How to make Sims 4 CC clothing in Blender
Custom content (CC) clothing for The Sims 4 is a new mesh that takes the place of a cloned game item. Two free tools do the work: Sims 4 Studio and Blender. Here is the road from idea to .package file, and how it compares with the Second Life clothing work our courses teach.
The steps
- Clone a game item. In Sims 4 Studio, pick a piece of game clothing close to what you want to make (same category, similar length) and clone it. Export its mesh as a Blender file.
- Model your garment in Blender. Build your own mesh over the Sim body. Keep the original game mesh in the file: you will copy its data onto yours.
- Lay out the UVs. The whole Sim shares one texture space, and every clothing category has its own place in it. Your UVs must sit in the right area, or the garment will paint over other clothes.
- Copy weights and morph data. Transfer the bone weights from the game mesh so the garment bends with the Sim, and the second UV channel (uv_1) and vertex colours that make it follow body sliders.
- Make the levels of detail. The game shows simpler versions of a mesh from far away. Each garment needs its lower-detail versions (LODs).
- Import, texture and save. Bring the meshes back into Sims 4 Studio, add the textures and colour swatches, and save the .package file. It goes into the game's Mods folder.
Second Life and The Sims 4, side by side
| Second Life | The Sims 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Blender, then upload in the Second Life viewer | Blender and Sims 4 Studio |
| File you deliver | Collada (.dae) and textures | A .package file |
| Fitted to | Mesh bodies such as Maitreya, Legacy, Reborn, Kupra | The Sim body, by age and frame |
| Where it ends up | The buyer's inventory, sold in-world or on the SL Marketplace | The player's Mods folder |
What is the same craft
- Modelling a garment over a body
- Clean topology within a polygon budget
- UV unwrapping and texture painting or baking
- Weight transfer and weight correction
- Levels of detail (LODs) - Second Life needs them too
What is different
- The wrapper: Sims 4 Studio builds the .package; Second Life takes a Collada upload
- UVs must fit the Sim's shared texture space instead of being free
- Body sliders work through extra mesh data, not through fitted-mesh bones
- CC is mostly shared free or through supporter pages; Second Life items are sold for L$
Where SL Designers fits in
SL Designers teaches 3D clothing design through video courses recorded for Second Life, and builds Blender addons for clothing creators. The courses do not cover The Sims 4's own export steps. They teach the part every world shares: making a garment that is well built, well fitted and well rigged. See the courses and the tools.
Questions people ask
Do the SL Designers courses teach Sims 4 CC?
No. Our video lessons are recorded for Second Life. What they teach - building a garment, fitting it to a body, UV-mapping, texturing, rigging and weight painting - is the same craft Sims 4 clothing needs. The Sims-specific steps - Sims 4 Studio, the shared UV space, the morph data - are something you add on top.
Which Blender version do I need for Sims 4 CC?
Sims 4 Studio works with particular Blender versions, and the list changes as it is updated. Check the current Sims 4 Studio release notes before installing; you can keep that Blender version next to a newer one.
Can I use clothing I made for Second Life as Sims 4 CC?
If the mesh is your own work, yes in principle: fit it to the Sim body, redo the UVs inside the Sim's texture space, copy the weights and morph data, and make the LODs. Meshes you bought usually may not be moved to another game.