Forum Discussion

toreshinbo's avatar
8 years ago

What is Alpha CC?

I'm sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I see it mentioned everywhere, yet I don't know what it is.
I'm fairly new to CC and mods (yet I play the series for 13 years, can you imagine :lol: ) so I don't know all the terms yet.
I searched it on the forums and google yet no results in explaining what they are. (Or I just might've missed it...)
I do know what Maxis Match is, it's with colours I believe. So is Alpha with non-maxis colours? Or am I wrong?

18 Replies

  • I recently did a video on this! If you like, my channel is "whimreaper" on YouTube.

    Alpha CC is designed to look more realistic. It often consists of several categories of skin details and accessories to achieve a really put-together aesthetic. For example, alpha cc shows individual hair strands, has realistic eye overlays, and features categories that are not a part of the game algorithm (like painted nails and separate jackets).
    Maxis Match CC is designed to fit into the game graphics to blend seamlessly with the surroundings. This means the content looks like it was made to belong in the Sims 4 (AKA Maxis made) and cannot always be distinguished from game content. This content tends to stick to the major clothes/skin detail/accessory groups that the base game offers and its main purpose is to provide some variety to players looking for more content whilst fitting in with the other objects in the game.

    I hope this helped :) You can see me give examples in my video (just search my channel, and it should be on there)
  • I hate the term "alpha cc" since it evolved to meaning non maxis-matched cc. However, it's already set in stone - drives me nuts, but I get why it came to being called this.

    Alpha refers to the alpha channels that's used, in this case to create hair (like in the sims 3) - these channels are used to determine which part of a texture is transparent or not (can be done in Photoshop). This is also how a lot of games make trees/grass. Have you ever played a game where when you turn to a certain angle the grass or some tree leaves disappear and reappear when you change your angle again - as if they have no width to them? That's flat textures using alpha channels.

    Alpha doesn't mean realistic - a table or couch that has a realistic texture isn't alpha, it has nothing to do with alpha channels.

    I know this term is stuck now and it most likely won't change, but hopefully some people can learn more about it. I'm sure there's a few cc creators/3D artists who cringe when they hear this term.
  • Where can you find alpha CC? Can somebody give me a link where you can find loads of good alpha CC because when I type it in google nothing comes up for some reason. Can you request a website for CC. Also I’m new at this ???

    Thank you ??
  • Also I don’t know how to make a conversation in this website. So I just used the closest conversation to ask a question. Sorry ??

  • "NewToSimsPC;c-17380066" wrote:
    Also I don’t know how to make a conversation in this website. So I just used the closest conversation to ask a question. Sorry ??


    Here is some information about being a new member that may be helpful to you, including why you can't start posts:
    https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/934205/small-change-for-new-members
  • "NewToSimsPC;c-17380064" wrote:
    Where can you find alpha CC? Can somebody give me a link where you can find loads of good alpha CC because when I type it in google nothing comes up for some reason. Can you request a website for CC. Also I’m new at this ???

    Thank you ??


    The Sims Resource is probably the biggest site for that kind of CC:
    https://www.thesimsresource.com/

    also, try YouTube, there are lots of CC videos there
  • Alpha CC is realistic looking, but maxis match cc is supposed to look like the original game without cc

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