Basics for Sims 3 Apartment Building

Here are the basic steps for building apartments in Sims 3



I have to admit I lurk a lot of forums/blogs. During my visits I don't see a lot of custom built apartment buildings for S3. I'm not sure if this is because people are intimidated by the process or don't completely understand the process.

Either way, I admit it is a bit scary at first if you don't have all the pieces to the puzzle. But, it really is a pretty simple thing to do. Once you get the first one under your belt you'll be building apartments like a pro!

There are some things you must keep in mind for the lot to function correctly. Let's go ahead and get started and go over them!
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Before you start building, activate these 3 cheats:

- testingcheatsenabled true
- buydebug on
- restrictbuildbuyinbuildings false

Next you need a layout. Keep in mind that, without cheats, you can only go up five floors. Foundations do count as one level and will play an important role so keep that in mind.

- You'll want at least 3 "apartments". One to use as a public area, one for the NPC apartment and one for the playable Sim. The units can be side by side or vertical.

- The NPC apartment will be hidden (if you have placed the correct marker) so there is absolutely no reason to bother with decorating.

Important things to know:

- Apartment doors MUST be enclosed by either a wall or a fence/gate. Placing a fence/gate around the outside of the yard will not work. The fence must enclose the door itself and must be a full fence, not the type the Sims can step over.

- If you build on a foundation and choose to use the fence/gate combo, the fence/gate must be the same height as the foundation and fully enclose the door.

- Fenced areas or hallways leading to doors must have a Public Room Marker.

- In order to change the door function of the NPC apartment door, you MUST include the Public Room Marker in the enclosed space. If you use the wrong or no marker, the option to "Make an NPC door" will not be available. You can use any door you wish.

NOTE: Some players are not able to change the NPC door even with the correct marker in place and the door is completely enclosed. This is a bug thanks to the retards at EA!

You can still change the door by moving a Sim into the playable apartment and changing the NPC door from build mode. You can then move the Sim out without taking the household and Save. The door should remain an NPC door.

- To change the door type press/hold Ctrl+Shift then left click the door to bring up the options and choose "Make an NPC door"

- You'll want to place a call box (if you want the Sim to accept visitors) and apartment mail box (for a more authentic look) on the lot. Both objects need to be placed in an area designated as Public.

Should you really, really want the mail box, Huge Lunatic has a mod that unlocks it in buydebug. You can find it [url=http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=424060][b][u]here[/u][/b][/url]

(As always read the Creator's info about a mod before installing!)

- The call boxes are located in the Misc section of the Electronics catalog, the mail box is found in the Misc section of the Buydebug catalog.

- Once you place the apartment mailbox, the default mailbox will disappear. You can also delete the default trash can, but it will regenerate with next start up so I generally leave it and move it out of the way.

Placing Room Markers:

Room markers designate public, hidden or skipped areas of your lot. It is important that they be included in the right places for the lot to function correctly. They will not be visible in live mode so place them wherever you wish in the designated areas. They do not interfere with object use or routing.

Room Markers affect visiting Townies on the lot just as they do playable Sims and NPCs

Room Markers are silver balls and are found in the Misc section of the Buydebug catalog. Hover over the thumbnail in the catalog to determine which is which. Their functions are as follows:

- Public Room Marker = Designates an area that can be used by the playable Sim and the NPCs. Public rooms allow them to interact with each other as good neighbors should!

- Hidden Room Marker = Used for any area that restricts use by the playable Sim or in a space you just don't want to be seen. This includes the designated NPC apartment.

- Level Skip Marker = Placed on levels where you don't want to watch a playable Sim walk thru. This would be used mainly on high rise buildings or can be placed in friezes when they are used between floors or as a roof addition.
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OK, that's it. Apartment Building all compacto in one spot!  :lol:
Hope to see your apartment buildings out there soon!