Hi, I’m Jason Sterling. One of my favorite aspects of building in the Sims 4 is the ability to up and now down, size objects. As well as lift them up and down within a space. You can use this for a wealth of decor opportunities. I have one such opportunity below, creating inlaid flooring.
You will need this cheat:
- bb.MoveObjects (MOO) This allows build/buy items to be freely moved around within the space. The cheat also activates the height slider to raise objects up and down using the number 9 for up and the number 0 for going back down. Press CTRL-SHIFT-C to open a dialog box in the upper left of the window while in the game. You then type the cheat written in bold within the dialog box and press enter.
Simple Flooring Tutorial
We’ll start with the simple example below. This style does not use the above cheat. Instead you only need to know that pressing “CTRL” and “F” at the same time will change your square flooring tile into the triangle shaped piece you can see in picture #1. The center inset picture is the flooring tile placed in the normal fashion. The new finished result is shown outlined in red as part of the greater, finished floor in picture #4. In picture #4 you can see the simpler application of the triangle shaped tile in the floor used to create a large pattern.
Complex Flooring Tutorial
You will need to know both the “CTRL F” and the MOO cheat when creating more detailed examples. In addition, you will need to raise items by pressing “Alt” and “9” at the same time while holding the item. You will also need a room below where you are creating the inlaid floor. The highly detailed floors begin like the simpler floor above. Create a layout using the triangle and standard square shaped pieces of floor. Keep in mind the areas where you want to use medallions or inset lines in the floor and leave room for their placement.
The floor is not difficult to create. Picture #1 shows the layout of the items in the room below that give the appearance of inlaid straight lines and the large medallion in the floor above. The lines in this example are created by using the top of a framed painting. Hang the painting on the wall and lift it using “Alt and 9” so that it just breaks the floor above. Then, while holding alt only, you can raise or lower the frame slightly. Do this until just the barest amount shows through the floor above. This can be a tedious process but you only need to do this with one line. All the following lines can be placed using the “copy” feature. You can copy the wall with the pictures attached to it. Then you can place the wall wherever you wish the line to appear above. Picture #2
I used the same process to create the medallion. First, choose the items you’d like to use. Then enlarge or shrink them to sufficient size. Raise them into place and overlap/ intersect them as needed for the design. The items I chose for this medallion are in picture #3: “The Brunch With Vetta Dining Table”, the “Rory’s Orrey” (Mirrored End Table from Glamour Stuff) and the “Potted into the Corner” vase used to create a frame for the end table. It takes trial and error, as you try different combinations, to create an inlay like the medallion. I think, that in the end, the effect is worth the effort. Picture #4
Further Inspiration
Lastly, this set of pictures is purely for inspiration. The technique used is the same as the floor directly above but in a far more restrained manner. The pictures also illustrate playing with various items to create the inlaid line effect. I used the “Picture Perfect Art Lighting” in this case. I have used it both in standard size and enlarged.
As always, I hope this brief tutorial will inspire you to experiment with the Sims 4 in build mode. You can post any questions you have below or you can contact me directly via Twitter @JasonSterling70 or on the Sims Forum JasonAnthonySterling. You can see me building in action on both Jason Sterling on Youtube and Jason Sterling on Twitch.
