have this information to back anything up

sereia8 · November 2011

@kylierose, it does look like you have fluff.

Gladis · November 2011

I have the no fluff problem and my graphic card is AMD radeon HD 6530M.

Kylieb191 · November 2011

sereia8 wrote:

@kylierose, it does look like you have fluff.

yay! - I was worried as it doesn't like it compared to the pictures that was posted from a create-a-pet demo picture in this topic

, I think I used the same dog aswell ^_^

Ryhai · November 2011

Kylierose19 wrote:

1. What type of graphics card do you have? ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card? Yes

3. What are the basic specs (no dxdiag) of your computer? 4GB Memory, 2.0GH, 1MB L2 Cache, 2304 MB Hypermemory, 500GB HDD... any more needed just tell me

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on? All High or on Very High, I do have advanced rendering on

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo? N/A - I didn't install it

Optional Information
6. What OS are you running? Windows 7 - I think that' what you mean (that's what comes to mind when it's OS)

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine? yes - although I only have horses

8. In general, outside of the no fluff problem, does your game more or less run as it should? yes - just a bit of pausing to catch up for a few seconds which I don't mind

I have this information to back anything up

I have just one more question. Have you always had fluff, or did it only appear after a driver update?

Kylieb191 · November 2011

Ryhai wrote:

I have just one more question. Have you always had fluff, or did it only appear after a driver update?

I have always had the fluff - although when I had a pug dog the tail looked un-pug like but that's just me being a nit pick

mrswoo5 · November 2011

Hi, i have a AMD Radeon HD 6700 1 GB graphics card,

Yes my drivers are updated, few days ago,

6 GB memory, Windows 7 64 bit, i7-2600cpu @3.40GHz,(8 CPUs) 3.4 GHz,

Graphic settings all on very high or high, advanced rendering is on,

No did not install CAP demo,

Have no problems with other animals or any pet deformities,

Yes game runs well no other issues.

Treebiter · November 2011

1. What type of graphics card do you have?

ATI 6950 2GB

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card?

Yes

3. What are the basic specs (no dxdiag) of your computer?

Intel i5 2500K @ 4.5ghz
4GB DDR3 1600 Ram

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on?

All High or Very High, Advanced Rendering is ON

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo?

Yes, Fluff in Demo. However, Fluff had a thin 'outline' as some others have reported.

Optional Information

6. What OS are you running?

Win7 64 Home

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine?

Yes

8. In general, outside of the no fluff problem, does your game more or less run as it should?

Yes

Annsley · November 2011

1. What type of graphics card do you have?
Intel HD 3000.

2. Have you updated to the latest drivers for your card?
Yes.

3. What are the basic specs (no dxdiag) of your computer?
1.7 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB DDR3 RAM
Lion OSX 10.7.2

4. What are your in-game graphics settings, and do you have advanced rendering on?
All set to low, with advanced rendering on.

5. If you installed and used the Create-A-Pet Demo, did your cats and dogs have fluff in the demo?
Yes, there is fluff in the demo. Even though the skins are all black/messed up after I updated to Lion 10.7.2 (known issue with Macs), if you zoom in in the demo version, you can still clearly see an outline of fluff. Not so in the actual game.

7. Besides the fluff of cats and dogs, do all other animals appear to render fine?
The animals looked fine under Lion 10.7.1, although still no fluff. After updating to 10.7.2, which came with a graphics driver update, all of the sims and the pets (but not the horses strangely) all come out black/flickering/brown when zoomed in. If you zoom out enough that the sims don't have to be too detailed, then they appear normal. No deformation, however.

The Sims Forums

My Pets Have No Fluff -Companion Graphics Card List- PATCH 1.32 DISCUSSION

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The Sims Forums

My Pets Have No Fluff -Companion Graphics Card List- ***PATCH 1.32 DISCUSSION***

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My Pets Have No Fluff -Companion Graphics Card List- PATCH 1.32 DISCUSSION