The Sims 3 Blueprint Mode!

I am, kind of, excited about the new BluePrint mode that came with patch 1.42 for The Sims 3. So what is the blueprint mode?
It is a tool that allows you to put a room down in seconds without having to worry about decorating.

How does blueprint work?

In build mode Select the new buildprint option

Then select one of the rooms you want to place.

You can then preview what the room looks like

And accept if you like it.

When you go to buymode or livemode you get an option to realize the blueprint.

If you put all the rooms together you have an entire house, in seconds.

Can you use Blueprint mode to build an entire house?

Yes, although it's probably not as easy as you'd think. Think of a jigsaw puzzle, without an actual solution! You can place a selection of blueprints down and move them about until you find something you think works. Preview, check, and if you don't like your results, cancel and start again.

Even once you've got a layout that works, you'll still need to tweak it. Blueprint mode doesn't snap doors and windows together; it's up to you to make sure that you can get into all the rooms and that doors and windows match and flow. However, the dropper tool makes this a doddle.

In the pics below, I started mostly with the Coastal rooms, with a contemporary home office and foyer, but I couldn't quite get everything to work, so I swapped the contemporary foyer for a simple 6×3 hallway, and the coastal living room for contemporary family room. Still not perfect, but with a little bit of tweaking of doors, windows and archways, I've got a house I could play – 2 bed, one bath, with dining room and study.

Will I tweak it a bit more? Undoubtedly, and it needs a garden added, too. It's also given my a few ideas for layouts and decor. I probably wouldn't build all my houses from scratch using it, but can see me using it place a few key rooms to build around.