Another New Painting Set - Fantasy/Nautical Theme

Serenstar Vibrant Fantasy Painting Collection

New Set of Paintings

Serenstar Fantasy Fairy Cat Collection

Yay! Another new publication and this one is getting some downloads. I submitted another art set, but I'm working on getting it published. The Sims Resource definitely DOES make sure they're publishing stuff correctly. It was rejected for copyright, but I let them know I created the original art, so we'll see if that is where the issue is or if there's another problem that I missed. I do love the stuff they present.

Yay! My first home is published

Willow Hollow Terrace on The Sims Resource

I've been reading Sims tutorials like crazy when not doing my math homework. I downloaded Gimp so that I can work on Alpha channels and get some objects going. I now have a better understanding of objects and I think I'll eventually be able to make some from scratch. 

I also decided to design a vampire lounge, so pictures will be coming. It's being play tested and so far, my Sims LOVE the place.

What Does it all Mean Anyway?

It means I'm fighting to figure out how to design for Sims 3. I download like crazy from The Sims Resource. It's an awesome site that a lot of people design for. You can get clothing, houses, furniture, all that.

My adventure in this wonderful world of frustration began yesterday. I'm not sure even my new coffee pot will keep up with the amount of caffeine my brain needs to keep un-foggy and functional. I sometimes have to reread the instructions a billion times to really understand what they are trying to have me do.

I've already had some stuff rejected...nothing accepted yet. Yesterday I was asked to put my two pattern files into a set. I looked that up, did that, resubmitted. Today, I was told to NOT do a set with similar patterns. They are similar, not the same, though at first glance I could see how someone might think they are the same. They recolor differently, tile differently, match...differently.

I do understand why they feel they are the same. I set them up with different RGB selections and they don't really recolor the same way. No big deal at all, and I can submit just the top one as I like it better. I just wish they'd told me that yesterday so I didn't waste my time figuring out how to put these into the zip and upload the submission. 

This was also submitted, and rejected. This one I DO need to learn with, however. They look great in game, but on the specular level they are missing the alpha channel I guess. Now, I followed a tutorial to make the images. So, the tutorial didn't say anything about specular levels. I'll be reading and rereading the other tutorial that does talk about the masks, meshes, layers and channels and trying to sort this one out. I'm frustrated, however, and it feels like a lot of wasted time. I'm so accustomed to learning quickly that to take time to get a concept isn't easy. 

Object Creation Tutorial

I did create this, however:

I like family oriented Sims and generations that live on one property. This was made on a 40x40 lot in Sunset Valley. I have only the Night Life expansion. I'm proud of this. 9 bedrooms, 4 baths. And the bedrooms can be used for other stuff. I have a game room, workout room, a swimming pool, a pond and terrace. It's a multifunctional property that allows Sims to MOVE around. I download houses then get frustrated because I have to rebuild everything due to the inability for Sims to move around the houses freely. They get upset if a wall is out too far, or something is near the stairs. They have to walk all over creation due to not having enough doors nearby to make travel quick and painless. For myself, I've eliminated all of that. They have a straight shot up the winding staircase for all 3 stories. They don't have to leave to go fish, but can if they choose to. The fireplace is a little weird, but it won't let me knock that downward at all. That's fine. 

Let's see if this gets rejected too. I'll maybe offer my free creations here as I figure them out. I use base game stuff when creating so that I don't re-publish anything that others made. 

The Sims Resource

Great downloads. Great guidelines and tutorials.