Forum Discussion

norekp's avatar
norekp
8 years ago

How do you guys take those amazing build screen grabs?

I have been taking pictures in build mode and started to realise how rubbish they are when I see some of the amazing pictures others take. I wanted to ask for any tips on doing so? I read a few guides but they seem to focus on take pictures of sims not builds. Is everyone going into live mode and using tab to take pictures? I guess I can be quite lazy and don't always want to move a sim in and then move them out of the way just to take pictures. Is there a decent method to taking pictures without leaving build mode? I assume the tab mode cannot be accessed from build mode, which is lame haha. And it seems like time of day isn't controllable in live mode like it is in build, which is also frustrating. How do you guys get the time of day you want without just speeding up time and waiting?

My main frustrations taking pictures in build mode is that the camera always wildly jumps up and door, which is also frustrating when you're trying to build too and trying to zoom into roof sections. I also cannot seem to get any decent indoor angles in build mode ever so I just end up taking aerial pictures of the indoors haha.
  • norekp's avatar
    norekp
    8 years ago
    @sawdust jogging! That's brilliant haha. I have been just moving them to a floor I'm not on, but sometimes I forget and they end up in the picture. Is there a good way to not having to worry about their needs while waiting for the right time of day you want for pictures? Thanks!
  • reanseih's avatar
    reanseih
    8 years ago
    I usually just turn testing cheats on and send them teleporting to the corner of the world... =3=;;

    A good mod to have for this is MC Command Center. It let's you set the maximum sims on a lot, not household but lot. Minimum is 5. So I use a 5+ sims household, that way there won't be random ppl walking by. Also, turn off autonomy, and use testingcheat on and shift click on mailbox I believe, or sim, to disable need decay. Also, take note of the time of day, makes or breaks a shot. Which is also why you wanna turn off needs, so sims don't come randomly wandering into your scene to go to the bathroom while ur waiting lol.
  • sawdust123's avatar
    sawdust123
    8 years ago
    You can turn testing cheats on and click on the mailbox to "fill all needs" but I have a particular family I use for testing that have the rewards that help like steel bladder, no hunger etc. so they don't need a lot of care anyway.
  • Voltron-Games's avatar
    Voltron-Games
    7 years ago
    It's best to take screenshots using TAB from Live Mode because you have an exceptionally fluid control over the camera and what you want to capture in each frame. I haven't used Build Mode to capture screenshots but I would imagine that it's best suited for a bird's-eye view of the lot.
  • reanseih's avatar
    reanseih
    7 years ago
    @PeterTheSims3 I wouldn’t call it fluid honestly. It’s quite jerky and hard to control, keyboard controls can’t move in small steps.

    Contrary... build mode is FLUID. It’s mouse after all. Buuut you can’t control the camera pitch as much as tab mode. Give and take.

    Oh right, I forgot completely. There’s this mod that allows your camera to go lower than it usually can... I think? I’ll link it later.
  • sawdust123's avatar
    sawdust123
    7 years ago
    "reanseih;c-16194845" wrote:
    @PeterTheSims3 I wouldn’t call it fluid honestly. It’s quite jerky and hard to control, keyboard controls can’t move in small steps.

    Contrary... build mode is FLUID. It’s mouse after all. Buuut you can’t control the camera pitch as much as tab mode. Give and take.

    Oh right, I forgot completely. There’s this mod that allows your camera to go lower than it usually can... I think? I’ll link it later.


    Interesting. Not sure why you would find the keyboard jerky. Being an RPG player from way back I find using the WASD keys to be second nature for moving around. I basically move through my builds taking pictures as if I am doing a walkthrough of the place. Generally I try to take two diagonal shots of the room, one from each corner. In smallish rooms using the middle mouse button allows for quick zoom out making it easier to get a better shot. Too much zoom though does distort the picture a little. I find, once you have the level right, hitting the TAB key allows you to page up without affecting the camera level but fills the build in above so you're not looking out into open air. My only objection to TAB key movement is it is slow. :)
  • Voltron-Games's avatar
    Voltron-Games
    7 years ago
    "reanseih;c-16194845" wrote:
    @PeterTheSims3 I wouldn’t call it fluid honestly. It’s quite jerky and hard to control, keyboard controls can’t move in small steps.

    Contrary... build mode is FLUID. It’s mouse after all. Buuut you can’t control the camera pitch as much as tab mode. Give and take.

    Oh right, I forgot completely. There’s this mod that allows your camera to go lower than it usually can... I think? I’ll link it later.


    I find it very fluid, might be a matter of personal preference. You have mouse-control which is literally 360° and zoom which gives you so much control over how much you want to capture in a shot as well as 'Q' and 'E' which smoothly controls height of the camera. It's literally take your shot however you like from wherever you like to capture however much you want.
  • norekp's avatar
    norekp
    7 years ago
    I can understand both arguments. Sometimes when utilising wasd in tab mode the camera moves too much and I have to go back to nontab to move it then back to tab. On the other hand the 360 movement in tab is way nicer. Ah what can you do :)

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