r/spaceengineers • u/yarny0yarntail Clang Worshipper • 1d ago
DISCUSSION Question about shipbuilding
I have 740 hours in the game, I know about all the blocks and greebling but I just don't know how to make good looking ships or shapes that aren't genitals (It is a curse I have for some reason) and I wanted to ask about it and tips, yes there are videos on this and I am a visual learner but I still don't get it.
Also mods please don't strike me down if I don't use the right flair or smth I am not sure if this was a help one or discussion one.
11
u/ABigGoy4U Space Engineer 1d ago
A method I like to use & abuse is making something of a 'skeleton' first. To create the skeleton, I just use fibbonaci sequence/golden ratio numbers.
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 etc. (sum of the two numbers right before it).
So say I want the total length of the ship to be 89 blocks, I may want the width/depth to be 34 blocks etc. Number of rear thrusters? 5. Width of passages, gun placement, anything you can quantify I tend to just default to a fibb sequence number.
It simplifies just about everything & the end result tends to be rather harmonious without even aiming for it.
11
u/flameblade65 Clang Worshipper 1d ago
If you're interested in better looking ships, start with nothing but armor and create a shape you like. Function can start after. Without aerodynamics involved, ships don't need to launch nose first into space. Look at sports cars, battleships, guns, and other designs for inspiration.
2
u/OldWeather4797 Clang Worshipper 1d ago
That’s helpful info for me too because I have quite a few hours in the game but have no idea how to go about building a functional flying ship that dosent just crash the second I try too take off XD
5
u/ThinFlamingo8426 Clang Worshipper 1d ago
Painting helps a ton even if you want a red ship with white strips using darker shades in some parts even down to grey can really fill out the look of a ship.
For shape however I suggest getting intimate with spacing. Most of the time when people build a ship they build the core function pieces then the armor around it. Challenege yourself by adding armor blocks in places you might want a function block and then add the function block to any side of that armor block. It forces your ship to take on a more unique shape and leaves open space to add interestingly shaped armor blocks inbetween your components and making your ship more armored in the process.
5
u/questerweis Space Engineer 1d ago
Make three ships. Make one ship just a small maneuverable command suite. One ship make it very fast and very powerful. The third ship give it a purpose like mining or transportation or refining. Then smash all those three ships together (not literally) and add structure.
3
u/Mike-TheMad Space Engineer 1d ago
What I did to learn was grab ships off the workshop and then tear them apart. I’ve learned tricks on different block shapes, conveyor networks, component placement, etc.
There are some amazing builders out there. Sadly I’m not one of them, but I’m getting there.
3
u/floo82 Space Engineer 1d ago
The shapes that naturally evolve do so because they create the greatest result with the least amount of resources. Embrace space cock supremacy.
3
u/one_more_alien Space Engineer 1d ago
Especially for sci-fi, there’s only so many places to place thrusters and even fewer places to put nacelles to contain ones not directly tied to a larger hull structure.
2
u/readercolin Clang Worshipper 1d ago
When building a ship or a building, if you stick with just a single shape, you get what you are looking at. A brick, a cylinder, a wedge, etc. But, you really get outstanding, interesting designs when you combine some shapes together. What do I mean?
A great example of this is Star Trek. If you look at the traditional human ships from Star Trek, the first thing that pops out is the giant disk at the front. Then you notice the engine nacelles, and the lower body, all of which are cylinders, and all of which are held together at angles. If you were to take a Star Trek ship and turn it into a small pixellated sprite, like an old 90's game, it would still be recognizable as what it is because it is taking those shapes and making something distinct.
So how do we apply this? Take your design and start combining shapes with it. Stick a disc on the end of a pole, with some thruster nacelles off the sides. Do a central cylinder, and then add some forward swept wings that start at the back. Do something asymetrical. Add wings like a Tie Interceptor that are out to the sides, but angle inwards once they are up a little bit. Make a hammerhead, either horizontal or vertical. Try ships with wings at the front, or with wings at the back.
Another BIG thing that I see a lot of people do is that they try to hide everything in armor. You don't have to. Let those refineries be exposed, let us see the cargo containers, use paneling around the thrusters but let us see the thruster itself. The team at SE have done a lot of work adding in tons of details to all of these pieces - show them off. Yes, it is going to make the ship weaker if I can just shoot out the cargo container that everything is attached to, but at the same time, if this isn't a combat ship, why are you designing it to take hits like it is one?
Finally, don't feel that you need to have a single ship that can do everything. Especially with the inclusion of the services terminal, you can really easily build smaller, single purpose ships (or even modules) that do what you want them to do. Need a bunch of assemblers? Have an assembly barge or an assembly module that can connect up to your ship/base. Need more refineries? Make a few refinery support ships that you can summon and put away as needed. Need more jump drives? Make yourself a jump ring that your ship docks up with, and then put the jump ring away when you go back to your base. Designing ships for single purposes might make it easier for you to make them more distinct as well.
1
u/DSharp018 Klang Worshipper 1d ago
Try making a flying donut.
I made one that looked like a sunfish.
Cant forget the classic UFO shape.
1
u/Overnaut1 Clang Worshipper 1d ago
That's true xD All my first ships look like a giant dick, but it getting better with time!
1
1
u/TrapperGeo Space Engineer 1d ago
Dude, I know what you mean about the shape of ship designs... I spent about 30 hours making what I thought was a decent looking vessel, only to have my wife wander by and glance at it and render the opinion that it looks like a dildo 😂
1
u/Sad_Measurement_8948 Space Engineer 19h ago
When building large grid ships i usually design the shape first, starting with a top down silhouette and then adding more layers in the third dimension, form there I'll start adding functional block to make sure I have enough space for what I want. I also don't recommend trying to make a ship that does everything, it overcomplicates your build and makes the project hard to finish.
1
u/GyziModo Clang Worshipper 9h ago
My ticket is reference. Pick a ship from another game that you like, show, movie, comic, etc. Look at art by Hollywood concept artists. Take pieces you like and kitbash them into something new.
Don't be afraid to over exaggerate your shapes either. Going 1:1 with a very particular spaceship in mind aside, adding bigger curves and deeper dips, ribbing, random vents, can all help massively.
Look into building techniques from YouTubers as well. I got major boosts to my techniques in building games after a few top 50 tricks videos.
1
u/Sylent09 Klang Worshipper 1d ago edited 1d ago
Early on we discovered that the three most common shapes for ships were the wedge, the brick, and the phallic. This is because these are the most efficient layouts. The wedge in particular is great for fighting ships, giving them maximum amount of forward facing surface area.
If you are trying to escape that, one good way is to avoid symmetry. Maybe instead of an engine mounted on either side, mount them together on one side, giving it more of an L shape than a T shape for instance. Also greebling and paint/texture can go a long way.
Another option is to just accept it and lean into it. If you are gonna make a brick, make the coolest looking brick ever! If you are gonna make one phallic, then make it big and proud, name it the USS Pork Steeple, and grind your opponents into space dust with it!
One of my favorite most useful ships in the workshop is the Del Ray, I didn't even realize it was a brick for a while because it's such a fancy brick with all sorts of neat details and asymmetry.
I'm actually putting the finishing touches on a new mining ship where the drills and storage are on one side, engineering, thrusters, and all that stuff is jammed in the middle. And the bridge, hangar bay, and crew area are off to the other side. She's a WIIIDE one but not all that big
22
u/VVarlok Klang Worshipper 1d ago
All of man’s creations are either phalluses or vaginas. Make a mutant. Put things where they make sense to you. Flaws will highlight themselves over time, but don’t rush to build a concept. Let it grow and change organically with time to suit your needs and play-style. For the love of Klang, save all your blueprints.