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Where the fourth iteration of the original life simulation game has brought in numerous new features, some builders have yet to discover the true ins and outs of Build (and Buy) Mode. There is so much lying just beyond the surface that could only be discovered purely by accident - here we will point out some of these lesser-known features hiding within the creative mode of The Sims 4.

Updated July 14th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: The Sims 4 is still going strong thanks to consistent updates, DLC packs, and patches from the developer, giving players even more tools and items to place in their worlds. With each new patch or update, savvy builders find new and interesting ways to add specialized things to their builds. Sometimes, it can be difficult for players to create their exact vision due to some restrictions when building, but that hasn’t stopped imaginative creators from utilizing some tips and tricks to get everything exactly where they want it. To better showcase these building tips and tricks in The Sims 4, the following list has been updated with more information and entries.

13 Place Items Into Hillsides And Mountains

There are a lot of decorations that players can use to accent the outside of their home, including some great landscaping options with trees, rocks, and other organic nature-based things. Unfortunately, some of these things look less than “natural” when players try to place them thanks to the various grid and collision systems found in build mode. Thankfully, there is a way to place these items so that they seem to be jutting out of hillsides and mountains if players are looking for something truly custom concerning the areas surrounding their home.

To utilize this trick, players can set down a foundation first within the hillside or mountain that they wish to use, and then place a variety of items on top of it. After getting the items in the right spot, and at the right height, they can use the Break Tool to destroy the foundation, which will then cause the items to be “absorbed” by the surrounding ground.

12 Double Basements

Basements have been buildable in Sims since The Sims 2 - a revolutionary sequel to Maxis’ smash hit game. The basement level has always been buildable under any house and has few restrictions - allowing pools, multiple rooms, and more.

But, some players won’t know that in The Sims 4, two basement levels can actually be built! This includes the split level ability - which really adds a new architectural perspective to any below-ground installations. The second level can be created the same as the first: using the basement tool or by moving below the floor and building a regular room.

11 Grid Snap Options

Maxis added something very convenient to The Sims 4, hidden though it is. When placing furniture, it can often be a pain to have them only snap to the full square size on the grid - but notice that there are smaller lines in between.

By hitting the F5 key, players can cycle between fitting furniture items into the full grid, half of it, or quarter size. All of these size options can be seen mapped on the floor. This adds a natural feel to rooms. Who leaves such a gap between a bed and a nightstand anyway?

10 Vertical Trim Sections

This may sound very complicated but here we go: the vertical trims on wallpapers that have multiple, separate swatch parts will only work on outside corners of a walled room.

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Specifically, those wallpaper designs that have a few different pieces - one is plain brick, one has a pillar to the left or the right? They’re for corners. However, they can be a bit funky to place. Thankfully in The Sims 4, they will only apply the pillar design to outer corners, not the inner of any room.

9 Floor Tile Sizing

Much like most other items in The Sims, floor coverings (carpets, tiles, lino etcetera) are available in square units and conform to the full squares on the grid. This, like with furniture, can be bypassed with some quick know-how.

By pressing Ctrl+F, after selecting the desired floor covering, will allow players to use the 1/4 tile shape. This means that diagonal edges can be accessed - or some outrageous geometric designs, if the house calls for it. It is assumed that the F key is used because it stands for “flooring.”

8 Secret Basement Entrances

There are a lot of handy tricks that players can use to “break the game” into adding in special access to floors and other areas without using cheats or mods. One of the coolest things that players can do is create a hidden basement by utilizing a Murphy Bed item and having their Sim open the bed so that it lies atop a staircase. To do this, players will need to first place a downward staircase into whatever room they’d like and then place the Murphy Bed so that it will cover the hole made by the staircase.

This may take a little bit of trial and error, and players will ned to create a wall (likely from the debug menu) of brick or another material to help hide the inevitable cavity created behind the bed itself.

7 Resize Items

Does the pot plant on the kitchen table look a little…small? How about that gazebo - too big? Well, there is another hidden helper that can assist with fixing this aesthetic mess.

Select the object of choice, then hold down Shift. Next, press the right or left square bracket keys - this will grow or shrink the size of the item. Right is sizing up, left is sizing down. There isn’t a limit on how many different size options each object has, either, so the results can become a little strange!

6 Free Item Placement

Similar to the ability to snap objects to smaller grid lines, there is also a tool that lets players move furniture items around freely within the squared grid.

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Players can move items around at their whim by holding ALT, while the item is selected. The grid will be ignored and the item can be plonked at any point. Using this does still have constraints when placing next to other items, walls, or lot boundaries. Despite this, it does mean that those cluttered counters look a lot more realistic.

5 Rotate Items

Another hidden item placement ability that The Sims doesn’t tell you about is being able to easily rotate items. It requires using the Sims 3 camera - an option in the settings menu that changes the angles and the way the camera moves (to be better, in our opinion). This can be accessed by holding CTRL + Shift + Tab, too.

While using this camera mode, players can drag an item to turn it around instead of having to use the “greater” and “less than” symbol keys. This can be used with the ALT key to ignore the rigid 45-degree rotation lock.

4 Moving Objects On The Wall

This is yet another movement hack! Let’s be honest, Maxis doesn’t make any of this obvious, even in the build mode tutorials. This particular hidden feature involves wall items - windows, paintings, lights, and more.

Like with the ALT and rotation tricks, wall-placed items can be moved around, instead of only having their given place on the wall. By hitting 9, these objects can be moved up and down on the wall. If using the Sims 3 camera, players will need to hold CTRL + 9 for this to work.

3 Creating The Illusion Of Tall Windows

Players are likely familiar with the tool that allows them to create taller walls, which will help stretch their rooms upward and give them more space but what players may not know is that they can also create the illusion of a waller window by utilizing this tool.

If players create a taller wall and slot a larger window into it, and then simply return to the larger wall and resize it with the tool so that it is shorter, the window (or doorway) will stay approximately the same size as when it was placed. This can be a really unique way for players to craft large archways and stretching windows without creating a larger space overall.

2 Kitchen Counters

Kitchen counters seem to have endless options, even without delving into their sub-menus. Auto-counters are an option in The Sims 4, which means that counters will snap together automatically. Turn this off, and many options show themselves.

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As well as the color swatch options, there is the choice of counter shape: there are corner pieces, for inner and outer, triangular end counters, and even island pieces that can be used on their own or with the connecting items. Most designs of counter come with different options so make sure to check this out in each kitchen build!

1 Cabinets

The pre-made Sim houses often have interesting kitchen layouts that include kitchen cabinets in various shapes and sizes - but how is this achieved? Again, by turning off auto-counters, Simmers will find many more uses for the listed items. Like with the counters, different styles will have different shapes of cabinets.

On top of the regular, square cabinets, there are slimmer and wider ones for different spaces - and shorter ones that fit perfectly over items like ovens or fridges. There are even double tiled cabinets that can reach the floor if Sims decide they need extra storage.

The Sims 4 was released in 2014 and is currently available on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and macOS.

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