siminterior designs newsletter - may 2011
DESCRIPTION
Siminterior Designs Newsletter - May 2011 Your monthly insight into all that is Home Interior Design and more in the Sims 3 Community.TRANSCRIPT
Issue ONE
in this issue >>>
Making the right choice! ‐ Apartment Living
Apartment Living
Generations: Somesimguys’ Review
Remodeling your Bathroom
Meestors Building tips
The Blog Train
A Monthly Insight into all that is Home interior Design and more in the Sims 3 Community
Word From SID
One of SID’s Most Popular Design Competi-tions , SID’s Design Star, will soon be return-ing for a dynamic second season. Hosted by Madi1909, this seasons series will feature 7 competitive and creative finalists executing ingenious designs, as well as an illustrious judging panel of some of the most talented Sims 3 interior designers and builders. The finalists, will include some of the Sims com-munity's rising starts must navigate innovative design challenges and dazzle the judges with creativity until one wins their own coveted spread in SF Magazine’s Interior Design Sec-tion.
SID’s Design Star Challenge is back!
Whatever you do in
your decorating
philosophy, be
brave....never wish
you hadn't taken your
vision right to the
end. Make a bold
statement
Welcome to SimInterior Designs. The Original Sims 3 Interior Design community. We’ve recently undergone a few changes—namely a whole new look to our site and some brand new features all focused on what initially brought us together —Interior design.
We know the site has undergone many transitional phases since its inception but we have decided to take it back to its roots and slowly phase out all the fashion related material onto its own designated website (no fear Fash-ionistas, SF website will be up soon enough .) We hope that you are happy with the changes we have made and look forward to seeing you all again!
Although living in an apartment complex can have several benefits, if you don't choose a complex wisely, you could forgo any benefits and end up trapped in an undesirable situa-tion. When hunting for an apartment or ANY dwelling, the overall aesthetic plays an impor-tant role. But be mindful of your choices. Just because it looks good, does not mean it will look good in the lot you may have in mind. Con-sider the overall style of the area and whether your choice will work. (sure you can always CAS the materials to make it work—but are you willing to put in the work?)
Also , be mindful of the interior layout of the apartment. More often than not, moving into and apartment means downsizing. So be aware of square-footage of the space (so to speak) and whether it will work with the family you are intending to move in.
Another benefit of apartment living are amenities. Some buildings will come with certain perks such as a communal pool or fitness areas. Do your re-search and keep shopping!
Photo credit : High Loft Apartments by Cubrik Urban Cubirck TS3 Blog
Photo credit : Historic Brownstone Apartments by Awesims Awesime
Photo credit : Sunny Side Apartments II by Nengi65 Nengi’s Spot
By Madi1909
By Madi1909
By Madi1909
current topics >>>
sim Interior designs
GAZETTE
Photo credit : Modern Apartment Building by JarkaD JarkaD Sims 3 Blog
set
Ok, I love The Sims. But sometimes I feel a little…underrepresented. Perfect example? A wedding. Weddings are a life changing event for anyone but when a Sim got married in 1 & 2 it was a big flowery wed‐ding arch, cutting the cake, toasting blah blah...But what’s in it for the poor schmuck—I mean Groom? So, lately I’ve been checking out the Sims 3 Generations Expansion and this SimGuy is pretty excited. This looks like an Expansion a guy can sink his teeth into. I mean, what growing guyling doesn’t want his own
tree house (just needs a “No Girls Allowed Sign” for authenticity). And the Tree house retains its usefulness! Later in life I –I mean my Sim‐ can Woo Hoo in it! AWESOME!
A Sim guy teen can be a prankster and go for the gross out with “Stink Juice” from the new Chemis‐try Set as only a teen boy can. Get in trouble? Flash back home with the Ninja Vanishing potion… Ninja…Vanishing… Potion… Already I love it. Later if life, my Sim can play the field and actually earn a rep as “A Player” (or a “Cheater but let’s not split hairs). A reputation is important to a guy. So is WOO HOOing in the shower. It just is.
In CAS I can have hair. Real honest to gosh body hair… not make‐up or accessory body hair. Any guy will tell you the development of body hair was a PIVOTAL moment in his life!!! And do I even have to mention the new parties. Graduation?… fine. Baby showers and slumber parties?... if you must. I see a Sim Groom finally getting a break with a bachelor party? Dancers? Exotic? Hello!… Nuff said.
And when it’s all winding down… a Sim older guy can have a good old fashioned Mid‐Life Crisis. Lose the gut. Buy a sports car. BE SELFISH! Your Sim has earned it after a lifetime of family re‐sponsibility!
By Somesimguy
By Minraed It has been a while since we have worked together with our resident design studio mogul Kailead Navarro at the Triple Take Studios. Kailead has been busy busy setting up a brand new studio in the city, enticing new and exciting clients, and in general changing up her strategic business plan.
Things are changing around here, both here at SID and in Kailead's design business, so keep your eyes out for a whole new approach to the design challenges coming soon.
If you think you will be interested drop by and say Hi ‐ let me know who is still out there watching and waiting for a chance to play with us as we open the brand new design studio, new name, new clients, new challenges.
Meet Dierdre...
EA News >>> Somesimguy on...Generations
We are loving the bog train concept. It really brings the commu‐nity back into Sims Commu‐nity. In a blog
train, a group of creators get together and make content specific to a theme. So if you build houses, or make clothing or even create items your creation is added to the train. For the creator its a great opportunity to have your work seen by people who may not usually come to your site. For a die‐hard CC fiend its a terrific to find themes and get themed content in much greater volume than a single creator could pro‐duce. Each creators put their own spin on it. And because everyone makes their specialty ‐houses, furniture, paintings etc‐ you get all dif‐ferent kinds of content. It’s almost like a mini stuff‐pack by the time the train is done! The latest blog train we found is “Blast From the Past.” The theme is vintage items from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. We have found some really terrific homes and decor on this train. And each site links to all the other sites so you really don’t have to start in any one place. Just go from “station to station” downloading amazing high‐quality items for the S i m s . . . A h h h h b l i s s ! C a m i l l e ’ s B l o g S t o p : h t t p : / /www.camillecc.com/2011/05/08/blast‐from‐the‐
How to I get my garden started in game?
The most practical way to get your gar‐den started is by planting your seeds. In order to make a garden, you'll need a source of seeds. This can be achieved in several ways. First, all produce can be planted in the ground. That means you can go to the supermarket and buy vegetables to plant in the garden. So any produce available in the supermarket can be planted, and you can grow them as seeds with the gardening skill. Simple enough? This is the simplest way to get almost all the plants in the Sims 3.
Q: A:
The bathroom tends to be one of the least visited rooms in the house (believe it or not) and because of a lack of social dimension which tends to be associated with other rooms such as the kitchen and living room, it also tends to be the most neglected in terms of style.
Not fair you say...and to which I agree. Seeing that the bathroom plays such an incredibly important role in your Sims everyday life, it should perhaps receive as much attentions as ANY other room in your house. So with that, a few tips on achieving a bathroom that is not only utilitarian but decorative as well.
1. Make sure that all the required elements are present in your design (e.g. sinks, toilets, baths and showers)
2. Choose the right colors. Bathrooms should be warm and cheerful as well as serene and calm. So keep that it mind (blues, whites, creams, greys etc.
3. Choose the Right materials (e.g. Marble, ceramics, tiles)
4. Keep Storage in mind. For a more modern design, try incorporating some modular pieces that would blend with your room
To be successful, a
room must contain the
element of contrast ‐ in
forms as well as in
colors and textures.
Michael Taylor
Photo credit : Braxton House by Speechless www.phoenix‐on‐sea.com
Photo credit : Modernia Bathroom by Perfectiionist‐Gal Sims Design Avenue (N/A)
Photo credit : Sims 3 House #43 by Tzuching Tzuching’s Blog
Design Experts >>>
By Asiashamecca By Madi1909
Design Tips >>>
Bathroom Remodel Take a ride on the Blog Train...
This is my avi. He is once again moving into a new neighborhood of Sunset Valley. He is deter‐mined: determined to have a basement inside of a foundation in his latest house. He thinks that will impress the local ladies he might want to, you know, impress. Along the way to granting him his building wishes, we might be able to share some tips. The theme of these tips really helped me out as I was moving beyond beginner building to more advanced techniques.
I really struggled when I was first trying to make different levels of houses or out buildings con‐nect to each other. The stairs often times just wouldn’t place. I would get that dreaded, “Can’t level terrain,” taunt from the game. So I scoured tutorials by all the amazing creators out there who so freely shared what they had learned.
What I had to learn is what I call “standard stair section” height. You can see what I mean in the pictures to the left. You will notice when you place a foundation square on leveled terrain, that the steps you can place off of this foundation take up exactly one floor tile in length. This height that one floor section of stairs takes up is a “standard stair section”. You can also pull one or more of these sections down into empty ground. When you pull three sections down into ground, then place a wall on this lowered terrain, it will exactly match up with a foundation placed on your original terrain height. So three levels down + one level up for your foundation, means the height of a wall is four “stair sections” high. We can use all of this to make basements inside of foundations without using any cheat codes. A note later about why you put the walls in first and connect foundation to them.
However, ever since my avi has gotten his third celebrity star, he is a bit of a prima donna. He wants his basement to be a walk‐out basement, with the level of the walk‐out to exactly match the base level of his lot. He has this fancy slab of stone already in place for an out‐door grilling area. Again thinking this will impress strategic peo‐ple of Sunset Valley.
So to get a foundation (one stair section high) to match to a wall (four high) we will need to raise the ground three sections higher. Here is an easy way to raise ground this exact amount. Place your basement room. Then with the terrain raising tool, raise a patch of ground next to your walls. Place some flooring on top of your room. Then take the stairs tool and place some stairs onto your raised terrain. The game will level a square of the raised, empty terrain. This square will be a perfect three sec‐tions higher. Raise and level the terrain around the three other sides of your room. Then draw in your foundation walls. Viola, a
walk‐out basement in a house that matches your desired ground level. And it is so quick and easy, I even finished while my avi is still grilling his salmon.
By Meestor Mark
Building Advice >>>
Well maintained
landscaping and
decorative painting
will help spruce up
a home's exterior
Meestors Building Tips—Basements
The reason you want to place the inner walls first and connect the foundation to them, is twofold. First, you can place decorative items on the walls without needing to turn on the moveobjects cheat like you would with foundation walls. Second, if you use foundation walls and the moveobjects cheat, your sims will always get the “Unfinished Room” moodlet while in the basement room. Placing the inner walls first, will make sure sims see
it as a finished room.
This “stair section height” concept was the first I needed to learn so I could begin to take advantage of other tricks that can be done with the constrain‐floorelevation (CFE) building cheat. Tricks like sunken rooms on any level, split level stairs, connecting stairs to open terrain from any story, and many others. As you can see, as long as you start your
stairs some increment of “standard stair section” height above the ground, you can place stairs to floor tiles without any problems. This opens up so many possibilities. Along the way, your sims might even impress the natives.
Going forward, we would love to offer specific tricks and tips that you want to learn. So drop a message to MeestorMark at SID, and we will work the most popular or interesting requested tricks into future issues.
Tech Tips >>>
By Asiashamecca
Hullo. You may have seen me around SID. I write and take pictures for SF Mag and run the occa‐sional contest at SID. Mostly I just lurk about and try to be helpful. BUT… here is my real claim to fame. I have run The Sims 3 since its release (we won’t even talk about Sims 1 or 2). I have loads of CC… mods for days and I have only had to re‐install the game because of a crash I couldn’t cure ONCE since June of 2009! Think about it. If you run a modded game that’s saying something. In this column I’ll be sharing tips and tricks to keep your game running healthy. Since I know you’re on a mad dash to your latest CC binge – you know who you are‐ I’ll keep this one simple with a little tool I don’t often
see mentioned.
Here’s the deal. Every time your game crashes it creates a log file full of gibberish which means nothing to you unless you’re a higher level programmer. I am not. This tool reads the crash file logs and sug‐gests solutions. It is incredibly helpful and very simple to use. Just download it if you have a continuing crashing problem. Drag it to your desktop and double click to run.
See? Simple. And I now return you to your regularly scheduled CC hunting.
The Crash Log Analyzer by FordGT90Concept.
http://tinyurl.com/3jqxlot
On the Grind!
On another CC Binge?! Well don’t look to us for any help...we are just as bad as you are. Instead, lets help you on your search with just a few of our favorites this month.
Along with a few FANTASTIC and MUST-HAVE Sets by simcredible, we bring you some essential and totally awesome little décor items by a few of our favorite creators...Enjoy!!!
Move in Ready >>>
By madi1909
Shopping Bag>>>
Biombo Inspiration Exotic by My‐Sim‐Style
Teach Me Passion by Simcredible (FREE BEDROOM SET)
SID Member Gallery Some awesome work by fellow SID member; Lkadas
Design Experts >>>
The Beginning of the end (and oth‐ers) by Missimis
Fashionista ‐ Magazine Clutter by Club Crimsyn
Rearranging the furniture in your home can bring
new life into a space. Blast from the past—Rugs by RD
Fab Finds
Final
I recently sent my Sim out to do a bit of house hunting. After a few weeks play time, our quaint studio apart-ment just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Plus we needed more space for our EXTENSIVE wardrobe—So, with our shopping list in hand, we set off to find our FIRST home.
It was all supposed to be simple—find a modern build with at least one bedroom, one bathroom, on a small lot preferably (...since we hate gardening!), with a really nice office area (preferably a cool loft space., how awesome would that be!) and maybe (MAYBE!) a small swimming pool for some much needed exercise.—Like we said...simple!
After looking at quite a few potential properties, we finally settled on one. It was PERFECT! Had everything we were looking for and bonus—it was fully furnished AND to our taste! So after spending hours download-
ing the appropriate cc and installing it all, we were ready to go!
My simmette, all too eager to start off her new life, packed up her things and was on her way! We spent a few more hours “personalizing” the place (of course) - a plant here, a painting there—and soon we were done...with a smug satisfied grin on her face quite satisfied she sat down to rest in her UBER stylish Eames lounger.
Then it happened….the dreaded, “I need to use the bathroom” thought bubble. Which was cool since we needed to test run our sexy chic bathroom anyways...so off she went...or so I thought!...she just stood there...unwilling to move. After a couple more tries, I realized something was wrong. I need to move fast cuz it seemed she was about to disgrace herself all over our expensive bear skin living room rug.
Then it hit me...THE STAIRS!!! She can’t use the dang stairs!!! It seemed that this designer thought over EVERYTHING, except to play test the home before shar-ing...sure I was little upset after spending all that time getting it to look JUST the way I wanted it...but I learned a valuable lesson...PLAY TEST! PLAY TEST PLAY TEST!!!!
Needless to say, we are BACK on the market for a new home!
Is a pie chart art? By BAU
By Madi1909
Blast from the past—Art prints, posters and wall plates by Axelpilgrim
Oh so RED...! by Speechless
Design is not just what it looks
like and feels like...Design is
how it works! Final Thoughts >>>
Moving day!