Mine is sort of a mix between looking at how other structures are made and then designing my own. When i'm designing a build, here is what I usually do:
First I look on google images for what what that structure looks like, in real life and in minecraft if possible. Once I get a feel for what things the build could have, how it could look better, and how to place it in the world, then I open up paint and design it. Just roughly draw the front, back, top, and sides of it, and then build it in the world.
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The first thing you do when building is you find some minecraft builds for inspiration like in videos or images. You don't see the full version or specifics of the build, and the parts that you don't look at, you make them your own.
It really depends on the build for me, if I'm building something specific then I might go look online for some inspiration and then take parts that I like from the pictures I find and some of my own ideas I want to incorporate and meld them all together into my build. But other times, when i just feel like building something, I'll just hop onto one of my worlds and start building what comes naturally, usually I end up adding to whatever city build or world build I have on the go at the time.
I always start by laying down a basic framework, no matter what I am building. Even when building something natural, laying out where you want slopes to be can make the final build so much better.
Next I finish the base build, basing it off the framework set earlier. After that, I detail the build. The hardest part is really just figuring out what you want to do with the build, after that everything should come naturally
I usually have a plan for most of my builds. First, I have a general idea of what I want to do. Then, I choose a theme. Dark, light, nether-y, such stuff. Then I choose at least three blocks to to build with.
After that, it depends on what I am building.
If it's a base, I first plan the first few levels. I build a cobblestone layout and expand from that. If it's a fuctional and technical build, I lookup the most efficient designs. If it doesn't serve a purpose other that looking nice, I Improvise.
However, When I build something, I usually tear it down and rebuild many times before I like it. I once moved an entire blood altar by one block, because it was one block too close to the entrance.It was a max level altar, so it took about an hour.
For example, I have decided to build a castle in my current world. I know it's location: The nether, at the shore of the lava ocean. I have a basic idea of how it will look. I know the theme and the blocks I want to use. But I'll probably imagine it for a few weeks before I even place a single block.
That's how I build stuff. Lot's of thinking and rebuilding.
on my server that i run for my friends i will get an idea for a build, a school or shop or what have you. i will lay a foundation using stained clay to rough out the building and what should be in it then someone will come along and build it. it has actually been working out extremely well
"I watch YouTube tutorials and just copy what they do."
Actually I watch Youtube video.. build them in creative single player - then modify them slightly to fit the situation..
eg change the materials used or (if redstone contraption) try to rearrange the circuit stuff to fit the space I've 'reserved' for it (or hide the redstone from view) - I then try to recreate it on the server using either a 'schematic blueprint' or screenshots
I usually design the build to my own ideas, but if I need certain things i'm not familiar with, a good example being certain redstone mechanics, I will probably look on YT to get some help.
I very rarely use Creative to test things (the only times is when something involves mobs, which can be time consuming to do in normal survival, when you want a specific mob in a certain place - spawn eggs are a god send for this) - I've actually build test "rooms" in most of my survival bases (the one at my current base just a few weeks ago - first pic below), where I do my testing, usually on some redstone circuit.
If the build involves a building of somekind, I will usually use AutoCAD with a drg file I've created with a square grid in it, so I can draw designs out on and get overall sizes and sort out spacing and such. I've currently working on an overworld gold farm I am building using this method to plan the shape as it will be underwater (second pic below)
I usually design the build to my own ideas, but if I need certain things i'm not familiar with, a good example being certain redstone mechanics, I will probably look on YT to get some help.
I very rarely use Creative to test things (the only times is when something involves mobs, which can be time consuming to do in normal survival, when you want a specific mob in a certain place - spawn eggs are a god send for this) - I've actually build test "rooms" in most of my survival bases (the one at my current base just a few weeks ago - first pic below), where I do my testing, usually on some redstone circuit.
If the build involves a building of somekind, I will usually use AutoCAD with a drg file I've created with a square grid in it, so I can draw designs out on and get overall sizes and sort out spacing and such. I've currently working on an overworld gold farm I am building using this method to plan the shape as it will be underwater (second pic below)
[\spoiler]
Can i just ask a question? How would go about making a gold farm? I need rather a lot of gold at the moment for my rail track i'm working on. I won't steal your ideas or anything, just wondering how you would go about making it! Never heard of that in minecraft before.
My reply to the actual Topic:
Usually for me, since I'm a crap builder, i like to gather a lot of inspiration from google images. I don't copy anyone's work, but i do look at lots of images of the same thing to get a bunch of ideas. Like for example, right now i'm building a Disney inspired castle. Google images has really come in handy for that.
I also tend to spend a lot of time mapping out where i want the build to go, making sure it doesn't interfare with anything else etc. Also, when i have an idea for a build in mind, if i'm in survival, i like to collect/harvest almost all the resources i'm going to need before i start, that way i'm not running back and forth XD
Can i just ask a question? How would go about making a gold farm? I need rather a lot of gold at the moment for my rail track i'm working on. I won't steal your ideas or anything, just wondering how you would go about making it! Never heard of that in minecraft before.
There are quite a few gold farm designs on YouTube. They all use the same idea tho - killing zombie pigmen who drop gold nuggets. You can also build the farm in the nether or the overworld which requires different approaches. The nether ones can yield much higher drop rates as pigmen spawn naturally there, but funnelling them to a common area is harder as you cant use water in the nether so other ideas are used; in the overworld pigmen only spawn on nether portals occasionally (giving the impression they have travelled from the nether but although that can happen, in reality most of these spawns are an overworld mechanic of the game), and bigger portals make the pigmen spawns more likely, so overworld farms are usually made up of lots of nether portals stacked together in some way, with a water drop system whereby the pigmen walk off the portal and get flowed to a common point, to be killed in some manner.
Just thought this might make a fun question. So how do YOU do it?
Mine is sort of a mix between looking at how other structures are made and then designing my own. When i'm designing a build, here is what I usually do:
First I look on google images for what what that structure looks like, in real life and in minecraft if possible. Once I get a feel for what things the build could have, how it could look better, and how to place it in the world, then I open up paint and design it. Just roughly draw the front, back, top, and sides of it, and then build it in the world.
Need a friend to play Minecraft with? Click me! Lots of players are looking for someone to play with as well!
Need a way to make survival more fun? Click me!
Don't know what to build? Here is a "What should I build?" generator!
The first thing you do when building is you find some minecraft builds for inspiration like in videos or images. You don't see the full version or specifics of the build, and the parts that you don't look at, you make them your own.
It really depends on the build for me, if I'm building something specific then I might go look online for some inspiration and then take parts that I like from the pictures I find and some of my own ideas I want to incorporate and meld them all together into my build. But other times, when i just feel like building something, I'll just hop onto one of my worlds and start building what comes naturally, usually I end up adding to whatever city build or world build I have on the go at the time.
I always start by laying down a basic framework, no matter what I am building. Even when building something natural, laying out where you want slopes to be can make the final build so much better.
Next I finish the base build, basing it off the framework set earlier. After that, I detail the build. The hardest part is really just figuring out what you want to do with the build, after that everything should come naturally
I usually have a plan for most of my builds. First, I have a general idea of what I want to do. Then, I choose a theme. Dark, light, nether-y, such stuff. Then I choose at least three blocks to to build with.
After that, it depends on what I am building.
If it's a base, I first plan the first few levels. I build a cobblestone layout and expand from that. If it's a fuctional and technical build, I lookup the most efficient designs. If it doesn't serve a purpose other that looking nice, I Improvise.
However, When I build something, I usually tear it down and rebuild many times before I like it. I once moved an entire blood altar by one block, because it was one block too close to the entrance.It was a max level altar, so it took about an hour.
For example, I have decided to build a castle in my current world. I know it's location: The nether, at the shore of the lava ocean. I have a basic idea of how it will look. I know the theme and the blocks I want to use. But I'll probably imagine it for a few weeks before I even place a single block.
That's how I build stuff. Lot's of thinking and rebuilding.
First get an idea, maybe from watching someone else making something in their survival series on youtube.
Then, get to work on making it in creative on a separate world. Brush it up and try to make it resource friendly.
Then go to your original world and get all the resources, and then start the project.
A shameless plug, I do this is my survival series I upload sometimes.
My channel is listed below
Check out my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGNg_JTfZKsaZ7pUC0ZRMXA
on my server that i run for my friends i will get an idea for a build, a school or shop or what have you. i will lay a foundation using stained clay to rough out the building and what should be in it then someone will come along and build it. it has actually been working out extremely well
I usually work on a different project and try to get inspiration from that one. It's not the best method, but it's my method.
Watch out for the crabocalypse. Some say the day will never come. But it will.
Feel free to drop by for a chat whenever.
If you'd like to talk with me about other games, here are a few I play.
Team Fortress 2
Borderlands series (Borderlands 2 is my favorite game, ever. TPS combat is a lot of fun and makes up for the lower-quality story, in my opinion)
Elder Scrolls series
Warframe (IGN is something like That_One_Flesh_Atronach)
Pokémon series (HGSS forever)
Rocket League
Fallout series
Left 4 Dead 2 (Boomer files always corrupt though)
SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years!)
Dead Rising series (Dead Rising 2 is one of my favorite games, and the 3rd was a lot of fun. 1st has poor survivor AI and the 4th is bad)
Just Cause series
Come to think of it, I mainly play fighting-based games.
"I watch YouTube tutorials and just copy what they do."
Actually I watch Youtube video.. build them in creative single player - then modify them slightly to fit the situation..
eg change the materials used or (if redstone contraption) try to rearrange the circuit stuff to fit the space I've 'reserved' for it (or hide the redstone from view) - I then try to recreate it on the server using either a 'schematic blueprint' or screenshots
Build from observation. From online images or the whatnot. Or from my head.
You can just call me Canary.
How not to look like a total fool in the forum games
I usually design the build to my own ideas, but if I need certain things i'm not familiar with, a good example being certain redstone mechanics, I will probably look on YT to get some help.
I very rarely use Creative to test things (the only times is when something involves mobs, which can be time consuming to do in normal survival, when you want a specific mob in a certain place - spawn eggs are a god send for this) - I've actually build test "rooms" in most of my survival bases (the one at my current base just a few weeks ago - first pic below), where I do my testing, usually on some redstone circuit.
If the build involves a building of somekind, I will usually use AutoCAD with a drg file I've created with a square grid in it, so I can draw designs out on and get overall sizes and sort out spacing and such. I've currently working on an overworld gold farm I am building using this method to plan the shape as it will be underwater (second pic below)
[\spoiler]
Mintutor now works in 1.13!
MrKite & Mc_Etlam ... I salute you!
Can i just ask a question? How would go about making a gold farm? I need rather a lot of gold at the moment for my rail track i'm working on. I won't steal your ideas or anything, just wondering how you would go about making it! Never heard of that in minecraft before.
My reply to the actual Topic:
Usually for me, since I'm a crap builder, i like to gather a lot of inspiration from google images. I don't copy anyone's work, but i do look at lots of images of the same thing to get a bunch of ideas. Like for example, right now i'm building a Disney inspired castle. Google images has really come in handy for that.
I also tend to spend a lot of time mapping out where i want the build to go, making sure it doesn't interfare with anything else etc. Also, when i have an idea for a build in mind, if i'm in survival, i like to collect/harvest almost all the resources i'm going to need before i start, that way i'm not running back and forth XD
There are quite a few gold farm designs on YouTube. They all use the same idea tho - killing zombie pigmen who drop gold nuggets. You can also build the farm in the nether or the overworld which requires different approaches. The nether ones can yield much higher drop rates as pigmen spawn naturally there, but funnelling them to a common area is harder as you cant use water in the nether so other ideas are used; in the overworld pigmen only spawn on nether portals occasionally (giving the impression they have travelled from the nether but although that can happen, in reality most of these spawns are an overworld mechanic of the game), and bigger portals make the pigmen spawns more likely, so overworld farms are usually made up of lots of nether portals stacked together in some way, with a water drop system whereby the pigmen walk off the portal and get flowed to a common point, to be killed in some manner.
Mintutor now works in 1.13!
MrKite & Mc_Etlam ... I salute you!