How many prims to a house?

OK all you house builders, I have almost finished (by which I mean I'm probably no more than a week away from finishing, lol) my first house.

I have used pretty much all the prims I want to in it.

In the house-selling business, I figure it's different numbers of prims for different people: Players who have just a tiny bit of land and those who have more, and those who have a lot. With everybody, of course, wanting as few prims as possible; but with the ones buying bigger houses or having more land not needing to be so saving of prims, so that you could splurge a bit on detail when you are building.

So, I'm dividing the market into three levels, and asking you, how many prims - average - for each level? Just to get an idea what people would consider the norm.

The 512 market
The average-sized market
The large land-owner market

What would you guess be for about average number of prims to aim for in each market? You know, more or less.

Or do I even have the right categories laid out?

No right or wrong answers, obviously, especially for the last one listed, but I just want to kinda know what, in everybody's opinions, would be reasonable to aim for.

Any help is appreciated!

coco

Hmm, this is something I have wrestled with too. I tend to use a lot of prims, so I am constantly trying to keep the count down.

Right now my lowest prim house is at about 80 - I need to go lower though - 37 prims left to furnish a home (on a 512) isn't very many.

I have another at about 107 prims, which is targeted at people with 1024 - that leaves 127 prims for furnishings.

Then I have a couple doozies at 355 and 500 prims each, those are targetted at large land owners. Those folks who have more prim allotment than they may ever use.

I would say for a 512 - the lower the home's prim count the better.

Beyond 512s, I try to aim for at least 1/3rd of the parcel's prim count for furnishings because they add up quick, especially if the owner wants a full kitchen, bathroom, or the like.

I've been in the home selling biz for quite some time (mostly customs but now into the prefab market).

A good rule of thumb is as Nolan advised, try to go for about 1/3rd of the total prim allotment. Sometimes you can squeak by with 1/2 though, as some folks dont need as much furniture. Here's a quick reference:

512 - 39 prims
1024 - 78
2048 - 156
4096 - 312

Beyond this size go crazy cuz they'll have plenty of prims leftover anyway.

How many prims to a house?

All of them of course. Or there would be bits missing.

What a silly question.

That, above, is the sort of reply that leads one to want to form the T.A.C.T. organization I would like to form.

One wonders about the motivations of the posters of such replies. I have considered motivations such as "Computer as Mirror" (my own concept), where people sit in front of the computer, make little jokes to themselves, and laugh hysterically, much as one might sit in front of a mirror and make silly faces to themselves.

More likely than theories like those, however, is that posters decide there are other posters they don't like, and simply seize whatever opportunities they can to take whatever stupid shots they can at the posters they dislike.

In any case, the above post is not news to me, because I knew that the subject title of my thread could be interpreted that way. Moreover, I knew that as such, it would be more likely to be read and answered. Plus, it sounded kinda cute. And I also knew someone - such as the above poster - would likely be lurking and find the opportunity to spring. Missions accomplished.

(actual post will appear below)

coco

Thanks, guys, for the helpful guidelines.

My current house is sitting at about 220 prims, I believe. For my subsequent builds, thanks to your answers, I will be able to aim more closely at the various markets!

coco

Well aren't we an armchair psychologist? Let me save you making any more of an idiot of yourself, shall I? I was bored. Does that help your analysis any?

Pffft. You're always bored.

coco

No thats me.

Me.

A friend of mine uses paint shop to create inside and outside textures with the windows incorporated and she painstakingly lines them up inside and out which reduces prims a lot in her building.

This sort of post makes me want to start a "lighten up on the forums" group! My god! I love such replies and wouldn't read the forums without them! You keep on trucking Kris..

Are you using any alphas? They can help with windows. Also, are you using an hollowed cubes? I found that taking a prim, and hollowing it out and deleting two sides, you have a corner wall that takes the place of two prims.

This would make a great tutorial. Your experience as an intermediate builder would be very helpful. I sure wish we could work together on this tutorial. You have so much to give.

i just built one for a friend as part of a deal. sits on 1024m. think the prim count is 59. and playing now with a 512m version with around 40.

Deleting 2 sides april? As in making them transparent?

off topic: kris's response made me laugh, you go girl.

As in, Cut Begin and End, I think.

Thank you Agatha, that's what I meant.

I've been in the housing market a while now, here's some basic numbers that my products usally end up being near. Note: I tend to lend more detail per build, which equals more prim. (I hate texture windows and such, as they are not user friendly)

512 < 80
1024 < 150
2048 < 200
4096 < 400

- Sam

And as we both know, it is totally possible to make a double wide Alpine Cabin in 17 prims... 18 if you include a swinging front door

(Juro's allotment for a 512 plot for a house is 18 prims).

For a 512 plot I'd say make every prim count for your house structure.. fiddle, tweak, become the prim reaper.. a prim saved in your house is a prim you can use on something else.

Hollow a cube and cut it out, see how it fits together with other prims - play with different shapes, cuts, twists, and of course textures - some prior planning and learning how prims and textures can compliment each other is also prims in the bank.

Siggy.

I have an 18 prim house that fills a 512

two story with 7m cielings

anyone curious? IM me in game.

This is most helpful, thank you all so much! Juro, that chart is great. And April, the tip about the corners - I could probably incorporate that into my house now!

And yes, I would be happy to collaborate with you on that building tutorial deal.

As for the house I'm doing now:

Windows: I bought several window textures, with panes. (Bear in mind I don't have paintshop or photowhatever or anything.) But I couldn't make the windows tintable, so I built them - from 4-6 prims each. Plus they don't have a built in sill.

Even if I put my existing window frame around the paned texture (I must have panes), when I go to tint the window with the dial, it will also make the small boards that are the panes change to practically invisible.

Hence, the many-primed windows. Haven't figured any way around this, either - to get textures with panes, visually separated by thin strips of wood (as in the texture) , and still manage to be able to add the window tinting option, without fading out the strips of wood that form the panes in that texture as well.

Is this what you meant, Sam, about textured windows not being user-friendly? Or is there some other disadvantage to them?

This house I have now must be at 250 prims by now, counting details that could easily be removed by the buyer. I wanted to try lots of things on this house.

Future houses will be smaller and pay more attention to the prim guidelines.

coco

Cocoanut, I'm sorry, I should have been more clear on what I ment lol.

Alot of designers like to save prim by mixing walls with windows in a single texture, Instead of hollowing out a prim, and placing a window texture inside that hollow prim. The advantages to a hollowed prim over a single wall and window texture, is that the customer can change the wall paper, or exterior texture with ease. Not having to worry about losing the window in the process. Of corse this will cost you 2 prim per window (wall = 1 prim ; window = 1 prim)

If you need see what I mean, I'll glady show you. Sorry for the confusion.
- Sam

Yes, I get it now. I would prefer to hollow out walls for windows, even if I then end up using a one-piece window texture for the window itself, because I, too, think it's important for the customer to be able to change wallpapers, etc., and vital they not lose their window. Seems to me that the hollowed-out ones look more realistic, too, than the textured ones. Thanks!

coco