Poll: How do you start your ships?

[Cody38]

I was curious, how do you, the average starmade citizen start building a ship? The options are a few I could think of, and a few I have used. There are some beautiful ships, and some not-so beautiful ships, and I would like to know if there is a pattern of results coming from one of these options.

If your way of doing things isn't here, post it in the comments! And feel free to link to or show your ships you made and state which method you used. (Post modestly, one image of your ship and keep this post focused on the subject, not your stats, please!)

Thank you. :D

 

[Criss]

I don't use a program to draw, but if I don't have inspiration in front of me that I have seen or have made myself then I have no clue where to start. I also like to start outside first. I am not worried about getting max systems into a ship, as I find that to be a bad way to play the game. It isn't a competition and I am okay with my ships loosing a fight. I have aesthetics in mind before think about how well it can perform.

 

[Incap]

I start with setting the length of the ship first. I base ship design mostly on length. And then I proceed to shape the basic hull, starting off with basic shape work. Once the basic hull is done, I then build the details. Then I do the inside, and the systems.

For a Tartaran ship though? Start off with the ZPR and then add the long nose. Build the back, then add the engines. All TE military ships follow a basic blueprint, so the ships are all similar expect for size and armament.

 

[Jonj57]

When I burn out of starmade I usually go to my other games and those all give me ideas on my ships, then I think about how big I want it to be and create a cube/scaffolding of the length width and hight so I know where my limits are. From there I do an outline in orange,red, purple, and other colored hulls to make a "rough" sketch of the entire ship. If you want to see exactly how this works out you can see an example of the skeleton/fill work I did with my Venator Star Destroyer (in the shipyards thread, I wont link as I don't want to draw away from the thread).

 

[Keptick]

I stare intensely at my computer monitor until something happens.

 

[Valiant70]

I normally start with a good idea of what I want the ship to look like, and then make the interior and the power grids work together, then do other systems and exterior. I usually have really strong power grids proportional to the size of ships I build.

 

[Keptick]

Edit: wtf.... wrong thread

 

[Planr]

i dont really feel any of those voting options work for me.

Personally, when I start a new ship these days, I prefer to sometimes first build a miniature model of that ship so I have a benchmark idea of what I want the ship to look like when done.
Then, I use the measurements from that mini-model to get the approximate measurements for the overall dimensions of the ship, and how I want to build it, and then I start building a skeletal frame of the ship so I can get the proper shape of the ship down first before I do anything else. Trust me, that helps with building large ships enormously.

for a taste of what that's like... here, have a sneak-peak of my new ship, the Mega Exelion:

 

[K10wN]

Make the ship in RhinoCAD, then export it as an .obj file to binvox then SMEdit into a 1/2 or 1/4 ship pattern in sand.

When I make a ship from scratch in game, I always start with a core!

 

[IsApro2000]

i usually think of a ship idea, then i build it but ofcourse it doesnt look 100% like how i imagined it so i improve it till i got what i want

 

[Rhyssia]

I try to get a concept in mind first (Stealth? Beam? Speed?), Then size, then make a giant cube, carve away at it until I see a form I like, then get the exterior finished, then gut the interior and go from there.

-edit-
Sometimes I will use the framing method.

 

[Maranello]

I usually start my bigger projects building a scaled down version of what I want it to look like, then build my ship. This is my latest project; a cargoship with one of the scaled down models im talking about. the "ruler" helps me determine how long each part should be. in this example each color-block represent 20 blocks in the 1:1 version, which means that its a 1:10 scale ship.

When im finished with the basics of the exterior, I start adding details and minor changes to the design.

same story with my spacestation "SpacePort", which is the 6th most popular community content right now on Starmade.

First a miniature version of my ideas, then the station.

SpacePort

 

[Saber]

i dont really feel any of those voting options work for me.

Personally, when I start a new ship these days, I prefer to sometimes first build a miniature model of that ship so I have a benchmark idea of what I want the ship to look like when done.
Then, I use the measurements from that mini-model to get the approximate measurements for the overall dimensions of the ship, and how I want to build it, and then I start building a skeletal frame of the ship so I can get the proper shape of the ship down first before I do anything else. Trust me, that helps with building large ships enormously.

for a taste of what that's like... here, have a sneak-peak of my new ship, the Mega Exelion:

^This. Wireframes are your friend. Unless you're a freak like @Dalmont and can just magically throw up good ideas.

 

[Valiant70]

just magically throw up good ideas

*Pukes up a TIE fighter*

 

[Leanson]

Well I don't use anything special, I start with my power reactor setup, I make it around the length I want it to be and like a wire frame I get the shape down then I do my weapons, and then my shields. I leave room as I am building for interiors, and as i am placing my system blocks I am making my hull design as well. My shield blocks are my clay for my ship when I am making bl the ship. I add and remove what I want the ship to look like as I go once I'm don't with that I out my hull on it and with the idea in mind already I have planned out what goes where and the color to. As I go I am changing what is needed and go with what works best.

 

[Dalmont]

*Pukes up a TIE fighter*

You have NO idea how accurate that statement just was.

 

[Planr]

You have NO idea how accurate that statement just was.

not accurate enough. needs to be coming out of a giant spaceship-mouth with some accompanying vomit projectiles.

 

[DrTarDIS]

overall shape -> try to incorporate various "features" (glitches) I know of in the game -> Discover new "features" associated with the "features" -> modify shape -> power systems -> "gimmick" & utility devices -> solidify hull shapes -> basic logic -> Turrets -> Modify turret areas of hull -> hull turrets -> Support craft -> Interior spaces -> detail hull -> fill in "gaps" with bonus shielding or storage -> logic details -> new game version alters fundamental nature of craft, start fresh.

 

[Rhyssia]

You have NO idea how accurate that statement just was.

But, but... That's a TIE/IN, not a TIE/LN v.v
*goes back to the nerd cave*

 

[Viridis00]

Depends all on what I'm doing. If I'm modeling my ship off of an existing design, I always do a frame first. With my original stuff, I have a very general shape in my mind that I end up modifying as I go. Something I always do right after a basic concept is formed is make the cockpit or bridge interior. In my opinion this needs to be the sexiest, most needlessly complex looking part of the ship, save maybe the engine room.