If you are getting an error when selecting, placing, or deleting the box, please attach your error log and tell me what you're doing with the box and what EPs and SPs you have installed, so that I can try to solve the problem.

Yay! Thank you, Moo!

This mod. is wonderfully useful for taking photos of unoccupied lots.

I do have one tip to share. Typically if you want to take a photo of an unoccupied lot, you select the Options button (with three dots on it) on the Sims 2 GUI, so as to get rid of the crosshatch of black lines. On the other hand, if are trying to simulate a nighttime shot, then you use the Day/Night Toggle button to make it dark, but that only works in Buy or Build mode - so then you are stuck with the crosshatch of lines.

So it would seem that a lot of the usefulness of this mod. would be invalidated because you cannot take photos of unoccupied lots in nighttime mode - with all the lights on - without also getting the distracting crosshatch. However, there is one Build sub-mode that suppresses the crosshatch of lines, while maintaining the Night Toggle state:

Select Build Mode/Terrain/Ground Cover and the crosshatch of lines disappears!

Ha, that's what I do!

That or use the design tool, that deactivates the grid, too! (Just have to be careful where you point it when taking a shot or else you'll have a "ghost" object in the background. )

This is pretty useful. Thanks for this :D:D

So very useful, and so clever! You are consistently awesome!

beauifuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul

I love this box! Having lights on to take pictures does wonders for them. The other thing that I'm always finding I have to do to my unoccupied houses is to manually scoot the chairs in so they don't look weird sticking out into the room in my photos. Is this something that is easily done in a similar manner?

I'm sorry, I have no idea. That would definitely require some research.

Ok, nevermind then, I know you are busy.

Thx !

Possibly the most helpful mod I've downloaded so far when it comes to lot creation! I have a hunch that Mootilda's creations will continue helping members of the community for years and years...

Thanks.

A thankful comment in memory of a great person. This is still another useful mod and program this creator has given to us. Some of these mods and programs are so ingrained in Sims 2 culture that it would be hard to imagine NOT having them.. RIP, Mootilda.

Sadly doesn't work for me

I know Mootilda is deceased, so does anyone else know why I should use this mod instead of the Maxis cheat "boolProp allObjectLightsOn True"?

That cheat turns on all lights on unoccupied Lots, day or night. I've used it since forever to take my Lot pictures.
The only drawback to this cheat is that, once activated, you can't turn the lights off again, although as a Lot builder I find that to be only a minor annoyance. It's certainly better than installing and keeping track of yet another mod.

And in actuality, the lights can be tuned off by typing "boolProp allObjectLightsOn False", except this won't take effect until exiting and re-entering the Lot (or another Lot). This looks like it may have been yet another oversight/error/bug on Maxis' part, so maybe a better "mod" would be to fix the Maxis cheat so that it turns off lights right away, instead of having to exit and re-enter a Lot.
How about it, you mod-makers, care to look into this? Maybe it's an easy fix.

I don't know whether it'd be easy or not for someone to create a custom cheat (I suspect not easy at all). Maybe someone will have fun looking into it but the cheat as is isn't fit for purpose.

The cheat turns on object lights which is not the same as "the lights" and what this mod does. For example, there's lights on tvs, fridges, and fireplaces that come on when those objects are in use. That cheat turns them on so there's a glow coming from a fireplace without a fire and the tv is emitting light when it's not on, etc. The cheat isn't great for actual lights either because it only turns on the light but doesn't change the lamp textures so it doesn't give a good result. Mootilda's mod does exactly what you'd want it to as a builder--correctly turns actual lights on and off.

Thanks for clarifying that, Honeywell.
I was aware that the cheat seems to turn on the effect of lighting, or the "glow", without actually turning on the lights themselves. It's kind of hard to explain, and it's best to just try the cheat oneself to see the effect.

Regardless, I think it's important to at least mention the option of using the cheat, since I think many players might not even know it exists, and I found it odd that it hasn't been mentioned at all until now.
Again, from a purely Lot builder perspective in regard to taking pictures, the cheat works fine for me. For example, when I take pictures of my Lots for upload, I have no need to illuminate things like TV's or fireplaces. All the lights come on, and that's all I need - and this may be all that most people need.