Tutorial:Understanding CAS Modding/Glossary

Glossary

There are a lot of terms and acronyms used in modding, and it can be easy to get lost and confused sometimes. Don't worry! All the terms you need to know are listed here.

Some resource types will be included here, however if you're after a more technical glossary of the resource types including technical information, see Sims 3:PackedFileTypes.

Click on the arrow buttons to sort by category, or alphabetically. You can also press Ctrl-F to search for a particular term.

Category	Term	Short for/aka	Meaning	Links
Meshing	BGEO	Blend Geometry	The resources which contain data telling the game how a mesh should change when the fat/fit/thin sliders are used.	BGEO Generator
Meshing	GEOM	Geometry, aka Simgeom (Sim Geometry)	A mesh file format used by all Sims 3 CAS items.
Meshing	LOD	Level of Detail	The different meshes the game uses depending on how zoomed in the camera is. The further you zoom in, the higher the LOD used by the game. A smaller number means a higher LOD, so LOD0 is the highest, then LOD1, LOD2 and finally LOD3. Sometimes also used to refer simply to meshes.
Meshing	Mesh	3D Model, Model	The shape of clothes, hair etc., underneath the texture	Game Help:Meshes and Recolors
Meshing	VPXY	Visual Proxy Model Links	The resources which link meshes to their BGEOs, other LODs, and textures.	VPXY Editor
Texturing	DDS	DirectDraw Surface	An image file type used by almost all of the game's textures.	Instructions for use.
Texturing	Texture		Images which are painted onto meshes by the game, giving them colour and details.	Game Help:Meshes and Recolors
Tools	CTU	CAS Texture Unitool	A CAS modding program created by Delphy and jonha, capable of working with clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, and hat hairs.	Download page
Tools	DABOOBS	Delphy's Acronym Bending Original Output Barber Shop	A CAS modding program created by Delphy, capable of working with hairs.	Download page
Tools	GIMP	GNU Image Manipulation Program	A free graphics package, with many of the same features as Adobe Photoshop.	Official website
Tools	Graphics Editor	Graphics package, graphics program, image editor	Any program which can be used to alter images or pictures. Not all graphics editors are created equal, and some are more powerful than others.
Tools	PS	Adobe PhotoShop	A very powerful graphics package, which is used by professional graphics artists, and can be used to make Sims 3 textures. Photoshop is very expensive, but student discounts are often available.	Official website
Misc	BG	Base Game, Basegame	The basic Sims 3 game with no Expansion Packs, Stuff Packs or Custom Content. When clothes, hairs etc. are described as being basegame, that means that they came with the basic game, and don't need any EPs or custom content to work.
Misc	CAS	Create-A-Sim	The part of TS3 which allows you to make sims, and choose and customise their hair, clothes, makeup etc.
Misc	Clone		The process which changes all of the ID numbers/Resource Keys of a custom content item, so that it doesn't conflict with or override the original item.
Misc	EP	Expansion Pack, SP, Stuff Pack	Add-ons for the Sims 3, such as World Adventures, or High End Loft Stuff.
Misc	Mod	Modification, aka CC, Custom Content	Any downloadable content which adds to or changes Sims 3. "Mod" is sometimes used only to refer to hacks, excluding other types of content, such as clothes and hairs.
Misc	Reskey	Resource Key, TGI	The unique ID numbers used by the game to tell which resource is which. The reskey is made up of an Instance ID, a Type (which symbolises the type of resource, such as a DDS texture, a mesh or a text file) and a Group (which tells the game which EP the resource is from). Reskeys are often given in one of two formats: either type:group:instance, or type_group_instance. The Type and Group are always 8 characters long, and are made up of numbers and letters, while the Instance is always 16 characters long. An example of a reskey is 319E4F1D:18000000:0000000000989ED8.