how do you make your dog not look like a potato :(
Hello Nonnikins!
First, I just want to say that some of the dogs in my game are not of my own creation. I download a lot of my pets from @morganaplays and littleV (thesims3.com). Howeverrr, I am going to assume you're referring to my Bernese Mountain Dog and my Chow as I just posted CAS pics of Meatball and shared Daisy, Whiskey and Riceball.
Second, I'm answering this from my phone so I'll try to tag accounts I have memorized!
Honestly, I am still learning and still get super frustrated when I'm trying to make a dog (cats and horses, too!) look even remotely how a real life animal is suppose to! I think I've deleted my Bernese Mountain dog 100 times before finally getting it to look close to the reference picture I have downloaded, but to answer your question - sliders and lots of CAS CC for pets.
@oneeuromutt (sliders - I have them all)
@divinekennel (sliders and cas cc to make your dogs more realistic - I have almost all of it - unfortunately some the downloads weren't available but I'm still trying to get those)
@pixelpfote (some very cute cc as well as sliders and other cas cc ie markings etc to make your dog more realistic)
(For horses - I definitely suck at but I highly recommend @raymondequestriancentre they are truly amazing)
And I google pictures of the animal that I want to try to create, like the Chow and Bernese Dogs because I never could find one available for download (and the munchkin cat).
Using Advanced Mode in CAS you can add layers to your pets "fur" like patches, muscle markings, "fur shape" ie shaggy coat, straight hair, etc. Give them low lights and high lights to make the hair look more 3D. Also messing with the density of the fur and how you want the fur shape to be. Same for body shape! I set my sliders using Master Controller>Settings>CAS>Slider Numeric Value Body & Face to "7" which gives you more creative freedom when moving sliders around with your sims and your pets! I try to use a face and body reference pic (for my chow I used pics of my own dogs, Daisy and Whiskey and the Bernese Mountain dog I just Googled and found one of the GIANT ones, lol). For the Chow, it was mostly sliders and then making the fur look more realistic with density and highlights etc. The Bernese Mountain Dog is more of a challenge. I used the Saint Bernard as a base, but changed the fur to a black one with a white muzzle. In Advanced Mode I messed with the sliders a lot and then started adding a lot of layers of fur patterns and effects. The one that really just wowed me was by divinekennel. It was the "Wolf Fur Shading Markings" that gave the Bernese the look that it's fur had the right texture of fluff I needed! As well as the highlights! Meatball is still a big WIP though. I am also trying to work on an Australian Shepard, Lab, and Dalmatian.
I'm not an expert though, I only just started working on pets. Unfortunately there aren't many creators left to go to for advice/pointers when it comes to pets (or they just never get back to you when you reach out to them).
Thank you for thinking my dog doesn't look like a potato (even though potatoes are delicious)! I hope I was of SOME help! If there is anything more specifically you're curious about, please don't be afraid to come off anon and message me! ❤
Happy Simming,
Dani
