Hi, Everyone! Welcome to Zoo U!ZOO U MASTER THREAD (this thread will contain all links to Zoo U courses and bookmarking this thread will allow you to always find us), just click the banner below:Course 7: Bits and Bites Building BasicsDescription: This course is intended to take a few building problems that come up in in everyday construction and break them down for the new builder. There will also be a few lessons on adding the sorts of details that make a build really special. The idea here is not to give all the details of any one technique (for example, we will use some Constain Floor Elevation (CFE) work, but it will not be like the full Zoo U course on CFE, we will just use it for a specific building problem). Course Prerequisites: None! It WOULD be helpful if you would go to post two of this thread and follow the directions there prior to the first lesson. Skill Level for Students: Beginning Builder Required Supplies: Sims 3 base game and patches for each EP. Certain lessons may require the actual EP in order to do everything in the lesson, in that event the lesson will list the EPs needed.Lecturer: ZooProfessor3Lesson 1: Basements, Basics and BeyondLesson 2: Perfect Patios and Fantastic FountainsLesson 3: Beyond the PondLesson 4: Does it look like someone lives here?Lesson 1 is available as a self-paced tutorial starting right here:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/165/630579.page#10126849 Lesson 2 is available as a self-paced tutorial starting right here:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/300/630579.page#10166556Lesson 3 is available as a self-paced tutorial starting right here:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/465/630579.page#10247412Lesson 4 is available as a self-paced tutorial starting right here:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/600/630579.page#10334444For Zoo U classes that are "live" a time and date will be given, but they may not be given using your time zone.You can find out what time the class starts in your town using the World Clock site and their time zone converter. Here is a link:http://www.timeanddate.com/ALSO IN THIS THREAD:POST ONE: Course Description and Lesson LinksPOST TWO: Information for Zoo U StudentsPOST THREE: Class Roster for Each Lesson of This CoursePOST FOUR: Previous Zoo U Courses with Lesson LinksPOST FIVE: A Note From Your Teacher

ZooProfessor3 wrote:Starshine9990 wrote:I'm trying to add you as a friend but the site won't let me! The site is having "issues" with Friend Requests again. Don't worry about it. Eventually we should be able to friend each other. :mrgreen:I had to wait 3 days from the day of receiving the request before it let me Accept it. So hang in there and don't give up on it!

CrescentMoonPye wrote:Well, Zoo, I read all my post 1 & 2 prep threads homework, so that's done. I will try to apply what I can by Saturday. I'm not sure that I can do any of it on my available puter , but the threads were awfully enlightening for the future anyway. :mrgreen: Glad I read them! ::hint hint, nudge nudge to classmates who haven't done it yet::I'm APPALLED that there still aren't EA cheats yet to level up/skill up sims. :P weird. I always assumed you DNA guys used magic cheats.I'll level up my simself as best I can before the weekend - at least she'll always look good while failing in class:http://llnw.thesims3.com/sims3_asset/sims3_asset/thumb/shard000/000/037/391/22/large.jpg"width=150"Cressie,I wish we KNEW some Magic Cheats! LOL!I have thought for some time that letting the player set the skill levels for each skill was a cheat that should be made available. Even for hidden skills. That way you could truly customize a Sim whose life you wish to try out. For example, if you wanted to have a brilliant but poor painter, who was going to make her living by selling her art, then you need to START with a Sim who already has a very high skill in painting.Sometimes you would want to start with no skill and build, but sometimes the story of your Sim's life would be more realistic if you could set the level of each skill to whatever you desire. In Sims 2 you could do that for all but hobbies and hidden skills.I have heard that Master Controller does allow this option, but I have a fear of MODs, so I don't know from experience that that is the case.I hope you get your computer woes fixed soon!Zoo

23. Save your game because we are about to use CFE.24. Open the cheat window and type “constrainFloorElevation off” (without quotes).25. Flatten the first two rows of driveway tile nearest the road to the same level as the road. 26. Go to the terrain tools and CAREFULLY use the tool to smooth out the ground to give a nice, gentle slope for your driveway as shown. You will want to use the smallest brush size and the softest brush available and you will want to aim for the very edges of the driveway on both sides (the spot where the ground meets the driveway tiles). Once you get the edges nice and smooth with the slope you want for the driveway, you can worry about smoothing the middle. The only thing the CFE cheat is doing for us here is allowing us to work on floor tile as if it were bare ground. 27. Before turning off the cheat, carefully observe your house and make sure that you have no weird dropped areas in your floors and no oddly distorted walls (this can happen if you get a little too close to the walls of your house as you are smoothing the terrain). 28. If you DO have any spots like that, go to the lowest floor and use the terrain tool to level the ground and flatten your floors, one at a time from the lowest to the highest.29. Turn off the cheat (constrainFloorElevation on).30. With the cheat off, smooth the ground near the driveway. The point of turning off the cheat first is that if the driveway suits you, then you won’t be able to mess it up when using the terrain smoothing tool on the ground near it. 31. I really didn’t like how squared off everything looked in my driveway, so I used Control F, which lets me have triangular floor tiles, and I made these little areas of the driveway angled. 32. YAY! We now have a nifty basement garage to play with!

priscapup wrote:Register Me Me Me Me!!!!....PS: Cressie, wanna share my laptop? Hmmm, how would that work? Does that mean I have to do it twice, and turn one set of homework in with Cressie's name on it??? :shock: Hey Zoo, register me for the next one too! (What the hey, you can still learn by reading stuff in here even if you can't actually click 'n play 'n practice yet - I'm still fascinated by the frost building up in the basement with Seasons) :POK, p-pup, but if we get caught we're gonna get detention. :shock:(sweet p-pup!)Hey itsy! I can't see your pic - it's broken, is it for everybody else or is it just me?!Hi EmpP, heehee

Zoo U Course 7: Bits and Bites Building Basics (self-paced tutorial)

842 Replies

zooprofessor
13 years ago
Zoo U students, after registration, please do the following (some things are marked optional, but if it is not marked that way, I will assume that you will do it before the next lesson).

1. Bookmark this thread so that you can find us for the next lesson. This is where the class will be taking place. IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, but not required, IF YOU WOULD REGISTER FOR EACH LESSON OF THIS COURSE. It keeps the thread bumped so that new students will see it.

2. If you have not accepted a friend request from me, please consider doing that. (this step is optional)

3. IMPORTANT: The class may involve moving back and forth between this thread and your game. You will be posting questions and comments as well as seeing the photo and description of the build step you are supposed to be doing. It is important that you can have the forum opened to this thread but minimized as you build and have your game open but minimized as you come here to post. Please try this out before the course starts by minimizing this window right now, opening up your game and starting a new game, saving your game and hitting the "windows" key on your keyboard (if you have a Mac, kindly scroll down to post four and my friend Wibble will tell you how to do this!) and posting something in this thread (like "Testing that I can post while my game is open") and then going back into your game to make sure all is running well. This all works fine on MY computer, but everyone's machine is different and you don't want any unpleasant surprises when the first lesson begins.

4. I am going to be adding some links to useful threads I'm making for students in Zoo U. It is optional that you do any of those, but they will help you have a smoother time as a builder. I would at least go look at what has been posted, but even that is not required. (This step is optional)

Here is a link to a thread about Tester Families:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/486961.page

Here is the Exchange link for my favorite Tester Sim if you don't want to make your own:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=5018210

Here is the Exchange link for a vastly updated version of my favorite Tester Sim (she has a CAP pattern that I made but no CC) and her cat Helix:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=6722698

Here is the Exchange link for a group of Tester Sims that would be very helpful if you have Supernatural and are building with Alchemy potions and the like:
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=6767525

Here is a link to a thread about making a Builder's Blank Neighborhood:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/488892.page
zooprofessor
13 years ago
To Register for "Bits and Bites of Building!", the seventh course offered by Zoo U, please post at the end of this thread with the words:

"Register Me!"

I will be sending friend requests to all who register, and it would be very helpful (but not required) that you accept my request. It would also be VERY helpful if you would register for EACH lesson as registration becomes available. When people register for the current lesson in a course it keeps bumping the thread to the front page where new students can see it.

Here is the Class Roster for Lesson 1:

CrescentMoonPye
3jsand1r
jenny0786
kennady_king
FyireChilde
nerdy3000
priscapup
Jeileen
hpsimfan
Starshine9990
CrystalAbyss1
Nikki9432
J24FKF
Lady_Ser
Simplayer17
jetaxebabez
taebay3
buckeyeDiva
XxBitexXxMehxX
waynesshop
dragondancer622
SpaceKitte
allisonrkennedy
JBAG521
Lauz101
KaruBlack
pokemon8889
shesha911
lukeschrader
Marit_Watery
pammats
Avarnnya
maddycrouch
StamperCat
niac1234
Changeling3
Grace455
nikkystar1
PattyCo
Lissykin
pink_16924
amyrosewinks
Kidede525
SandsM
cdavistheriault
NattaB
gngrsnp
MellieMidget
KIM19310
willowby03
maxjor928
mcveighjess
Nirar22
xgrimxxbeansx
BreeMiles

Here is the Class Roster for Lesson 2:

jenny0786
priscapup
CrescentMoonPye
jacki4u
lukeschrader
Marit_Watery
nerdy3000
cdavistheriault
SandsM

Here is the Class Roster for Lesson 3:

priscapup
CrescentMoonPye
jenny0786
Nirar22
cdavistheriault
Jamexwr
Marit_Watery
nerdy3000
SandsM
gngrsnp
Sallidra20
ElijahsBabyGurl9

Here is the Class Roster for Lesson 4:

Marit_Watery
priscapup
CrescentMoonPye
jenny0786
Sallidra20
Jamexwr
SandsM
nerdy3000
ElijahsBabyGurl9
Nirar22
cdavistheriault
suepea
Gilbert1966
zooprofessor
13 years ago
Previous Courses From Zoo U:

First Course: "Building a Farm" is available in three lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. See links below.

Lesson Number 1, "Building the Barn" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/30/487894.page#7440794

Lesson Number 2, "Building the Farmhouse" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/30/489324.page#7487905

Lesson Number 3, "Finishing the Farm" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/30/491984.page#7550662

Second Course: "Using the Constrain Floor Elevation Cheat" is available in five lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. See links below.

Lesson Number 1, "Beginner CFE, The Rules for CFE" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/60/496129.page#7682045

Lesson Number 2, "All About Arches (Part One)" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/165/496129.page#7812305

Lesson Number 3, "All About Arches (Part Two)" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/270/496129.page#8016556

Lesson Number 4, "All About Vaulted Ceilings and More" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/345/496129.page#8087329

Lesson Number 5, "Water Slides, Pool Covers, and Airship Hulls" is available here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/390/496129.page#8222047

Third Course: "Roofing 101" is available in two lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. This thread is also monitored so students may ask their roofing questions here. See links below.

Lesson 1: Roof Basics can be found here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/45/527220.page#8368990

Lesson 2: Porch Roofs and Victorian Roofing can be found here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/105/527220.page#8432633

Roofing Questions Answered:
Post your questions at the end of this course thread!
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/527220.page

Fourth Course: "Building a Modern from an Image" is available in three lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. This thread is also monitored so students may ask their questions here. See links below.

Lesson 1: Building the Shell can be found here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/45/550862.page#8843461

Lesson 2: Finishing the Exterior can be found here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/135/550862.page#8967595

Lesson 3: Decorating with Questions Answered can be found here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/180/550862.page#9017585

Fifth Course: "Tomb Building!" is available in four lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. See links below.

Lesson 1: Triggers, Behaviors, Torches and Doors is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/75/569572.page#9221195

Lesson 2: Dive Wells, Hole in the Wall, Keys and Treasure Chests is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/195/569572.page#9270620

Lesson 3: Statues, Processors, and Sundries is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/285/569572.page#9323869

Lesson 4: Fog Emitters and Finishing Touches is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/345/569572.page#9378657

Sixth Course: "All About Fog Emitters!" is available in two lessons as an online self-paced tutorial. See links below.

Lesson 1: Fog Emitter Basics is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/45/589336.page#9553690

Lesson 2: Fog Emitter Advanced Techniques is here:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/165/589336.page#9619507
zooprofessor
13 years ago
Dear Students,

I will be teaching this course and if I need to give you any important information on the upcoming lesson I will place my information here in this post. Please check this post when you register and again in a day or two before the scheduled lesson so that you will know if anything has changed about the date or the time or the needed preparation for the class. I very seldom make any last-minute changes, but sometimes situations beyond our control can occur! :mrgreen:

I really hope that this course, and all the Zoo U courses, will be helpful to you AND fun and enjoyable for you as well.

I usually wait until about two weeks before a course is to start to put up the registration thread, but January is REALLY busy for me (as I am a college teacher and we have real-life registration going on) so I thought I had better put up the registration thread while I had the time to do it. Plus it just seems like a good start to a new year to put up the first Zoo U course!

Hope to see everyone right here in this thread on the 19th!

ZooProfessor3
zooprofessor
13 years ago
Registration is now open!
CrescentMoonPye
13 years ago
let's try this again... OK, sims site. Stop crashing and post my post, third try's a charm...

Hi Zoo!
I'm hoping to get my puter fixed in time. If I do, I'll join in!
If not, I'm sure I'll learn something anyway. I always do...

Maybe I'll learn what I did wrong to make blank ceiling panels - you never know... ^_^

Good luck to everyone in the class on the project and I hope you all end up brilliant!!! And Happy New Year, while I'm here!
zooprofessor
13 years ago
CrescentMoonPye wrote:
let's try this again... OK, sims site. Stop crashing and post my post, third try's a charm...

Hi Zoo!
I'm hoping to get my puter fixed in time. If I do, I'll join in!
If not, I'm sure I'll learn something anyway. I always do...

Maybe I'll learn what I did wrong to make blank ceiling panels - you never know... ^_^

Good luck to everyone in the class on the project and I hope you all end up brilliant!!! And Happy New Year, while I'm here!

LOL! Hi, Cressie! Gee, I've missed you! So glad to see you back around and hope we get to visit together often in 2013.

You are officially registered for course 7 and I will put your name on the roster.

What do you mean by "blank ceiling panels"? Maybe I can help if I can understand what the issue is. Do you mean MISSING ceiling panels?
3jsand1r
13 years ago
Register Me!
CrimsonSimmers
13 years ago
Hello Zoo.

Register Me

Please :D

~Jenny
kennady_king
13 years ago
"Register Me!"