I don't really use saucers, actually. I use a mix of ceiling lamps and other types of lighting. Sometimes I will have the lighting come from several of those sources in one room. I also use some mood lighting as well. I tend to play with the walls partially down so I can see and my view is angled so my view of events isn't blocked. I don't mind seeing a lamp or a hanging lamp from the ceiling.
I'll also say that I don't always use the same lamps. I like to give spaces personality.
I usually go for ceiling lights, this can be saucers or otherwise. And then finish off the wall lights and standing lights were I want a little accent. I often start building with only the big saucers so I can see what I am doing. One of the last decorations is replacing other ceiling lights.
This is in most of my builds but I have done nearly everything on the list at some point or another.
I have build off the grid lots as well with only candles. With a few DLC installed, the choice of available off the grid lights is not that bad. In those cases I sometimes adjust the light to make it a little less yellow.
I do love the Subtle Saucer light. Itโs cheap and is very powerful! You donโt need very many to light up a room. I sometimes use table lamps, but thatโs mainly for decor purposes - I mean, theyโre good as light sources, but I choose ones that look nice too.
I usually play with walls fully down and with auto-lights on (so theyโre off when no-one, Sim or pet, is in the room). I like using table lamps as nightlights when infants/toddlers are sleeping.
I have only just discovered how lighting can transform the space. It was before the castle kit, I turned a castle off the gallery into a real castle with mostly off the grid or period style lighting.
I used to only use rsvn flood light as I hated putting a ton of the simple tiny above head saucers everywhere. While I would still used that in a modern or apartment setting, I have moved away from that and have one overhead lighting, but something nice that matches the style of house, and as much scones and lamps to light the place, which means a lot. It completely makes the spaces look more realistic and a touch of warmth. Before windows and wall features were the most important, but I have accepted interior lighting to play just as big a role in the design choice.
Twisted Mexi's BetterBuildBuy mod lets you change the colour of lights in build mode. His mod also sorts the entire debug/live edit catalogue into proper categories and the items are even named properly... so super easy to find all debug stuff. It also gives the option to turn moo on/off with a simple click of the mouse (I always leave it on). And the mod also now has a 'favourites' category where you can flag stuff from the bb catalogue and it will add it to your own favourites section. There's a bunch of other great stuff it does too (filters each kit separately, deletion protection, ignore locked items, etc).
As someone who spends oodles of time in build mode, his BBB mod is an absolute must-have for me!
Thanks @AncientMuse, Iโm trying to refrain from using too many mods - especially build mods- but this sounds so good I will give it a go! ๐๐ผ
Twisted Mexi's BetterBuildBuy mod lets you change the colour of lights in build mode. His mod also sorts the entire debug/live edit catalogue into proper categories and the items are even named properly... so super easy to find all debug stuff. It also gives the option to turn moo on/off with a simple click of the mouse (I always leave it on). And the mod also now has a 'favourites' category where you can flag stuff from the bb catalogue and it will add it to your own favourites section. There's a bunch of other great stuff it does too (filters each kit separately, deletion protection, ignore locked items, etc).
As someone who spends oodles of time in build mode, his BBB mod is an absolute must-have for me!
Thanks @AncientMuse, Iโm trying to refrain from using too many mods - especially build mods- but this sounds so good I will give it a go! ๐๐ผ
I found this mod makes it more possible to build without custom content as it organized the catalog so well and makes debug so accessible, seems game has nearly everything needed without custom content. It make building but easier and less painstaking.
My pet peeve is the 'saucer' light. I've downloaded builds where there is literally hundreds of them spammed in one area. I used to wonder why it could seem dark though, I admit, and spam those silly saucers myself when I fist bought the game until I figured out that it was the monitor graphics settings for brightness and contrast.
I'm more inclined now to @Lenny_Ogg and @ChampandGirlie 's way of lighting. I only use the saucers on a fresh build until I can play around and get some really good lighting effects. The light angles, the brightness, and the colors. Generally I lean towards warm, but sometimes cold is ok. Like maybe in a bathroom. Mixing colors can have some really neet effects.
With bb.moveobjects on, you can overlap two or more of the same 'interesting' light if you find it too dim.
With bb.moveobjects on, you can overlap two or more of the same 'interesting' light if you find it too dim.
I use the saucers as a last resort.
there is also some debug world object lights that I like to overlap with actual working lights at times I don't really get it though when we have all these beautiful lights around worlds and they barely ever make it to catalog as working lights
โญ๏ธ AHQ Champion ๐ฆ Vlad Advocate ๐ Team Dragons
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
@Admiral8Q - I admire how you play. You seem to have a lot of fun builds in your game, I think. Yes, I have always lit my game that way and didn't realize that there was a trend to do anything differently until I recently watched one of the famous builders. (I almost never watch them because I have always just known how to play and I do my own thing. I will say that I respect them because we all know how to play and I think they are creative people but I don't need them, lol. The few times I've watched, I appreciated that they were having fun but I kept mentally disagreeing with their builds because I knew what I would do or I was more focused on gameplay.)
Anyway, I learned that some people always use the saucer lights. I don't judge at all. That's great that it works for people. I just know when I have lit a room well and I'm usually layering light from a few different sources. I also don't mind if there is a mix of light and shadow in some spaces so I would say that I am fine with some mood-lighting. I don't want it to all be fluorescent and very bright.
I rarely build unless I have started a legacy but my preferences change with what my sims have. Some overhead, lamps, candles. So I guess moody/necessary? When off the grid though its candles only.
"Every child matters. If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well."
I have to admit, I usually saucer the whole house. In some instances I will use table or floor lamps, but I usually save that space for other things it probably stems from my house. I have overhead lights with ceiling fans. The only other light I have at home is a side floor lamp for reading.
@Admiral8Q - I admire how you play. You seem to have a lot of fun builds in your game, I think. Yes, I have always lit my game that way and didn't realize that there was a trend to do anything differently until I recently watched one of the famous builders. (I almost never watch them because I have always just known how to play and I do my own thing. I will say that I respect them because we all know how to play and I think they are creative people but I don't need them, lol. The few times I've watched, I appreciated that they were having fun but I kept mentally disagreeing with their builds because I knew what I would do or I was more focused on gameplay.)
Anyway, I learned that some people always use the saucer lights. I don't judge at all. That's great that it works for people. I just know when I have lit a room well and I'm usually layering light from a few different sources. I also don't mind if there is a mix of light and shadow in some spaces so I would say that I am fine with some mood-lighting. I don't want it to all be fluorescent and very bright.
Thanks!
I don't judge. Saucers are the quickest and easiest way to light up a room.
Anyways something I quickly built yesterday. I had no plan at all on doing this. I was working on building a wedding venue at the ancient ruins in Windenburg, then needed Sims there to use TOOL for just one thing that wouldn't place right. But I ended up going crazy at their lot instead for hours and hours lol!
Talking about lighting though, here's an example of something I focused on. Instead of having a boring normal barely functional bathroom for that bedroom, I went a little nuts. This is the basement of an of cathedral church that's been renovated into residential for the Behr household. (Inherited from their grandmother ) Anew household member needed a bedroom. So there you go. Not finished yet bet it's a start. Yuki and Candy's mom moved in with them. So they stuck her in the basement haha!
@Admiral8Q - I admire how you play. You seem to have a lot of fun builds in your game, I think. Yes, I have always lit my game that way and didn't realize that there was a trend to do anything differently until I recently watched one of the famous builders. (I almost never watch them because I have always just known how to play and I do my own thing. I will say that I respect them because we all know how to play and I think they are creative people but I don't need them, lol. The few times I've watched, I appreciated that they were having fun but I kept mentally disagreeing with their builds because I knew what I would do or I was more focused on gameplay.)
Anyway, I learned that some people always use the saucer lights. I don't judge at all. That's great that it works for people. I just know when I have lit a room well and I'm usually layering light from a few different sources. I also don't mind if there is a mix of light and shadow in some spaces so I would say that I am fine with some mood-lighting. I don't want it to all be fluorescent and very bright.
Thanks!
I don't judge. Saucers are the quickest and easiest way to light up a room.
Anyways something I quickly built yesterday. I had no plan at all on doing this. I was working on building a wedding venue at the ancient ruins in Windenburg, then needed Sims there to use TOOL for just one thing that wouldn't place right. But I ended up going crazy at their lot instead for hours and hours lol!
Talking about lighting though, here's an example of something I focused on. Instead of having a boring normal barely functional bathroom for that bedroom, I went a little nuts. This is the basement of an of cathedral church that's been renovated into residential for the Behr household. (Inherited from their grandmother ) Anew household member needed a bedroom. So there you go. Not finished yet bet it's a start. Yuki and Candy's mom moved in with them. So they stuck her in the basement haha!
What are they doing with all those mirrors? Looks like a fun house. ๐
What are they doing with all those mirrors? Looks like a fun house. ๐
Mirrors is a 'trick' to make a room feel larger. (Especially underground with no option for windows.) Notice how narrow that bathroom is.
Also a 'trick' when there is no option for window. Large scenery paintings or photos work too.
I'm planning to turn that "cathedral" into a live-in nightclub with DJ Candy Behr as the host at the DJ station.
What are they doing with all those mirrors? Looks like a fun house. ๐
Mirrors is a 'trick' to make a room feel larger. (Especially underground with no option for windows.) Notice how narrow that bathroom is.
Also a 'trick' when there is no option for window. Large scenery paintings or photos work too.
I'm planning to turn that "cathedral" into a live-in nightclub with DJ Candy Behr as the host at the DJ station.
The mirror in front of the toilet is a bit unsettling. ๐คฃ
What are they doing with all those mirrors? Looks like a fun house. ๐
Mirrors is a 'trick' to make a room feel larger. (Especially underground with no option for windows.) Notice how narrow that bathroom is.
Also a 'trick' when there is no option for window. Large scenery paintings or photos work too.
I'm planning to turn that "cathedral" into a live-in nightclub with DJ Candy Behr as the host at the DJ station.
The mirror in front of the toilet is a bit unsettling. ๐คฃ
Mom Behr will be very aware of their uh, health I guess ๐ค
I feel like mirrors in basements are often very unsettling because it implies there is more basement than the walls would suggest
โญ๏ธ AHQ Champion ๐ฆ Vlad Advocate ๐ Team Dragons
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
I dont use the saucers as they give out quite a cold light - I prefer wall lights and a couple of ceiling lights, I play walls down all the time so I don't see them.
I'll use the saucer lights while building, but I try to replace them all with suitable light fixtures in each room. Most rooms have an overhead light or two, halls will often have wall lights, and bedrooms I try to have an overhead that I set on Autolight and a smaller light of some kind that's always on.
I almost never bother with changing the color of the light, unless I'm going for a specific effect.
I put various lights around that look good, then I go back through the house and add a subtle saucer to any spots that are too dark. I don't layer or use MOO on them, just place where needed.
I do have three houses that are off the grid and don't use any power generating objects. In those I just place as many light sources as I can, then I change the light colors and levels to look good. Sometimes I'll place electric lights that look like they should be functional off the grid, as decor, and have a Sim turn them off before I set the lot trait even though I know that doesn't really matter.
Mostly I go for soft white lighting, but I do have some soft pink and green lighting in my matriarch's house (Hillingham Estate) and yellow lighting in my Dracula's castle, because they looked that way in the movie.
It depend on the room. In bedrooms I usually have table lamps, overhead lighting in the kitchen/dining area and bathrooms, wall lighting and floor lamps in the living room areas.
Saucers are a must for me while in build mode, but afterwards I will usually change the lights to suit the style of the build.
The lighting I enjoy the most is the sunlight coming in through the windows. I will relocate a room or even rotate the whole lot to get the best natural light.
Comments
I'll also say that I don't always use the same lamps. I like to give spaces personality.
This is in most of my builds but I have done nearly everything on the list at some point or another.
I have build off the grid lots as well with only candles. With a few DLC installed, the choice of available off the grid lights is not that bad. In those cases I sometimes adjust the light to make it a little less yellow.
I usually play with walls fully down and with auto-lights on (so theyโre off when no-one, Sim or pet, is in the room). I like using table lamps as nightlights when infants/toddlers are sleeping.
I used to only use rsvn flood light as I hated putting a ton of the simple tiny above head saucers everywhere. While I would still used that in a modern or apartment setting, I have moved away from that and have one overhead lighting, but something nice that matches the style of house, and as much scones and lamps to light the place, which means a lot. It completely makes the spaces look more realistic and a touch of warmth. Before windows and wall features were the most important, but I have accepted interior lighting to play just as big a role in the design choice.
Thanks @AncientMuse, Iโm trying to refrain from using too many mods - especially build mods- but this sounds so good I will give it a go! ๐๐ผ
I found this mod makes it more possible to build without custom content as it organized the catalog so well and makes debug so accessible, seems game has nearly everything needed without custom content. It make building but easier and less painstaking.
My pet peeve is the 'saucer' light. I've downloaded builds where there is literally hundreds of them spammed in one area. I used to wonder why it could seem dark though, I admit, and spam those silly saucers myself when I fist bought the game until I figured out that it was the monitor graphics settings for brightness and contrast.
I'm more inclined now to @Lenny_Ogg and @ChampandGirlie 's way of lighting. I only use the saucers on a fresh build until I can play around and get some really good lighting effects. The light angles, the brightness, and the colors. Generally I lean towards warm, but sometimes cold is ok. Like maybe in a bathroom. Mixing colors can have some really neet effects.
With bb.moveobjects on, you can overlap two or more of the same 'interesting' light if you find it too dim.
I use the saucers as a last resort.
there is also some debug world object lights that I like to overlap with actual working lights at times
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
Anyway, I learned that some people always use the saucer lights. I don't judge at all. That's great that it works for people. I just know when I have lit a room well and I'm usually layering light from a few different sources. I also don't mind if there is a mix of light and shadow in some spaces so I would say that I am fine with some mood-lighting. I don't want it to all be fluorescent and very bright.
AHQ Champion
Thanks!
I don't judge. Saucers are the quickest and easiest way to light up a room.
Anyways something I quickly built yesterday. I had no plan at all on doing this. I was working on building a wedding venue at the ancient ruins in Windenburg, then needed Sims there to use TOOL for just one thing that wouldn't place right. But I ended up going crazy at their lot instead for hours and hours lol!
Talking about lighting though, here's an example of something I focused on. Instead of having a boring normal barely functional bathroom for that bedroom, I went a little nuts. This is the basement of an of cathedral church that's been renovated into residential for the Behr household. (Inherited from their grandmother
What are they doing with all those mirrors? Looks like a fun house. ๐
Mirrors is a 'trick' to make a room feel larger. (Especially underground with no option for windows.) Notice how narrow that bathroom is.
Also a 'trick' when there is no option for window. Large scenery paintings or photos work too.
I'm planning to turn that "cathedral" into a live-in nightclub with DJ Candy Behr as the host at the DJ station.
The mirror in front of the toilet is a bit unsettling. ๐คฃ
Mom Behr will be very aware of their uh, health I guess ๐ค
I feel like mirrors in basements are often very unsettling because it implies there is more basement than the walls would suggest
๐ก Gallery ๐ Stories ๐ World Project ๐ฅ MOD/CC Free
I almost never bother with changing the color of the light, unless I'm going for a specific effect.
I do have three houses that are off the grid and don't use any power generating objects. In those I just place as many light sources as I can, then I change the light colors and levels to look good. Sometimes I'll place electric lights that look like they should be functional off the grid, as decor, and have a Sim turn them off before I set the lot trait even though I know that doesn't really matter.
Mostly I go for soft white lighting, but I do have some soft pink and green lighting in my matriarch's house (Hillingham Estate) and yellow lighting in my Dracula's castle, because they looked that way in the movie.
The lighting I enjoy the most is the sunlight coming in through the windows. I will relocate a room or even rotate the whole lot to get the best natural light.