Submitting A Creation - Step By Step

Creator’s Corner

Welcome to the new TSR Creator’s Corner! This newly developed system replaces our previous Submissions System, and is geared to make the entire process quicker and easier to submit your creations.

Images may show pre-release text and/or graphics. Any images directly related to the submissions process will be updated as needed.

This guide is written in the order of which you go through the submissions process, so some topics may be mentioned in multiple places.

Starting A Submission

From the start page, click the “Proceed to next step” button. This will take you to the page where you will upload your actual content files, and any preview images you have made for it. 

First, select the type of creation you are uploading. 

• “Custom Content” refers to a creation that consists of only one single item - a single object, a hairstyle, a shirt, a wallpaper, etc. You can only upload one single .package file as Custom Content.

• “Set” refers to a collection of multiple package files that you wish to be distributed together as a collection. You can upload any number of .package files into a set. This can be either objects, walls/floors, or CAS content. A set must contain creations of the same overall type - you cannot mix objects and CAS content, or objects and walls/floors, for example.

• “Sim” refers to a complete sim created in-game in Create-A-Sim. 

• “Lot” is a house/building/venue/etc that was built in the game. Lots can be furnished or unfurnished.

• “Room” refers to one single room that has been built in game. Rooms should be furnished. ("Room" does not refer to a set of objects designed for a particular room. E.G. a dining room set, living room set, etc, should be uploaded as a "Set" instead.)

• “Mod” refers to Loading Screens, CAS Backgrounds, Scripted Objects, Poses, Careers, and other game-modifying content such as unlocked cheats, interface changes, etc.

When you select a type of content, you’ll see a list of requirements for that particular type of content appear in the File Upload area outlining what types of files can be uploaded.

Note that if you select “Set” as the type, then you’ll also need to choose a subcategory for the type of set it is. You can specify a type of room, clothing, hair, accessories, or miscellaneous. 

Uploading Files

Once you have your files uploaded, they will appear in the listing panel at the bottom of the page:

If you click on the “...” menu button on the right of a file, you can also rename it. By default it will show the name of the package file, but it’s recommended that you rename it to something closer to the name of the item itself.

Example: If my package file is named “myname_rosemary_bed110722.package,” I would change the name in the Creator’s Corner to be something easier to look at and search for, like “Rosemary Bedroom - Double Bed” instead. You want to make sure to keep the title clean and easy to read. While you are free to name your package files however you see fit, the on-site title of an item should not contain your username, a date, or excessive punctuation and/or special characters.

Uploading Images

For images, the native size they are displayed on site is 920 x 690. The largest size accepted is 1024x768.

An easy method for ensuring your images are the correct size is to go into your graphics settings in game, and set the game to run in a window at 1024x768. You can then take your screenshots using the “C” key and the resulting images will be the correct size without needing any adjustments.

Images saved in game with the “C” key will be stored in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Screenshots.

Image Errors

If your image exceeds the size limit, you’ll see it highlighted in red indicating an error.

If you hover over the red icon, you’ll see details of what’s wrong:

In the case of an image error, there is also an “Edit” button. If your image is too large, this feature will let you crop your image to fit the guidelines. 

NOTE: This feature does not resize your image, it only crops off the excess. If your image is rather large (such as 4k) then you may have to manually resize it in a graphics editor before uploading. 

Additional File Information

If you hover over the Info for a package file, the system will also attempt to extract the polygon count from the highest level of detail mesh within the package, provided that it has a mesh. The number of swatches will also be indicated.

If an item is a recolor, the system will display a small palette icon to indicate this.

The system will also automatically attempt to pull the Title and Description from the .package file you upload. If it is successful, it will prompt you if you want to use that information for the submission form:

You are, of course, able to say no if you wish to use a different title or description on site than what is in the file. 

If you say “Yes,” then it will prompt you to select from the uploaded files for which one you want to take the title from, and then a second similar prompt will ask which file you want to take the description from.

• Do not include your username in the title of the submission. (Including your username in the submission form, which the site already attaches to your submission, can cause search engines to recognize this as “keyword stuffing” which will cause them to exclude your item from search results.)

  
  
• Try to keep the title of your creation in standard, easily readable English.
  • “Tropical Living Room” is formatted as a proper title:
    • Username is not included.
    • Words are properly spaced apart.

    • No excessive punctuation or special characters

      
      
  • “username_MyNewCreation05092023” is not a good title:
    • It contains your username (which the site automatically attaches anywhere your content is displayed.)
    • “MyNewCreation” as one word may not be parsed correctly by search engines.
    • Avoid using punctuation such as underscores (_) or dashes (-) in place of spaces.
    • Avoid adding the date in your title, as this is also automatically displayed on site.

Once you have your images and files sorted, click the “Upload & start submission” button. Note that this button will be grayed out and unavailable if any part of the form so far is either empty or incorrect. 

This will prompt you to start the upload - if you have selected all of your files and images, go ahead and click “Yes.” (All information - included files and images - can be edited later on, so don’t worry about forgetting something.)

After that, you’ll be taken to a screen that simply confirms the upload was successful. From that screen, there are two options:

“Create another upload” will let you start another new submission, such as if you are uploading several individual submissions at once.

“Continue Submission” will take you to the next step of the currently in-progress submission that was just uploaded. This is the option we’re going to choose.

Editing Description and Images

This will take you to a screen that is very similar to the original upload screen. Here you can alter the title or description, or you can also add additional notes or credits to your content.

Note that you do not need to add yourself to the credits. Credits should be used in cases where other artists have contributed to your project in some way.

On the right side of the page, you’ll see any images you’ve uploaded as part of this submission. The first one listed will be the main preview that is displayed on site when browsing the download catalog. 

You can add multiple images if needed. Likewise, you can remove any unnecessary images by clicking the “X” on the bottom left corner of the thumbnail. If multiple images are listed, you can drag and drop to re-order them however you see fit.

Image Hotspots

The primary image allows for hotspots, or clickable areas. You can hover over the image and the “Add Hotspots” button will appear. If you click this button, you can then click on an area of the image and add a link that other users will be able to click when looking at your content. This is perfect for adding links to any additional content that you are showing in your preview image.

Hotspots can be added by Item ID number if it’s an item already on TSR, or via an external link if the content is hosted somewhere else.

Note that only the primary preview image supports hotspots.

Misc. File Management 

In the file listing at the bottom of the page, clicking the “...” menu button will allow you to either remove a file, change the title, or to upload a new version of an existing file. 

If your submission is a single item, you’ll be able to either Update or Delete the file.

Note: The “Change Title” option is not available for a single item submission, because the main title of the entire submission is also the title for that file. 

If your content is a set, you can change the title of an individual file within the set, update a file, or remove it from the set.

Also, for a set, there is an “Add another” button that will let you add additional files to the set.

Categories

Once you have everything sorted, click “Continue to next step →” to move on to the Categories and Tags section. 

Categories define where on site the item will be listed based on the type of content that it is. For example, if you’ve created and are uploading a shirt, you’d choose CAS > Clothing > Tops, and then there are different types of tops you can choose from. There are different categories for all different types of content, ranging from Create-A-Sim, Build Mode, Buy Modes, Game Modifications, etc. 

NOTE: The category that you set when submitting content does not have to represent where the content can be found within the game catalog. While this may often be the case, our bottom-level subcategories are much more specific than what the game offers. This is done to facilitate downloaders being able to filter and sort through content to match exactly what they are looking for. 

Categories help make your content show up when users are looking under specific filters, so feel free to use multiple categories if your content fits! 

Example: If you’ve made an end table out of a wooden crate, you could check off both the “Accent Table” and “Create” categories that are found under “Tables.” 

Tags

The Tags section is for describing individual attributes of the content that you’ve made. There are attributes based on color, style, material, etc.

You could define an article of clothing as being Material: Cotton, Colors: Light, Pastel, and Pink, Pattern: Solid Color. The combination of tags that choose will help describe exactly what your content looks like, allowing users to search for content that matches specifically what they want. 

If your submission is a set of multiple files, you’ll set categories and tags for each individual item within the set. 

The available tags may vary depending on which category has been chosen.

There are buttons towards the top that, if you have multiple files, will allow you to copy categories and tags from one item to another. You must have at least one item that has tags set before either option will function!

• If you click the “Copy To All” button, you’ll be prompted to select which item you wish to copy the tags and categories from. They will then be applied to all items within the set.

• If you check off multiple items and then click on the “Copy to selected” button, you will be prompted to select one item from which you want to copy the original tags and categories from. The system will then copy the categories and tags from that item to all of the items that you had originally checked off.

Tags and categories should only be copied to/from items which those tags and categories actually apply. For example, a set of windows will generally all be similar enough to use the same categories and tags since they are likely all variations on the same design.

If you have substantially different items within a set, then they each need to have their own proper tags and categories set.

Requirements and Keywords

Keywords

Think of keywords as, “if someone searches for this word, my content should show up.” Keywords share some overlap with tags, except that you can type in your own custom keywords instead of choosing from a list.

For example, if you’re submitting a lot that has been built to be a spa, you could use a keyword such as “wellness” since that keyword doesn’t exist as a tag. 

Keywords should NOT include your username, or the version of the game that the content is for. This information is already attached to the submission and is already indexed by the search function. 

Keywords are automatically separated as individual words. You cannot use a multi-world phrase as a keyword. For example, trying to use "The Sims 4" as a keyword will actually give you "The," "Sims," and the number "4," as three separate keywords.

Required Items

The Required Downloads section allows you to mark other items as required in order for your submission to work. This feature can be used for:

• Lots or Rooms that use Custom Content: Any CC used in your build should be added to the Required section.
• Sims that use Custom Content: Any Custom Content used on a sim should be added to the Required section.
• Content that is a recolor of a custom mesh: If the original mesh is required in order for your recolor to function in the game, list the original item in the Required section. 
• Misc Requirements: If your content requires another piece of CC in order to function - for any reason - then you’ll need to list that content in the Required section. 

Required content can be added via TSR Item ID, URL, or you can also search by name for content that is already on TSR. 

(The Item ID number can be found for existing content on site in the Description tab. Within the Creator’s Corner for your own content, the item ID can be found listed to the right of the creation title from within the Editing Queue, Testing, Awaiting Approval, Approved, or Published sections.)

Whenever a user attempts to download something that has anything listed in the Required Items section, they will be alerted that they need to download that additional content. 

If they are a VIP user, they can automatically download any required content that is on TSR at the same time as the main item they were attempting to download. 

Items that are not hosted on TSR (Tumblr, Patreon, etc) will NOT automatically download under any circumstances. The user will have to manually follow the link you’ve provided to any offsite content. 

Recommended Items

Recommended items can be linked to your item as suggestions for additional content rather than actually being required. This can be used for WCIF (Where can I find…?) references - for example, providing links to other content that you’ve shown in your preview image, or other content that you want to recommend to go along with your own submission.

Clicking on the magnifying glass icon will allow you to search for Recommended Items to add by either item ID, title, artist, or URL. 

Embed Video

This option allows you to attach a YouTube video to your submission that will be publicly visible on site along with your content. As some examples, this can be used for:

• Attaching a speed build video to a lot
• Demonstrating in-game functionality of a mod
• CC showcase videos to simply show off your new content

This is totally optional, though! If you don’t have a video, you can leave this blank. If you DO want to include a video, ensure that it’s actually related to your content. Do not attach other random videos for no reason.

Required Expansion Packs

The system will attempt to automatically detect which expansion, stuff, game packs, or kits are required by your content. However, in some cases it may not automatically detect packs correctly, so it’s your responsibility as the creator to ensure that the requirements are listed correctly.

For Lots, Rooms, and Sims: If any items from a pack were used in your creation, then that pack will be required in order for your creation to appear as you created it. 

For Create A Sim or Build/Buy content*, if your item is cloned from or is recoloring an item from a pack, then that pack will also be required by your content.

*Note that Sims 4 Studio contains an option to uncheck the pack icon overlay from the catalog thumbnail. This only hides the icon from displaying, it does NOT actually remove the pack requirement itself! Even if the icon is hidden, any pack requirements will remain in place. 

Themes

Themes are used to group together similarly themed content on site. Downloaders can filter by theme when downloading to only see specific styles of content. For example, “Sci Fi,” “Victorian,” etc. You can place your content into a maximum of 2 themes. Themes are optional, you are not required to put your content into a theme. However, if it fits into a theme, you are welcome to include it!

Terms and Conditions

The final section outlines a few terms and conditions that you can set for your content.

Permitted To Recolor

Do you give permission for other users to create recolors of your content?

Permitted To Use and Upload in Other People’s Content at TSR

For example, if you create a clothing item, can people upload a sim that is wearing this item? If you create an object, can a builder upload a lot that uses your item? 

Note that for TS4 content, the core structure of the game means that the content won’t actually be literally included, but only a reference. Users will still have to download your content separately.

Social Media Links Visible

If you’ve added social media links to your profile, do you want these to be visible on your submission? 

Enable Feedback

If feedback is enabled, users can “Like” your content and also leave comments. “Likes Only” will disable comments, but allow likes. “Disable Feedback” will turn off comments and likes for your content. 

Any Other Notes About Use

If you have any other terms of use or notes about the use of your CC, you can enter them here.

Submit For Approval

After that, once you click “Next,” that’s it! The final page will show you a summary of your submission, including the description, images, tags, and categories you’ve entered. If everything looks good and you’re finished, you can click on the “Submit For Approval” button.

Once your creation has been submitted for approval, it’ll be sent to the Submissions Team who will review it to make sure it functions properly and meets TSR’s content guidelines.

If no issues are found, the Submissions Team will approve it and set a date for it to be published on site.

If any issues are found, the content will be moved to “Needs Attention” and you’ll be contacted on what needs to be corrected in order for it to be Approved.