Set Design

Hello, this is the second of my in-game tutorials :) This one will focus on set design.

We're going to start out with the outdoors set design portion. I'll be using the same setup that I used in the lighting tutorial :3

Beach/Tropical Scene

For the beach set, I like to buy an empty lot on the beach and build the room like I showed in the lighting tutorial. Then I add trees and rocks to cover the portion of the wall that is shown. For the beach scene, I use palm trees and other tropical looking plants.

 This is what the completed scene looks like. Very simple and quick :) In this case, I would just cover the little bit of the wall that's showing.

Forest Scene

For the forest scene, I start out with the same setup but I usually use a lot that has a foresty look to it so that you don't see roads or sims running by in the background (unless of course that's what you're going for).

Then I start adding trees, rocks, shrubs and little flowers here and there to make it look like the model is in the middle of the forest.

I also like to add trees outside as well to add to the effect and give it some depth.

 For areas where you see through the branches of the shrubs/trees, you can add small rocks so that you can't see the wall through them. Note: the "moveobjects on" cheat is very helpful here :P

I also like to add some plants in front of the model to give depth to photos as well.

This is the final photo. (sorry that she's using a guy pose lol. I didn't have many women's poses installed and was too lazy to exit and install some)

Pond Scene

The final type of outdoor scene I'm going to show is a pond scene. It uses pretty much the same procedure as the other scenes but with everything (including the pond) inside. Because of this, you will need a large room.

I started by filling the area in with a dirt terrain paint.

Then, using the pond tool, I made a horseshoe-shaped pond around the model.

 

Now, start adding water plants like lilies and cattails around the edges of the pond.

Feel free to add more lights to lighten the scene more. Continue adding plants and rocks until you are satisfied with the result.

This is the final result.

These procedures could be applied to any kind of outdoor scene like snow, rainforests and deserts.

Indoor Scenes

This section will be short because there isn't too much to tell. For this example, I will create a princess-like bedroom.

For indoor scenes, people normally recommend using less rectangular rooms and more slanted walls because it improves the look of the resulting photo.

For this scene, I used slanted walls, light wood floors and pink and white patterned walls.

Since this is a bedroom scene. I start by adding the basic furniture: a bed, side tables, lamps, etc. Then I start adding other decor and clutter to make the room look more homey. I ended up changing the color of the lights to flame to give the room a more warm color (as seen in the second photo)

When I make these kind of scenes, I just make it up as I go along. You can let your imagination go wild.

 Here is the final photo.

I know it's still fairly simple but you get the point. You could go further and put dirty clothes and other objects on the floor to fill up more empty space, and play with camera angles to change the look of the photo. Using the buydebug mode allows you to access objects normally hidden in the game or things you can only get on vacation or as rewards for careers/opportunities.

As always, feel free to ask questions.