Home› Discussion› The Sims 4 General Discussion
  • Categories
  • Discussions
  • Activity
  • Best Of...
    • Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

    Do you regard CAS as an artform? Or am I just obsessed?

    «13
    Nate_Whiplash1Nate_Whiplash1 Posts: 4,123 Member
    in The Sims 4 General Discussion
    Do you fret about every detail of your Sim's appearance? Or is close good enough? There's no right answer here btw, it's all about your preference.

    I have to admit that I obsess, and my mind's eye must be replicated in CAS. Every single facial feature must be manipulated, stuff that some wouldn't even think of changing. Body proportions must be correct, and all of those proportions are different based on character. The walk, the voice...all of it must be correct. And if I"m not satisfied with it in gameplay, I'll go back and change it.

    Are you the same way? Or do I just need to get a life? lol

    Comments

    • Options
      ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
      I did in the Sims 3. That hair customization was so nice with the coloring options. I had fun with those eyelashes too. Sims 4 CAS, not so much, but I do enjoy the CAP more than the CAS because it does allow me to be creative. I generally liked making Sims bios in the past as well.
      “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
    • Options
      LJKLJK Posts: 257 Member
      Why would any of us tell you to get a life? All of us would rather play a simulation of it, no? :tongue:

      I do put in a lot of effort into my Sims. The voice must fit the face, the face has to be unique (I especially love purposefully putting in "flaws" in the face to ensure the Sim looks like none other), and there even has to be a practical reason, story-wise, on why I would use the Sim. The body needs to reflect the Sim's face and personality (for example, it wouldn't make sense for a lazy Sim to be muscular) and I've lately been trying not to avoid my Sims having similar faces. I've also expanded into creating men. I used to only make women.
    • Options
      ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
      LJK wrote: »
      Why would any of us tell you to get a life? All of us would rather play a simulation of it, no? :tongue:

      I do put in a lot of effort into my Sims. The voice must fit the face, the face has to be unique (I especially love purposefully putting in "flaws" in the face to ensure the Sim looks like none other), and there even has to be a practical reason, story-wise, on why I would use the Sim. The body needs to reflect the Sim's face and personality (for example, it wouldn't make sense for a lazy Sim to be muscular) and I've lately been trying not to avoid my Sims having similar faces. I've also expanded into creating men. I used to only make women.
      So true, real life makeup can take a lot more time to apply and sometimes it can take me awhile to find the right outfit to wear for the day.
      “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
    • Options
      OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 5,000 Member
      Everyone has their own artistic style and viewpoint. For me, so long as the sims themselves look decent and fit my basic idea I'm OK with that. Not big into makeup, including the ladies, so that's not a big deal. My 2 things are hair and attire. I have a concept of the 'role' the sim will fill so am particular about those two. A sim that's going to be primarily jungle exploring will be and look different than one I plan on having as the next James/Jane Bond. Now, if only we had cars...
    • Options
      channel4simschannel4sims Posts: 22 Member
      Hello! I guess I'm the same way. I spent months to get a character right hahah
    • Options
      Nate_Whiplash1Nate_Whiplash1 Posts: 4,123 Member
      Oldeseadogge wrote: »
      Everyone has their own artistic style and viewpoint. For me, so long as the sims themselves look decent and fit my basic idea I'm OK with that. Not big into makeup, including the ladies, so that's not a big deal. My 2 things are hair and attire. I have a concept of the 'role' the sim will fill so am particular about those two. A sim that's going to be primarily jungle exploring will be and look different than one I plan on having as the next James/Jane Bond. Now, if only we had cars...

      Exactly, everyone has their own style and artistic viewpoint--that's why I wanted to hear from others on the topic. I agree that hair and attire are important for fitting certain roles, especially attire--my crossdressing Sims wouldn't be the same without it
    • Options
      Hauk150Hauk150 Posts: 358 Member
      Nate_Whiplash1 wrote: »
      Do you fret about every detail of your Sim's appearance? Or is close good enough? There's no right answer here btw, it's all about your preference.

      I have to admit that I obsess, and my mind's eye must be replicated in CAS. Every single facial feature must be manipulated, stuff that some wouldn't even think of changing. Body proportions must be correct, and all of those proportions are different based on character. The walk, the voice...all of it must be correct. And if I"m not satisfied with it in gameplay, I'll go back and change it.

      Are you the same way? Or do I just need to get a life? lol

      I know how that feels. I tend to do the same. It happens to me both with characters and buildings, and even worlds. I finish creating them, and eventually I don’t feel satisfied about them, so I go and edit them and correct that details that I didn’t liked, or sometimes I end remaking it entirely. I admit it happens to me a lot of times ;)
    • Options
      Chicklet453681Chicklet453681 Posts: 2,435 Member
      I am not too heavily into CAS. I get irritated more often than not, because I hate that we can't save make up and accessories to reuse, and it is time consuming to go thru everything and try to figure out exactly what you had on that sim the first time you created it.

      I prefer my sim to basically look the same in every outfit besides formal wear, where she'll have a little more dramatic make-up on.
    • Options
      Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
      I mean, I can be pretty obsessive over the looks of my favorites. Some unimportant Sims are fine so long as they do not offend my eyes.

      More seriously, art, no. Way too restrictive of a program to feel like I am creating actually art.
    • Options
      permanentrosepermanentrose Posts: 3,789 Member
      I've been known to spend hours in CAS. Like I've even edited the game nanny, gardener, maid, and mail lady to make sure that they look how I want them to as well. I edit outfits for sims I hardly even play just because it bugs me to know they'd have a terrible outfit in one category. So yeah, I'm probably obsessed too haha
      AF09OCZ.png
      Gallery ID: permanentrose537
      Jules Warner - A Year Long Challenge (2021) | Robin Keyes - A Year Long Challenge (2022) | Flora Evander - A Year Long Challenge (2023)
      Current Challenge: Mischief & Mayhem with Max Villareal
    • Options
      Zimz4Zimz4 Posts: 354 Member
      Not really until you mentioned it. Technically anything that is the result of expressing or applying human creative skill and imagination is art. So, while you're limited in creating a sim in CAS by what team Maxis has provided in the game, as you state in your post, you do spend a lot of time using your imagination and applying your creative skills to create something as original (or 'correct') as possible with the tools provided. And the end results may vary, what looks good to you may not look all that... interesting to someone else (or vice versa). Pretty much the same as when someone creates a painting or a piece of music. It takes skill, imagination, and maybe also talent to create the sims you play with.
    • Options
      crocobauracrocobaura Posts: 7,385 Member
      I don't spend that much time in CAS, most of my sims are just a mixture of presets that sometimes I may tweak a little so they look good together. With clothes, sometimes I give them full personalized outfits for every category, sometimes just for everyday and then change the outfits during gameplay if the random ones are too jarring.
    • Options
      SheriSim57SheriSim57 Posts: 6,973 Member
      edited May 2021
      I probably don’t obsess that much over making sims, but any female I make or make over has to have some kind of eyeliner. Maybe if we had some lashes for our sims I might not be obsessed over eyeliner so much. They just don’t look normal to me without eyeliner. I don’t even wear eye liner in real life ( never have ). But, I always had long lashes and was obsessed with wearing mascara when I went out. I will also try to find a lipstick for my female characters that I lthink look good on her and fit her character.

      As far as clothes goes it reminds me of dressing paper dolls or playing with Barbies I loved as a kid. I have fun making over townies, putting makeup on them and finding at least one outfit in each category I think fits what I think their character might be, and of course finding a hairstyle ( or styles ) that fits them.......it’s even better now with likes and dislikes.

      I made a proper sim the other day ( took a townie, made a twin of her and gave her the traits I wanted, the same last name and a new first name ( then I ditched the original townie whose traits did not seem to match her.) and I realized while I was giving her clothes I was trying to give her ‘proper’ clothes..... lol.
    • Options
      AstroAstro Posts: 6,651 Member
      For sure. The ever-growing CC folder I have would agree to, I spend way to much time in CAS.
    • Options
      Ersa_MiddletonErsa_Middleton Posts: 697 Member
      For the most part, I let the age up process handle their looks. I'll only make changes if there's something really bad, like for example the wife of Jack in my family. She had a honker of a nose and a way-out-there chin. I had to fix that.
      Tale of Vampire: Vladislaus' Resurrection.
      • Last updated: 7/21/2023
    • Options
      BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
      We are twins😅😅😅😅
      I always WANT to get out of CAS but I CAN'T till every detail is perfect and that could take hours 🤣🤣
      Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
    • Options
      VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
      The way I see it, anything creative can be considered an artistic outlet; it doesn't matter if anyone else share's one's own vision. I spend a good bit of time initially creating some of my sims to look the part I imagine for them, but others are left more like a somewhat vague shape in clay waiting to be refined as their characters reveal themselves. If they're meant to be NPCs they get decent outfits but not so much attention in CAS. Usually.
      FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
      Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
    • Options
      logionlogion Posts: 4,720 Member
      CAS is my favorite part of the game so I think it's an art form. It reminds me of drawing pictures. You can draw a fast picture of something but depending on how skilled you are... making something unique will take a lot of time and effort.

      Sometimes it just clicks and I end up with a sim that I feel is pretty unique and that I like, and sometimes I can spend a long time on a sim and I feel that the sim just ended up looking the same as everyone else...
    • Options
      SimmingalSimmingal Posts: 8,963 Member
      edited May 2021
      i mean everyone can benefit from having a bit of life sometimes but i am not one to advice on that :sweat_smile:

      for me?
      idk sort of mixed feelings

      I like to edit existing sims
      and sims born in game
      to look like part of my story for them
      and it bothers me when they don't

      but i feel very meh about creating sims just for sake of like making cool sim or something beautiful

      probably has very little to do with game though cause i also draw some and i used to always draw pretty gals wearing pretty stuff and looking cool when i was younger

      but now i prefer to just draw like bears and birds and plants and stuff instead

      as humans and what is on them is no longer one of my big interests

      i guess the realism of "that must be so uncomfortable and for what" just kills my fashion fantasies tbh. no creativity left in that area.
      ⭐️ AHQ Champion 🦇 Vlad Advocate 🐉 Team Dragons
      🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
    • Options
      tatselktatselk Posts: 519 Member

      It depends on how important are the Sims which I'm working on are. For my "key characters", I definitely spend alot of time in CAS trying to get their looks just right. The game just doesn't feel immersive when the Sims look "off". But if I'm just working on some random Sim whom I need for storytelling purposes to fill a role/fill up the background, I mostly just randomise to get a preset Sim and make minor tweaks there.
      Pleasantview 0.5 Project

      Sims Build Showcase Thread

      Sims Premade Makeover Thread

      For Sims, Sims Builds and Other Things (Old Blog)

      For Sims, Sims Builds and Other Things (New Blog)
    • Options
      Ersa_MiddletonErsa_Middleton Posts: 697 Member
      Babykittyjade wrote: »
      We are twins😅😅😅😅
      I always WANT to get out of CAS but I CAN'T till every detail is perfect and that could take hours 🤣🤣

      I totally misread this as "I WANT to get out of the CAS right away, so I can see every detail that I missed and go back in and fix it all up for hours"
      Tale of Vampire: Vladislaus' Resurrection.
      • Last updated: 7/21/2023
    • Options
      annaliese39annaliese39 Posts: 2,797 Member
      edited May 2021
      Oh yes, I do this too! I spend a ridiculously long time in CAS. Everything has to be just right, even the colour of their socks and you usually can't even see them! I think I have actually become more fussy over time as I now think about trivial things like how many shoes they would own in real life or how many outfits they would have in each category. I must have spent days on my main sim. I remember his nose was particularly difficult to get right, but I am very proud of him now. I sometimes give him a wardrobe update when I get a new pack, but only if the new CAS items match his character. Perhaps it is excessive, but that's just how I am. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a perfectionist, but it is still a lot of fun and very satisfying when at last I am done.
    • Options
      CAPTAIN_NXR7CAPTAIN_NXR7 Posts: 4,464 Member
      CAS is a true art tool and I’d happily spend 5 hours on a Sim’s butt.
    • Options
      KironideKironide Posts: 804 Member
      Guilty! I have a very visual mind and when I create a Sim I spend a lot of time getting them just right. I'm so happy about the new hair colours for that reason.
    • Options
      somewhsomesomewhsome Posts: 910 Member
      logion wrote: »
      Sometimes it just clicks and I end up with a sim that I feel is pretty unique and that I like, and sometimes I can spend a long time on a sim and I feel that the sim just ended up looking the same as everyone else...
      Haha, same.
      I love CAS, I can spend hours in it. I'm not that bothered about socks I can't see, makeup (I often don't use any) or voices, but I love sims' faces and all the possibilities that TS4 CAS gave us.

    Sign In or Register to comment.
    Return to top