• Polygon Counts: If you have created a new mesh it needs to have a polygon count which is reasonable for what it is. A curvy, complex item that would be used rarely can have a higher count than a blocky/boxy item that would be used frequently. Look at EA/Maxis items similar to the type you're making to get a good idea of what a reasonable poly count is for the game. Items with excessively high poly counts for no good reason will not be accepted at MTS.

• Texture Quality: Your textures should have some detail to them - not just a flat single-colour bucket fill, but with highlights and shadows in the right places. Even for flat, smooth items, you should have some detail.

• Appropriate Specular/Multiplier:The Multiplier or Specular Channel will affect how the object looks in game. A high contrast on your multiplier will result in heavy shadowing, whereas a too bright specular will give your object a milky glow.

• Undistorted: Ensure your UV/Texture map is correctly scaled and not distorted.

• Good material options/CAStability: Remeshes of original TS3 items must have at least the same number of recolourable parts as the originals unless you have a very good reason to reduce the number of channels. "Fixed" textures (that is textures which are not castable) should be offered as an 'additional option', and not as the only option.

• Windows and doors should always have four channels (unless there is a very good reason not to - there are some EA windows with only 3 channels, using an overlay in the alpha channel)
• Sofas and chairs at least two channels - usually the hard and soft materials are separate channels
• Deco objects such as books, small ornaments, etc. can be a combination of overlays/stencils and castable colours.

• Proper shadows: Objects should have the same number of shadows as the corresponding EA object. Particular attention should be paid to the shadow shape actually matching the object.

• Sunshadows are generated using the shadow LODs or you can use TSR Workshop to generate sun shadows.
• Dropshadows are a texture mapped onto a floor or wallshadow mesh and mapped to a shadow file. Your object needs both these shadows to look its best in game.
• Dynamic shadows are the big shadows that move relative to light sources such as lamps, windows etc.

Particular attention should be paid to the shadow shape actually matching the object.

Objects are some of the most popular items to make for the Sims game and can be defined as new objects or recolors.

• Object Mesh:You have created or edited the 3D shape in a 3D editor such as Milkshape or Blender.

• Object Recolor: You have changed the overlay or other parts of an object's texture files - with or without editing the mesh.

• CAST Recolor: Recolours of existing objects, done in-game using the Create-a-Style tool to change the colours/patterns applied. We do not accept CAST recolours at MTS.

Helpful Links

For more information on making textures, see: TS3 Meshing FAQ: Textures For more info on why textures may be distorted, see: TS3 Meshing FAQ: My Texture is Distorted! For more information on creating proper shadows, see: TS3 Meshing FAQ: Shadows