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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 2:12 AM
Default Using stairs to lower terrain?
Evening all, As the title suggests I'm wondering how this is done? Is there a general rule for lowering terrain with stairs or does it just go the way it wants to? After speaking with a creator on the site (Ung999) they said I could lower it half or 3 quarter height depending on how I wanted it but I'm not too sure what I'm doing to start with. Are there any tutorials for it or could one of you lovely people give me some pointers perhaps? Thanks in advance
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Sesquipedalian Pisciform
retired moderator
#2 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 2:21 AM
You could maybe try and look through the WIKI tutorials

http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...lding_Tutorials

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Instructor
#3 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 2:22 AM
I wonder what that creator meant exactly, by half or 3/4 "height."

The height of a typical wall is 12 clicks. I know this isn't particularly intuitive, but stairs are also 16 steps if they are the height of a typical wall. When placing stairs on just some random patch of terrain, I find it will dig into the terrain, and you will see 4 steps. That's 3 clicks, or 1/4 of the height of a typical wall.

If you wonder what is meant by a "click," here's what is meant by it. When using terrain tools, you will see a setting where you can adjust the strength of the brush. Drag it to the minimum, then select one of the circle brushes. Move it over a single point on the terrain, and then click very briefly.

It will raise or lower the terrain by one click, depending on whether you choose Raise, or Lower terrain.

As you get more comfortable with the terrain tool, you may find it easier to just not even bother with using stairs to raise or lower terrain.

- Ben
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 2:36 AM
Thanks Leesester but I have already looked through all of those
Ben : From the comment by the creator "you may lower 1/2 or 3/4 stairs height"
Didn't realise the "clicks" thing required the slider in the terrain tool to be on minimum however, I'll be sure to try that, stupid terrain tools seem to have a mind of their own sometimes
I am pretty good with the terrain tools, just never used stairs to alter the terrain, I'm currently trying to build a house based on the one Ung999 has just uploaded, completely different of course, but built with the same foundation style, actually inside the terrain giving the house the look of being on supports.
Meh, maybe I'm being too much of a perfectionist...perhaps I should resign to making 10x10 box houses lol
dodgy builder
#5 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 10:28 AM
You just keep at it Aceabe. It's not that difficult. 4 clicks x 4 is 16. A wall is 16 clicks high. You make 4 steps go down 4 times is a foundation with regular walls. I have a tutorial for it. I hope it will be useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTOnOMfv-08
world renowned whogivesafuckologist
retired moderator
#6 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 10:52 AM
Yeah, see, the thing is, a "click" is usually 1/16th of a wall height. This is from TS2, where if you clicked briefly 16 times you could lower a patch of ground that exact amount. It's still used as a term with TS3, but it just doesn't work like that with TS3 - even if you click for exactly 1/10th of a second every time, the ground will lower different amounts - usually about the same amount, but not 1/16th anymore, and not consistently (I even set up a program that could click exact amounts and it never changed the terrain too consistently). Much better to use various tricks to raise and lower the terrain exact amounts.

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Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 12:19 PM
Thanks Volvenom, that was really helpful but after what HP said I think I'll stick to just landscaping, dragging the foundation from the highest point and deleting what I don't need. I've not used stairs to lower terrain before and I think I'll need a little more practice before I can do it correctly. Thanks guys
One horse disagreer of the Apocalypse
#8 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 12:53 PM
I am racking my brians to think if there is some modded object we can make that will do this to amounts other than 4 clicks - also raise terrain!. I feel sure the basics exist...

"You can do refraction by raymarching through the depth buffer" (c. Reddeyfish 2017)
dodgy builder
#9 Old 30th Oct 2011 at 1:24 PM
HP, just stop making everything so difficult. 1 click is 1 click! If you use stairs that is

Good Luck on your new project Inge. I saw simsupply I think it was had a tutorial saying 1 short click gives you 2 clicks, so then you have 1 click on the side. Hm ... not so sure

AceAbe, by dragging a set of stairs on flat ground, you can get as many stairs you want ... almost. But then you need your math from school.

Another tip is to build 1 wall, build higher ground. Drop down a 4 step staircase to the ground. Then you have 3/4wall hight.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 31st Oct 2011 at 1:20 AM
I'm absolutely terrible at maths haha. I did end up giving up with the stairs thing. The house I built turned out pretty well in the end, just have to finish off the top floor then furnish it all. I might try to experiment with stairs and terrain further down the line but for now I just can't grasp it lol
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