How do you build in Avorion?

[Fox]

Basically just curious, wondered while replacing the coreblock of yet another ship if other ppl wonder about the same things as me, or have a totally different approach...

Feel free to comment your choice below!

[Blondersheel]

I generally start with the visuals and then figure out what to do with systems inside later. That being said, I don't always do it that way and I don't always start in the same place. For example, with my Venture freighter I just really wanted to use engine rings somehow, so the ship started with that idea.

[Sable Phoenix]

Um... all of the above?

 

I usually work internals outward, but occasionally there are parts of a ship or an entire design that I want to look a specific way so hull comes first and internal components are later.

 

Most times I start somewhere in the center and build out both fore and aft, but sometimes I'll start with the engines or bow.

 

Usually, I have a specific shape for the finished ship in mind, but it's almost always just broad geometry, and the details emerge either by the foibles and requirements of the "bloxel" system or because I think "Oooh, this would look cool here!" and add it in as I build.

 

Maybe I'd build better or faster if I had a specific progression or system of working, but operating within the needs of the moment seems to me to give the best results.  I'm a firm believer that if you put expectations on how a particular result that you desire is going to be achieved, you'll wind up with an inferior product in the end.

[SinBad]

I always have my crew block as the base block in the centre of the ship. When ive waited for 600ish crew to level up, they seem like the thing i would least like to loose.

I build cubes, so the next layer is the dense blocks, dampers, gyros, generators, hyperspace, shield and batteries.

Then the less dense, computers, cargo, integrity (to keep them close to the armour) and some frame work to fill out the shape in the corners.

Next is engines and thrusters and hangers.

Then a few spaced layers of armour, one large face filling plate on top of another(for rails) topped in a thicker layer (for collisions).

 

[Thundercraft]

I've tried different methods, myself. And I would recommend others try different methods to see what works best for them. Also, I recommend designing ships in a creative galaxy in single-player in a safe sector so as to be able to go wild and avoid needless distractions.

 

I've tried the inside-out approach. It works, though the outside may end up looking different from what you originally planned. I've also tried the outside-in approach - sort of. It also works. Though, you may end up with unused, hollow space or the stats may be hard to tweak like you want.

 

In my experience, I've noticed that to build the outside first, it helps to build around a framework. Then, as it nears completion, I can use the Transform tool to transform framework blocks into the internals I need.

 

Sometimes, I look at other ships. It gets my creative juices flowing and helps inspire, since I can see firsthand what is possible. For this reason I keep a folder with images of various ships from the Creations area and elsewhere. I've also saved some images of non-Avorion ships.

 

Several of my ships started with a goal in mind. When I started my Needletail, I wanted to see if I could do a swept-back three-nacelle design, spacing them equidistant. It was a challenge as I had to use lots of triangle blocks. I had a rough idea how I wanted the front to look and how the nacelles would look.

 

Since the thruster changes, nearly all of my designs have been cross-shaped in order to maximize the effectiveness of directional thrusters.

 

While performance is high on my list of priorities, I don't want to sacrifice looks too much. Also, I try to design all my ships to be both decent at combat and have room to attach an optional cargo module in case I want to use it for trade. Perhaps going for a jack-of-all-trades approach is not the best, but it's what I like to do.

 

My preferred method is to start with a concept and some goals, write down some stats to aim for (such as the approximate amount of shields and/or cargo), and figure out how big it will need to be to fulfill those stats. Then, I may lay down a lot of cube framework blocks (usually 1x1x1 or 2x2x2) to form a basic outline. An example:

 

 

You should be able to make out the crew quarters in the front. I had to add this to hold Mechanics to prevent it from breaking down while under construction. And I can Transform additional framework blocks into more crew quarters as it grows.

 

I regularly refer to this reddit with a chart that associates volume with the number of module slots. In this case, the framework prototype did not have the volume (module slots) I was aiming for. So, I had to start over and create a new, larger framework using larger blocks. Thus, laying down a framework prototype saved me a lot of time and effort.

 

After I'm satisfied with my prototype, I add a few more framework blocks vertically to add some distance. Then I start building the actual ship, using the framework below as a guideline for the shape and size, imagining it as the shadow it would cast.

 

I used a different approach when I designed Tetralenos. My goal was to build a freighter for trade, so I literally built a ship around a single, cube-shaped cargo bay block. Even so, my initial design and plan changed drastically several times.

 

For my latest ship, I'm trying a still different approach. After I figure out the stats I will aim for - shields, power, cargo space, etc. - I'm building a very rough and ugly prototype. For example, knowing that I want to aim for about 120000 HP in shields, I figured out that a 7x7x7 cube of Xanion would give me that and add about 0.34 million cubic meters to ship volume. And so I build a rough outline of the shape with the actual volume of shields, power generators, engines, etc. Here's an early (discarded) version:

 

 

I'll use this much like my framework prototype of earlier, except it should give me a much better idea of how big the cargo bay will be, how much room I should devote to thrusters, etc. And I'm relying on it more for a guideline on volume and size rather than for the actual shape.

 

BTW: Originally, I wasn't sure how much power I should aim for. A friend on the server where I play said that he aims "to have only a third of the [energy] bar filled." In other words, he tries to have excess energy so that no more than a third of the ship's energy is used, at rest (without modules). Myself, I would only feel comfortable with a wider safety margin, esp. since I like to use Robotic Crew modules. So, I'm aiming to have mine to use less than 1/4'th, at rest. And I may aim for even more power on a combat-oriented ship with power-hungry guns.

 

Such a guideline seems less useful on "small" (less than 5 modules) ships, though, as modules can consume many GW of power and even a few GW can be significant at that size. On large (7+ modules) ships, it seems more reliable.

[Pob]

I suspect size is also an important factor, the larger a ship the easier outside first is

Also reproduction ship ie a design from a different space ship, eg a reproduction star destroyer, you want to build these outside first as getting the outside right is more important.

 

Personally I'm an inside out builder, I start with the core built from lots of cubes. then merge the cubes, as that makes it easier to replace or upgrade, then I'll skin it.

 

I used a different approach when I designed Tetralenos. My goal was to build a freighter for trade, so I literally built a ship around a single, cube-shaped cargo bay block. Even so, my initial design and plan changed drastically several times.

This is the approach I've used for building dedicated cargo haulers, both the MegaBee and GigaBee where built this way.

I've also been using the cross shape design for my StarStrider series.

 

 

 

 

[Fox]

i agree sticking too closely to a single method might limit you more than help you, and the possibilitys on the poll show the different approaches i tried out overtime... seems also be consens outside-first is common technique for replica building, while from-inside-out seems more to be a stats-directed approach like mentioned Cargo Haulers...

 

ty all for the reply's so far, much interesting insight, just as intended, might be useful for new or uncreative players on how to get started aswell...

 

...

Frameworks, Stone, Glass, Hologram, and Rich Stone all do not count for volume for system upgrade slots.

...

Ooh, never knew, nice2know!

[Pob]

One thing I will note is when I skin my ships I find I tend to work back to front rather than front to back.

[Reviire]

I map out the general size, and then I just wing it. I'll usually make an X of framework to get the overall size down.

[Fox]

Another push, another topic: Clipping

 

Share your thoughts, folks!  8)

 

*work in progress, expect editing happen*

[DerpSuper++]

Another push, another topic: Clipping

 

Share your thoughts, folks!  8)

 

*work in progress, expect editing happen*

 

This is from your question about use of clipping in my builds. Personally, I try to minimize clipping because when I'm dealing with a bajillion little tiny pieces here and there while fine detailing, that can come back and bite you in the ass, especially when I make extremely heavy use of the various grid snap settings, match block mode and grid/scale sliders. But at this point, it's aesthetics that matter to me so I'll just have to do some minor clipping in order to bring out the look. However, if it absolutely can't be done even with minor clipping, I'll have no choice but to leave a tiny little unsightly hole in some section of the ship.

 

Also, I tend to clip by accident when making those skinny, long blocks that stretch from one end of the ship to the other. That can be avoided with some effort put into it, but I feel that the amount of effort and time spent is not worth it so I just eyeball it and move on. (That, and my lecturer has drilled it into my head to prioritize being efficient with my time since employers usually prefer that more, 'least where I'm from).

[MetalX]

I start at the front and work my way.  But only ship systems at first, generators, thrusters, shields, structural integrity field, gyros, dampeners and finally, engines.

 

Once I have the ship blocked out with the systems I desire to have I then go back over the ship and give it its cosmetic hull plating, making sure to include crew quarters here and there, but enough to house all the crew the ship needs, this will sometimes require me to make additions to the basic shape of the ship, depending on how much crew is necessary.

[Dragon]

I usually go with option 1, I build the "skeleton" of the ship using all the ship systems (hyperdrive, generator, shields...) and then shape the hull around it. From here I would often go with option 4, just adding on the fly and experimenting until an established design comes up.

 

I don't really intentionally clip blocks much, usually only doing so whenever blocks won't fit where I want them to.

 

I usually end up building battlestars (from the TV franchise of the same name), this is not my intention, the flow of design and construction just leads to similar layout in the end. I then add my own unique personal touches to avoid Adama screaming "copyright infringement!!" at me. Sometimes I would come up with a design that's of similar layout than ordinary modern-day ocean going ships, which is usually the case with civilian ships.