Build Helper: Adjust XYZ Position

[Edymnion]

Many times when I am building a station (and sometimes a ship) I will build a large amount of core blocks that are linked together in ways that would be a pain in the butt to re-do. I'll then decide that I really want say a spinning ring going around that core. Thing is, that core is very long, so I have no choice but to go up or down dozens of blocks to set the build helper to make the initial circle, then use blocks to extend up/down from that circle to the level I want, then delete those intermediary blocks just so I'll have the ring at the level I actually wanted. Again, because I can get to the actual center to put the guide block on.

So, could we add some to the build helper to not just rotate things about the axis, but to move them up/down/along the X, Y, or Z axis?

That way if I wanted to put a spinning ring around my existing station, I could simply place the rotator block on top of the station say I want a radius of X for my circle, and then move it down the Y axis 50 blocks, and place the outline there. Or set it so that we could make a circle of say radius 25, then move it sideways 25 blocks so that the guide block is now actually in the ring itself, so we don't have to make a column extending out to reach the ring in order to start building it?

Would just really be helpful if we could move the build helper outline around independently of the block we set it to.

 

[Edymnion]

Huh, guess everybody else manages to plan ahead sufficiently on their builds to not need this.

 

[jayman38]

I think this would be great for multi-block placement as well. Specifically, I am thinking about all the time saved when laying down wedged hull.

 

[Parameter]

I like the idea of being able to translate the build helper outlines. That way, you could use them to guide builds of parts of your structure you haven't gotten to yet. This would save some setup times on builds because you wouldn't have to make some "scaffolding" to align the helper and then tear it down.

Something similar would be helpful for mass block placement using the advanced build mode. As an example, last night I was building 150x50x50 target for some weapons testing. I wanted it to be a ship so I could add shields and save it as a blueprint, but I also wanted the target block centered in front of the ship core. I had to make some helper rows to help align the block placement, and then delete them, which added a couple minutes to a very quick build. Being able to offset placement by ~25 blocks in two dimensions would have saved me some time.

That said, I could see Schine wanting to require that any blocks placed by offset building must touch the existing structure. I'm not sure whether they consider the ability to build disconnected structures like rings/mines fields/satellites as a feature that adds character or a bug to be squashed.