Face Templates - 2008-05-08 - No Update - New Links

[vilia]

Settle down tabbs, help is here. 

You need to do is download the files and then extract them using winzip, 7zip etc. You need to put them into your downloads folder \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads. As there are rather a few files, you might want to put them in a sub-folder and call it Beta Face Templates or something similar. If there is now Downloads folder within \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\ it means that you have not installed any custom content and therefore must create one. If you have already downloaded face templates from elsewhere then you need to temporarily remove them from the Downloads folder or just delete them as Nailati's are bound to be nicer.

If you want to try out all of the beta face templates including the latest that Nailati posted, then download them here:

- Rapidshare.com
- Mediafire.com

Once you have put these files into your downloads folder, you need to delete the thumbnails so the game will regenerate with the new faces and not the old maxis ones, so go to \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Thumbnails and delete CASThumbnails.package.

[miros]

I just made a new 'hood last night.  Best looking bunch of Dormies I've ever had!  Thanks so much Nailati!

[LauraW]

I checked out the three finished face templates and they are gorgeous! I can't wait for the rest. Thank you!

[ganymede]

These are great! I hate fugly townies and NPCs! Fantastic job!

[Gwill]

I'm itching for a fresh beautiful neigbourhood, but I'm going to hold myself back until all of these are completed for all ages.

[Chienne]

I used your fabulous faces with Jordi's wonderful tutorial, and I'm so happy -- no Sandy Bruty in sight. :-)

Your faces are just wonderful -- varied and reminiscent of the originals without being caricatures of human beings.

[polonius]

These aren't showing up in my game for some reason.  I downloaded the full set vilia provided and deleted the CAS thumbnails file (though it isn't just the thumbnail that's not working, it's the whole template).  I tried taking them out of a subfolder and putting them directly in the downloads folder, but to no avail.  When I go into CAS, I still have the fugly maxis templates.  Anyone have any ideas?

[selzi]

These aren't showing up in my game for some reason.  I downloaded the full set vilia provided and deleted the CAS thumbnails file (though it isn't just the thumbnail that's not working, it's the whole template).  I tried taking them out of a subfolder and putting them directly in the downloads folder, but to no avail.  When I go into CAS, I still have the fugly maxis templates.  Anyone have any ideas?

Did you delete the "cigen.package" file where the thumbnails for the CAS faces are stored?

[polonius]

Yup. 

It isn't that the thumbnails are wrong.  They are correct, in fact - the faces themselves are the Maxis defaults.  When I click on the awful CAUS, my poor sim's face bloats up like a balloon!

[jrd]

What is your Sim detail setting set to? These overrides only apply to high quality.

[Lorelei]

These look lovely! Thanks for all your hard work.

If you want further reference material, most Life Drawing illustration books have tips about what proportions and measurements body parts and facial features should have in relation to other parts. Such as the "eyes should be spaced one eye width apart" (e.g., eye, eye-width nose bridge, then other eye), foreheads should be so many eye heights high, noses should be roughly so many eye widths wide, etc., and then the better guides also offer tips on how to account for various ethnicities. Older folks also tend to get droopier, larger cartilige-area features such as noses and ears, drooper eyes and more prominent brows, especially males. This is why a lot of little old men start to look a lot alike, and a lot like gnomes. (I'm glad that Maxis refrained from adding hairy ears and nostrils to the already insulting stereotypical elders.)

I can dig around in my illustration book library for better specifics if you need or want them. Frankly, if you aren't already using them, I'm surprised, because you're instinctively doing the right thing, esp. when it comes to accommodating the Maxis head proportions.

[polonius]

What is your Sim detail setting set to? These overrides only apply to high quality.

That's a good thought, Jordi, thanks.  But unfortunately, I just brought up my game and checked performance options - sim/object detail *is* set to high.   
I'm going to try a different set of default replacements and see if they work.  *These* are the ones I want in my game, though, even if they only affect the adult townies.
Updates posted as events warrant...

[dizzy]

You could try taking them out, running the game, then putting them back in.

These face replacements are working in my game, and I will further note that the eyebrows are back if you update the thumbnail (ctrl-right-click on the faces in CAS).

[maxon]

I didn't know you could do that dizzy - thanks.

[TXSundown]

Howdy to all.  I don't post much... but I do read a lot and I have read all of the posts in this thread.  I didn't download the face files because my Sims don't have a lot of children and any that come into the neighborhood are through CAS.  I thought I'd get around to downloading them if I ever decide to let my Sims have kids of their own but I found that highly unlikely because the couple of times that I did the little ones were so bugly that I told the Sims ... no more kids!!

However, recently, one of my long time married couples went behind my back (I had them on free will while I was AFK for a minute).  When I heard that "Rock a bye baby" I just rolled my eyes.  I let them have their baby... but it turned out to be 2.. natural Maxis-made twins.  As it turned out they looked alright... no surgery needed so I thought, ok, I'll give it a shot.  One of my couples who has been with me in various venues for many many years (through Sims 1+) moved to Veronaville.  I decided to let them have a baby.  Wouldn't you know it... another natural Maxis-made set of twins.  Boy and a girl.  When they finally turned into toddlers I was absolutely shocked.  That little girl was SOOOOO bugly I wanted to throw her in the pool!!    After several surgeries she's somewhat decent looking but my thoughts flew to Nailati's faces and here I am. 

I have downloaded several files but I'm not sure if I have them all.  Could someone please post a complete list of the filenames.  I'm not asking for each individual file name... nope.  Way too much work!  Just the names of the RAR'd or ZIP'd files.  I do know that one opens to sims2packs which are self-installed and I read that the other unzipped/unrarred files go into a sub-folder under /Downloads and I also read that you have to delete the CASThumbnails.package from The Sims 2/Thumbnails.  Are there any other instructions I missed?  Oh, and maybe this is a stupid question to some but how will I know they're Nailati's faces I'm looking at? (Nope, didn't download any other faces either.)  I've looked at all of the pictures on the previous pages and the comparisons and they look somewhat different but,... well,    I'm just not as good as most at distinguishing one face from another.  Are the backgrounds different color?  Do they display Nailati's name or signature?

If someone could *please* make up a post with all relevant info for those of us who aren't as good as we used to be at doing a whole lot of stuff. 


Thanks!


Sundown

[vilia]

TXSundown - I have already done this on page 8 of this thread. I'm afraid I'm not sure how much clearer I can make it but as your post undoubtedly took you a decent amount of time to type, I'll have another go.

Included in these zip files are ALL of the templates that Nailati has released so far. These are still in the beta stage so expect some changes at some point. Also not all of the toddler/child/teen templates have been released - only those for 02, 24 & 27 - so if your children are drawing from other templates they will still retain their maxis look.

There are two options for downloading as some people have problems with one or more of the download sites so download either from Rapidshare or Mediafire. The files once they are unzipped go into your /downloads folder. Note I have chosen to zip the files rather than rar them as some people are unable to use rar. (The links are in the 'quoted' section below).

How can you tell they are Nailati's? Well why not create a new sub folder (within the /downloads), call it Nailati's face templates and put all of the files in there? Each of the individual file names have Nailati's name included e.g. BETAFace-01AF-Nailati.package or Nailati_face-test_24-em.package.

Given the fact that you seem to want beauty rather than realism, I suggest you do not use these templates but rather go to MTS2 and download terrakosmos' face templates http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=135121 as they have made the differences between all of the templates less - so they will breed more 'beautifully'. Terrakosmos' templates are finished so they include toddler/children/teen/adult (young adult is the same as adult).

Giving sims surgery will change their look but it will not change their genes. This means that when they breed, the traits that you tried to get rid of may be passed on. If you want to ensure that does not happen, you will need to read this tutorial at MTS2 http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=56241 and follow the steps. Now this tutorial was written for SimPe 0.48C so it is a little old and the pictures have gone but it is very easy to understand.

You need to do is download the files and then extract them using winzip, 7zip etc. You need to put them into your downloads folder \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads. As there are rather a few files, you might want to put them in a sub-folder and call it Beta Face Templates or something similar. If there is now Downloads folder within \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\ it means that you have not installed any custom content and therefore must create one. If you have already downloaded face templates from elsewhere then you need to temporarily remove them from the Downloads folder or just delete them as Nailati's are bound to be nicer.

If you want to try out all of the beta face templates including the latest that Nailati posted, then download them here:

- Rapidshare.com
- Mediafire.com

Once you have put these files into your downloads folder, you need to delete the thumbnails so the game will regenerate with the new faces and not the old maxis ones, so go to \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Thumbnails and delete CASThumbnails.package.

[TXSundown]

TXSundown - I have already done this on page 8 of this thread. I'm afraid I'm not sure how much clearer I can make it but as your post undoubtedly took you a decent amount of time to type, I'll have another go.

Included in these zip files are ALL of the templates that Nailati has released so far. These are still in the beta stage so expect some changes at some point. Also not all of the toddler/child/teen templates have been released - only those for 02, 24 & 27 - so if your children are drawing from other templates they will still retain their maxis look.

There are two options for downloading as some people have problems with one or more of the download sites so download either from Rapidshare or Mediafire. The files once they are unzipped go into your /downloads folder. Note I have chosen to zip the files rather than rar them as some people are unable to use rar. (The links are in the 'quoted' section below).

How can you tell they are Nailati's? Well why not create a new sub folder (within the /downloads), call it Nailati's face templates and put all of the files in there? Each of the individual file names have Nailati's name included e.g. BETAFace-01AF-Nailati.package or Nailati_face-test_24-em.package.

Given the fact that you seem to want beauty rather than realism, I suggest you do not use these templates but rather go to MTS2 and download terrakosmos' face templates http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=135121 as they have made the differences between all of the templates less - so they will breed more 'beautifully'. Terrakosmos' templates are finished so they include toddler/children/teen/adult (young adult is the same as adult).

Giving sims surgery will change their look but it will not change their genes. This means that when they breed, the traits that you tried to get rid of may be passed on. If you want to ensure that does not happen, you will need to read this tutorial at MTS2 http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=56241 and follow the steps. Now this tutorial was written for SimPe 0.48C so it is a little old and the pictures have gone but it is very easy to understand.

You need to do is download the files and then extract them using winzip, 7zip etc. You need to put them into your downloads folder \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads. As there are rather a few files, you might want to put them in a sub-folder and call it Beta Face Templates or something similar. If there is now Downloads folder within \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\ it means that you have not installed any custom content and therefore must create one. If you have already downloaded face templates from elsewhere then you need to temporarily remove them from the Downloads folder or just delete them as Nailati's are bound to be nicer.

If you want to try out all of the beta face templates including the latest that Nailati posted, then download them here:

- Rapidshare.com
- Mediafire.com

Once you have put these files into your downloads folder, you need to delete the thumbnails so the game will regenerate with the new faces and not the old maxis ones, so go to \My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Thumbnails and delete CASThumbnails.package.

Actually Vilia, I did read your post on Page 7 of this thread and went to those two links in your post and downloaded whatever they'd give me.  However, it added files to my already present Nailati folder that I didn't have in there which led me to believe that maybe I was missing some so, I asked.  Sorry for that.

Since someone else had posted that another file (other than the CASThumbnails.package) had to be deleted for the thumbnails to show up but there was no follow-up on that I wanted clarification.  So, I asked.  Sorry for that too.

I already have the Nailati files I've downloaded in a separate subfolder in my TS DL's directory as well as in my /The Sims 2/Downloads sub-folders (that's 2 copies) but even though it's easy to just look in the subfolder and see which ones are hers/his, that does not translate to graphics in the program.  Must not have made myself clear on that one and so, sorry for that too.

I greatly appreciate your suggestion to not use Nailati's templates and for directing me away from them to something else but I think I will use them anyway and just muddle through with trying to figure things out on my own instead of asking for help again.

I was already familiar with gene alteration... I'd read that quite some time ago but I'm sure someone will appreciate the link you offered.


Oh, and if I wanted strict realism, I'd not have bought Sims in the first place but thanks for pointing that out. You've been such a tremendous help.    Have a good weekend.



Sundown

[Nailati]

I've uploaded age & gender complete betas for faces 14 and 15. Links are in the first post. I really, really hate the teen males (not just on these two faces, but generally) and their mashed-in faces. Any thoughts?

Sundown--thanks for your interest; vilia--thanks so much for all your help!

Sundown: The two files I link to in the first post of this thread (Nailati-faces-2007-01-27.zip and Nailati_faces_2007-03-09.zip) contain the five templates that are age & gender complete. These are #s 02, 14, 15, 24, and 27. You can erase any other versions you have of those five faces--the ones in these two zip files are the most current.

I haven't poked around the files that vilia's uploaded, but as far as I know they contain my first round of betas, which were adult faces only. You can use these if you'd like, but be warned that Sims you create with these templates will be Maxis-ugly at every age other than adult.

If you've downloaded any self-installing Sims2Pack files, those are probably Body Shop Sims I uploaded for preview purposes. They're not templates, so you can trash them (and you can trash any Body Shop Sims you installed with these Sims2Pack files).

If you want to make sure the templates have been installed, and you can't tell from the thumbnails, you might try this:
- remove all template files from your Downloads folder
- launch Body Shop and make a Sim for one of the faces you plan on installing--for instance, if you're going to install face #2, then make a Sim with the default #2 face, and save it.
- quit Body Shop, and put the template files back in your Downloads folder.
- launch Body Shop (or, if you prefer, launch the game and enter CAS). Select the Sim you saved before, and re-apply the same face. In my example, I'd select face #2 again. If the template isn't working, the face won't change; if it is working, you should see the face change from Maxis #2 to my #2.

Good luck.

[vilia]

I haven't poked around the files that vilia's uploaded, but as far as I know they contain my first round of betas, which were adult faces only.

Yep, first round of betas and those you have released as completed 02, 25 & 27 (with the betas for those removed). It's great you have a couple more to try out. I can deal with the teen males - everyone tends to go through a 'plain' stage at some point in their lives and it is nice to see them grow into their features when they get older.

I greatly appreciate your suggestion to not use Nailati's templates and for directing me away from them to something else but I think I will use them anyway and just muddle through with trying to figure things out on my own instead of asking for help again.

Well Nailati's will be the best set of realistic templates when they are complete but not all the sims will be conventionally 'beautiful' which may not suit all simmers.

One set of templates is all that is needed - so delete the one that is not in ...My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads. 

Also, deleting the CASThumbnail.package is all that you should need to do. If that doesn't work, check your graphics settings and try again. If it still doesn't work then ctrl-right click on the face in CAS to get the thumbnail to regenerate.

[maxon]

TXSundown - I might have misunderstood what you were saying but AFAIK if you are breeding sims already in your game, installing the face templates won't make any difference to babies from these existing sims.  As I understand it, the CAS templates (v. nice, and thank you Nailati) can be used with CAS made sims but when sims breed, the resulting face of the child is derived from the faces of the parents.  If the parent has a Nailati face from CAS, all well and good, but if they have a different face (say from the original archetypes), this doesn't change when you put the templates in so the baby's face is still derived from that.  AFAIK I don't think the CAS archetype face will be used on sims that are already in game - at least Goopy looks just the same as he ever did in my game.  Or maybe I've not understood something fundamental about these templates.

Happy to be corrected anyone?

[terrakosmos]

Nailati, I'm happy to see your set coming along so nicely. The teen males piss me off, too. Especially their lips. I finished another set last month and I'm testing them now. Testing means generating new townies and making sure I can tell the new archetypes apart from a reasonable distance, which is something I didn't do with the last set I uploaded. So far so good, but I have a feeling that I'll end up starting from scratch again anyway. I really admire you for taking your time to put the best product out there.

[Ambular]

TXSundown - I might have misunderstood what you were saying but AFAIK if you are breeding sims already in your game, installing the face templates won't make any difference to babies from these existing sims.

Happy to be corrected anyone?

Actually, they will probably make a difference.  Sim DNA is derived from the parents, but as I understand it, unless you've got the faceBlendLimits variable set to 'off' in your userstartup.cheat file, the face will be somewhat "normalized" to the face templates as the Sim ages.  I believe this is designed to prevent even worse grotesqueries from happening when two badly matched faces are blended in a child.  This is why you'll see CAS-designed children with highly customized, realistic faces, or children of adult CAS Sims with such faces, appear more and more "standard" with time--their features are being gradually returned to Maxis norm (or whatever face templates you're using.)

[TXSundown]

I've uploaded age & gender complete betas for faces 14 and 15. Links are in the first post. I really, really hate the teen males (not just on these two faces, but generally) and their mashed-in faces. Any thoughts?

Sundown--thanks for your interest; vilia--thanks so much for all your help!

Sundown: The two files I link to in the first post of this thread (Nailati-faces-2007-01-27.zip and Nailati_faces_2007-03-09.zip) contain the five templates that are age & gender complete. These are #s 02, 14, 15, 24, and 27. You can erase any other versions you have of those five faces--the ones in these two zip files are the most current.

I haven't poked around the files that vilia's uploaded, but as far as I know they contain my first round of betas, which were adult faces only. You can use these if you'd like, but be warned that Sims you create with these templates will be Maxis-ugly at every age other than adult.

If you've downloaded any self-installing Sims2Pack files, those are probably Body Shop Sims I uploaded for preview purposes. They're not templates, so you can trash them (and you can trash any Body Shop Sims you installed with these Sims2Pack files).

If you want to make sure the templates have been installed, and you can't tell from the thumbnails, you might try this:
- remove all template files from your Downloads folder
- launch Body Shop and make a Sim for one of the faces you plan on installing--for instance, if you're going to install face #2, then make a Sim with the default #2 face, and save it.
- quit Body Shop, and put the template files back in your Downloads folder.
- launch Body Shop (or, if you prefer, launch the game and enter CAS). Select the Sim you saved before, and re-apply the same face. In my example, I'd select face #2 again. If the template isn't working, the face won't change; if it is working, you should see the face change from Maxis #2 to my #2.

Good luck.

Thank you very very much for the detailed instructions as well as the filename list.  I'm sure that I am not alone in appreciating the information.  I have cut and pasted your instructions into a separate folder where I store your face files so I can have it handy.  I'm not as computer or Sim saavy as most so I do really appreciate the time you took to detail the information.  It's not a great feeling being lost and muddling through unclear or confusing or missing instructions.
Re: the sims2pack files - if I hadn't put the extracted files that seemed to end up at the bottom of my downloads folder I would not have any idea how to 'trash' them.  Luckily I did and dropped them into the folder I have set aside specifically for your files.

Best Wishes!


To Maxon -  I probably did not make myself clear enough regarding that.  I did read somewhere back around page 3 or 4 that only the new Sims brought in (through CAS) after the templates are in place will change and then it would have to filter down through generations before the bad DNA were eliminated.  Does that pertain to those created in Body Shop too?  I don't know.  From what I read I am guessing that they'd have to take a sidetrip in the CAS screen in game to have their face altered since Nailati said to trash the Body Shop files.  I usually don't use the CAS except to put together families of Sims I have already made in Body Shop.  Thanks for the clarification though.  One can never have too much information on a subject IMLTHO.

Sundown

[miros]

Thanks for the two new complete faces!  BAAAAH!  BAAAAH!  BAAAAH!  BAAAAH!  BAAAAH!  BAAAAH! 

[abelle]

Actually, they will probably make a difference.  Sim DNA is derived from the parents, but as I understand it, unless you've got the faceBlendLimits variable set to 'off' in your userstartup.cheat file, the face will be somewhat "normalized" to the face templates as the Sim ages.  I believe this is designed to prevent even worse grotesqueries from happening when two badly matched faces are blended in a child.  This is why you'll see CAS-designed children with highly customized, realistic faces, or children of adult CAS Sims with such faces, appear more and more "standard" with time--their features are being gradually returned to Maxis norm (or whatever face templates you're using.)

Please tell me this isn´t so. I want to sims in my game, whom I spend days creating and I aged the sims I made in Bodyshop down to toddlers in CAS. I want them to grow up in the game, but I want them to look exactly like I created them once they are adults.

 Am I understanding right, that my sims I spend so much time creating will end up looking like a facetemplate once they are adults? And is there anyway around this? I don´t really want to turn faceblend off, because of all the ingame born sims.