All Things Bright and Beautiful - Lighting and Camera Mods I Use in The Sims 2 -
FAQ
Here are some old asks that some of you had about how I get my game looking the way it does. Read on for more information on camera, lighting mods, and build mode/decorating hacks.
"Hi! What camera mods do you use? :)"
I'm using the FTS2 First Person Camera Mod by lowedeus at the moment.
I personally like having more freedom with angles and distance because of the wide variety of lot sizes I build on, plus I find it easier to get pictures inside smaller rooms with this set of cameras (not that I have been taking many "inside" shots of my builds lately...😅).
Prior to this I was using the Enhanced Gameplay Cameras by Tom Duhamel, which were also quite nice.
And, I know this wasn't part of your question, but just in case this info is useful, I use the Maxis Match Lighting Mod by dreadpirate, and Softer Shadows "Overlap" edition by lazyduchess. I've also got some custom ReShade settings going on, so essentially what you see in the pictures is what I see when I'm building, minus the DoF shaders that add a bit of blur to the background. I just screenshot, crop, and share. 😊 (Specifically, I use Reshade 4.91 for the images that you see. This link will take you to Reshade's official repository folder for Reshade 4.0 series downloads.)
Other than cropping and resizing, this is how the images look in my game. I'm blessed enough to have a machine that will let me play with this beautiful custom LUT I configured. It helps to see bright, happy colors, especially in winter. 😎
What build mode cheats and default replacements do you use?
So now a few words about the mods or hacks I use to make building a whole lot more fun, considering I play with very little CC in my game.
I use a number of building cheats such as 'allow45degreeangleofrotation true', 'boolprop snapobjectstogrid false', "setquartertileplacement on", and of course, "moveobjects". If you notice an object blocking something feel free to move/remove it. Grab this mod to allow your sims to sit in chairs placed at 45 degree angles.
I use a lot of shiftable decor mods: shiftable wall lamps, ceiling deco made shiftable, shiftable wall decor. The other day I ran across this mod that allows you to shift just about anything up or down, so I may switch to this in the future. Today I came across Fway's Object Freedom mod which I'm going to start testing out since it includes the "Shiftable Everything" mod. If you've been frustrated by the limits of where things can be placed in order to be used, this might be the answer!
I also use a few default replacements (head over here for a more complete list):
CuriousB's Lush Terrain
Peppermint & Ginger's Shrub defaults
TVickie's Phlox default replacement
PineappleForest's Spiderlily texture default (along with a number of other defaulted things).
Fway's Default Garden Plot
Less saturated BG flowers (I can use the poppies finally!)
Lunatech Lighten Up Ceiling Light Placement Fix
I do use a few other things but these are the primary ones.
And as far as CC goes, these are the only items you'll have to deal with (Use Sims 2 Pack Clean Installer to remove any of these things if you don't want them in your game):
Anything Maxis "Lost and Found", preorder "Bonus" items, or items that were offered on the Sims 2 website. I'll label this in the lot post.
Functional Washer/dryer
Maxis Match Wall Cabinets by CTNutmegger at ModtheSims
Maxis Match Chimney Recolors: Brick, Stucco, Southwestern Style Stucco, Masonry
So there you have a short list of things I have in my game that you may already have in yours, but if not, you now know where to find them. 😊
And another sweet comment I received about the style of my builds:
Pardon the random message, but I just wanted to say a big thank you for sharing your builds and talent with the community! I've recently gotten back into playing TS2 after not playing since my teens, but I've never been a great builder, so you've really, truly helped bring my hood(s) to life! You have such a great eye for aesthetically pleasing and realistic-looking places, and the variety of what you post and use of color is top-notch. I even love how you structure your download posts with pics/floorplans/descriptions. I only lurk on Tumblr nowadays but I felt compelled to reach out and let you know you're appreciated. Thanks again and have a great day!
Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you are loving the look of these lots. I try to build as realistically as possible, but I don't use house plans very often, so most of what you see is just me drawing shapes on a lot until I like the look, and then spending hours trying to figure out how to roof the thing! 🤣 Thank you for also letting me know you enjoy the descriptions and "tour" that I take folks on in these posts. I'm honestly not sure quite what to write, but it's helpful to know that you, and hopefully others, have fun reading about the inspiration behind some these builds as you look through the pictures!
And that's all folks! If you have any more questions about my builds, feel free to ask. ❤
