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I am having the hardest time taking pictures. I forgot you can't remove walls to take a picture if your Sims are on a lot, I've had to divide the lot in different sections for the floor shots*, and the classrooms are small ... It's hard to include what I want to include in the shots. I'm looking at the pictures here to see if anyone was in the same situation and how they handled the pics.
*Y'see, the way my buildings are situated, it's not as easy to differentiate a building as a building. The ones on one side share walls and are not separate buildings, so techincally, one might consider them floors or rooms rather than separate buildings. The main reason why I'm rushing to get some pictures out ASAP ... I may revise the crud out of them, but that's fine ... is to make sure that my level shots are OK.
For instance, there is a building with a classroom, but there is a walkway to an area with a shared wall. That would be the lecture hall. Taking both areas together really doesn't show much, but technically, they are connected rooms ... not two buildings.
I thought I could separate the restaurant and the parent room by function, but no matter what, I'l get a good chunk of the other room in the shot. I was going to try to treat them as separate buildings, but since they do share a wall, they technically aren't. Also, the food stand building is not entirely separate from the coffee shop.
So at this point, it's ... what is the best picture? What is the best way to show these rooms? Right now, my food stand and parent room are in the same shot, the coffee shop, which shares part of a wall with the main building, is separate, the children's building is separate, the workshop is separate, and each floor of the main building is separate. The connecting lecture hall got its own shot. I do hope you can see what I mean soon, joandsarah77. I'm not trying to be a smart aleck here!
Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.
RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
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You're welcome. I certainly learned something with that, too. I never knew you could even cover latticed foundations until yesterday! I am having the hardest time taking pictures. I forgot you can't remove walls to take a picture if your Sims are on a lot, I've had to divide the lot in different sections for the floor shots, and the classrooms are small ... It's hard to include what I want to include in the shots. I'm looking at the pictures here to see if anyone was in the same situation and how they handled the pics. |
Do you have Fraps? You can get wide-angle shots with that. On my computer it's the x button, while the normal zoom back is the s.
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I should write that I've taken pictures of community lot interiors WITH the Sims inside both here and took a whole lot of pictures in my cafe for the contest on that other site. They were far, far easier than these particular shots! :]
EDIT AGAIN ... Managed, with enough zooming attempts to make me dizzy, to get what I hope are acceptable pictures of the classrooms. Unfortunately, while taking pictures, I noticed a few very minor but annoying problems and fixed them, necessitating retakes. But HOPEFULLY, it's nine floor shots down (three floors of one building, a lecture hall accessible via an outside door on the same level, two floors of the children's center, one workshop, one food stand/parent area. and one coffee shop. Whew! I think I might actually get a first, second or third place prize for the most floor/level shots.
So fingers crossed, it's seven extra pics done in addition to the essential shots (which I've also done), nine to go! My collection of photos will be pretty large, though at 33 pictures! I have taken alternate shots of the one or two iffy ones just in case, so I shouldn't have to retake the shots if I'm wrong.
Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.
RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
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I'm having the same problem with pictures- making the room look right without going too fish-eyed.
I'm liking my newest lot more- it's got a wedding hall, a reception area, a family room, a store, a restaurant, a stage for music/performances, a small playground, a pool, a hot-tub/sauna/massage table (have to test it), 2 bathrooms... and a barista area in the plaza.
I'm looking for matching windows for the style I'm trying to convey.
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As for pictures, I always use tab + zoom out with X and the pictures don’t look so bad. I never remove walls as that changes lighting specific for a certain room.
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Yeah I know too much time at the juice bar.
Now to see if I can get my game running again!
Scottiedoag
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Round #5~ Community Build, 3x3 lot
Since there was more time and this one actually has the required bathroom, I'm going with this one.
The Knight's Plaza - §276,499
A place to visit, relax, let the kids run, have family functions, have Community functions, go out alone or with anyone else.... It's got something for everyone.
Cost
Required pictures
1. Front- with ...partial view of the Famous White Knight, shade trees are important on hot days.
2 Back with view of pet area... if needed.
3 Roof
4 3rd floor shower rooms... lots of toilets.
5 2nd floor
6 Foundation
The Rest of the pictures as best I could
A Family room- crib, rest area, feeding areas, play area ...
B bathroom off the Family area; for diaper changing too.
C Little store for quick supplies. Fruit stand is right outside the door.
D On the other side of the plaza is a restaurant
E it does have a kitchen
F The Plaza area has a Barista area for a relaxing cuppa, a meal, or to watch the stage performances
G There's a small playground behind the Barista with a comfy swing for the adults to use while watching
H The pool...
I upstairs has a Massage table, Hot tub, and Sauna
J up again are the showers and toilets.
K Men's and Women's if needed.
L Above the Restaurant is the Wedding Hall; Cake and Champagne for right after.
M Walk across to the Reception area, reservations needed. *half of the hall*
N reserve a DJ, to. Other times it's open from opening to closing. *other half of hall*
O A view from the back...
Fun pic!- There are sharp toys and free juice for all the kids at the Weddings.
Good Family Fun all around! There's a lot of stuff for romance, there's music and swimming for learning and toys, plus community stuff. XD
Again- Thanks for the Challenge and the Fun!
*changed a few pictures. I don't understand the family room but now the bathroom off the family area has a regular toilet and toddlers potty.
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Jo, my families are right, so nothing to correct in my row.
On a side note, I’ve noticed that people in general build things that you could encounter in real life, but I go and put bowls on the roof instead. Oh well.
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Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
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Peni Griffin http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...488#post5230488
Justpetro http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...718#post5227718
yavannatw http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...199#post5229199
scottiedoag http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...338#post5229338
Aysarth http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...815#post5229815
Sweet Mystre http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...225#post5232225
enebya http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...519#post5232519
Play Along
NatteryakToad http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...511#post5229511
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Visit the Driftwood Community Pool!
It’s summer, your kids want to splash around some water, but your garden is just too small for a pool? Come and visit the Driftwood Community Pool!
Watch from the restaurant as your youngsters play in the safety of the fenced off playground. Older kids will enjoy the slide and diving board in the deep pool.
(Trees have been removed in this picture for your convenience. Of course, the playground is shady so your youngsters won't get burned!)
Does your toddler need a nap? Something to eat and a fresh nappy? Some time to play indoors so they don’t get a sunstroke? Visit the Dragon's Palace Parenting Room! Our kitchen is equipped with a fridge and microwave so our youngest visitors don’t stay hungry! Fresh fruit is available for free to young sims here.
Older kids might enjoy buying their own snacks at our snack machines, so let them bring their pocket money!
Lovers might enjoy a romantic tête-à-tête in the hottub surrounded by roses.
The thermal water in our rockpool is not only beneficial to your health, it is also a great place to relax and catch up with some old friends!
Swimming makes you hungry, so make sure you try our delicious Luau Ribs or Teriyaki Mahi-Mahi! If you’d prefer something sweet, our cook might have a surprise for you!
Of course, our Community Pool features some places to relax in the sun (or the shade), so make sure you bring plenty of time and sun lotion!
The sims featuring in this brochure are:
Jessica and Martin Walter with their daughter Jamie and son Johnny
Jane and Jason Rodney enjoying some private time without their daughter
Rhoda, Jemma, Lou and Joe Rhodes
Foundation and general overview.
Parenting room. Featuring a changing table, a potty and a toilet for everybodys toilet need. First aid material is kept over the sink. The fridge and microwave are free to use for parents, and fresh fruit are always free. Two toddlers can sleep in the parenting room, and they will not be disturbed by noisy siblings in the main room. Some toys for the kids and books and magazines for the parents are provided.
Bathrooms with toilets and showers. Changing rooms and lockers are also provided.
Poolside restaurant.
View from the back, sims eye level without trees blocking everything.
Front.
Price.
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Enebya, interesting idea with hot springs on an ‘island’ in the pool.
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Windows 10 and the Ultimate Collection
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=568275
http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=614833
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@joandsarah77 .... the main reason why I want to get this up with some time to spare is to make sure I've taken the proper amount and type of floor level shots. Right now, I'm up to 8. If I have to retake these shots, I will. I do not want to lose points for such a silly mistake. Please, please let me know if I screwed up.
And enebya .. great submission! I wouldn't mind a dip in that water myself.
Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.
RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
@Voeille parenting rooms always come with a toilet. The toilet and child toilet (potty in this case unless you download one) are in the same room together.
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ContestTownToday,com ... November 11, 2017
Art Park a Welcome Addition
by Ardea Alba
Contest Town residents are enriching their minds, inspiring their souls and enjoying new opportunities to learn more and meet others in the recent Peace Center Art Park, a park to enrich and inspire all ages to be inspired, create and mingle.
From One Side
From Another Side
I temporarily removed the awning over the ice cream stand for this shot.
Price. It's hard to see, but the pool actually has fish.
Back from One Side
Back from the other side. Whenever I tried to do the entire back of the lot, it was really fish-eyed and tiny. It looked terrible. So I count one shot as the required shot and the other as the optional 16-pic shot. If this is a no-no, joandsarah77, again, please let me know.
Here we go. THIS is the part that concerns me. I tried to use the rules plus whatever common sense I had left. If I screwed up, again, please let me know ASAP!
Lobby. The rack has readable publications, and there is a door to the coffee shop
Second Floor of Main Building. This contains the adults' painting studio and a lecture hall.
Third Floor
Barstucks coffee shop
Food Stand/Parent Room. Those are Phaenoh's toddler mats, and the tykes love 'em. The changing table is in the bathroom since I didn't think someone would like a stinky kid near the eating area. You can see it better in the floor plan. That picture above the mats is one of the pictures I converted using Sim PE. I think it's a scene from Grimm's Fairy Tales from a late 19th/early 20th-century storybook.
Children's Center, 1st Floor. Those are albatross pictures I took from bird cams.
Children's Center, Second Floor
Basket-weaving workshop.
In short, I have eight floor plans.
The park offers painting, pottery and basket-weaving classes for adults, and pottery and painting classes for children and teens. It was an original concept developed by artist Cardamon and Zenith Rhodes, and funded with an endowment from the couple, donations from the community, and funding allocated by the Contest Town government.
"We encourage people to be inspired by their surroundings in this place; to feel at peace and find ideas for art in the people they meet and the things they see and feel here." Cardamon said. "Too often, we fail to see beauty in our everyday lives." Visitors can create temporary art in the sand garden, use the easel by the pond to paint wildlife, and pick reeds to make baskets in the workshop nearby. A food stand and ice cream stand provides refreshment, as do two vending machines behind the basket workshop and the coffee shop near the main building. There is a parent room for cranky toddlers to have a quick meal and take a nap. The park has sculptures on the lawn and boardwalk donated by local artists.
Adult classrooms are in the multi-storied cantilevered building. The main floor has a lobby with magazines and brochures, and a computer for residents to register for classes. The second floor has a painting studio for adults. Painting classes for adults often focus on live drawing. Near the second-floor classroom is a lecture hall where instructors can give talks on art trends and history. Adults, teens and children are welcome to listen to these talks. The third floor is the pottery studio.
Children and toddlers have their own building. The first floor is the painting classroom, where students learn techniques and paint still art pictures. The second floor is where children and can learn to make colorful plates for their rooms on children's pottery wheels. An activity table allows toddlers to express their creative side as well. Those watching the toddlers can play a quick game of Trivial Pursuit while keeping an eye on the youngsters to make sure they don't express their creativity on the walls Should this happen, however, the Rhodes made sure that all walls are painted with high-quality, washable, low-VOC semi-gloss paint for quick clean-ups (quoted from www.williamsprofessionalpainting.com).
Paintings by local artists plentifully adorn the walls in all buildings. Those wishing to purchase a painting can leave an inquiry at the coffee shop. This place is also an informal gallery and museum showcasing the art that not only the Rhodes, but artists throughout Contest Town have created throughout the years.
We spoke with local residents about what they liked about Art Park.
The Walters liked learning new art skills and mingling with other people. "Being a mother of two active toddlers, sometimes I feel the need for adult company when Bryan is not home, " said Terri Walter. "The Parent Room has a fridge to keep the children's snacks, some toys, two sleeping mats, a place to change diapers and for my toddlers to learn potty training, and a bookcase to read Christopher and Sophia a story or two. The rubber puzzle rug absorbs those 'oopses' when they fall, and is easy to clean."
Bryan is trying to improve his pottery skills. "Right now, I'm at the brown lump stage," he laughed. "But the instructors are really good here. They don't laugh at my efforts, and give me tips on how to improve."
Paul and Joanne Newman like the pet-friendly atmosphere of the park. Though residents are advised by park management that pets in the classrooms and workshop might get hurt, well-behaved pets are welcomed to walk on the boardwalk and on the grounds. There are bowls for thirsty four-legged friends to take a drink by the parent room and by the basket workshop. "My dogs love it here, and the residents are always ready to spoil them," laughs Joanne. Both Newmans are trying their hand at the folk art of basket-weaving. "I haven't gotten to the point where I can make a doghouse, but the small baskets are useful around the house," said Paul.
All these shots have pictures I converted in Sim PE ... the Art Noveau piece, the owl picture and the banner with the lady on it. Numbers one and three are from Art Noveau-era or earlier pictures I found; the owl is from a live cam picture.
For busy parents Stan and Lisa Lambert and their four children, the park provides a safe space for their children to learn and play. Toddlers Kenneth and Nene, elementary school-age twins Adam and Aaron and twin teens Victorine and Anna enjoy hanging out at the park as much as their parents. All the children enjoy learning new art techniques. Even Kenneth and Nene like to draw while Anna and Victorine try to beat each other at Trivial Pursuit. ("I generally win!", commented Victorine.) "It felt a little strange posing as a model for Bryan's art class, but the instructors and students were really supportive," Lisa commented.
[I had a picture of Cassie in the lecture room, but she didn't exactly look like she enjoyed it. She either looked angry or zoned out! The three pictures in the back of that shot were converted from art dating from before 1920, including parts of William Morris and Walter Crane pieces. I might switch it out for one of these shots, but with Cassie's expression, I might not! ]
Cassie Elliott and her daughter Molly often go to the Art Park on weekends and in the late afternoon. Molly is trying to improve her still life drawing, and both Elliotts enjoy hearing Peter Ottomas talk about the history of art and fashion. If the lecture of the day does not interest one of the Elliotts, Cassie buys a cup of Barstucks coffee and chats with the neighbors while looking at the paintings on the wall, and Molly plays in the playground, sneaks a few raspberries and watches the butterflies. "The butterflies are so pretty! Molly exclaimed. "Darn good coffee!" Cassie commented. "And I like how Molly and I can bike to the park, secure the bikes to the racks in front, and spend a couple of hours here."
The Rhodes are happy to see so many residents in the park, and spend a great deal of time there themselves. "I can make patterns in the sand for hours," Cardamon mentioned. "I find that it can be very important to create art from a more elevated, serene state of consciousness." "I find that serenity near the pond, " added Zenith. "While I don't like to fish there myself, it's all cool when others do. Many find it relaxing to fish. I find it relaxing and romantic cuddling my soul mate. That puts me in the best frame of mind to create." he said as he hugged Cardamon.
It seems that so far, the Rhodes' dream that the park be a place of creativity and positivity has come true. It has greatly boosted the community spirit of Contest Town, and will probably continue to do so in years to come.
Random thoughts.
-- I know this is a flawed entry. If I can see the flaws, I know the judges probably can, too. I was tempted to withdraw from the contest because I know this entry is flawed. But from the moment this contest started, my first ideas were either an art center or a science center, and I never wished to veer from them. There was never any doubt what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. There were slightly more interactive mods with art, so I went with art. I needed such a specialized center for my hood, so I went for it!
-- I need to clear something up. In my part of the world, community centers are often on spacious grounds, often with gardening of some sort, and usually, different ones focus on different pursuits. The place nearest to me focuses more on physical exercise. The one down the road deals more with art. If you want to take a course, you'd usually find yourself at one place or the other. Both places offer some other classes and facilities, but have a reputation mostly for their particular focus. So I went with what I knew. I also combined the grounds of a local museum that has really a charming outdoor area with all sorts of statues and sculptures on the walking paths. Add a bit of artist community areas and even a touch of an arts area at my daughter's college, and here we are!
-- It's interesting that my daughter saw the influences when she saw the pictures. So maybe in terms of accuracy, my entry isn't that flawed. Maybe it's just me, or mostly just me.
-- The buildings are also influenced by two building plans. I always make sure a building has some sort of structural real-life equivalent when building.
-- There is no lag outside of the witches visiting the lot, and that lag is in every one of my hoods, even if it's a 1x1 piece of land. There are also no routing issues. This is Revision 27 of this lot. I have tested Revisions 15 onward thoroughly, and each time I noticed snags, I corrected the problems and made another revision. This one worked smoothly.
-- My Sims are happy on this lot. Lots of catnip for them, and they seem content and pleased with the place; even the toddlers and pets. So that's good. And maybe that's a big thing that matters.
-- There is a shower on the lot. I didn't want to add one, since I have never, never, never seen a shower in an art center, and I've been to a whole lot of them over the years. However, after I had Sims constantly getting butt nekkid and taking sponge baths by the art sinks, I realized that I had to sacrifice a bit of reality for practicality. So there is a Veranka all-in-one by the ATM. You see a sliver of it in the Elliott picture. I like these because they do the trick and look like inauspicious but elegant porta-potties. Generally, porta-potties aren't elegant, I know. .
-- And I FINALLY got a butterfly in a picture! I had the worst time trying to get them in the game. One main reason why I used SunandMoon's raspberry bush was because these bushes attracted butterflies. I got one butterfly in a picture, granted, but it was a freakin' butterfly! Molly is pleased. Now she can see them more than once a year.
-- I made the pond somewhat small and tried to keep it not too deep because the lots in my real-life game are situated on low terrain in a hood. I learned the hard way that making a pond deep and extending it past the two end tiles on any side produces a beachy effect around the lot that you have to play around with to get rid of by altering the terrain of the hood, and even then, it's sometimes not 100% effective after you fix it. Making ponds more shallow and stopping them before the two end tiles doesn't always do the trick all the time, but they at least cut down on the bleached ground effect if worse comes to worst.
-- Oh ... and yes, hippies can have money. Lots of money. The desire to cultivate a lack of materialism often dies down as hippies age. Yes. I do speak from experience. I know a couple of them myself and personally knew one of them from when I was a child in the 60s... based my last entry on them. No, they frequently don't spread the wealth. I wish they did. I'd be a rich acquaintance of a hippie in that case. However, my Rhodes couple are generous hippies.
-- Working with the double-sided glass tiles was a lot harder than I thought. They took quite a while for me to make them look decent, and I found I had to plop them in the right way in certain of the buildings' ceilings because if I didn't, they looked really weird. It's hard to describe the result ... they looked like they were deeply set in the ceiling with the ceiling hanging lower than the glass. I had to make sure the panes corresponded with the view from above the ceiling, snapped them in, deleted them, and snapped them again, and I would mess up until I got it right. You see a good example of the final (unmessed-up) result in one of the Rhodes pictures (the food stand room).
Try as I might, I could not get the thin edging effect on non-dummy roofs that I could get on a dummy roof. I had to double the glass and edging on the dummy roofs to make the edging look a little prominent. So no ... my non-dummy roofs are not as well-defined. The glass still looks pretty to me, though. Maybe I just like shiny things.
-- Each bathroom has a soap dispenser, toilet paper, and a way to dry your hands. You might not see them in all pictures. They are there. Each art room has a sink for cleaning up. I don't know a single art room in an art center where there isn't a handy sink nearby to clean up your art supplies if needed and yourself (which is usually needed).
-- All through the contest, the Mootilda lighting mod did not work. I tried the mod that gets rid of the skilling bars, and that didn't work, either. I couldn't get the lights on in the model, not matter what I did. Must be some sort of mod gremlin out there.
-- I plan to include the list of at least most of my content in a future post, as well as a few outtakes. I thank the creators of all this CC for making the Sims 2 the enduring and entertaining game it is. And I wish to thank all of you who have helped us in this contest (so so much), the judges, and joandsarah77 for letting me play. I doubt I'll ever do it again, but it was certainly an educational experience (I learned lots of stuff), and I have a bunch of new houses and one community lot for my game.
And after I do my content list, it's time for me to take a bow and step aside. Again, my thanks!
Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.
RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
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