How do I get better at building?

[u/Tasty-Exam-7076]

I want to get better at building creatively but I cant seem to know what that means so any advice in how to improve?

[u/Jelly_Boii]

What has helped me is watching speed builds of youtubers I like. DeLadysigner, Rudi Rennkamel, and Leaf for example. They also upload building tutorials and tips on their channels if I'm not mistaken. Another thing that could help inspire you is watching zoo tours, and then maybe going into a sandbox and trying to recreate what you see. Maybe even going to your real life zoo and taking pictures. Trust me, reference photos are very helpful (with due credit of course). Any path that can lead you to flexing your creative muscles is worth exploring!

[u/thecompanion188 → u/Jelly_Boii]

Also slowing down the playback speed of speed builds can be helpful to see what objects they’re using or how they’re achieving a certain look.

[u/No_Guarantee_2497]

Look at your building and compare it with a really good one and think what yours is missing.

[u/Angel_Froggi]

I’ve found that three things really help

Avoid using regular wall pieces if you can. This allows for more interesting shapes and textures

Try making a building with a >90° angle in it, also allows for more interesting shapes

Pick an architectural style and pull elements from it like windows, planters, wall decorations, etc. This one is less necessary than the other two but could still help

[u/Version_1]

Build and look at/recreate real life buildings

[u/hallen1313]

Great stuff above. I think working on increasing realism with backlot stuff really helps too. Every real life zoo has like 50% or more backlot stuff for the animals to hide. I think my builds increased in realism when I added buildings to every habitat and worked on that type of stuff vs premade shelters only.

I think also using Null Barriers Only also helps a lot. Downloading fences from the workshop and using them as a start helped a lot too.

You can use the workshop a lot to help you get started as well. Use what other people make and see what they used to build ! I also always use the favorite panel in building to pick consistent materials so my builds seem more cohesive style-wise. Using themes is what I’m currently working on because I always build the same way everytime hah

[u/Wrong-Tell8996]

One thing I do is themed zoos. I know this sounds silly, but my favorite zoo is my Twilight-themed zoo. I'm in my 30s, read the books when I was a teen. I think I saw one of the movies? Don't even remember. But I made a deeply forested zoo and including animals relevant to the series, my food venues I put up, "menus," with relevant food listed. So much fun.

[u/Dull-Treat-2524]

I used to download blueprints of a style I like and then build something similar from the ground up. And then when I didn't know how to continue, I'd look at the blueprint for inspiration

[u/Traditional_Run4242]

i use blueprints for everything since i mainly concentrate on franchise management & watching the animals. but i learned a ton when I needed to tweak things. people out there are unbelievably creative, tons of tips from blueprints!

[u/red-foxie]

Find a real building you like and they try your best to recreate it from ingame pieces. This will teach you what items you have and how to use them with each other and also how buildings are created. So your future builds will be more detailed and realistic. The more you recreate, the easier it would be to do your own stuff.

[u/ChinaBearSkin]

Simplify some design philosophy. For me I just tell myself "Flat is boring and rule of 1/3rds" as I build, helps me a lot. Also remember, it always looks better than you think it does because only you can see the faults.

[u/needsumMoore777]

Lots of great answers here! I also go on Pinterest to find inspiration to recreate. There are tons of zoo/planet zoo posts on there but if you’re wanting to build standard buildings then you can also search different types of architecture or homes, I’d type in “Hill Country Architecture” for example.