Idea's at how to design a good looking ship

[Xaric]

Well basically I am stumped when it comes to making a ship when I finish them they tend to become bland or too blocky or just simply feel boring and not inspiring so I need some idea when drafting up a ship to the point where it looks like a ship.

Now first question where do you start?

How do you go about designing the rooms?
Example : power core room, command bridge, shield room and weapon system room.

How do you go about adding the armour plating so it looks less blocky and more like a ship frame?

 

[Crusade]

I build a frame first, just a wire outline, then i put armor plated on top of that, and i keep adding detail. Split up your plates into large, simple-looking bits. Add details by cutting into them and adding stuff instead of putting stuff on top. Add realistic details, fuel tanks, pipes and framework are all good

Here is a ship I'm building with this method. Keep in mind it does take time.

 

[Xaric]

dude god damn it that looks impossible lol

 

[ToyotaSupra]

Step one: Steal.

No really, look at the most popular ships, look at the details. Think about how they might do them, and experiment with novel designs. Learn the master the cut copy and paste systems, plan out floorplans in advance if you're doing interiors, don't build on the fly!

Also realise that these aren't built in a day. They're built over days, weeks, even months! Also consider that they might not fight very well, it's like taking a ferrari to war. Most popular ships can't fight for jack.

Alternativley, do what I do. I make my ship, interior and all and leave the 'rectangle.' But then I add detail like wings and flares. I don't even build but I do this. Good luck!

 

[SkylordLuke]

i sneeze..and a ship appears on my screen!
lol,but yeah.. when i start my original ships (that are over 100 m long)
i start with building one shape,lets say.. a long slanted rectangle,and then i cut it..and cut it..until i get a very interesting shape
here is one example you can see in this vid (first 9 min of the speedbuild)

 

[Criss]

i sneeze..and a ship appears on my screen!
lol,but yeah.. when i start my original ships (that are over 100 m long)
i start with building one shape,lets say.. a long slanted rectangle,and then i cut it..and cut it..until i get a very interesting shape
here is one example you can see in this vid (first 9 min of the speedbuild)

I didn't realize we hit 3k so close together.

Also Crusade... Daaaaaaayuummmmmm. That is nice.

As to OP. I design ships very differently than most. I build replica EVE ships. In an attempt to bring them the same functionality and aesthetics, I do full interiors. Of course people like their system count so not everyone does this. But man does it pay off. The possibilities with a full interior are just as great as fully fit min-maxed ships. Take my latest ship; the Dragoon. It's 260~ long. It has a drone hanger, medical bay, mess hall, engineering sections, turret maintenance, sensor suites, drone control, crew accommodations, bridge, tactical bridge, etc. It's ridiculous. And while I may not be able to fight an even match against most people, I can now do boarding parties. Roleplay. Against my own ships the fights last significantly longer.


In the end it depends on what you want out of the ship. If you want the RP options, you have to think beyond just the externals and the systems. I probably place more emphasis on internals. EVE only gives me the outer hull. The rest I have to design myself.

 

[Aurthus110]

Good advice and a very nice build. tenk11kamikaza congrats on 3k subscribers

 

[Mariux]

Step one: Steal.

No really, look at the most popular ships, look at the details. Think about how they might do them, and experiment with novel designs. Learn the master the cut copy and paste systems, plan out floorplans in advance if you're doing interiors, don't build on the fly!

Also realise that these aren't built in a day. They're built over days, weeks, even months! Also consider that they might not fight very well, it's like taking a ferrari to war. Most popular ships can't fight for jack.

Alternativley, do what I do. I make my ship, interior and all and leave the 'rectangle.' But then I add detail like wings and flares. I don't even build but I do this. Good luck!

You can learn not only from ships built in Starmade, but at other spaceships (concepts, etc...) in general.

This site should help: http://conceptships.blogspot.com/

 

[hzzzln]

I feel like this should be a sticky. Or do we have one already that i missed?

 

[jzimmerman4]

A good strategy to try to prevent blockyness is to build the frame of the ship first. You can then very easily make adjustments to it to round out/ add more curves and cool angles to it. Im currently working on my first capital/ carrier and this strategy has already done some neat stuff. Just remember that its always okay to change something if you dont like it!