How to ship?

[Indigo Slimez]

Right, I have this really cool looking ship idea, but whenever I try to make it, it ends up looking like a square with guns. Any tips?

 

[Crusade]

Don't build squares with guns.

 

[Nauvran]

Try drawing some sketches to make sure you remember the idea.
Try to build the skeleton first and determine the size of the ship.
Remember that we have wedges, corners heptas, and tetras. They help a lot.
Rememer details
Remember variations of depth in the hull.
And most important, remember that the overall shape of the ship is the most important, needs to be somewhat iconic and recognizable

 

[Nauvran]

you can also just post some pictures and ask for help to how to improve what you currently have. I would gladly be evil and tell you what I dont like and what should be improved :P

 

[Indigo Slimez]

you can also just post some pictures and ask for help to how to improve what you currently have. I would gladly be evil and tell you what I dont like and what should be improved :p

I'll have a go, thanks :D

 

[Groovrider]

Slice the square into sections and rearrange them.

 

[jayman38]

Use more slabs! Pop bits out into towers! Use wedges to make small wings! Make flash-suppressor-style gun barrels! Make antenna arrays! Claws! Tentacles! Landing/crash skids! Use wedges to make the ship look like a square balanced on its edge! Use wedges to make the ship look like a diamond. Split it right down the middle except for a small connecting bit in order to make a double-hulled ship. Expand your gun shapes to look like large engine pods/nacelles. Move armor plating out away from ship to create depth and hollow spaces. Use wedges and multiple layers of armor and multiple colors of armor to create thick, shallow seams. Create other smaller square ships with mounting rails on the outside and attach them to the core ship to create shipping container attachments.

 

[nightrune]

Look at other peoples designs and attempt to mimick features you like in them.

 

[jontyfreack]

try different ways of building. such as:
build a wire frame and fill it in.
build the interior then build the shape around that.
build a shell and decorate it to a point that it looks cool.
use some copy paste templates to build a ship.
build whole sections at a time, say one day you build the front, with everything. then the next day you try to build the centre and so on.
try building a circle without build helpers, then try to use that newly learnt technique to build something around a circle.
experiment with different wedging styles, and incorporate them into a ship idea.
try building the systems first, then build around them. (don't be afraid to remove some, or leave gaps. you can fill them in later)

 

[Jaaskinal]

If you're still having trouble, just remember that brutalism is still a popular method of building.

 

[Indigo Slimez]

K, I made a cool looking death croissant thing, I'll post a picture when I'm done

 

[AtraUnam]

Sometimes the best ships come without planning. Have a cool idea for a stern but not the rest of the ship? Just build the stern and see what grows naturally from it.

 

[Indigo Slimez]

Done: View image: starmade screenshot 0001


Be evil

 

[NTIMESc]

Very nice Borg banana. It really has appeal. *ba-dum-bum*

 

[terra mining corp.]

awesome!

 

[Indigo Slimez]

Very nice Borg banana. It really has appeal. *ba-dum-bum*

Borg Banana... XDDDD

 

[ZektorSK]

Add some wedges,and details,perhaps some "shields" and "platinum armor"

 

[Indigo Slimez]

The wedging process is almost done
[DOUBLEPOST=1457292735,1457291098][/DOUBLEPOST]Thou hath been wedged: View image: starmade screenshot 0002

 

[jontyfreack]

try some spikey bits

 

[DeltaEpsilon7787]

Try different building approaches. There are three:
Exterior-first - you build the exterior of the ship and fill it with systems and stuff.
Interior-first - you build interiors first (very interesting method, I must say)
System-first - one of the most popular approaches. Systems first, interiors are usually carved in the systems and then it all is being shelled in exterior.

The most cubic ships usually come from the third approach, but it's the fastest way to build a ship.