deleting custom content, especially clothes

[eevilcat]

I'm in the process of reorganising all my custom content and want to delete a bunch of custom content from my downloads sub-folders, mainly clothes. I was wondering how this would affect my game and if it might cause a BFBVFS. Most of my sims own custom clothes and my custom townies in my clean neighbourhood are wearing custom clothes. Does the game correctly manage 1) Playable sims havng their outfit deleted, 2) Townies having their outfit deleted and 3) Dressers having outfit(s) deleted? I have noticed that the game seems to substitute a default outfit if a custom one isn't available, or at least will attempt to substiture a thumbnail. If I do delete a townie outfit, is there an easy way to check and replace it? I'm thinking along the lines of making them selectable and I seem to remember there's a clothing tester/selecter tucked away in one of the boolprop testing cheats sub-menus but am not sure if that's the best method.
I'm assuming that with custom buy/build mode content I can simply replace any deleted items with an alternative. I noticed that Seasons will happily replace missing custom content with a related item (and ignore the ticked enable custom content checkbox first time).

[Flamingo]

Deleting outfits already being used in game seems to have no adverse effects, aside from the crappy clothing that may replace it. You may not want to delete any clothing that may be in use by a dead Sim, though. I think that may result in some negative outcome, though it may just be that you're stuck with a crappy replacement outfit forever.

Oh, and I would go along the lines of making them selectable, using Pescado's clothing tool to replace the outfit, making them unselectable, and replacing the missing funds.

[sewinglady]

I try very hard to 'micro manage' my custom files...clothes are a problem because of the meshes...if you delete ALL the custom clothing files associated with the mesh, you'll want to delete the mesh, too (because it's likely the biggest file size-wise)...but not always easy to figure out.

I have on occasion deleted custom hair files and custom clothing files in use by sims.  The hair defaults to either black straight with center part or bald.  The clothes will all default to the same maxis skin (there's one for each type and sex) - not sure if it changed with seasons, but previously it was the white capri pants and red shirt for female everyday.

Other than that, the game has suffered no ill effects...

[Gwill]

Deleting clothing has never been a problem.  Sims using that outfit will just be assigned a random maxis outfit in stead.
It's the same with objects; if you delete a custom object, it reverts to whatever the object was originally cloned from.
Deleting hair used to be a problem; sims using that would turn bald and look very bad, but I deleted a buttload of hair when I installed seasons, and all townies who were using those hairs were now assigned new random hair styles (in the same colour bin as the old hair).  Looks like Maxis did something right for once.

[sewinglady]

thud.  that was me fainting that Maxis might have done something right...

[J. M. Pescado]

I don't see how that's "right", really. In real life, if I delete YOUR hair, you will simply be bald, and if I delete your clothes, you'll end up naked.

[sewinglady]

hmmm...so true...