Tapped Out on Christmas: What to Tap Now? 2D/3D Part 2

Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!

Back with another edition of Tapped Out on Christmas!  I’ve been noticing more and more in the comments many tappers asking what’s next?  You’ve completed the Gift Card prizes (although if you haven’t…don’t panic you still have plenty of time…until next Tuesday (the 14th) to be exact), won all of the wheel prizes (again if you haven’t don’t panic…or feel one of the F words…you still have plenty of time) and you have no clue what to do until the next update.

And now we’ve gotten word that the Christmas Event has been EXTENDED another week!  What’s an Addicted Tapper to do?

Should you still be tapping Neighbor-eeno’s houses with Gift Cards?  Should you still be dropping gift bags?  Should you still be tapping your own presents?  Well over the next couple of days we’re going to take a look at things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming Tapped Out on Christmas and still keep your head in the game.

Today’s tip?  Part 2 (and the conclusion) of our advice on trying your hand at 2D & 3D Creations!

Have you been looking for ways to “spruce up” your Springfield with out redesigning your whole town?  Why not get creative and try your hand at 2D and 3D creations?  When you open up your town to 2D and 3D you enter a whole new world of TSTO Creativity!  And what better time to try it out and experiment than the Christmas Event lull?

Part 2 of our 2D/3D designs will cover the 3D element of TSTO! (missed Part 1 where we covered 2D designs?  You can find it here)  Bunny has had you covered with her 3D 101 teachings since the start of Addicts (with an occasional guest teaching spot from our resident Wookiee).  You can check out these awesome 3D Tutorials on our 3D 101 Page here In the meantime here’s a quick recap of some of the 3D basics:

(From Bunny’s 3D 101 Post-The Basics)

Step Up/Step Down:
We will start out at simple as possible. A basic “step up” type base. This type of base is a great platform to add anything on top. From a garden to a mansion. To start out, you need to make 2 sides of a square. I will use the larger hedge for the basic outline. (Don’t worry about the gap).
Once the two sides are in place (you can vary this to as small or big as you want), we will start the “step” look. You are essentially placing the item two rows down and kind of under the top one. This creates the appearance of a step. Continue this around the main area. Next use the small hedge to fill in the gap.Now for the back two sides. This is where it gets a lil tricky. The height of the decoration placed on back row will change the look. You can try a few items to see what works best with the look you are going for. For this demonstration I used the long shrub. You also can place something for now and change it later as you add more objects into the area. Now you have a basic step up base. I placed Willie’s shack on top to show how it makes it appear it is on a higher level then its surroundings.

*****
Now for another kind of 3D structure that can be used to achieve a more“building” type of look. For these, I really like to use the fences. Thewooden fence will work fine for this demonstration. Just to give a “rooftop kind of look, I started by placing a pavement square down. It helps if you plan on using this, water, or streets. It will make it easier to know the area it will cover and you can work around it better. You will start the same, two sides.

For the next levels, you will place one directly under another to give a more flat up and down appearance similar to a building. You can continue to add and add and add until it is as high as you want.

You can see the difference in the two styles side by side. At this point you can decide what more you want to do. You can add a few more fences around to enclose the roof area.Or you can place another structure on top.

*****
Now for the “step down” look. This time make a complete square (again, the gaps will be filled with the small hedge). Now instead of working from the outside, you will be placing the next levels on the inside. Place the hedge two rows down again, however this time place it over to the side more. Almost half by one hedge and half by the other. This gives it the “step down” look.

Continue as far as you want or as far as it allows and fill in the gaps with the small hedges.

To add a lil fun touch, you can place an item down inside to help the appearance something is down in there.

You can check out more detailed 3D How-To’s from Bunny & Wookiee on our 3D 101 Page (including how to make a Parking Structure, Outdoor Theater, football field & much more!)

Looking for some holiday/winter 3D inspiration?  Check out some of these 3D submissions from our Christmas Contest:

(From top to bottom: Submissions from eggybnb, garth & JonathanDang)

There you have it Tappers, some of the basics to TSTO 3D!  Hopefully the basics of 3D and 2D help inspire you to avoid becoming Tapped Out on Christmas!

What are some ways you’ve been keeping from getting Tapped Out on Christmas?  Have you done any 3D Creations in your Springfield?  Shout out and share in the comments below!  We can’t wait to hear from you!  (Don’t forget to share you images with us in the comments and on Flickr!) 

All original art and content © Up All Night, LLC and TSTOAddicts.com
All Screen Shots of Game Graphics & Dialogue and Game Graphics from files ™ and © EA, Gracie Films and FOX