I got a request for some window sill tutorials. These are all I could think of.
Things youāll need for all or some of these:
Hold Alt to have a better range when shifting shelves up or down, or when placing objects not on the grid
NRAAS DebugEnabler (my tutorial here)
1. One of the simplest sills would be a regular game shelf shifted to the height of the bottom of the window.
2. As I already mentioned in my 10 Things to do with Shelves (in No. 4), if you have any āoutieā windows, attach a shelf on the outside wall and shift it to the level of the bottom of the window. Note: Since the shelf is outside, the decor on the shelf will react to outer lighting as opposed to lighting inside the room.
Here Iām using the Base Game āNot Just a Bay Windowā window. Iām using two Into the Future shelves (on top of each other, for more slots). I also turned one of the shelves to face the wall as opposed to facing outside. I did so because you canāt rotate objects on EA shelves, so the cactus was stuck facing the outside and you couldnāt really see the flowers on it.
This is what it looks like from the outside. The shelf is a little longer than the window, but I donāt think itās such a big deal. I am using ITF shelves here because theyāre thinner than Generations one. Note: To get rid of the ITF shelf ālightā, make the glow channel black when recolouring the shelf.
3. This one also uses āoutieā windows, but this time I will āplaceā objects on the window using DebugEnabler, so there is no need for any shelves AND youāre able to display larger objects that otherwise donāt go on shelves.
If youāre new to DebugEnabler in terms of lifting objects, please check my DebugEnabler tutorial.
Iām simply placing these 4 objects of my choice (3 of which would not go on a shelf) right under the window, around the position of where I want them to be on the bottom window shelf (it might take you a couple tries to get the positions right). Once thatās done, I lifted the objects. If I remember correctly, for this particular window (Fantasie Bay Window), my height was 0.61 for the 2 book piles and the lemonade. The birdy needed a bigger height because I was placing it on top of one of the book piles.
4. Similarly, you can use the lifting technique with a normal window, as long it has some semblance of a sill on it, and the decor you use is relatively small.
Hereās how I embellished the Classic Arch Window from Seasons EP:
5. On to more complex stuff. Thereās a way to build a kind of window sill.
Start off by determining how wide youād like it to be. Mine is going to be 3- tile wide. Build wall columns as shown below on the edges of your would-be window sill.
Choose any solid fence or a half-wall to wall in your space. Iām using Simply Stylish Wall fencing from Showtime EP here.
Next, we will begin to cover the top space with some shelves. Itās easier to start from the inner side of the fence, but youāll probably find that the stubborn shelf will not turn because itāll keep snapping to the tall wall in the back. You donāt HAVE to have 2 of the 4 shelves facing another way, but thatās how I do it (mostly due to how light reacts with the shelf).
Place a shelf on the tall wall, donāt bother shifting it up or down because itās there temporarily. Now place another shelf right on top of it.
Use the āgrabā tool and grab either shelf, and while still āholdingā the shelf, press (and keep pressing) Shift, and then either ā<ā or ā>ā key to rotate your shelf ātil you finally have it in the correct position - it should appear to be sticking to the fence/half-wall.
Shift it up or down so itās the same height as the top of your fence/half-wall, and get rid of the other shelf on the back wall.
Now that you have one shelf on correct height, use the āeyedropā tool to clone the shelf. The cloned shelves will come on exact same height, so that saves you the hassle of shifting them manually again.
Cover the whole space with shelves. If youāre making a 2-tile sill, youāll only need 2 shelves. I need 4 to cover my 3-tile sill.
Then I find some windows.
6. A different way to achieve a quite similar look is through the use of foundation in a sunken room. I wonāt dwell into how to build a sunken room (because this post is already way too long), but if youād like to find out more about it, simply search for āsunken room Sims 3ā or something, and Iām sure you wonāt have trouble finding a decent tutorial.
A sunken room is a room thatās build on foundation but foundation is removed in that one room, so you end up with a room thatās 1 floor high plus the height of the foundation.
If you know how to build a sunken room, hereās what youāre looking for:
See, instead of the whole shelf+fence business, you have some foundation instead.
I took a slightly different approach when recolouring/furnishing to show that other things can be achieved with this āsillā. :-)
7. This oneās not so much a window sill, but it still provides a shelving space, and the counter underneath looks like a neat radiator cover.
Youāll need one or more island counters for this. Iām using Immemorial Counter Island from Base Game, and I suggest using the exact one because it changes to become āsmallerā when 2 pieces are connected.
Place one of the counters and using MOO cheat and by holding Alt key, move it as far into the wall as you can, as long as parts donāt start showing on the other side of the wall.
Now grab another counter and connect the two, and watch as they transform.
With recolouring and furnishing:
8. This technique also uses counters, but it goes for that very simple āshelfā look, similar to the first technique. We will manipulate the counters to have the top surface only, which was previously shown here.
Choose a counter (non-island), Iāll be using Modern Cowboy Counter from Pets EP. As you can see in the below image, the two counters are a bit wide for my window of choice, so Iāll be manually positioning them.
With MOO on and while holding Alt key, I moved the counter.
Now though, if I simply grab another counter and snap it onto my first, it wonāt line up with the window on the right side and will be sticking out even more than in the first image of this technique.
Attempting to move the 2nd counter will prove to be different because itāll be trying to snap to the 1st counter. Use a large object to break up the snapping grid between the two. Iām using Base Game treadmill to do so.
Once itās in place, Iām free to move the second counter freely, so I aligned it in accordance with the window width, as well as the 1st counter.
Edit: Alternatively, you can use the āDisableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt Trueā cheat.
Time to turn these counters into top-only parts. Use any large kitchen appliance that goes inside the counters - trash compactors, dishwashers or any other.
If you currently donāt have āTestingCheatsEnabled Onā cheat active, itās time to activate it. Once youāve done that, Shift+click (in Live Mode) or Shift+Ctrl+click (in Build/Buy Mode) the appliance (not the counter), and either āObjectā¦ā->āDelete Itā, or āDelete Itā.
You should end up with the top bits only now. If youāre happy with what you have, consider yourself done. Personally, I thought the top bits were a tad too high for the window, so Iāll be lowering them using DebugEnabler.
Iāve lowered the left counter part by 0.1 and you can see the difference.
9. This technique allows you to create a simpler/neater sill + āradiator spaceā. Youāll need some sort of thin square object, so Iāll be using a nectar rack from World Adventures EP.
Here Iāve turned it to face the wall so I get the solid back side. Iām using two racks slightly moved into one another to appear as wide as the window (and the shelf).
The reason I need shelf is because you canāt place objects on top of the nectar rack.
This is what it looks like with the shelf shifted as high as the racks.
Iāve deliberately made my āsillā the same colour/pattern as the wallpaper, to make it seem as if itās part of the wall.
10. Lastly, remember that you can use any other pretty shelves that already come with decor on them as your window sills.
