Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 12th Jan 2017 at 6:09 PM
Default Tips For Improvement? :)
So, as started in the starter thread, I like the gothic/victorian type of architecture. I currently don't have any current images of my builds, but here's some of my older builds (and about the same level of my current form of building) in order from oldest to newest, I think. They're links to a slideshow of the images.

Starter home for under 15,000 simoleons:
http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/w...15000%20starter

My attempt at recreating this castle:
http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/w...t?sort=3&page=1

An attempt at a mansion:
http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/w...aline%20Mansion

My recreation of said mansion:
http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/w...oraya%20Mansion

My attempt at a beach house:
http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/w...e?sort=3&page=1


So, I know that I didn't really do much landscaping -- I was mostly focusing on the house rather than the land in those builds. I know that I need to work on landscaping a bit, but I mostly want to focus on the houses first. So, for any of you experienced builders, what are some tips you have to help me improve on these builds? These builds were before I had most of the extra stuff of sims 3, just so you're aware of that. But I still have about that level of building -- just with new items.
Advertisement
Top Secret Researcher
#2 Old 12th Jan 2017 at 9:18 PM
It seems you have a good idea about space and proportions. And you look for reference pictures, which is always a good way to learn how houses could look like (given the limitations of the game).

Even without fancy stuff you could add more variety in windows and wall paint. A house got rarely one wall/pattern type all over. On different floors, or around the windows, or at the alvoces and turrets you could use different walls/pattern. Use wood panels or wall paper ones, they usually have more than one pattern which you can use to add accents and imitate freezes. Experiment with patterns, mix and match wood and stone type of walls and patterns.

Same with windows. E.g. on alcoves or next to the entrance door windows might be smaller, a living room window might be bigger for a lovely view. Top floors often have smaller windows etc. That real castle type of house, it got at least three different types of windows (not counting the big ones).

So much for now
Test Subject
#3 Old 14th Jan 2017 at 10:49 PM
I love it when I see a new builder seeking out some help because I remember being in that same spot not too long ago and being too embarrassed about it lol. So here I am, willing to lend a hand

Okay, so from what I can see in your screenshots, tbh, you're not too shabby, but there definitely is some room for improvement. I think that you should really focus on practicing these 3 things: wall coloring, and space conservation.

First off, the wall covering.
I notice that with one or two of your builds they used one type of wall covering on the exterior. That's okay, but sometimes this might not always catch a person's eye.

Usually on my builds, I would use shingles or vinyl siding or a solid paint coloring on the most basic shape structure of the home, then I would use a stone or brick as an accent on a section of walls that look like they stand out from the basic shape of the house. You really dont need to paint your houses this way, but this usually depends on the type of house you are building and what aesthetically looks good to you. Let me give you some RL examples of what I mean:

EXAMPLE A:


EXAMPLE B:


EXAMPLE C:


In ExA, you see how on this house they used a basic paint color on the main shape of the house and on the more complex parts they used a brick to make it stand out?
In ExB, This is another way to paint your house. This house used a similar idea, but instead used paneling on the main shape, shingles on the roof walling, and brick stones for outermost detailing.
In ExC, yet another way to paint your house. This time the home used brick for the base wall pattern, then used stone bricks for accents.

Now here's an example of one of my most recent builds:



I used siding on most of the home, then used brick on the section between the entrance and walls behind the stone covered walls to add detail and break the similarity of the wall pattern.

Sorry, I'm not too great at explaining what this is but hopefully you get the gist of what I'm trying to say.

Also, for interior wall painting, try to pick a theme for the house, The colors I saw used in your mansion had dark colors, bright colors, and everything in between. If your home is supposed to have a gothic feel, make the color palette range in more darker tones. For homes with a suburban type of feel, I would pick lighter, and/or earthy tones, just to make it look homey.

And with interior decoration, try not to make everything too matchy. You could stay in the range of the of the color of the room you chose, and then use some accent tones: such as an olive color living room could use some slightly lighter olive colored couches and then have the curtains and end tables be a cream color.
------------------------------------------------------
Anyways, moving on.

So here's the second part: space conservation (as well as floor planning).

What I mean by space conservation is how little space as possible you leave for your rooms, enough for sims to be able to route themselves. There seems to be a bit of space left over in your rooms. Bigger can be better in some cases, but with rooms in The Sims, its not so much, especially when furniture in this game only takes up so little space if you think about it.

In terms of realism of your home, sizes of room would depend on the type of household you have in mind.

For example, lets use a single sim's basic needs in a house: a kitchen, a dining area, living space, a bathroom, and a bedroom.

The kitchen could be about 4x4 or 5x4 squares and could definitely fit a fridge, stove and some counters. The living space could be about 5x6 or 6x6 squares to fit a sofa, a love seat, a tv set, and bookcase. A dining are could be about the same size as the kitchen to fit a one-square table and four chairs. A bathroom for this type of household would be 2x3 or 3x3 squares, depending on what you put in it, but should definitely be able to fit a sink, a toilet, and a tub/shower stall. A bedroom for this sim could be 3x4 - 4x4 for a single bed, and 4x4-5x5 for a double bed, and a dresser.

But the rooms don't have to be a bunch of rectangles slapped together, you can make them have diagonal corner and cut-outs, and you can add extra rooms that you deem necessary; that depends on you as the builder and your creativity.

When building a house, these are the things you should take into account:
*Size of household
*Size of lot
*Space needed
*Affordability

Room sizes get a bit bigger when the family size gets bigger.
My tip for you: Make a room small enough to fit things in that you need, but big enough so that it still retains functionality.

Let me show you an example of a floor plan for one of my houses (This house was made for a family of 5 or 6):



This isn't the greatest example to show you what I mean because the rooms aren't furnished, but you can see the rooms are an adequate size for the family I built this for and their furniture.
________________________

Ugh.

Sorry for the long post... I just really wanted to be helpful
I didn't realize how much I wrote till I looked at the scroll bar, so some of this probably doesn't make the slightest bit of sense., but I'll be happy to clarify if you need me to

Good luck, fellow builder!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 20th Jan 2017 at 8:25 PM Last edited by Silent Wolf 101 : 20th Feb 2017 at 12:47 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by Vincent T.


Thank you for the tips. I didn't realize that the top floors usually have smaller windows. O.O

Quote: Originally posted by BlackRosesx


Thank you so much for the detailed description of what I can improve on! I promise, it made sense to me. Using different wall covering on the outside seems perfectly logical to me, and I never would have thought about that one! Thank you for giving me examples on size of areas, with the _X_ squares. And for showing me examples with the images.
 
Back to top