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Graingy Survey: Build Techniques You're Particularly Fond of?

41.8k Graingy  2 months ago

What is a building technique you use a lot? Things that aren't a given by using the game software (i.e. not just "fuselage").

An example of a build technique would be the use of circular and hard corners rotated to make chines.
Really, though, anything will go. Change part type a lot when building? Fine. Brightly colour parts? Absolutely. Whatever it is, so long as you use it a lot.

Just don't spam nonsense, please.

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    41.8k Graingy

    @Timplanes Ah, right. That.

    2 months ago
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    13.3k Timplanes

    @Graingy Here’s an example of using slicing for making airfoils: https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/QGr2l3/Wing-Technique-Demonstrator-1-11-slicing
    The other thing I use slicing a lot for is making liveries

    2 months ago
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    41.8k Graingy

    @Timplanes Three part airfoils? what do you mean?
    And how do you use slicing?

    2 months ago
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    13.3k Timplanes

    Three-part airfoils and fuselage slicing. Takes a lot of the guesswork out of making really nice wings.

    2 months ago
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    41.8k Graingy

    @PlaneFlightX something something that one XKCD strip

    2 months ago
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    52.6k PlaneFlightX

    @Noname918181818181818181 And I also do that as well. @Graingy I guess I use a lot of build techniques, but I forget they aren't common knowledge and so don't think of them as build techniques.

    +1 2 months ago
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    52.6k PlaneFlightX

    @V I guess I also participate in control base abuse. My iPad in my cockpit has full 6dof capability, where it can both snap to four positions and also function as a normal pickup object for VR users (buttons to change modes). The main landing gear also uses control bases for the main strut, tilt/tilt suspension, and the lock link.

    2 months ago
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    41.8k Graingy

    @SPsidearm You have two left feet.

    2 months ago
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    Abusing cutting is definitely my favorite technique. Cut the edges off a Circular hollow fuselages with higher than 1 thickness to create a square with a circle hole? Using PAT to create unique shapes and avoid panelling entirely? Custom wings? Oh I could name so many

    +1 2 months ago
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    9,534 SPsidearm
    • I hate mirroring so i coordinate copy-paste my parts to certain places of my builds.
    • sigma
    2 months ago
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    41.8k Graingy

    @GalacticaAsia Huh, interesting...

    2 months ago
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    1. Using default landing gear to turn on/off drag. Default landing gear(that can retract) will have ZERO drag when retracted, which is handy in making airliners go fast when cruising at high altitudes, and slow when landing. The nose gears of my recent planes have default landing gear hidden inside them for this reason. I haven't tested the ones meant for wings though.
    2 months ago
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    41.8k Graingy

    @hpgbproductions hwar

    2 months ago
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    @V ohh

    2 months ago
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    Normals manip is proof that geometry isn't real and we are living in a simulation (jk)
    They are methods that cause fuselage sides to look different from their geometry. Some tricks make interesting variations in surfaces

    2 months ago
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    quantity and efficiency

    2 months ago
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    Not over-doing it. I like trying to match the stock planes (the ones built for vr) as much as possible. This is because it keeps the details there but also keeps part count down. a good rule of thumb is if part count is down, it works better on phones, snd if it works better on phones, it works better on Multiplayer.

    2 months ago
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    5,194 Solent
    • All my builds are bright metallic red before painting to make them easier to see
    • Spend way too much time on wingtips that still don't look good
    • Making Flaps by having rotators turn out another physics wing (sweep wing style) instead of the standard control surface
    • having way too many subassemblies (half of them from other planes, i do give credit though)
    • not using any default gauges because they suck (except sometimes for backups)
    2 months ago
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    38.2k V

    @OverlordPrime I find a medium magenta works best for finding boundaries between parts. Is useful when making shapes. You could use a checkerboard pattern as well but it's a pain

    2 months ago
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    38.2k V

    Using control bases as rotators and pistons, their 6dof capabilities are slept on. The only thing is that they're hard to program, which is why I've been taking so long with the arwing, ive been bashing my head against it trying to get the control bases to do what I want.

    +1 2 months ago
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    23.6k Axartar

    resizing rotators for like vents, or overlapping smoothed fuselage to make it look like musculature

    2 months ago
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    While building, I paint everything orange so it will stand out from the background (blueprint, which is bright white most of the time) which allows for a more precise shaping.

    2 months ago
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    90.8k Monarchii

    also, although i'm sure it's common, but i use shortcuts to change parts name in XML, pl for Fuselage-Body-1.. okm for Fuselage-Hollow-1... the works.

    +1 2 months ago
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    90.8k Monarchii

    abusing the hell out of hollow fuselages, cut to make struts... the triangular-shaped intersection between the rudder and elevator by messing with the thickness.. and goes without saying that everything i use is XML'ed to have 0.001 weight and no drag unless needed but that's common stuff anyway, byproduct of a dubious potato that can run digitally.

    2 months ago
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    52.6k PlaneFlightX

    @MobileBuilder21 Do you know you can click the arrow to show the other options? I thought that was common knowledge

    2 months ago
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