BUILDERS' 101"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." Frank A. Clark
This forum was managed by MerryWiddow and the THe Sims Creators' Consortium team. It is now inactive and all questions can be directed to the Admin Team at THe Sims Creators' Consortium.Welcome to Builders' 101. We will enjoy helping you with all of your questions with regards to every aspect of building from the inception of the idea to the uploading of the lot and Promoting your Asset. This is an opportunity "To Learn Together": You from us and us from you.
Please follow the forum rules when making posts. You will find them here.
Forum Rules.
Please take a moment to read them. Thanks.
JOIN US AND LET'S LEARN TOGETHER
This is for
all Simmers, of
all ages and
all abilities who want to
build or are
already building! Do you feel that you have no idea what to do, where to start? Why did that Lovely House you worked so hard on just slip by unnoticed?
Here we are going to learn 'New Ideas' and get 'Tips and Tricks' from each other and share our 'Ideas and Creations'. We will learn from each other and together we will all grow to become better builders.
HOW IT WORKS
Take pictures of your Work In Progress (WIP) and share it with us on this thread. (See Picture Posting below). Our visitors will look at it and give you constructive tips about his or her ideas on what each thinks you could or should do with your WIP. You will receive comments that may be seen as negative, but please, remember it is only to help you become a better builder. The opposite is also true: You will get a lot of praise for good work and ideas, etc.
Post a link to your build here with links to photo’s, stories or video! We can all have a look at what you’ve built and learn from it, or help you to make the lot better. Get somebody else's view on your build. or ask any question about building. If one of us doesn't know the answer, we can find an answer to your question or problem. Any link to wherever you promoted your build. But wait, did you promote your build? More about promoting your build later.
Thinking of Taking the Plunge and Becoming a New Builder
Or Maybe You've Already Taken the Plunge but are Unsure!
Let’s start with what it is you want to do or learn and work from there.
Novice, Intermediate, Good, All Levels of Builders:
START, POST, LEARNRemember whatever is said is the opinion of the person posting, the decision to use it or not lies
solely with you.
TIME FOR HOMEWORK
Updated: It is now called Learn to Build. You will find it on TS3 Creators' Consortium. Registration is free and it is a fun site for all aspects of TS3.
Learn to Build AssignmentsELEMENTS OF INTERIOR DESIGN CHALLENGESElements of Interior Design Challenge Index at TS3 Creators' Consortium II.
Creations that deserve a second lookCFE Learn to Build Assignments are also available at TS3 Creators' Consortium II.
TUTORIALS IN 3RD POST
A WALK THROUGH OF YOUR BUILD IS AVAILABLE BY REQUEST : YOUR BUILD MUST HAVE
NO CUSTOM CONTENT
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
MOO = MoveObjects on/off
CFE = ConstrainFloorElevation true/false
WIP = Work In Progress
CAS = Create a Style as used in the interior design aspect
IRO = In regards of
DLs = Downloads
REC = Recommendation
more will be added as they come up.
PROUD SUPPORTER SIGGY
Proud Supporters Siggy can be used at any time if you want to show that you support this Thread.
Copy and paste this code into Signature under My Preferences. Just remove the asterisks.
[*URL=
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/121128.page#][*IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d93/evenstar15/proud.jpg[*/IMG][*/URL]
Have fun!
MerryWiddow
Comments
The best size for posting pictures on the thread is 640px wide by 480px high.
Change the size right in your post. Just right after the .jpg key in "width=640" "height=480" before the final [/IMG] tag.
There are many programs and websites that can be used to change the size of the picture to be posted.
Magician1: for example uses ‘Irfanview’ (See link below) to resize. "I open the picture in question in Irfanview and then click on ‘Images’ ‘Resize/Resample’ then I type in the Horizontal value: 640. In the Vertical Value : 480 and click 'OK'. Save the Picture. Then I go to the following Website : Photobucket and load my picture there and once done, I copy the 'Image Code' and paste it in the body of my post on the thread."
MerryWiddow: "I use TinyPic.com. You can upload your screenshots directly from your Screenshots folder. Then at the tinypic site you can change the size to a width of 640px and a height of 480px. After you upload it, the site gives you the links needed. Use the one that says it's for forums. Just copy from the tinypic site and paste it in the thread body"
You can also take the picture from the picture sharing site of your choice and change the size right as you upload it. Just choose the forum size of 640 x 480 pixels.
CHANGING THE COVER PICTURE
Well there are a couple of methods to change the cover picture of your lot. This is the one both Magician1 and MerryWiddow use. It is by simmer Zinda799. It is very easy to use and safe.
You will find it on page 2, 3rd post down on Zinda799's forum. Here is the link.
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/15/100449.page. Please leave her a thank you.
To prepare a picture for this wonderful program you will need to create a square 512 x 512 .png file. How do I do that you ask?
There is a good free program called Irfanview that you can use to edit your photographs. A tutorial available call Ten Things You Can Do With Irfanview will help you to understand this versatile program. Magician1 uses this program and MerryWiddow uses Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Another Program you can use, Paint.NET: http://www.dotpdn.com/downloads/pdn.html
512x512 Cover Pic Tutorial using Irfanview by XOX1
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/157391.page#1861975
How to Change your Cover Picture on MAC by Kquinn:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/182189.page#2171740
LEARNING CFE
Lesson One Adding a Garage to a Foundation, Sunken Living Room and Raised Bedroom Tri-Level House.
Lesson Two L-shaped Stairs, U-shaped Stairs and Building on Stilts.
Let us Learn together
DOWNLOADABLE CC: At this Link:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/5550/121128.page#2030643
Please note that roof beams show up under fencing as black squares...and don't actually show up until they are used as a fence... then they float 1 story above whatever level you put them on
WHAT DOWN LOADERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
Go to our sister/brother site at http://ts3cc.canadian-forum.com/ for challenges.
MY THOUGHTS
NAMING YOUR LOT TO STAY WHEN YOU SHARE
A BUILDER'S CHECKLIST
SHELLS
For those who would prefer not to build, but just like the interior design and landscaping.
Shell1 A for Learning by magician1.
The shell is donated by Darkside 8 Wildman Road Shell by darkside266
TUTORIALS
We offer tutorials or links to tutorials that already exist. If tutorials are added a reference or link to them will be updated in this post.
Building a Sumptuous Starter for $16,500 by BluebellFlora
PICTURE TUTORIALS
Adding Screenshots to Forum Threads by addict1220
"Imaging 101"- A Lesson by XOX1- This change and grow as time goes on, so check back often.
How To Take Awesome Photos In The Sims 3 by the_harlequinade
GURU TUTORIALS
Here are a few tutorials that are good for the novice builder.
Tutorial: How to upload Lots by SimGuruWeb
Tutorial: Convert Lot to Residential by SimGuruWeb
Tutorial: Bring Media Into Story Tool by SimGuruWeb
ROOF TUTORIALS
Roofing 101: Are you hip, or a jerkin head? Part 1 by socalkdl
Roofing 101 Part 2: Roofing the Wilmington by socalkdl
Building Victorians: a Tutorial by Socalkdl
How I Make Who House Roofs by Sophiaraspberry
How to create a basic roof with different slope angles by feldynn.
Individual Roofslope tutorial by Mch36504.
Roof Height Adjustment in Sims 3 by Qbuilderz.
Slanted floor tile roof tutorial by jisgr8.
A Million and One Roof Heights! (Beginners+) by cyclonesue.
Bigger attics by plasticbox. This tutorial is followed by adding dormers or doing a barn roof with this bigger attic.
Sims 3 Gambrel roofs, dormers, and porches by ricslady99
If you follow down the page after this one, you will find some other great tutorials.
The Beginner Skylight Tutorial by cyberman418
LANDSCAPING
Landscaping 1: Garden Path and Pergola by MerryWiddow.
Part 1 - Tools of the Trade by Allium
Part 2 - Creating Gardens by Allium
Landscaping Megatorial Part 1 of 3
Landscaping Megatorial Part 2 of 3
Landscaping Megatorial Part 3 of 3
A Swimmable Pond by Amoebius.
How to make a Green House by Tikigurl0666.
Post World Adventures Hot Tub Tutorial by MeestorMark.
Tutorial - Perfectly Sloped Driveway by garbuckle3000.
Tutorial - How to make pool platforms by MeestorMark
WATERFALLS
Making a basic waterfall in 10 steps by ninanuiten.
Waterfall Tutorial by jisgr8 Post WA.
Waterfall Tutorial by Dante11111. This one is for effect only and is not an actual waterfall.
BRIDGES
Bridges in The Sims 3 by Flabaliki
How To: Create a short arched bridge by Feldynn.
Tutorial: Making Angled Arched Bridges. (Beginner +) by LightSide.
AQUARIUMS
How to Design a Floor Fish Aquarium by SuperPogimon.
Fish Aquarium Tutorial by Simeve
How to Make a Shark Tank with Fog Emitters by Simeve
Easy Aquarium with Fish by Simeve
How To Make A SHARK TANK! (EASY!) by chubbalini
BASEMENT TUTORIALS
How To Build a Basement by Catfish2933 on YouTube.
Aquarium Pool - How To by Amoebius.
Tutorial - Connecting Pools to Basement Walls after Late Night EP by MeestorMark.
TOMB TUTORIALS
Tomb Making Tutorial: by SunsetValley01
TOMBS:How To Use The Processor's "AND!" by bunbunnyny
Tomb Building: The Processor by TS3 Wiki at TSR
Tomb Overview by TS3 Wiki at TSR
Tomb Building Basic by TS3 Wiki at TSR
Tomb Building Advanced by TS3 Wiki at TSR
Tomb Building: Triggers and Activated Behaviours by TS3 Wiki at TSR
Tomb Creation 101 by TS3 Wiki at TSR
The Sims 3: World Adventures Building Tombs extensive article on GameSpy
GARAGE TUTORIALS
Building Garages on Foundation Homes by WhyYouLittle05.
Connecting Garages to Foundations by Flabaliki.
Real Sloped Driveways by Flabaliki
MORE CONTSTRAIN FLOOR ELEVATION TUTORIALS
3 Tiers 1 Floor MultiSplitLevel Tutorial by WickedKnight. No Pictures
Cheats, Tips and Tricks by nam24601. No Pictures
How to build split level stairs in foyer by darkside266.
CFE Tri-Level Step by Step Instructions by LiLSapphire. No Pictures
Creating a sunken room with floor-to-ceiling windows by Beefysim1.
Connecting Garages to Foundations by Flabaliki.
Tricks with Split Leveling by Flabaliki.
How To Make a Sunken Room On a Second Floor (Tutorial) by kquinn1990
STAIRS
Split Level Stair Tutorial by alanmc12.
Creating L-shaped stairs in The Sims 3 by BlackGarden.
Creating U-Shaped Stairs in The Sims 3 by mensure.
FENCES
Create Realistic, Stylish Fences by Jasonmazda2
USING FOUNDATIONS AS EXTERIOR WALLS
Using Foundations as Exterior Walls by exdemon1120. No Pictures
INTERIOR DESIGN TUTORIALS
Inspirational Bathrooms by MerryWiddow
Fidler's Area Rug Tutorial by fidlerten
Design 101: Colors and Patterns by ruthless_kk.
Sunken Bathtub Tutorial By Francis123P.
Creating Double Coloured Ceilings. A thread tutorial by ~LightSide~
The Seven Layers of Design by mikkimouse1978
Make interesting beds without CC by samanthajane26
MISC TUTORIALS
Unique Rabbithols - how to by Amoebius
How to make a nice pyramidal temple (WA) by estyle36
MORE AWESOME TUTORIALS
The Sims Supply Video Tutorials
LINKS
TS3 Creators' Consortium II
HOUSE PLAN WEBSITES
Starting your first home may feel daunting. Having a plan in mind will help you focus.
HousePlans.com
Drummond House Plans
Architectural Designs
Above All House Plans
Eplans.com
Luxury House Plans by Archival Designs
Start for your first build with something simple like a bungalow. It doesn't have to look simple though. You can spruce it up with an interesting roof line or inviting curb appeal.
MerryWiddow
If you're into Interior Design Sim Interior Design Ltd (SID) is an interesting site. For a good place to see the latest creations in Machinima check out Simatography where you will find a Screening Room and Studio. On the top of our list for Building sites is Builders' Boulevard (BB). On this site you need to become a member, but it is well worth it and, of course, it's free.
Magician1
There are many ways to promote your build. Simply uploading your screenshots from your game to TS3 and creating a story is the simplest way. See the tutorial Tutorial: Bring Media Into Story Tool by SimGuruWeb. If you have any questions after seeing this tutorial please ask.
Taking the screenshots is best done with a sim in residence. In live mode you will have a very powerful and valuable tool for taking great pictures. The tool is called by many "Cameraman Mode" and is accessed by pressing the 'Tab' key. Once you are in this mode, you will not be able to use your mouse to give commands. Your mouse will move the camera like it is your head turning. Other ways of moving the camera are using the following keys given with their function.
The key on the left moves the camera in the direction listed. This movement is like you walking around the room.
'q' = down
'w' = closer
'e' = up
'a' = left
's' = further away
'd' = right
The following two are different from the 'w' and the 's' because they do not move the camera. They move the 'lens' so to speak. They can give an elongated or fisheye view. So be very careful using these commands. They are, however, great for taking pictures in tight spots like bathrooms.
'z'=zoom in
'x'=zoom out
And the final step.
'c'=snap picture
To exit "Cameraman Mode" press the 'Tab' key.
MerryWiddow
Here is one that still has only 85 at the time of this posting. It was posted before I learned how to post using a cover picture...
Another creation by GriffCorp. International's Legendary Scientist, Potter Planter.
A Complete Makeover of Sunset Valley's Recurve Strand done in a Pirate theme!
All Skills and Needs are provided, except music.
10 Money Trees, 10 Life Plants, 6 Omni Plants, and 8 Death Flowers that can be Harvested.
(Remove old Recurve Strand. Flatten lot in edit town / edit lot mode. Remove all trees and flora. Place Potter Planter's Pirate Strand.) Enjoy!
The GriffCorp. International motto is- "We are here, to help you, help us!
A bad day at the beach is better than a good day at work!
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=945282
Hi and welcome
Ty for giving us the opportunity to try and help.
First I want to say that I'm glad that you have set yourself certain criteria iro your creations. it is a good way to improve on your skill and upon reaching your goals you get more satisfaction and inspiration for your future builds.
Then I've got 3 comments on this creation:
1) The house is too Box type and/or the roof can be played with to maybe make it 2 or 3 different styles/types of roof.
2) The landscaping is a bit on the dull side for me. Use some of the flat beach plants and scatter them in clusters on the beach, u can even lift some of the areas of beach to give it the effect that it's dunes and make some flower beds close to the house, just to brighten things up a bit.
3) The Interior pattern and wood color is just too much the same right thru the house. I would say, make the bedrooms a different pattern and the ensuite to suit the bedroom then.You can still use blue but play around with different shades of blue.
There's also a way to let u'r chimney blend in with the house. I don't know if u know how to do it. If u don't just let me know and we can go thru it.
Thank you very much and we would love it if you can visit us and help where you can iro hints and tips to all people placing pic's of WIP's on, etc.
Looking forward to seeing your work here.
Thank you very much.
We are looking forward to seeing you visit us and giving us your tips, tricks and comments to all involved.
And of course your creations.
Thank you very much.
We are looking forward to see you visit us and making your contribition to our thread.
And seeing your creations.
I am not writing this in anger, but rather, suggesting a strategic course for you to take.
I am a little disappointed by your review. You basically told me to redesign the entire lot.
Architecture is both the process and the product of designing and constructing spaces that reflect functional, aesthetic and environmental considerations.
I would have been more impressed by your review if you had stated that you had actually downloaded the lot into your game, and played it first.
If this is going to be a thread that does not balance function and navigation with appearance, then I will not be participating any further; until I see all of the aspects being considered.
I would suggest that you play the lots that you are reviewing in the future, if you are going to present yourself as an authority on such matters.
At the end of the day, this is a video game. Video games are extremely visual by their very nature, but navigation is what determines the course of the action more than anything else.
No personal offense is intended, just stating my opinion.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I did dl and play the lot, was actually in the process of doing that when I replied to you.
I apologise if you feel hurt, that was never my intention.
I will be more clearer on what I suggest and why in the future.
Your house is Very Functional.
But please accept my apology and I will discus your house with MerryWiddow so that she can look, dl and give you her review/suggestions if any.
Ty in advance for accepting the apology
No apology is needed!
I was just stating my opinion.
I do have professional credentials in architecture and interior design, although I currently own my own event planning business.
My purpose for this lot was to provide a place for all of my sims to visit Recurve Strand, and to come back happy and healthy. This is the primary function of all of my community lots. The strand is so isolated, I thought it needed a pit stop.
I am very interested in anything that enhances our community, and Sims 3 gaming experience.
I am looking forward to being involved with such an austere group of polite, helpful, and constructive group of Simmers.
Phew, I thought i had put you off our Thread. Ty for your patience.
I am looking forward to any future or current creations you can and will be sharing with us.
A very big hearty welcome
Here are some links to Roofing Tutorials that I think will help you:
How to create a basic roof with different slope angles - feldynn
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=344816
Individualroofslope tutorial by Mch36504:
http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=31104
Roof Height Adjustment in Sims 3 - by Qbuilderz
http://thesimsupply.com/videotutorials/episode13.php
and for the floorplans, I'm going to ask u to go back to page 1 and go down to post 3. The heading should read 'Houseplan websites'.
There you will find Floorplans that I beleive will be to your liking and help you to make a decision as to excactly what type of house you want to start building.
I hope this is of help to you and feel free to come back and tell us if you need any further assistance.
Thank You
Thank you!
I do think the interior could use some work. The saturation level on that blue pattern is too high for the amount of it you are using. It overwhelms the eye. Interiors look better with a mix of lower saturations and then a higher saturation for emphasis. Also I think it is a bit too much of that pattern period. Also overwhelming. No problem with echoing a theme pattern thoughout a house but it is more visually interesting and appealing if there is a mix of pattterns...there is actually a design mix formula..which I cant recall at the moment....but I find that sticking to one solid, and 2 coordinating patterns with similar tones, gives the room texture and interest without being too loud and busy. I would suggest picking a primary color and a complimentary one and then using those in different saturations and hues throughout the house with a third accent here and there for emphasis. It pulls the whole house together and gives it some flow.
That is my true and "coming from a place of wanting to help" opinion.
Hi Minraed
Thank you for visisting us and for posting the Link on your Site. It's really appreciated.
Please visit us often. :-)
Thank you
:-)
- Mmyoko out.
Welcome and thank you.
Please share your creations and WIP with us so we can all learn from it.
See you soon.
PS: Add us to u'r favourites then u'll see us more often.
Here is one of my recent builds! I am interested to hear what you have to say about it! Here is the link to the thread where the lot was originally posted:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/120991.page
Hi
I dl'd and rec'd your house. Nice job and good luck with it.