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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 1:04 AM
Default CAW Tips
Hi everyone, I just installed CAW!! I have been messing with it for a couple of hours and am having trouble. So, I started this thread for everyone to share their tips and tricks.

The thing I'm having the most trouble with is connecting roads so they don't look like poo. On mine you can clearly see that they don't match up. Is there a button I'm missing somewhere to actually connect the roads? My intersections look funky too because the crossroads aren't at 90 degree angles. Hmmm.... Any ideas?
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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#2 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 1:26 AM
I've found that it does help a little to have the grid showing while placing anything, especially roads and lots.
Field Researcher
#3 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 2:02 AM
any tips on creating beaches?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#4 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 2:07 AM
Quote: Originally posted by staciew1
any tips on creating beaches?


I think the easiest way to make it beach like is to go to the terrain tab by the roads and lots. Select the terrain painting tool. Then click one of the sand terrain paints and line the ocean with sand.

Then edit the map in the game and put down some beachy things like lawn chairs and tables, etc..
Eminence Grise
#5 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 6:47 AM
I just did a lot of beach... I started by using the smoothing tool along the coastline where I wanted the beach, and a ways back inland from that. Then I painted dark sand underwater and right along the water, and light sand further up.
Test Subject
#6 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 7:03 AM
How do you make layers and what not? I haven't seen a help thread yet, (I'm having loading problems when I try to go in game)

but, I have no idea how to make layers, etc in the stand alone CAW tool.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 11:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by whoachica5
Hi everyone, I just installed CAW!! I have been messing with it for a couple of hours and am having trouble. So, I started this thread for everyone to share their tips and tricks.

The thing I'm having the most trouble with is connecting roads so they don't look like poo. On mine you can clearly see that they don't match up. Is there a button I'm missing somewhere to actually connect the roads? My intersections look funky too because the crossroads aren't at 90 degree angles. Hmmm.... Any ideas?


The roads an intersections snap together if they are close together. Once you have a road piece laid down,click on the a arrow button under Utility tab and you can select the road pice. Then next to it is the move and rotate buttons. Use the move button to move the road to where you want it, and if they are close to each other they will snap together. Same for the intersection, you can place it the same way, and also rotate it if you use the Rotate button.
The bridge can be placed the same way, except it has XYZ axis. Once you click the move button, you'll need to select the axis on which you want to move it.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#8 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 12:49 PM Last edited by whoachica5 : 17th Dec 2009 at 12:59 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by belovedxone
How do you make layers and what not? I haven't seen a help thread yet, (I'm having loading problems when I try to go in game)

but, I have no idea how to make layers, etc in the stand alone CAW tool.


There should be a panel on the left side that has the title "world layers." Right click the first one in that panel and select add layer.
Scholar
#9 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 12:53 PM
I'm having trouble with the intersections. It's the getting the white lines to appear. It happens some of the time and not all. I found that when you laid the road to meet the intersection it can create the white lines there but I'm having to lay another on top to get the white lines at the other intersection. Sometimes this isn't working and I've spent since last night just trying to get the roads down.

Any tips on how to get those white lins to show at the intersections?
Field Researcher
#10 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 12:57 PM
I'm having problems with getting those white lines.

What did you do fluttereyes?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 12:58 PM
Quote: Originally posted by fluttereyes
I'm having trouble with the intersections. It's the getting the white lines to appear. It happens some of the time and not all. I found that when you laid the road to meet the intersection it can create the white lines there but I'm having to lay another on top to get the white lines at the other intersection. Sometimes this isn't working and I've spent since last night just trying to get the roads down.

Any tips on how to get those white lins to show at the intersections?


I can't remember, but do the white lines appear in the intersections in the 2 EA hoods?
Field Researcher
#12 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 1:03 PM
Quote: Originally posted by whoachica5
I can't remember, but do the white lines appear in the intersections in the 2 EA hoods?


Yes, they do.

I just double checked.
Scholar
#13 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 1:07 PM Last edited by fluttereyes : 17th Dec 2009 at 4:57 PM.
well like I said, I'm having problems too. It works now and then if you click the road where it meets up with an intersection but other times doing the same thing doesn't work at all. It's very erratic. I'm wondering if there's a way to do this that I haven't tried, I don't want it to get the better of me. I have intersections with the white lines on two of the bits but can't get it to work on the others.

Ok, updating this, I worked it out. You have to place your roads either side of where the intersection is going to be. Then place your intersection. If it's properly lined up it will snap into place and the white lines will show. If not, go to move world object and click on the intersection and just move it around until it snaps and the white lines show.
Lab Assistant
#14 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 6:47 PM
I'm highly disappointed...I thought the tool would be something I could use to re-create Lake Tahoe...but I find it overwhelming...I spent several hours last night and tried again this morning but I think the tool is for more advanced computer techs and so on...I'm frustrated and think I'm ready for others to do the creating and I'll stick to downloading...
Field Researcher
#15 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 7:07 PM Last edited by MondayMorning : 17th Dec 2009 at 7:29 PM.
Are the lines necessary at the intersections? Would cars still drive over the sidewalks otherwise?

Edit to Add:

As a side note, I've figured out how to add my own textures in the terrain paints! :D
Scholar
#16 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 7:57 PM
Quote: Originally posted by MondayMorning
Are the lines necessary at the intersections? Would cars still drive over the sidewalks otherwise?

Edit to Add:

As a side note, I've figured out how to add my own textures in the terrain paints! :D


Uhm, yes, I think the lines are ncessary at an intersection, unless you're only going to use it yourself. You see if you don't have the lines, the cars don't carry on as they think it's the end of the road, so the sims would get in and out of the car like yoyo's everytime they came to a non existent intersection
Field Researcher
#17 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 8:14 PM
Hm. Interesting. I find that it's hard to line the road to the grid, much less an intersection. That being said, I'll go through and knock down what I've done so far and will see if I can get the intersections to align properly.

Thanks for the info!

Edit To Add:

Ah, I see how it works now. I placed the intersection at the end of the section of road, it "snapped" as you said it would, then repeated the process on both sides. No need to have the road cross over.
Test Subject
#18 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 8:24 PM
Default Real Life Worlds tip
I don't know how many of you use Google earth, but I discovered a nifty feature for those of you interested in basing worlds on real life places.

In Google earth I took a screenshot using print screen of part of Santorini, then in a paint program I pasted it and resized the picture to a square 2048x2048 of the landscape I was interested in. (the only thing I havent figured out is how to stop it from duplicating my world, so instead of one island, i end up with two)
Then I opened CAW tool and picked the png file of the picture in the new world menu. Once it loaded it came up already with height and similar geography. Of course you still have to fine tune it, add water, etc. But I thought that was pretty neat that you could pretty much get a very close copy of an original town.

Here's some of what I was talking about:

google earth screenshot, resized
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/96...ecenoboatsl.png

my world version, edited a little
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/3366/cawoia.png


if nothing else, it saves you some time having to stop and get all the terrain height right.

Hope it helps someone
Scholar
#19 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 8:58 PM
I wish you had said you were crossing the roads over, no, you can't place an intersection on a road. I tried it too at first.


Quote: Originally posted by MondayMorning
Hm. Interesting. I find that it's hard to line the road to the grid, much less an intersection. That being said, I'll go through and knock down what I've done so far and will see if I can get the intersections to align properly.

Thanks for the info!

Edit To Add:

Ah, I see how it works now. I placed the intersection at the end of the section of road, it "snapped" as you said it would, then repeated the process on both sides. No need to have the road cross over.
Field Researcher
#20 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 9:12 PM
Ha ha! Live and Learn!
Lab Assistant
#21 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 9:34 PM
How to add a river running through?
Bridges to cross it?
Forum Resident
#22 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 9:59 PM
To make rivers use the Valley-Gentle and Valley-Steep. For "bridges" you have to build a road through the water where you want the "bridge" (it will go underwater, don't worry. Then, go to the Grading Road Tool (next to the Road Placement and Editing Tools). Go to Limit Road Grade, choose the options you want, and then click the road you want to be a bridge. It will bring the bridge and land up with it, and from there you can use props to make it look like a bridge, like in Riverview. If you want a real bridge you have to use the ones from either France, China, or Egypt (if you have WA). They can be found in the Metadata, type bridge in the filter, makes it so much easier to find.
Scholar
#23 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 10:05 PM
I've come across a problem with the lots. I've never made a world before. Now a 30 x 30 lot in sims 3 is 30 squares by 30 squares, yes! In CAW I can't do a lot size any bigger than 16 x 16 squares.

So is it that a square in CAW represents a certain amount of squares in game, like a ration of say 4 - 1. Anyone know this?
Forum Resident
#24 Old 17th Dec 2009 at 10:21 PM
Fluttereyes, is that 16x16 the large squares that have 4 small ones in it? The small squares are the grid for lot sizes, so a 16x16 in large squares would be a 64x64 in small squares, the largest lot you can make. Zooming in so you see the smaller grid makes making lots a lot easier.
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