I was just wondering what people thought about Aesthetic choices for builds. I want to get out of using simple buildings like Direwolf20's 9x9 that he uses. screenshots I think would help a lot for showing what you might be talking about. The main reason I have a problem with good looking builds is I work to much on a build that works rather then looks good.
Aesthetics for builds
- Thread starter Termanater13
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Play the game however you like. If it's fun for you to build ugly buildings then go for it. Personally, I like to have my builds look nice, but that's not for everyone.
I was looking more along the lines of build tips. not just build what you want. Im tired of building thing that look ugly. but I will have to find a way to get the good looking builds to work with my working technical stuff.
I find there are a few things you can do, that helps. (These coming from what has helped me, aka a bad builder)
1. The thing that helps me the most is prebuild it in a creative world. Yeah extra work and time, but if you really want something to come out right Pre build!
2. Sometimes it helps to build the inside first. So if your making your power room, figure out what you want in there, how much room you want between it all, how you want it layed out. Then build the walls around it.
3. If no building the inside first then find a building shape you like, build it and then fit your machines to it.
4. Accents! Don't use just 1 material. Use 2 bare minimum. For example, spruce (Dark wood) walls and floors, with a cobble stair roof looks just fine. If you can throw in 3-4 materials then thats better. If your building from wood, outline a few things, say the corners of the house and the doors with logs, make the floor have a nice pattern.
5. And my last tip, Build in 3D! This is minecraft after all, you have 3D to work with, there is no reason why all your buildings should be flat walls, flat roof, flat floor. Throw a few support pillars out sides to hold up your walls, make your roof a stair way up so its not flat, Don't forget about giving that roof a 1 block overhang though, that helps a lot. Make the floor out of half slabs and then maybe put each chest up on a little podium.
So to recap, Prebuild! Make the building fit the rooms, or make the rooms fit the building! Use more then 1 building material! 2 is bare minimum. Dont build flat!
1. The thing that helps me the most is prebuild it in a creative world. Yeah extra work and time, but if you really want something to come out right Pre build!
2. Sometimes it helps to build the inside first. So if your making your power room, figure out what you want in there, how much room you want between it all, how you want it layed out. Then build the walls around it.
3. If no building the inside first then find a building shape you like, build it and then fit your machines to it.
4. Accents! Don't use just 1 material. Use 2 bare minimum. For example, spruce (Dark wood) walls and floors, with a cobble stair roof looks just fine. If you can throw in 3-4 materials then thats better. If your building from wood, outline a few things, say the corners of the house and the doors with logs, make the floor have a nice pattern.
5. And my last tip, Build in 3D! This is minecraft after all, you have 3D to work with, there is no reason why all your buildings should be flat walls, flat roof, flat floor. Throw a few support pillars out sides to hold up your walls, make your roof a stair way up so its not flat, Don't forget about giving that roof a 1 block overhang though, that helps a lot. Make the floor out of half slabs and then maybe put each chest up on a little podium.
So to recap, Prebuild! Make the building fit the rooms, or make the rooms fit the building! Use more then 1 building material! 2 is bare minimum. Dont build flat!
For other advices, would be to avoid doing the "One room per mod" type, it does not help in building.
As said above, try a creative world.
You could try to build following the landscape too, it does help to start.
Also, try not to dig too much underground, it tends to make square-ish rooms if you don't know what you are doing.
Do plan for the wires, tubes and all the stuff, if you want them hidden, because covers and the likes have a limit, and you tend to need more space than you originally thought.
Well, that's it for me, as I also am not quite good at building things that are both utility and nice.
As said above, try a creative world.
You could try to build following the landscape too, it does help to start.
Also, try not to dig too much underground, it tends to make square-ish rooms if you don't know what you are doing.
Do plan for the wires, tubes and all the stuff, if you want them hidden, because covers and the likes have a limit, and you tend to need more space than you originally thought.
Well, that's it for me, as I also am not quite good at building things that are both utility and nice.
I guess I'm the only one who thinks aesthetics is something more the wall paper and what shade the rug is, because that's basically what being said. block choice being the wallpaper and mods the rugs. how can these choices be made into something nice. a lot of what is said is easier said then done when it comes to building. I guess aesthetics was a bad topic choice, and should of asked for building tips. everything said so far I already knew but I still have a block build when it is done, its just a pretty block. kinda along the same lines of polishing poo, its now shiny but still smells.
If you end up with just a block by the time you are done then you didn't follow step 5 of my post. Minecraft is 3d there is no reason why everything has to be squares, Make a big archway for your door, then have a decent sized overhang for in front of the door. Trim your windows out with something like trapdoors. Add pillars around your house in various locations that look like they hold up your roof and walls. have your floor a step up or down from the outside level. windows, pillars, overhangs, arches, shutters (for the windows), porches, Give your windows (if on a upper story) little balconies, fences around the porches make nice hand rails, make your inside grand! High ceilings maybe, multiple color blocks for the floor, don't just have ladders to get to your upper story, have a big stair case, maybe even one of those that goes from 1 stairway and splits to 2 in a V shape and then meets up on the upper floor. Look at pictures of real buildings and try and build them. Try and make your building look like it would actually hold itself up in the real world, I.E. no floating blocks.
There is a few ideas to help get you started. But TBH prebuilding and testing in a creative flat world is the best way to get ideas going.
There is a few ideas to help get you started. But TBH prebuilding and testing in a creative flat world is the best way to get ideas going.
I tend to do skyscraper factories for my mod centric aesthetics. My current factories tend to be an entrance floor (mostly wallpaper/accent stuff in that room), then floors for however I plan to break down my mods (usually ore processing + crafting, forestry/bees, thermal expansion, then an assembly table room). That's all above ground.
Below ground I do a misc floor (tends to turn into portal/cart based resource transportation), then a Thaumcraft floor (Thaumcraft, Soul Shard dungeons, all the accenting accouterments like pillars, wall art using microblocks [writing out Thaumic runes looks pretty cool], etc), and then my iron tank floor (massive room).
All these floors are linked by a Computer Craft controlled Redpower frame elevator. Its a bit slow, but looks good and can be fun to ride.
I also tend to change up my building shapes. My portal link to my Nexus age is in a basalt pyramid, I put farms in floating half-sphere greenhouses (planned using this: http://neil.fraser.name/news/2006/11/17/). For my factory, rather than doing a pure rectangle, I'll knock each floor in a block and fill the resulting "shelf" with matching brick stairs, and then roof it in a pyramid (usually nether brick stairs) or cone (viva microblocks!)
If people are interested, I can throw up some screen grabs tomorrow. The way I started improving the looks of my builds was by watching other peoples builds, and appropriating elements I liked the look of.
Below ground I do a misc floor (tends to turn into portal/cart based resource transportation), then a Thaumcraft floor (Thaumcraft, Soul Shard dungeons, all the accenting accouterments like pillars, wall art using microblocks [writing out Thaumic runes looks pretty cool], etc), and then my iron tank floor (massive room).
All these floors are linked by a Computer Craft controlled Redpower frame elevator. Its a bit slow, but looks good and can be fun to ride.
I also tend to change up my building shapes. My portal link to my Nexus age is in a basalt pyramid, I put farms in floating half-sphere greenhouses (planned using this: http://neil.fraser.name/news/2006/11/17/). For my factory, rather than doing a pure rectangle, I'll knock each floor in a block and fill the resulting "shelf" with matching brick stairs, and then roof it in a pyramid (usually nether brick stairs) or cone (viva microblocks!)
If people are interested, I can throw up some screen grabs tomorrow. The way I started improving the looks of my builds was by watching other peoples builds, and appropriating elements I liked the look of.
To get really creative, make your builds circular. They tend to be large to get the best effect, and take more effort then a cube. Making use of that space inside is also a pain.
End of the day, we can't tell you how to be creative. Get some blocks, and a Saw (for Microblocks) and go wild. Each build you do will be better then the previous. Designing a nice looking building takes as much effort as setting up some tech blocks into a working system.
End of the day, we can't tell you how to be creative. Get some blocks, and a Saw (for Microblocks) and go wild. Each build you do will be better then the previous. Designing a nice looking building takes as much effort as setting up some tech blocks into a working system.
I'm not going to tell you how to build or suggest what you should do. I'm just going to spew forth what I like to do. because I'm selfish. heh.
Starting with textures:
I hate default textures. I also hate textures that look similar to default (with Traditionalbeauty being the only exception).
I like Isabella mainly.
-Also summerfields, and steelfeathers .
I don't like everything against the walls of my house. sometimes ill wrap my workbench, chests, and furnaces around a pillar in the center of my rooms.
I really don't like my entire house on one flat, uninteresting Y-Level. I try to make several floors in my house but stairs are hard to implement into a house for me.
I try to make my floors light-blocks and walls dark-blocks, or vice versa. I love sandstone and smooth-stone floors. I like basalt and marble because they're both almost their respective polar colors (those being black and white).
Alot of the textures in Isabella are smooth. -that being preference.
Lighting is a major factor when setting my mood for minecraft. (I only wish I had a computer powerful enough to run minecraft with shaders)
I'm not a fan of direct sunlight coming into my house. I try to get light to reflect off of various surfaces so it's somewhat dim. Or you could just have direct sunlight and make the brightness lower.
I want to develop an automatic lighting system that enables when the light level dims so mobs don't spawn but also turn off when the sun rises or something.
I only use torches when I have to. I find them hideous.
I also try to only use the space I need rather than having all this empty space in my house.
I also like narrow corridors and My roofs really, really tall.
and that about wraps it up.
Starting with textures:
I hate default textures. I also hate textures that look similar to default (with Traditionalbeauty being the only exception).
I like Isabella mainly.
-Also summerfields, and steelfeathers .
I don't like everything against the walls of my house. sometimes ill wrap my workbench, chests, and furnaces around a pillar in the center of my rooms.
I really don't like my entire house on one flat, uninteresting Y-Level. I try to make several floors in my house but stairs are hard to implement into a house for me.
I try to make my floors light-blocks and walls dark-blocks, or vice versa. I love sandstone and smooth-stone floors. I like basalt and marble because they're both almost their respective polar colors (those being black and white).
Alot of the textures in Isabella are smooth. -that being preference.
Lighting is a major factor when setting my mood for minecraft. (I only wish I had a computer powerful enough to run minecraft with shaders)
I'm not a fan of direct sunlight coming into my house. I try to get light to reflect off of various surfaces so it's somewhat dim. Or you could just have direct sunlight and make the brightness lower.
I want to develop an automatic lighting system that enables when the light level dims so mobs don't spawn but also turn off when the sun rises or something.
I only use torches when I have to. I find them hideous.
I also try to only use the space I need rather than having all this empty space in my house.
I also like narrow corridors and My roofs really, really tall.
and that about wraps it up.
Celestialphoenix
Too Much Free Time
Too be honest- the most important thing for aesthetics is finding a decent looking area to build in (this means many seeds in SSP, or walking 1000's of blocks in SMP).
(for me it's an ocean edge with a flat-ish area and some more interesting terrain next door).
Redpower has a fairly neat light level sensor- hook it up to your lighting circuit and boom!
For mob control I rely entirely on glass floors. I have large dark rooms open to my base (moistener, TC2 darkness generator), and never had any problems with mobs.
As for my personal tastes; basalt and marble, netherbrick/obsidian/iron or stone/brick/cobble with about 90% glass. I love seeing my whole tube network and watching items fly everywhere.
Spiral Stairs and underwater swimming pools are cool to.
Also this is just too cute...
General building advice.
TLDR:
Be Creative, Be yourself, and have fun!
(for me it's an ocean edge with a flat-ish area and some more interesting terrain next door).
-Do not pick a location for a nearby oil spout, you'll find yourself left with a crap location, no oil and a ruined ocean.
-Mystcraft can really help you out here.
Redpower has a fairly neat light level sensor- hook it up to your lighting circuit and boom!
For mob control I rely entirely on glass floors. I have large dark rooms open to my base (moistener, TC2 darkness generator), and never had any problems with mobs.
-Just keep the solid blocks lit up! -The full setup is wired with jackated cables (ruby and sapphire for visible red/blue wire), and a fair few microblocks keeping it tidy. Result? (this is fully legit).
As for my personal tastes; basalt and marble, netherbrick/obsidian/iron or stone/brick/cobble with about 90% glass. I love seeing my whole tube network and watching items fly everywhere.
Spiral Stairs and underwater swimming pools are cool to.
Also this is just too cute...
General building advice.
-Dont cram in to 1 small room
-Use a whole mix of materials (glares at Direwolf20)
-Try to avoid massive flat surfaces (thats why I have external columns)
-Work with the terrain.
-Dont mix large bricks (stone/basalt/marble) with small bricks (brick/nether/infernal)
-Build your house into the ground- dirt foundations are f*ck ugly.
(I dont mean live underground/have basements, just dont prop walls on dirt/leave them hanging in the air)
-Microblocks and Facades are useful
-install MineLP to improve player aesthetics.
and please (please) be a good neighbour and give people space. Stop cramming in around the spawn!
TLDR:
Be Creative, Be yourself, and have fun!
Please tell me how you got that water shader working! (It falls under aesthetics does it not?)
I have been having trouble with shaders for the past week!
(Also beautiful world)
I think a great tip is to look in the real world for inspiration. I'll tell a little bit of a story about my FTB Beta pack world to illustrate my point.
I firstly build a little castle/keep, based on just about every medieval castle that I got dragged to as a child, this became my home, where I mostly kept vanilla stuff.
Then decided to build a mage tower, which was a tall circular tower made using stoneslabs, broken up with windows on the corners and then about half up built a sort of helipad like thing coming out that I originally had a nether portal on, but eventually replaced this with a Mystcraft portal. I used this for all my magicy related things.
The problem then arose of what to build for my technical stuff, I spent ages pondering what it could be one evening. Then the next day on my way into work I walked past a newly built block of flats, in a sort of C shape. I then went on to use this for my inspiration for my build, right down to the very windows. Only change I made was replaced one side of the C with 3 huge chimneys.
Another real life inspiration I often steal is a project here in England called the Eden project, which are basically big glass domes. I often build these domes to house farms and the such.
Oh and another tip that I do is sketch my design on a piece of paper, especially if I can't jump straight on the computer once inspiration struck. I actually did this with my factory thing up above (spent the morning at work sketching my factory
). Then when you have your sketch you can pre-build it, as suggested above, on a flat creative world to see if it actually works in Minecraft.
Oh and two more quick tips, upside and corner staircases. Utter God-send!
I firstly build a little castle/keep, based on just about every medieval castle that I got dragged to as a child, this became my home, where I mostly kept vanilla stuff.
Then decided to build a mage tower, which was a tall circular tower made using stoneslabs, broken up with windows on the corners and then about half up built a sort of helipad like thing coming out that I originally had a nether portal on, but eventually replaced this with a Mystcraft portal. I used this for all my magicy related things.
The problem then arose of what to build for my technical stuff, I spent ages pondering what it could be one evening. Then the next day on my way into work I walked past a newly built block of flats, in a sort of C shape. I then went on to use this for my inspiration for my build, right down to the very windows. Only change I made was replaced one side of the C with 3 huge chimneys.
Another real life inspiration I often steal is a project here in England called the Eden project, which are basically big glass domes. I often build these domes to house farms and the such.
Oh and another tip that I do is sketch my design on a piece of paper, especially if I can't jump straight on the computer once inspiration struck. I actually did this with my factory thing up above (spent the morning at work sketching my factory
). Then when you have your sketch you can pre-build it, as suggested above, on a flat creative world to see if it actually works in Minecraft.Oh and two more quick tips, upside and corner staircases. Utter God-send!
Celestialphoenix
Too Much Free Time
I havent got that shader working since Beta 1.8.
(If anyone has an answer for this- let us know)
I tend to start with a simple shack, but the roof is built out of staircases with an overhang to keep spiders off. Then I build out from there. Then I build a perimeter wall. With arrow slits and catwalks and crenelations and towers on the corners. Then I just keep building whatever looks cool.