Baby sims coming in two different colors

[Sondra312]

When my sim had a baby it came in two different colors one side normal color the other half a dark color. I started a new sims family to see if it would happen again and it did. Not sure what is causing it to make the babies come out looking like that. Here is a pic of what I mean.

[Pam]

This is a case of poor graphics that started when Ambitions was released.  I had hoped it would be fixed with a patch, but it hasn't happened yet.

[pallyndrome]

Does it continue into toddlerhood?

[Pam]

Does it continue into toddlerhood?

No, just infants.

[Ausette]

Do you have CC installed? There's a pair of boots out there (Female Young Adult I think) that, if downloaded, will sometimes be applied to baby Sims. If so you can just uninstall it and the problem should fix itself. 

[Sondra312]

Do you have CC installed? There's a pair of boots out there (Female Young Adult I think) that, if downloaded, will sometimes be applied to baby Sims. If so you can just uninstall it and the problem should fix itself. 

What is CC? There are some things that I don't recognize being there before but have no idea how they got there. I haven't installed anything recently from the site or anywhere else.

[Ausette]

CC stands for Custom Content. It's basically items (clothes, hair, furniture etc.) made for the game by Simmers using third-party programs, and usually isn't as good quality as EA-made content. In-game, CC items have a little white plumbob icon in the corner of their thumbnail. Because it's made by random people on the internet, CC often ends up with bugs or viruses, which is why we don't support it here on this forum.

If you have CC and don't know where it's from, it may have come with a download from the Exchange (eg. makeup on a Sim you installed). That said, often when a new Expansion Pack is released EA will include some new items in the free patch as a sort of update (eg. the building tools that came with the Late Night patch). If you're not sure what's CC and what's official Store content (made by EA) you can check your Purchase History under Store --> My Account on thesims3.com, which lists Store content only. Because of the risk in having CC installed, you're probably best off uninstalling it. Most members of this forum don't use any at all. Sorry if I gave you a fright with this talk of risks. 

[Pam]

I have no third party CC and all my infants have this coloring issue.

[TheChronicR]

This thread reminds me of my babies, when I first installed Ambitions. All of them were like this. I guess it was a wrong shadow setting, or something was messed up in the graphic options. Anyway, the bug disappeared right after installing Fast Lane Stuff. Plus, I don't have any CC or mods, of course except of Barnacle Bay and Swap Shop stuff, but this can't be it, because it was way before I got them. Don't worry, it will pass in time (I think so). Or with a new patch, to be exact.

[Ausette]

Ah, OK. I've seen this recolouring pattern in black and white and it was caused by CC then, so I guess I jumped to conclusions. Sorry, hope I helped you anyway Sondra. 

[Hosfac]

If this is so common, I find it kinda weird that I've never encountered it in my games lol.

[Sondra312]

Ah, OK. I've seen this recolouring pattern in black and white and it was caused by CC then, so I guess I jumped to conclusions. Sorry, hope I helped you anyway Sondra.  

Don't be sorry. It was still helpful. Good to know what else can cause things to happen and to look out for them.

I do have stuff in the download that I don't remember downloading into the game at all that weren't there two weeks ago and i've had all Sim games, except the recent one, since shortly after christmas. I have no idea where these things came from they are clothes, shoes, different eye colors, etc. Could those be causing the babies to come out like they are? Actually, Is that the CC you were talking about?

**EDIT**
I was just looking through the Installed Content. On most of the items there is a little green box with on the thumbnail with w and some with sw3, or s3w, in it. What does that mean?

[TheChronicR]

EA store content is not considered custom content. But, not everything on the official Sims 3 site follows this criteria. There might be some items on the Exchange that have CC in them. For example, you liked a house on the Exchange and downloaded it. Then you install it normally, without being aware that it contains custom content. When the house was installed, the custom content got installed into your game too. If it was created by a starter creator, then it may have some minuses, which can do harm to your game. CC is all the same as mods and hacks. Just the latter change gameplay aspects, while CC changes the appearance of items or creates new items, with new meshes. This is what's done when creating expansion pack items, but those are created by professional game developers. Be sure to uninstall CC and fully delete your caches and test to see if it occurs again.

[Jancy]

My infants had the same discoloring on their head also.  They were fine before one of the EP's which I think was Ambitions as Pam mentioned.  Once they aged up to toddler they were fine.

[Pam]

EA store content is not considered custom content.

Actually, EA store content is considered to be custom content.  Anything that goes into the game outside of the base game, expansion packs, and stuff packs is considered custom content even if EA makes it.  The thing to be careful of is THIRD PARTY custom content.  That's when it's made by someone other than EA and it can be risky to your game.

I was just looking through the Installed Content. On most of the items there is a little green box with on the thumbnail with w and some with sw3, or s3w, in it. What does that mean?

Those symbols indicate that the item is third party custom content.  The developers of the items mark them like that so people can tell which ones belong to the developer.  Patterns aren't terribly harmful, but anything else is quite risky.