Modding Glossary

Here you'll find explanations of all the geeky terms people use.

Word	Description
3DS Max	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
Accessories	In the game, these started as glasses, and can be worn by sims in addition to clothing, now we have jewelry, backpacks, hats and more.
Alpha	A grayscale graphic used to show which parts of a texture are visible (white), transparent (black) or semi-transparent (gray), most often used in BodyShop creations.
Anim8or	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
Blender	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
BodyShop	A Maxis program to make sims and import clothes, hair, genetics and make up in the game.
Bones	3D term. Another word for Skeleton
Bump map	Also known as Normal map (the name in BodyShop). A grayscale graphic that alters the way the light reflects.
CEP	Colour Enabler Package. This small file makes it possible to recolour objects that don't already have Maxis recolours.
Cinema 4D	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
Clone/cloning	Most new content is based on something that's already in the game. By cloning an object, you make a copy of it, to change the shape or the way it behaves. A recolour is NOT a clone.
DatGen	A program no longer being developed that allowed some functions similar to SimPE to edit game data.
Edge	3D term. The edge is the line connecting two vertices in a mesh.
Envelope	3D term. Another word for Skeleton
Face	3D term. Several faces make up a shape. For instance: the six sides of a cube are faces. It's these faces that you see in the game.
GUID	A unique code given to every object to distinguish it and make sure it doesn't override anything else.
Group	A part of a mesh, some meshes are made of multiple parts for display or animation reasons.
Hack	A hack changes something about how the game behaves. It does not necessarily have to be a new object.
Homecrafter	A Maxis program to import walls, floors and groundcovers in the game.
Importing	New content needs to be moulded into the right shape so the game can read it. When you import a texture or shape, you place it in a package, so the game can read it.
Joints	3D term. Another word for Skeleton
Maxis recolour	This term is used to stress that a recolour uses maxis meshes (i.e. stuff that came with the Sims2 or one of the expansion packs).
Mesh/meshing	Anything with a new mesh, be it furniture or clothes, has a new 3D shape. Meshing involves making those new shapes in a 3D editor and putting them in the game.
Milkshape	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
Mod/modding	This is a broad term, meaning anything you do to change or add stuff to, in our case, the Sims2 game. All the things you find in the Downloads section are mods. Modding is the term used for making such mods.
Morph	the data used to change a mesh in game, i.e. most bodies have a fat morph
Object	This term has two meanings. It is mostly used to mark any additions to the game that are not on sims themselves, i.e. furniture, windows, doors, columns, trees, etc. It can also be used as a type of file. See Wavefront Object.
Object Workshop	A part of SimPE that automates much of the process involved in cloning or recoloring objects. Also known as OW.
Package	Almost all custom content in the Sims2 are packages. A package should contain all the files the game needs to display your mod and make it work properly.
Polygon/poly's	3D term. A polygon is the same as a face. See that entry.
Quad	3D term. This is a type of face. It is made up of four vertices.
Recolour/recolouring	A recolour of a chair or dress changes the colours, but not the shape. Recolouring involves making a new texture in a paint program and importing it in the game.
Retexture/retexturing	Another word for recolouring.
SimPE	This program is used by most creators to add content to the game. SimPE is the main Sims 2 modding tool.
Skeleton	3D term. The internal structure (like a human skeleton) that is used by the animation routines to move the sim, and animated objects, such as dressers.
Skinning	see recolouring. Most often used in reference to new clothing/skin creations.
Texture	The flat graphic that is wrapped around the mesh to give it color.
Triangle	3D term. This is a type of face. It is made up of three vertices.
Unimesh	A user made add-on for Milkshape for editing meshes, specifically animated ones (bodies, hair, accessories)
UV-map	Part of a mesh. It's a guide that describes how the flat graphic is wrapped around the 3D mesh.
Vertex/Vertices	3D term. A point in 3D space. Two vertices connected by a line and make up an edge.
Wavefront Object	A common format for a 3D file
Wings 3D	A 3D editor, used by some creators to make meshes.
Wizards of SimPE	An extension of SimPE that makes some tasks as easy as possible. Only one wizard has currently been made: a recolouring wizard. Also known as WOS.

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