Tutorial: Building Ramps (without CC)

Date Posted: 23rd Aug 2018 at 7:59 PM

~Suggested by grinevilly~

So, there has been a lot of interest in how I made the ramps in my lot, Multi-Storey Parking Lot/Garage (found here). I've made a quick tutorial on how I made them using only the in-game build tools.

But let's get a few things out of the way first. The ramps that I'll make here are using non-functional 'bridges' and these are purely aesthetic. They do not connect two different floors, but appear as if they do. As such, Sims will still have to use the stairs/elevator to switch between floors. Also, while building, we'll be using the cheats boolprop constrainfloorelevation (CFE) true/false, setquartertileplacement on (with Ctrl+F) and the ever so popular moveobjects on.

Okay, so let's begin. In this tutorial, I'm going to create a parking lot with split levels on a 2x3 lot with a total of 3 levels.

PRE-RAMP PREP

Before adjusting the terrain, we have to plan the layout. If you're looking to create a parking lot, each bay would need around 3x6 tiles, so work from there.



The ramp's requirements depend on the gradient. As we know, 16 clicks make up 1 floor. So, for a uniform ramp with a gradient of 1 (increases it's height by 1 click as it progresses), 16 tiles are needed + 1 blank row (basically for the bridge). Similarly, a uniform ramp with gradient 2 needs 8 + 1 tile rows. The ramps can be non-uniform, but leave the gap at the end. No restrictions on the width. For this tutorial, I'm going to create 2 8-tile ramps per floor at gradient 1. Here's the layout I'm going to follow:



I'm using easy to spot tiles so it's easier to count individual tiles. Yellow = parking bay, b&w = road, red = blank space (there should be red around the bottom part, but I forgot ) . The gap row is very important as the terrain is very steep and the 'bridge' is placed here. Once you've got your layout, finalize the walls/fences and the upper floors because you will not be able to edit them after the ramp is raised. Make sure to leave the gap on the red tiled (above) area as shown in the first pic below. Walls/fences are okay, but no flooring (unless you want it to be warped). I have a rooftop entrance, and I'm using half-walls for that (second pic below).



Before we get to the ramp, it's time to set up the 'bridge'. Turn on setquartertileplacement on (with Ctrl + F) and moveobjects on and find the cornice from Deco > Misc. Increase the height by pressing [ twice and place it in the gap row of tiles on each floor (except the top floor). We can now raise the ramp.



RAISING THE RAMP

1. Activate CFE false.
2. Raise the the first tile border of the ramp (on floor 0).
3. Level the rest of the ramp.
4. Raise the next tile of the ramp.
5. Repeat, until the last tile of the ramp.
6. The last tile border has to be raised manually (manual clicks, not leveling tool).
* If you have split levels using 2 ramps, level the whole split floor & ramp 2, then work on raising ramp 2.



TIP: It may be better to use clear-demarcating tiles while raising the ramp to spot any mistakes. When changing the flooring later, change to CFE true first.



5. Check your ramp on every floor to make sure it's error-free. You should have identical ramps on all of your floors, which seem linked by the cornice bridge.

FINISHING UP

1. If everything is OK, we can level the top floor entrance, which has become jagged, following the pics below.



2. The half-walls I used in the last pic above has split from the border, but that should be fixed once you save and re-enter the lot. Otherwise, set CFE to true, remove/sledgehammer the wall away then undo. The border will be fixed.
3. And congratulations, you should have your own (improvised) ramps!

* If at any stage, the terrain becomes warped in between floors, you might have to restart the terrain adjustment by leveling all the floors starting from level 0. It's best to set CFE to true immediately after use to avoid accidentally warping terrain.



And that's the end. Happy experimenting, and if you need a reference lot, my carpark is up for viewing.

Cheers
dragomander
Comments 2
Users Viewing This Journal: 0 (0 members and 0 guests)
vB Journal Version 1.5.0 Beta 3
vB Journal Copyright � Anthony Scudese