Our staff member Dylan Simse had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to interview Pose Maker, Traelia.
Traelia is a well known Pose Maker for The Sims community, with amazing creations. Ever wonder how modders are able to create poses not available in the game? Want to get some advice on creating a pose? Well, you’re in luck. Take a read at the interview with Traelia, as she gives you insight on where it all began, and how it’s done!
You can Download Traelia’s custom poses at Mod The Sims, get news and updates on Traelia’s Facebook Page, and while you’re at it, go ahead and vote Traelia for the Best Pose Maker for Sims 3 Award.
Thanks a bunch Traelia for all your hard work. Definitely a great addition to our games!
Oh and PS, I voted for you. 😉
1. What got you started with pose making?
Well, the day or two after the Pose Player came out, I saw it for the first time on Mod the Sims. It looked pretty interesting and after reading through the overview, I went and read the tutorial on how to make poses. It seemed easy enough, and my favorite thing to do is learn a new art form. (My current real life obsession is photography) After making my first rough pose, I was addicted! I had so many ideas in my head (and so many more to come) that I couldn’t keep up with my own ideas! I never thought I would have 14 packs under my belt, as usually I get bored with making CC, like I did with clothes and skintones. I don’t know, just something about it keeps me creating more and more!
2. What advice would you give a begginer pose maker?
You probably know what I’m going to say, but practice practice and practice some more. Really. The only way to get good at something is to do it a million times. Another good piece of advice is to get outside opinions on your work. Constructive criticism is the greatest tool there is. Plus, you get more fans that way, because people like to see your thought process. Personally, I look to the frequent users of the #Create chat at Mod the Sims. They always help me straighten out the kinks in my work.
3. How do you get the sims face and body in the pose so perfect?
I think it’s all about how the human body works. Understanding the muscles and joints, and what’s possible and what’s not definitely helps. I use photos of real people to help guide me in the right direction if I’m unsure of the pose. Most of the time I can get it pretty close without much need for pictures. And again having other people look at the pose helps me see what needs to be fixed. When all else fails, I get off my butt and go try the pose myself while looking in a mirror.
4. How long does it take you to make a single pose?
Well if everything runs smoothly, around 15 minutes. I’ve gotten quite quick in moving the joints and such. The controls to Milkshape are etched into my brain. The longest part of making poses is testing them in game (since my computer is starting to kick the bucket) and then doing the photoshoot. So in total, one pose may take an hour from Milkshape to making it available to the public.
5. Are you ever going to try to make animations?
Actually I have already. I made a silly animation of a sim smiling and waving to the camera. It came out a little hideous, but it was good for a first start. I posted it on youtube a while ago.
6. Do you already know how to make animations?
Yeah for the most part. That stupid one I made wasn’t terribly difficult. The process is tedious and really annoying if you mess up a small detail. And from what I’ve heard, the programs I used to make that first one are terrible for animation. Go figure! I don’t know if I’ll ever go full swing into animation though, the idea of making an intricate animation scares me a little bit, to be honest. Haha.
7. How do you make the poses look so natural?
I think the key to making something look natural is understanding every curve and bend in the pose. Knowing how the pose will translate to the game is also important. These are the kind of things no one can really teach you. It’s all about noticing how the game interprets your choice in angle, or how the skintone works with the pose. For instance, a beginner isn’t going to know that although the pose may look doable in Milkshape, the game may adjust things, and once the skintone is on the sim the arm might be bending impossibly, but still look fine outside of the game. It’s hard to explain. Also I think a background in drawing or painting helps because you have to study the human form for those art forms.
8. Why do you like making poses so much?
Gosh! I get asked this question alot. I think it’s the freedom I have to create anything I want. Plus I get to play dress up with my sims to show off my poses. That’s gotta be my favorite part of the process. Making poses makes me feel like I’m a judge on America’s Next Top Model, but the models are my sims, and every pose they make in their photos is because I got to put their bodies like that. Plus, I feel the pain that other creators do when sims do the ugliest idle animations, when they are trying to show off an elegant gown, or make their custom sim look glamorous. Plus it’s just plain fun!
9. What do you think of your growing fanbase?
Oh I love it! I love logging into my Facebook page and seeing wall posts and pictures of people using my poses. I love holding competitions for my fans to receive requested poses, and I love sharing my models with them. I also love seeing posts in other places around the community mentioning my poses, or seeing them in places. And trust me, I keep a close eye on alot of places in the community to see how people are utilizing my poses. I like to make sure I respond to any and all questions, and alot of the times, fans ask valuable questions.
10. Can you give us a hint on what you are working on next?
Well I had a few things in the testing phase, but people have been begging me to put updated pose lists on my already released poses. So I plan on updating every pack. It’s a timely process (so much photoshopping!) so I’m not sure how long it will take for the full updated lists to be done. But that was more than a hint, wasn’t it? Anyways, boring updates aside, my next pack I’m planning on is, well, actually, I don’t know. Haha! I’m hoping I’ll have a crazy inspiration soon. ‘Cause that’s how all my pose packs happen. I have a sudden idea and then I go crazy with poses!
