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 23rd Oct 2013 at 2:16 PM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 27th Oct 2013 at 11:15 AM. Reason: pic fail
Default Input and reactions on my first Georgian house.
So... I've been working on this for nearly a week... not because of the building, but mostly because of the interior, and I've been needing ideas on whether or not it looks alright.

I'm going for a light but grand atmosphere inside, and here're a few screens.


Let's start off from the ground and head up later. This is the basement, located in the west wing of the house. I took the time to make it look like storage space, and then place a hidden room behind it using the shelf. What's the room for? well... that's what I need input for.


Next is the east wing, first floor. This includes a small office, the master's bedroom and bathroom, with his & her dressing rooms. I figured the dressing rooms are hard to see from this angle, but I'm happy with that part anyway, so I didn't bother. There's a stairway that leads to the east wing attic. I need reactions to the room, and suggestions or tips, if anyone would be so kind.


Next to the master's bedroom is this library. Not much to say.


Here's a screen of both the living room and the foyer. What worries me here is: 1.) Is the living room underdecorated? 2.) Is the high chandelier in the foyer overdoing the look?


Here's the kitchen/dining room area, and there's a miniature lounge between them. My concern here is the are opposite the fireplace... except for the windows, it's kind of blank, both the walls and floor area.


Here's what the staircase next to the master's bedroom leads to... an art collection. Bad angle, I know.


Finally, here're the general bedroom themes. All the rooms are undecorated, save for closets, beds, wallpapers, and flooring. I don't know how to decorate these, and I'm worried the colours look too assorted.

So ignore the walls being up. These rooms are pretty much just shells. XD



And here's a pic of the first floor layout.
Advertisement
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#2 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 2:18 PM
Unfortunately your photos aren't showing. Did you use the img code?

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 2:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Unfortunately your photos aren't showing. Did you use the img code?


Oh. Hold on a bit. Android is messed up. Remedied in a bit. XD
Site Helper
#4 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 7:04 PM Last edited by Mootilda : 23rd Oct 2013 at 7:17 PM.
You need larger pictures. Those are difficult to see. Specifically, don't use the in-game camera; it's useless. Check out the guidelines:
Quote:
The larger your pics, the better! Tiny pics won't show enough detail to see what you've made.

Minimum Size: 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall is a good size for the smallest pic you would want to upload. You may have smaller pics for thumbnails and the like, but for your required screenshots, please go as big as you can!

Maximum Size: MTS allows pictures up to 1280 pixels wide by 1024 pixels tall, and a file size limit of 250 kbs - so you can have nice, big, pretty pics. You may have to resize your pictures or apply compression to get them to fit within that limit.

Please don't just take a small pic and size it up in your graphics program to get bigger pics - this only makes the dimensions larger but doesn't add any detail and just gives you a blurry, pixellated larger pic, not a nice clear one.


Add lights at night so that the house will be lit properly. Pictures with lighting are much more appealing. If you add lights during the day, you can use one of my mods to turn all of the lights on for your pictures.

When taking pictures, watch out for your mouse curser. One of your pictures has the mouse over the piano, which makes it look odd.

In a large traditional house like this, I would expect the kitchen to be in its own room - not really visible from the formal dining room.

It would be nice to see the floor plans. For such a large house, you'll probably need to get a camera mod to allow you to get the entire floor plan into one picture.
Constant Contestant
retired moderator
#5 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 7:39 PM
I agree with Mootilda that your pictures are too small. I use a combination of Fraps and Irfanview to take and edit images, but there are other free programmes available to use.

Want a specific style of house or community building? Why not take a look at my profile and see what I build and then come ask me to make it!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 8:12 PM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 23rd Oct 2013 at 8:22 PM.
Ayt. I'mma get on that in the morning or so...

Guess i have to rely on the old prtscrn key.

Sorry.

Anyway... yeah, i wanted the kitchen to be separate, but although the house has a lot of area, it's limited by depth and has an excess of width because of its design. Though... if I increased the depth, the corridors on the first floor tend to look barren.

I'mma post the floor plan soon so it's easier to make sense of.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#7 Old 23rd Oct 2013 at 10:21 PM
I agree with all the others. I use Fraps which is free and Gimp also free for my upload pictures. The main things before snapping are
1. Is it well lit. I use Mootildas lights on now for every lot. Thank you Mootilda.
2. Am I at the best angle and distance. I still don't have a camera mod, and I have done an overview of a 5 by 6 lot (or whatever the largest lot is) I just went back with the X key.
3.Is there anything on the screen that will show up, such as the mouse ,pop ups or sim queue actions?
4. Are the grid lines off? I normally use the design key to turn those off.

The main things we need here are overhead floor plans. It's okay to show bits, but we can't put together how it looks together without the floor plans.

Going by the grass colour, size of the shot and slight blurriness of your game pictures, I'm thinking you have your graphic settings low or are using a low end graphics card or chip? If you can I would put all graphic settings that effect sharpness on high. If your computer can't handle that try turning shadows, reflections and neighbours off. I have shadows off and I don't know if people notice that on my screenshots or not, but after awhile you just forget and get used to it.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#8 Old 24th Oct 2013 at 3:04 AM
Well, I got new screens. Not sure if they're any better, but I'll keep trying.

The problem with my pc is that the whole family shares it, so even with a core 2, it doesn't run too well with everything that happens to it. That, and my graphics card is low end. Shifting from low to high object detail literally takes four minutes. That's the reason I'm hesitant to use fraps, though I've used it before. running more programs might make it even worse.

Also, I took Mootilda's advice and put the kitchen separate from the dining room.
Site Helper
#9 Old 24th Oct 2013 at 6:04 PM
Yes, the new pictures are better. However, I still think that it would help to have lighting. Natural looking lighting placed throughout the house will make your pictures "pop". If you place the lighting at night, your pictures will be able to take advantage of the additional lighting.

The new placement of the kitchen works much better for me.
Quote: Originally posted by Revenant.0713
I'm going for a light but grand atmosphere inside, and here're a few screens.
That's not the impression that I get from your pictures. Adding lighting will really help to give that impression.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 11:09 AM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 27th Oct 2013 at 11:20 AM.
Oookay. Here's the floor plan of the first floor. The library is a problem, because it seems to be poorly lit, and I don't think using another chandelier will look good, because I'm worried too many of em would be redundant. Also, the library's walls kind of look bare.

The room between the verandas is also quite empty except for a painting on the wall, and suffers from a lighting problem.

Most of the hallways use the clam wall sconce for lighting, but as the archways are quite big, I think it looks fine.

The foyer actually has a lit chandelier, but the light effect appears on the second floor for some reason.

I've placed a dark wood ceiling and a dark carpet as well for the living room.



Um... know what? the CCC chandelier has to go. I moved a floor up, and my eyes burned out of their sockets.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#11 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 11:23 AM
I think it's looking very nice.

The chandelier attach to the ceiling above and give light to the one below which is your second floor there ( or what we call the first floor over here. ) I have the same thing in my small manor house foyer but it's an open area so not close to where you would be with the camera. The way I get around poor lighting is to hide modern floor lights anywhere possible, such as underneath a stair case. They work great in the garden under hedges. Not sure if sims can trim them like that, I always link to an inaccessible plant mod on my uploads as there are always at least some plants I know they will never reach.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#12 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 11:26 AM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 27th Oct 2013 at 11:42 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
I think it's looking very nice.

The chandelier attach to the ceiling above and give light to the one below which is your second floor there ( or what we call the first floor over here. ) I have the same thing in my small manor house foyer but it's an open area so not close to where you would be with the camera. The way I get around poor lighting is to hide modern floor lights anywhere possible, such as underneath a stair case. They work great in the garden under hedges. Not sure if sims can trim them like that, I always link to an inaccessible plant mod on my uploads as there are always at least some plants I know they will never reach.


I'mma try that out. It'll raise cost a bit, but motherlode is your friend. XD



ME EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Anyway, ignoring that blaze of light, what do you guys suggest I do with the walls up here? Also... see the art gallery? well, because the house is symmetrical, I have an equal amount of space in the west wing that has nothing in it. Any suggestions?

And finally, while I feel a bit comfortable with the room designs, that purple one that leads to the balcony serves no real purpose, so I also need suggestions there. I mean the blueprints I based this house off say it's a study, but in real life, wouldn't it be weird in say... a formal ball, and guests who wanted to hang around the balcony had to go through your study?
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#13 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 9:45 PM
I see what you mean about the light, is that from the chandelier? Mine just hangs in an empty space as the whole area above my foyer is open. Since that is enclosed I would use something else.

Games room, gym, office, art room, music room, servant quarters.

All I can see are bedrooms there, in which case a study wouldn't be weird. But a sitting room would be better because what if it was raining? Where would a couple who wanted some alone time go? Back into that room. I would put in some plants, couches and a couple of bookcases.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#14 Old 28th Oct 2013 at 12:07 PM
Cool. lookin into it.

Yeah, probably, the extra space in the EAST wing (I realized I've been calling it the West Wing all this time) is going to have a music room or gym.

Anyway, rooms are coming along well, so all I need left is a good wallpaper to balance the corridor's walls out with the colorful rooms. Beechy Keen isn't working out. Meh.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#15 Old 28th Oct 2013 at 12:14 PM
I would use a wood paneling or an old fashioned wallpaper.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#16 Old 29th Oct 2013 at 2:26 PM
Mkay... coming up with something for the look.

Probably I'll add some screens again tomorrow.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#17 Old 31st Oct 2013 at 3:46 PM
Okay, here we go.


Here's my final version of the first floor, more or less. All that's left is a bit of decoration.

I got the chandelier to work right, and I added some side doors to the garages. Changed the wall decor to give a livelier atmosphere, but that isn't visible from this angle. The verandah now has a bird feeder somewhere there, and a section where the owner of the house paints portraits. Just my thing, I guess...


The second floor is almost done. Left of the pic to right, we have the art gallery, the bedrooms, and a children's play pen. I put some fencing to try and make it look like an actual play pen, but... meh. I might have to look for cc... or not... I don't know yet. The purple room that leads to the balcony is now a sitting area.


And here's the facade. I like how it looks now. The main body of the house is red brick, and the wings are made of stone, and layered over with white paneling, except over the garages. All windows are white framed, and the steeple up top is white brick.

So... thanks for the help so far. Now for the part I suck at the most...

GARDENING...

DUM. DUM... DUM...

My problems span all the way around the lot, front and back, mostly because I don't know what I even want it to look like, only that the lot is at the top of the hill in Alpinloch, and I surrounded it with pine trees and other evergreens. It's themed and positioned so that it's the only house on the hill, and surrounded by forests, meant to give an atmosphere that they own the entire neighborhood.

Think... the Collins' Mansion in the movie Dark Shadows, but on a higher hill, and with a different architectural style.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#18 Old 31st Oct 2013 at 9:17 PM
That's a lot of garden. I would use plastic hedge in a pattern if it was me. Somehow I expect to see a tennis court out the back-which may or may not be something that can be done. Google formal gardens.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#19 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 1:56 PM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 3rd Nov 2013 at 2:07 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
That's a lot of garden. I would use plastic hedge in a pattern if it was me. Somehow I expect to see a tennis court out the back-which may or may not be something that can be done. Google formal gardens.



Alright. Thanks Jo... although I dropped the tennis court idea. I think it's complete. What do you guys think?


Here's the garden I came up with. I put a small greenhouse, play park, and pond.

My issue is that I feel like white and yellow flowers alone seem a bit... plain... or does the look work?
Scholar
#20 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 2:58 PM
What you've got there looks really good. Symetry was something that was important to the Georgians, and that is something that you have got with the gardens. But I think the fron garden it as bit plain. Although it depends whether you are going for true Georgian or McMansion Georgian? But what you've got there already looks worthy of uploading. When you upload you're going to need to take some pictures of it from a Sims' eye perspective; as in from the angle a sim would see it; so that's something you're going to need to bare in mind when you prepare the lot for upload.
Constant Contestant
retired moderator
#21 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 3:10 PM
I think some flower beds in those vast expanses of lawn in the front garden would help to break that area up a bit.

Want a specific style of house or community building? Why not take a look at my profile and see what I build and then come ask me to make it!
Pretty Space Pony
retired moderator
#22 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 3:25 PM
I agree with what Karen and Fergus' Mind have said above You can always use this thread to do a mock-up of your upload thread, so we can help you with your presentation. If you need any hints and tips about picture-taking, please let us know!
Mad Poster
#23 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 5:09 PM
Shouldn't you have a rose garden and a hedge maze and a little walled herb garden? And a big fountain? That's what all the stately homes in the books have...

That lot would lag my game to hell, but if it runs for you, more power to you.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#24 Old 3rd Nov 2013 at 10:38 PM
I'd say that is a good start, but why the dead tree? Your not going for old and haunted. I'd rip out that tree and do a nice big fountain or rose garden. The front is too bare, I would add some hedge along the front and a couple of large flower beds in the middle of that expanse and some rose bushes into the existing garden as it all looks green to me-or are they there and I can't see them? Your photos are still very unclear.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Test Subject
Original Poster
#25 Old 4th Nov 2013 at 2:14 AM Last edited by Revenant.0713 : 4th Nov 2013 at 2:28 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by Fergus' Mind
What you've got there looks really good. Symetry was something that was important to the Georgians, and that is something that you have got with the gardens. But I think the fron garden it as bit plain. Although it depends whether you are going for true Georgian or McMansion Georgian? But what you've got there already looks worthy of uploading. When you upload you're going to need to take some pictures of it from a Sims' eye perspective; as in from the angle a sim would see it; so that's something you're going to need to bare in mind when you prepare the lot for upload.



Quote: Originally posted by karen lorraine
I think some flower beds in those vast expanses of lawn in the front garden would help to break that area up a bit.



Quote: Originally posted by Klaartje68
I agree with what Karen and Fergus' Mind have said above You can always use this thread to do a mock-up of your upload thread, so we can help you with your presentation. If you need any hints and tips about picture-taking, please let us know!


Yeah, I'm going for a true Georgian. Mmm... Getting on that front lawn.
I don't have too much problem taking pics. It's shifting to high quality settings that makes my pc curl up in a corner.

Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
Shouldn't you have a rose garden and a hedge maze and a little walled herb garden? And a big fountain? That's what all the stately homes in the books have...

That lot would lag my game to hell, but if it runs for you, more power to you.


Oh, it lags my pc to hell too, and my graphics card is substandard for TS2. I just make do.
Thanks though.

And I did try a hedge maze with statues at the back, but I couldn't make space for a focal point object as the garden is really long, but lacks depth. That's why I scrapped the idea and placed the little play park and pond on opposite ends. If I did try a hedge maze, it'd really only look decent with a single path to the center of the maze, so... a single path kind of defeats the purpose.

Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
I'd say that is a good start, but why the dead tree? Your not going for old and haunted. I'd rip out that tree and do a nice big fountain or rose garden. The front is too bare, I would add some hedge along the front and a couple of large flower beds in the middle of that expanse and some rose bushes into the existing garden as it all looks green to me-or are they there and I can't see them? Your photos are still very unclear.


The tree is um... story related. Like a family member buried there or something. Think it should go?

I'll try working a bit on the front and update this reply once that's done.

Well, here's my plan. The fountain in front, I'm moving to the back, and then I'll plant a rose garden in full view of the street so it's not all just plain lawn. I'll line the facade of the house with hedges and add a bit of outdoor lighting afterwards. Sounds good in concept.
Page 1 of 3
Back to top