How Do You Arrange Furniture on Sims?

Arranging furniture in The Sims is primarily done within Build Mode and Buy Mode. These modes allow you to place, move, rotate, and customize items in your Sim's home.

Accessing Build & Buy Modes

To start arranging furniture, you need to enter Build Mode. You can typically access this from the icon at the top of the screen in Live Mode or by pressing the F2 key on your keyboard. Once in Build Mode, you'll navigate to Buy Mode to select and place furniture.

Basic Furniture Placement

Furniture is placed on a grid system by default in The Sims. When you select an item from the catalog, you can move it around the lot.

• Placing: Click on the item in the catalog and then click on the desired spot on the floor or wall.
• Moving: Click and drag an already placed item to a new location.
• Rotating: With an item selected, press the comma (,) or period (.) keys to rotate it 90 degrees. You can also right-click to rotate.
• Deleting: Select an item and press the Delete key, or use the Sell/Sledgehammer tool in Build Mode.

Here's a quick look at essential actions:

Action	Keyboard Shortcut	Description
Enter Build Mode	F2	Switch from Live to Build Mode
Rotate Item	, or . (or right-click)	Rotate selected item by 90°
Move Item	Click and Drag	Relocate a placed item
Delete Item	Delete key (or Sell Tool)	Remove a selected item

Advanced Placement Techniques

For more flexibility beyond the standard grid, players often use cheats and specific placement tricks.

Using the bb.moveobjects on Cheat

One of the most common ways to achieve more precise and free placement is by enabling the bb.moveobjects on cheat.

1. Open the cheat console by pressing Ctrl + Shift + C.
2. Type bb.moveobjects on and press Enter.
3. Close the console by pressing Ctrl + Shift + C again.

With this cheat active, items can overlap and be placed slightly off-grid, allowing for much more creative arrangements, including placing objects closer together or slightly sunken into surfaces. You can also hold down the Alt key while dragging an item to move it completely off-grid (horizontally).

Placing Items Freely on Surfaces

While bb.moveobjects on helps, placing smaller items and clutter freely on surfaces like tables or shelves can still be tricky or require specific techniques. A method often used, which allows precise placement and merging, involves using a reference item.

Based on the reference, one technique to place items freely on surfaces involves these steps:

1. Merge a Reference Item: Begin by placing and potentially merging a thin item, such as a narrow shelf or a similar reference object, with the surface (like a table or counter) where you want to place other items. This item provides a temporary point of reference and may help with height adjustments.
2. Use as Reference: With the reference item in place, select the item you wish to place freely on the surface. Using the reference item's position can help guide the placement of your desired object. You might adjust height using Ctrl + 9 (raise) and Ctrl + 0 (lower) if the bb.moveobjects on cheat is active and the item supports it.
3. Place Desired Items: Place your decorative items or clutter using the reference item's position as a guide for where you want them to ultimately sit on the surface.
4. Delete Reference Item: Once your desired items are placed precisely where you want them, delete the initial thin reference item.

This technique, often used in conjunction with bb.moveobjects on, allows for placing clutter and decor in more natural, non-grid-locked positions on tables, shelves, and other surfaces, giving your builds a more detailed and lived-in look.

By combining the basic tools in Build/Buy Mode with advanced techniques like the bb.moveobjects on cheat and placement tricks like using a reference item on surfaces, you can arrange furniture and decor exactly how you envision it in The Sims.