Last I checked you can't use MC to add the appearance modifier, you'd have to make the base buff then edit in S4S to add the rest of it (and we're not allowed to help with MC here anyhow). It's also what KS used, that's why nothing is named uniquely. If you plan on future bigger projects I'd say to scrap MC and learn by hand now, otherwise you can use MC for small projects.
Commodities are a statistic, they are the motives you see in the needs panel as well as other hidden features, like fame or pregnancy. Think of them as like a counter or thermometer, as they can go in any direction and can be altered in several ways, and when they reach certain levels can trigger other stuff (so max pregnancy commodity = birth, etc.). There are other statistics (statics, skills...think that's it) but those are a different topic to review from Zer0 later.
Buffs = moodlets you see in your moods panel when they are set to visible, but they can also be invisible and don't always influence moods. They are used for many other things and have a lot of options, it would be impossible to cover them all in a description but the TDESCs will list them for you.
Loots = If you've ever played an RPG/MMO the name should be explanatory, but these basically "loot" (aka add, or even remove) stuff onto your sim/others. They add buffs, traits, adjust commodities, and pretty much everything under the sun so far. As Fwecka linked to one of my previous responses, you can also add things without loots but this is usually rare, depending on what you are doing.
In KS's file she has a main buff (file AppearanceBaseBuff with no numbers) that is applied to sims, which gives a commodity (file labeled as 1919733690) that is constantly refreshing itself (the first loot in the list, 3153337096, sets it to max) and re-applying those loots every time it does in an endless loop. The other loots listed then test for an individual mood in each one, if the sim happens to be in that mood currently the loot then passes and the appearance modifier buff is applied. So if sims are in the flirty mood, they get the blushing appearance modifier.
So to copy the same system you need:
- A main buff that adds your commodity
- Your commodity
- A loot that refreshes your commodity
- Loots linked in your commodity that are constantly testing for moods, and when passed apply your buffs
- Appearance modifier buffs for however many moods you want affected
- XML Injector snippet to add your buff to the human trait, or whichever trait you want to apply it to
For referencing the CAS Part when you do the appearance modifiers, you need to go to Tools > Hash Generator and paste the instance where it says Hexadecimal. The Decimal section above it will change, copy that and insert it, ex: <T n="cas_part">9223372039974902744</T>. If you are making custom overlays, or even using EA ones (use the cas-preview cheat in S4S so you're not saving a bunch of packages), just go to the Warehouse and copy the instance, easiest to find under the Data tab of the CAS Part.
Start small by making your main buff first, throw in an appearance modifier for testing purposes. This makes sure you understand buffs, SimDatas, XML Injector, and appearance modifiers. Once you've got the main buff applied work on your commodity, the refresher loot, and the first mood loot. Make sure it works right, then do the rest.
Specific tutorials for your situation (even if you've read them, go over them again after studying some things):
Commodities Breakdown 1Commodities Breakdown 2Buffs BreakdownLoots BreakdownCreating Buffs Part 1Creating Buffs Part 2Creating LootsHere's a bunch of other resources to get you started. Make sure you download or use the browser version of TDESCs because they explain what things do, and always use EA examples to make sure you are on the right path:
TuningScarlet's Beginner tutorials (starting on page 2):
www.simsvip.com/category/the-sims-4/how-to-create-a-mod/page/2/Zer0's tutorials (for beginners and beginning intermediate, covers social interactions, buffs, Mod Constructor and much more):
www.patreon.com/posts/tutorials-35031545www.patreon.com/posts/mod-constructor-45356828How to Start a Custom Tuning File:
www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-start-38023976How to Add Custom Icons to Your Mod:
www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-add-icons-42171247How to Unlock Interactions:
www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-unlock-38446873And then you need the TDESCs and TDESC Browser as it helps you understand how files are built and what each thing does. Zer0’s tutorials linked above have 3 different tutorials on how to use the TDESC, so make sure to read them to understand how TDESCs work.
Browser version of TDESCs (any computer): lot51.cc/tdescOr download one of the programs.
TDESCs:
forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/980807/1-66-139-tdescs#latestTDESC Browser (Windows):
www.modthesims.info/download.php?&t=618199TDESC Browser (Mac):
modthesims.info/d/649060/tuning-description-browser-for-macos.htmlHow to Properly Setup the TDESC Browser:
www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-properly-42170948XML Extractor if you want to update or make new mods before S4S updates, and
XML File Finder (needs the extractor and in the same download) to see connections/references between each file without having to manually search for them. File Finder is very useful and highly recommended, even if you don’t use the XML Extractor for modding.
scumbumbomods.com/#/xml-extractor/Tuning Error Notifier is to help you make sure you don’t make mistakes.
scumbumbomods.com/tuning-error-notifier/There are tools that handle injecting for you for common areas, so you don’t need to focus on scripting until the time is right. This includes:
XML Injector: (interactions, loots, buffs to traits, reward traits, name objects, object relationships, states):
scumbumbomods.com/xml-injector/Injection Tools (for situations, walk-bys, etc.):
brainblasted.itch.io/injection-toolsAndrew’s Crafting Enabler (for injecting recipes like food, books, etc.):
sims4studio.com/post/72754Mod Constructor: (not an injector, except where needed, but can be used to make interactions, buffs, traits, careers, aspirations, events, and a few others):
zerbu.tumblr.com/post/181782526135/the-sims-4-mod-constructor-v4 If you need more resources, etc. I would recommend joining my Creator Musings Discord server, which is linked in my signature.