... but i have no idea where to begin... i don't even know what "CAS" stands for =/
i have TS3 so i'll be wanting to be making mods for this one(and not TS2, just clarifying). are there specific modding tools designed for TS3 that are tested and stable? i wanna start of doing create-a-sim parts(hair and clothing with new meshes and such). can someone point me in the right direction either on the site or just with basic tools? i looked on this forum but i seem to just be going in circles and everything looks so confusing right now... thanks!!!

Have you taken a look at the tutorials yet? I'm just starting out too and they're really helpful

http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?tit...3_CAS_Tutorials

sweet, thanks =) can anyone tell me if photoshop is good enough or will i need other software like paintshop pro to do this? also, it would be really great if someone wanted to hold my hand through this(not literally of course) or do a team thing lol it'd make it a lot less intimidating =P thanks again!!!

Again, look at the tutorials. Most of them will tell you what tools you need.