Hi,

Sims 3 by default can't be played with Xbox or other controller.
I created profile for Controller Companion tool (controllercompanion.com), so t's easy to play Sims 3 with Xbox or other compatible controller.
I played with this configuration for more than year and find it very comfortable way to play Sims 3 without keyboard and mouse.

I have mapped all needed keyboard keys to a Gamepad.
Left Stick - Mouse move
Right Stick - Camera move
LT/RL - Camera rotate
LB/RB - Camera zoom in / zoom out
Up/Down - Floor switch up and down
Left/Right - Hide/Unhide walls
A - Left click
X - Right click
Y - Map view
Left Stick hold + A,X,Y,B - Change game speed / pause the game

See screenshots for the full button-map.

Attached .7z archive contains profile that could be imported in Controller Companion or you can map buttons yourself according to screenshots.

Not sure, it it's allowed to upload this to Program & Utilities on MTS since it's not a tool, it's profile for another tool.

Thanks

Does it work for PlayStation controllers as well?

It should.
Quote from controllercompanion.com: "Controller Companion comes with an installer for Xbox 360 Controller Emulator (x360ce) which will allow you to use Playstation controllers."