Interior Layout

[WolfChild]

I'm going to go straight to the point.

Where should I put what rooms in my ship/station and why? Should I place certain rooms next to others, and certain ones away from others? How do I decide what goes where?

Yeah that's about it. I'm talking full RP rooms here people. I'd really appreciate anything, 'cause I'm really stumped when it comes to this :P

 

[Rhyunix]

I have minimal knowledge on RP rooms, but I can give you some kind of ideas:
*power systems (reactor and all that) are normally in the center of the design
*hospital pretty close to the hangar, doesn't have to be central, because of injuries coming off the hangar
*lifts in the center-ish region, because it's normally part of the central support frame, like with skyscrapers IRL
*comms and command go on the extremities because they want to see and know a lot. Serious :p
*recreational rooms on the outside! loads of big windows is key I think
*as far as I have known! even in RP, fill space with maintenance, apartments, tunnels and cool pipes
That's all I got
Edit: may I also direct you to generalBLT13 's post on his WIP station with all these rooms:

this is what i have came up with for ship interiors, it pretty much covers everything. i plan on using most of those rooms on my current WIP and pretty much each category will be one deck. and that is about 38 different rooms.

DETENTION DECK
-jail cells
-interrogation/torture rooms
-officer quarters
-control area

MEDICAL ROOMS
-surgery rooms
-containment rooms
-main medical room
-officer quarters

MILITARY
-armory
-training deck
-officer quarters

SCIENCE ROOMS
-containment rooms
-science labs
-testing rooms
-officer quarters

ENGINEERING
-shield generator
-engines
-power generators
-power capacitors
-main engineering
-officer quarters
-sewage
-life support

STORAGE BAYS
-cargo bay
-external access cargo bay
-plex storage bay

HANGAR
-main hangar
-vehicle bay
-construction bay
-repair bay
-drone bay
-officer quarters
-civilian docking

CIVILIAN
-crew quarters
-Mess Hall
-lounge
-Cryo-tubes
-Holodeck
-guest quarters

COMMAND DECK
-bridge
-Astrometrics (i keep forgetting that one)
-captains ready room
-conference room
-hangar control
-fleet control
-command rooms (etc. security grid control)

OTHERS
-captain's quarters
-transporter room
-party room
-escape pods
-observation deck
-spare rooms
-Mobius chair docking
-Computer core (logic)

WEAPONS
-weapons

PASSAGE WAYS
-main hall
-main elevator
-elevators
-halls
-maintenance hulls
-maintenance tubes
-turret access tubes

RANDOM
-Obligitory basketball court
-Rollercoaster
-Hot tubs
-bar
-Ferris wheel
-Merry-go-round
-Civillian docking and promenade
-Olympic size swimming arena
-shops
-mall
-garden

 

[WolfChild]

I have minimal knowledge on RP rooms, but I can give you some kind of ideas:
*power systems (reactor and all that) are normally in the center of the design
*hospital pretty close to the hangar, doesn't have to be central, because of injuries coming off the hangar
*lifts in the center-ish region, because it's normally part of the central support frame, like with skyscrapers IRL
*comms and command go on the extremities because they want to see and know a lot. Serious :p
*recreational rooms on the outside! loads of big windows is key I think
*as far as I have known! even in RP, fill space with maintenance, apartments, tunnels and cool pipes
That's all I got
Edit: may I also direct you to generalBLT13 's post on his WIP station with all these rooms:

this is what i have came up with for ship interiors, it pretty much covers everything. i plan on using most of those rooms on my current WIP and pretty much each category will be one deck. and that is about 38 different rooms.

DETENTION DECK
-jail cells
-interrogation/torture rooms
-officer quarters
-control area

MEDICAL ROOMS
-surgery rooms
-containment rooms
-main medical room
-officer quarters

MILITARY
-armory
-training deck
-officer quarters

SCIENCE ROOMS
-containment rooms
-science labs
-testing rooms
-officer quarters

ENGINEERING
-shield generator
-engines
-power generators
-power capacitors
-main engineering
-officer quarters
-sewage
-life support

STORAGE BAYS
-cargo bay
-external access cargo bay
-plex storage bay

HANGAR
-main hangar
-vehicle bay
-construction bay
-repair bay
-drone bay
-officer quarters
-civilian docking

CIVILIAN
-crew quarters
-Mess Hall
-lounge
-Cryo-tubes
-Holodeck
-guest quarters

COMMAND DECK
-bridge
-Astrometrics (i keep forgetting that one)
-captains ready room
-conference room
-hangar control
-fleet control
-command rooms (etc. security grid control)

OTHERS
-captain's quarters
-transporter room
-party room
-escape pods
-observation deck
-spare rooms
-Mobius chair docking
-Computer core (logic)

WEAPONS
-weapons

PASSAGE WAYS
-main hall
-main elevator
-elevators
-halls
-maintenance hulls
-maintenance tubes
-turret access tubes

RANDOM
-Obligitory basketball court
-Rollercoaster
-Hot tubs
-bar
-Ferris wheel
-Merry-go-round
-Civillian docking and promenade
-Olympic size swimming arena
-shops
-mall
-garden

I saw that post, actually, bu thanks anyway

As for the layout, thanks for the advice. I never would have thought about comms around the exterior, or placing rec rooms where I can put windows. I did think of med bays near hangars, but if I do that I might need two med bays. Not really a major problem though.

Thanks again, and good luck on your WIP! :P

 

[Rhyunix]

NP, but

I saw that post, actually, bu thanks anyway

As for the layout, thanks for the advice. I never would have thought about comms around the exterior, or placing rec rooms where I can put windows. I did think of med bays near hangars, but if I do that I might need two med bays. Not really a major problem though.

Thanks again, and good luck on your WIP! :p

That was me quoting the post :D
Though when I get back from holidays, I will be making a station
Deja vu? Who knows?!

 

[Zeno9141]

There are various tricks to interior building I normally use. For me, it all comes down to the following;
- A few entrances, spread out evenly across the ship, so that you don't have to go spacewalking for 200 meters before you reach one.
- These entrances are connected to each their respective decks, I prefer lower decks to be crew/machinery decks, the middle decks to be civilian/science decks, and the top decks to be command/control/awesome stuff.
- I like to have stations in the control rooms, each for their respective weapons. I have various missile cruisers that have these things, and they are able to control their respective missile banks.
- When it comes down to crew rooms/hallways, put them in very simple, dry, and 'underpaid' areas. Grey, black, grills, and brown are perfect blocks for those areas. These rooms are usually near the core, or around the machinery deck for quick access. Also, these crew decks usually have the kind of stuff you'd need for a 10-year long trip. Everything from beds, to lockers, to cafeteria, to showers, and most importantly - high-powered low-pressure turd disposers. (space toilets :D)
- In addition to the crew area, civilian areas are like apartments. They are far more luxurious than the crew areas. White is a color that indicates 'clean' and 'not cheap'. Though don't make a whole place white, that's gonna end up blinding you.
- Medbays are fun. They can range from Emergency Aid to sterile operation chambers. Emergency bays are usually in quick-to-access places, and in big ships, there are usually multiple. Some of the more clean, and advanced medical areas are deeper inside the structure, such as X-ray rooms, operation rooms, quarantine rooms, asylums, etc.
- Prisons go in the crew section.
- In the maintenance deck, I usually show mechanisms such as bolts, gears, heat grills/vents, and LOTS OF PIPES.
- Having a big hallway in the middle and smaller ones branching out of it works well for crowded areas -such as civilian areas. It doesn't really work for me in crew parts, as those are meant to be clammy, rusty, and a tight fit.

Most importantly:
- Make all hallways easy to traverse, and don't make every deck look the same - people will get lost otherwise.
- Put signs at every room to make easy distinctions from up close.
- Colors are very often associated with rooms/purposes. For example, Red/white is medbay, to most. White/green or White/blue is often seen as science. Crew rooms are dark and gritty, while command rooms are regularly cleaned. etc, etc, etc...

I hope this wall of text helps :3

 

[WolfChild]

There are various tricks to interior building I normally use. For me, it all comes down to the following;
- A few entrances, spread out evenly across the ship, so that you don't have to go spacewalking for 200 meters before you reach one.
- These entrances are connected to each their respective decks, I prefer lower decks to be crew/machinery decks, the middle decks to be civilian/science decks, and the top decks to be command/control/awesome stuff.
- I like to have stations in the control rooms, each for their respective weapons. I have various missile cruisers that have these things, and they are able to control their respective missile banks.
- When it comes down to crew rooms/hallways, put them in very simple, dry, and 'underpaid' areas. Grey, black, grills, and brown are perfect blocks for those areas. These rooms are usually near the core, or around the machinery deck for quick access. Also, these crew decks usually have the kind of stuff you'd need for a 10-year long trip. Everything from beds, to lockers, to cafeteria, to showers, and most importantly - high-powered low-pressure turd disposers. (space toilets :D)
- In addition to the crew area, civilian areas are like apartments. They are far more luxurious than the crew areas. White is a color that indicates 'clean' and 'not cheap'. Though don't make a whole place white, that's gonna end up blinding you.
- Medbays are fun. They can range from Emergency Aid to sterile operation chambers. Emergency bays are usually in quick-to-access places, and in big ships, there are usually multiple. Some of the more clean, and advanced medical areas are deeper inside the structure, such as X-ray rooms, operation rooms, quarantine rooms, asylums, etc.
- Prisons go in the crew section.
- In the maintenance deck, I usually show mechanisms such as bolts, gears, heat grills/vents, and LOTS OF PIPES.
- Having a big hallway in the middle and smaller ones branching out of it works well for crowded areas -such as civilian areas. It doesn't really work for me in crew parts, as those are meant to be clammy, rusty, and a tight fit.

Most importantly:
- Make all hallways easy to traverse, and don't make every deck look the same - people will get lost otherwise.
- Put signs at every room to make easy distinctions from up close.
- Colors are very often associated with rooms/purposes. For example, Red/white is medbay, to most. White/green or White/blue is often seen as science. Crew rooms are dark and gritty, while command rooms are regularly cleaned. etc, etc, etc...

I hope this wall of text helps :3

This is fantastic. Best wall of text I've read for quite some time

 

[der_scheme]

I believe there is still an important rule of thumb missing:
You have some station. Think about what kinds of personnel work there. Then think about the personnel's schedule. Where do they have to go before, during and after their shift? Layout your interior in a way that minimizes the path lengths. This is important in emergencies, and because nobody wants to walk three kilometers to a toilet.
Examples:

• Getting supplies
• Transferring cargo
• Repairing stuff
• Going to the bathroom

 

[WolfChild]

I believe there is still an important rule of thumb missing:
You have some station. Think about what kinds of personell work there. Then think about the personell's schedule. Where do they have to go before, during and after their shift? Layout your interior in a way that minimizes the path lengths. This is important in emergencies, and because nobody wants to walk three kilometers to a toilet.
Examples:

• Getting supplies
• Transferring cargo
• Repairing stuff
• Going to the bathroom

Interesting how that can be so obvious yet so . . . Not-Obvious at the same time.

 

[Zeno9141]

I believe there is still an important rule of thumb missing:
You have some station. Think about what kinds of personell work there. Then think about the personell's schedule. Where do they have to go before, during and after their shift? Layout your interior in a way that minimizes the path lengths. This is important in emergencies, and because nobody wants to walk three kilometers to a toilet.
Examples:

• Getting supplies
• Transferring cargo
• Repairing stuff
• Going to the bathroom

You can also have multiple bathrooms spread across multiple areas. After all, big houses have one on every floor. Imagine how many a titan would need.

 

[der_scheme]

You can also have multiple bathrooms spread across multiple areas. After all, big houses have one on every floor. Imagine how many a titan would need.

Yes. This does of course also apply to everything else. There doesn't have to be one dormitory* for everyone. Bridge personnel would sleep near the bridge, gunners near their weapons stations, …

*or mess hall, medical station, security station/brig

 

[NeonSturm]

Always have at least 1 (better 2) and about 20% extra of everything.
10 crew members? make 12-15 cabins.

You never know when something breaks...

You should also have at least 2 bridges (second can be a lot smaller) 50% more escape pod slots ...

You can make jefferie-tubes (aka small tunels like in StarTrek) for the case an automatic door cease to function because circuits got shot.