Sims 4 Stairs Tutorial

sawdust

As the heading states this is a tutorial on how to use the new stair options that came with a recent patch.

You will need to know the amount of steps per wall height as now the stairs will only break at multiples of 4, 8 and 12 steps. This will be important to know when trying to get even sections as it will only be possible depending on wall height.

You can see in the pic below that the small wall is 12 steps; the medium wall is 16 steps and the tall wall is 20 steps.



When you place stairs now you will see a new button (circled in red below) that allows you to break the stairs into sections and you can pull on it to make a basic "L" shape or "U" shape.



This will now give you three buttons which, for this tutorial I will call "Break" button (circled in red); "Slider" (circled in blue) and ""Swivel" button (circled in black) in the pic below.

1. The "Break" button is what lets you divide the stairs into different sections.
2. The "Slider" allows you to change the number of steps in the section it is attached to or remove the break altogether.
3. The Swivel allows you to change the direction of the stair section it is attached to.

By manipulating those three buttons in various ways you can create a number of different stair shapes. I recommend you practice pushing and pulling these around so you can get use to them and see how they work. Below is a pic of some of the different shapes. Some of these configurations can be stacked over multiple floors but others will only be suitable for use as one set to take you from the ground to first floor.



Something worth noting: If you want to make a "U" shaped staircase that has an even number of steps in both sections, you must use the medium wall height (8 steps per section) to achieve the desired look. (see below)



In the next post we will see how to make a couple of different stairwells.

giggler36

Thanks @sawdust , this is awesome I can't wait now to play around with this new updated stair feature. As always your tutorials explain what to do perfectly

sawdust

Before we start I need to explain: for some reason the game is not capturing the UI in my pictures even though I have it checked to do so. One thing you may not be aware of if you don't do a lot of building is we have the ability to "copy" rooms, walls etc when they are selected. It works the same way as the "move" button only instead of moving the selection it makes a copy which you can place anywhere on the lot. The copy function can save a lot of time.

The following is how to make a 3 x 3 Stairwell using the small wall.

We start by placing our stairs and then "breaking" them in two places to form a "C" shape. Note: You must use stairs that are not filled in underneath. Either remove the wall or use one of the open stair types. You can change them to any style once placed even if it is one that normally fills in below the stairs as it will automatically remove the wall.



Then we build a 3 x 3 room around them. Select the room and use the copy button to build 3 more rooms on top. (four floors in all)



When layering stairs over multiple floors it seems to work a lot easier if you start at the top floor and work down so grab the stair we made and move them to the third floor. Now make a copy and place on the second floor and another copy and place on the first (ground) floor. Place your desired handrails on each floor.

You should have one square of floor sticking out (painted red in the pic below) that can be removed to allow for a more open look.



To remove, choose your fence and using the "place fence enclosure" drag a 1 x 1 room around that tile. (see pic below)



Then with the "hammer" selected remove the floor piece and carefully remove the 3 sides of fence as shown below. Make sure the fence is highlighted and not the handrail. If the floor returns after removing the first section of fence simply delete it again. On the fourth floor place a section of fence across to finish it off.





Alternatively, if you want a more "dungeonesque" feel then use the wall tool and build a 1 x 1 room in the centre of each floor.



Below is a pic where I have removed the front walls so you can see how the stairs look over the four floors.



Something to note: There are a couple of stair types that show through on the back wall. (see pic) The "Tidy Tiled Stairs" from Jungle Adventures and the "Lit Stairway" from Get Famous are two such stairs that have this fault. There may be more as I didn't try all of them but do be aware of this problem.




You can use this style without walls if you want and simply place them in the middle of a large room. One advantage to building this is you can save it on a small lot and place it in your Library for different builds. By placing it in the back corner of the lot you intend to build on first, you can then use the "Move House" to attached it to your building.


If there is anything you don't understand or need something better explained, let me know. Next post I will show you how to make a 3 x 4 open stairwell from one staircase.

sawdust

Once again we are using the small wall to make a room 3 x 8. Copy the room and place a second and third storey.



Page up to the third floor and draw a fence across the back one square in then delete the 3rd and the second floor using the hammer.



Delete one section of fence next to the side wall. If the floor returns just hit it with the hammer again. Place your stairs as in the picture below so they go all the way down to the ground floor. Remember: You must use open stairs or delete the "fill in wall" underneath before twisting the stairs. Also, once the stairs are complete, you can change them to any type you want but you cannot move them as they will revert to a "one floor" staircase.



Using the first "break" button (circled 1) twist the stirs to make a "U" shape. Then using the next "break" button (circled 2) twist again. You should have a zig-zag staircase.



Lastly, using the slider (circled) push up so the lower landing is against the back wall and each section has eight stairs.



Now it's just a matter of tidying up the stairwell by dragging back the front walls to make each room 3 x 4 and put an access door in the ground floor.



Now because we removed floors with the hammer there are two things to note.

1. We can't place ceiling lights without floors underneath so you will have to use wall lights.
2. The ceiling is partly missing from the top floor because we broke it up with a fence. To overcome this we can page up and place a piece of flat decking, adjusting it to the room size. (see pic below). HOWEVER: If you want to put a glass roof over this section DO NOT place the flat decking.



If anything is not clear, let me know or if you have any building questions, I'm always happy to help.

Wykkyd

Hi - I am trying to make u-shaped stairs in a 3 floor beach house. I need the walls to stay on the stairs though. Is there a way or a work around? I've been trying everything and they wont stack if the walls are on them. I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks.

~Wykkyd

chips46

Hi @Wykkyd I'm not able to help if you like post here someone may help you there

XRaiderV17

I'm actually having trouble grabbing the whole room and copying it..

dlarlQma

> @sawdust


this may be a random question, but how are you able to place your stairs on 3 tiles? my stairs are placed as 4 tiles...

sawdust

@dlarlQma

If I am understanding your question correctly, it will depend on the wall size you are using. If you want a 3 x 3 size stair well you will to use the smallest wall size.

Sc4rls01

Very helpful tutorial👍🏻