Hey Builders advice wanted

1. Make sure it's playable.
2. If you are unsure, get inspiration from real buildings and interior designs - Google is your friend.
3. Don't be afraid of using MOO (as long as you play test your entire build after it's done before you share it and make sure it works)
4. Learn from what other players have done and "take" ideas to your own works. (As long as you aren't flat out stealing.. in other words uploading someone else's work that you've changed a tiny bit - that's a huge no no!) Challenges are an exception as you have to upload the challenge host's creation but those always have proper tags.
5. Take a look at building tutorials - i.e. Kate Emerald has done amazing tutorials!
6. Don't make massive rooms and leave them half empty (i.e. there's no point having a room that's say 10x14 squares, if it only has a bed and a wardrobe) In sims 4 the sims can function is way much less space than in any previous sims games! It's a trial and error to learn.
7. Enjoy what you do, it's supposed to be fun after all :D


Builds I'm proudest of (as I can't possibly choose just 1):

Marshal Hall Is actually my 2nd build in sims 4 when I only had the base game without any packs.
Don't have a picture in imgur.

Eternal Gardens Was experimenting with terrain tools, pools and jets.
https://i.imgur.com/ShYhfez.jpg

Mermaid's Call Was personally a huge challenge for me - spent a lot of time researching old ships.
Don't have a picture in imgur.

Willow Creek Greenhouse A mammoth build for me that I was very proud of.
https://i.imgur.com/dWZKaWj.jpg

Gift - B&W Modern The very first modern build I've ever done. I used to absolutely hate anything modern but I learned to love it.
https://i.imgur.com/CumVWsH.jpg

Blue Cup Café and Club 69 My very first industrial style build. Spend a lot hours building this and detailing the landscape (there's a murder scene at the back, lol)
Don't have a picture in imgur.

As for rooms, this is the 1 I'm most proud of:

Pond Took hours to place all the plants and flowers <3
https://i.imgur.com/zD97ZkA.jpg

Don't worry @surlybadger, ALL of us are still learning new things when it comes to building. My main tips are:

1) If you see somebody do something neat in a build that you like, download the build and take a good look at it to see how they did it. You can learn so many cool building and decorating tricks from other players. Keep it in your toolbox for when you have an opportunity to use it. I learned stuff from facing cabinets backwards to enclosing tubs with half walls from seeing other people do it.

2) Keep building. Like with anything else, you get better with practice; nobody was great at it at the beginning. Just keep doing it and trying new things and eventually you'll get better and better.

3) Symmetry is not usually good. I know I have a tendency to want to make a symmetrical building, but I've found that symmetrical builds can be boring, For visual interest, keep some elements the same (for continuity) like the same type of windows but use different sizes, numbers of windows or positioning or use a different color or wall texture to highlight the eye up or across. You USUALLY need some variations to make the build look interesting. Take a look on the gallery and download some builds you like and see how the builder used windows, texture, color, etc. to accent parts of the building and where it draws your eye and also see how they used asymmetry to make the build interesting.

4) Finally, don't be afraid to experiment. This is game and supposed to be fun! Try different things and see how they work. It's a terrific way to learn!

Good luck on you building journey! Hope to see your works posted in the forum!

When I started building I used floor plans to get the basic shape of the house. A lot of them have measurements for each room, and I would cut the measurements in half in game. For example if a bedroom was 10x10 in the floorplan, I would make it 5x5 in game. If it was a number that's not divisible by 2, I would split the difference (9x10 would become 4x5). This helps a lot with proportions, however it's not an exact science. Sometimes things need adjusting a bit but it's a good start.

Another thing I've recently started doing to make the back of a house look as well as the front is copy it. That way if you cut the house in half the two pieces would be mirrored. I do this to keep from the back being so flat and plain looking. Plus, in my opinion, it's usually easier to floorplan.

As for my proudest builds?
These modern houses were accomplishments for me because I don't really do modern houses.

Modern Family Home: See what I mean about symmetry?


300 Ocean View Park

don't have any pics at my hands right now might add later~

some tips I'd suggest:

1. Sizing

most usual mistake i see is people making their houses way too big so everything they put in the house or out the house looks very dwarfed

easiest way around this is using doors windows and furnitures for guidance while building your overall shape of the house

2. Examples

it also helps to take existing houses from google or such and try to recreate them if you feel like you end up with same awkward box

3. Roofing.

something that can pretty much save or ruin your house from the outsides so it's important to think how you are going to roof the house before you have done whole house and realize no roofing works
(guilty and charged)

4. Decorate

house is lit from inside and good size but looks boxy outside?

add some popouts and have fun with the pillars and friezes and balconies and roof deco and whatever

the decoration is there to be used

5. Landscape (i suck at this step but I'll try)

add some trees, bushes, walkways, gardening spots etc.

(rip)

6. Take the surroundings in account

optional but I feel houses look better when they fit the surroundings like log cabin in desert looks pretty off you know

and also if there is any non deletable houses try to match their build style could help

7. realize none of this helped and go watch youtubers build things

Hello there!

You know, besides MOO. What other cheats are useful when building?

"Alexciel;c-17379903" wrote:
Hello there!

You know, besides MOO. What other cheats are useful when building?

bb.showhiddenobjects and bb.showliveeditobjects are pretty standard 2 to remember

other than that I can't really think of cheats that much just hotkeys

Something I suggest, make a separate save just for building. Make some sample households of all different sizes to test out your build and make sure everything is accessible.

"Simmingal;c-17379944" wrote:

"Alexciel;c-17379903" wrote:
Hello there!

You know, besides MOO. What other cheats are useful when building?

bb.showhiddenobjects and bb.showliveeditobjects are pretty standard 2 to remember

other than that I can't really think of cheats that much just hotkeys

Also bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement which allows you the access to locked furniture (career rewards)

Remember to use the keys to resize objects - not really a cheat, but works great with things like rugs and flowerpots. Don't use it on mirrors - it glitches out. Another tip is: skill objects! Remember that massive lounge you built and had to scrap because it looked too empty? Try placing a piano in your living room or a microscope in your ultra-modern bar.
@SweetieWright_84 mentioned floor plans - does anyone have any tips for making these? I'm pretty much still at the level of country houses and the occasional Victorian villa type thing. Also, SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME WITH ROOFS - I can make it look nice but am not really any better than that.

I'm not really a builder, but I do have fun building stuffs for my Sims and sometimes joining some challenges too.

1. Get a good reference - it can be from anywhere. Something that you can follow easily & modify accordingly.
2. Don't limit your creativity - it can be unrealistic, or it can be weird. But I would say, that is what we call unique & have its own identity.
3. Roofing can be so frustrating. I'm still learning too. But, you can start with a modern house first & get comfortable in building/renovate the exisiting houses/community lots.
4. Go small first then start expanding.
5. Play with the tools - it can be the terrain or the stairs. I hope that we could someday get a water tool soon.
6. Always test your build if you're planning to share it to the gallery.
7. The landscaping is important. You can build an amazing house, but the landscaping makes it more beautiful.
8. MOO is the best cheat!
9. Participate in building challenges. It will help you in terms of focusing on what to build for that particular challenge.
10. Be proud & don't compare your build with others. Your build is amazing & just getting more amazing as you build more houses.

I would say, this is my proudest build so far because of how I'm using the terrain tool. The house is pretty simple, but I had fun playing with the tool and getting my Sims to walk up along the pathway.

https://i.imgur.com/bfy9F4F.png
https://i.imgur.com/rPHOxCY.png
https://i.imgur.com/rCGrD5k.png

You can check out this build here, The Hilltop House