Defense & Offense  Decoy,  Gatling Gun,  Gatling Turret,  Interior Turret,  Rocket Turret,  Reloadable Rocket Launcher,  Rocket Launcher,  Artillery,  Autocannon,  Artillery Turret,  Autocannon Turret,  Railgun,  Assault Cannon,  Assault Cannon Turret,  Target Dummy,  Warhead,  Explosive Barrel

Armor  Heavy Armor Block,  Heavy Armor Corner,  Heavy Armor Inv Corner,  Heavy Armor Slope,  Light Armor Block,  Light Armor Corner,  Light Armor Inv Corner,  Light Armor Slope,  Armor Panel,  Blast Door,  Blast Door Corner,  Blast Door Edge,  Cylindrical Column

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Projected blocks that don't touch solid blocks are called unsupported. Unsupported projections cannot be welded because they are hanging in "mid air" and would fall down or drift away. You can weld only supported blocks, which then provide support for their neighbouring blocks, which makes them buildable, and so on. Fully or partially welded blocks of the projection count as supported, solid blocks, as do any blocks of the grid the projector is on. To be able to see what the game considers supported, use the Show Only Buildable setting described in this article.

Storage  Large Cargo Container,  Medium Cargo Container,  Small Cargo Container,  Oxygen Tank,  Hydrogen Tank,  Store,  Contracts Block

If you designed the blueprinted grid in zero gravity, it's possible that the projection ends up upside down when loaded into the projector.

If the cockpit is among the first blocks welded up, referenced projected blocks that have not been built yet can appear as a "broken" symbol. If this happens to you, build the cockpit last (rotate the projection).

Subgrids are not supported in Projectors. If the blueprint contains subgrids, only the largest grid is projected. It does this because it assumes that the largest grid is the vehicle, and the subgrids are "just wheels" that can be easily added later...

Communication  Antenna,  Beacon,  Round Beacon, ( Top Mounted)  Camera,  Laser Antenna,  LCD Panel,  Corner LCD,  Text Panel,  Wide LCD Panel,  Transparent LCD,  Sci-Fi LCD Panel,  Holo LCD,  Inset LCD Panel,  Sloped LCD Panel,  Curved LCD Panel,  Ore Detector,  Sound Block

Advantages are that it's fast and efficient. Disadvantages are that 3D printers are large and expensive and need to be custom built.

The toolbar of a ship can have Control groups defined and block actions assigned that reference blocks on the same or connected grids. When you blueprint the ship, the groups and toolbar settings are stored and also exist in the projection. But for mass-produced fleets and PBWs, the safest method is to use Timers instead of groups.

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A welder pit is an array of Welder Blocks. Either you move the projection into the welders’ area of affect, or you move the welders over the projection.

Tip: If the ability to project multigrids is important to you, join this forum conversation: Topic: multigrid support for projectors. In the meantime, check out available mods such as Viktor's Multigrid Projector mod.

Groups are recreated from the blueprint correctly, but there's the issue that group names are not unique. If you have built several ships from the same blueprint, and the ships are docked (using Merge blocks or Connectors) to the same station, group actions on one ship trigger the docked sister ships' blocks as well! Which can be dangerous if you inadvertently toggle refuelling or recharging off.

In order to unlock this block in survival you need to unlock the light progression tree, which can be done by grinding (just under functional) and welding an interior light on the drop pod.

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If you maintain a fleet of drones, or fighters, or PBWs from the same blueprint, the safest method is to use Timers to manage unique groups of actions.

Tip: If you are willing to use scripts, ProjectorInfo is an immersive LCD script that shows how many blocks have been welded.

Walls, Floors & Stairs  Beam,  Interior Pillar,  Interior Wall,  Passage/ (2)/ (3),  Willis Ducts,  Willis Duct Grate,  Scaffold Block,  Scaffold Block Ladder,  Walkable Scaffold Block,  Ladder,  Ramp,  Stairs,  Steel Catwalk,  Grated Stairs,  Grated Catwalk,  Half Grated Catwalk,  Railing,  Full Cover Wall,  Half Cover Wall,  Embrasure,  Fire Cover,  Pipeworks

If an asymmetrical Pivot is hampering your production, you need to move the Grid Pivot before blueprinting; see Grid_Pivot for how to do that.

In this article, we use "grid" as short word to mean space ships, rovers, space stations, Mechas -- anything you can build.

Automation  Sensor,  Timer Block,  Programmable Block,  Event Controller,  Emotion Controller,  AI Basic,  AI Flight,  AI Defensive,  AI Offensive,  AI Recorder

On large ships, pair the self-projector up with internal self-Welders with conveyor access. Strategically place these welders so they automatically repair the most important ship parts in a battle (at least until you run out of components).

Also, think of community members downloading your blueprint from the workshop, each of them will have to align the projection to their 3D printer as well.

In survival games, you cannot simply copy and paste grids for free. But making blueprints, projecting, and welding them up, is a legitimate in-game equivalent to copy&pasting grids. You still spend the materials and welding time as expected in a survival game.

Power  Battery,  Small Battery,  Large Reactor,  Small Reactor,  Solar Panel,  Colorable Solar Panel,  Hydrogen Engine,  Wind Turbine,  Twin-Blade Wind Turbine

Windows  Diagonal Window,  Vertical Window,  Window 1x1 Face,  Window 1x1 Flat,  Window 1x1 Flat Inv,  Window 1x1 Inv,  Window 1x1 Side,  Window 1x1 Slope,  Window 1x2 Face,  Window 1x2 Flat,  Window 1x2 Flat Inv,  Window 1x2 Inv,  Window 1x2 Side Left,  Window 1x2 Side Right,  Window 1x2 Slope,  Window 2x3 Flat,  Window 2x3 Flat Inv,  Window 3x3 Flat,  Window 3x3 Flat Inv,  Half Window,  Barred Window,  Viewport,  Round Window

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Decorations  Symbols,  Warning Signs,  Neon Tubes,  Holo LCD,  Freight,  Barrel,  Heat Vent,  Exhaust Pipe,  Engineer Plushie,  Saberoid Plushie,  Access Panel,  Conveyor Cap,  Dead Engineer,  Weapon Rack,  Anniversary Statue,  Firework Launcher,  1x1 Wheel,  2x2 Wheel,  3x3 Wheel,  5x5 Wheel

Mobility  Gyroscope,  Atmospheric Thruster,  Ion Thruster,  Hydrogen Thruster,  Parachute Hatch,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 1x1,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 2x2,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 3x3,  (Short)  Wheel Suspension 5x5,  Offroad Wheels

If you use Subgrids for any constructions that are more complex than a wheel, the grid projection will be incomplete. The subgrids won't be projected --and hence unweldable. There are two solutions for this:

Welding a projection uses up the same amount of materials than welding up manually placed blocks. You can use handheld welders or faster block welders.

A large projector projects large grids only; a small projector projects small grids only; a large projector on a station projects station grids only. Related tips: If you ever need to attach a small subgrid to a large main grid, see Rotor for a workaround; if you ever need to convert a projected grid from station to mobile, see Info Screen.

Mining & Manufacturing  Basic Refinery,  Refinery,  Basic Assembler,  Assembler,  Drill,  Grinder Block,  Welder Block,  Projector,  O2/H2 Generator,  Oxygen Farm,  Yield Module,  Power Efficiency Module,  Speed Module

The easiest way to ensure that your projection has supported --and hence buildable-- blocks, is to build a temporary row of cheap unwelded blocks (e.g. light armour blocks) from the projector's grid to any ghost block of the projection. If the blueprint contains docking blocks, positioning the projection's Merge Block / Connector over a Merge Block / Connector on the projector's grid also makes them count as supported blocks.

To improve performance, after you're done, click Remove to unload the blueprint, and switch off the projector while you're not using it.

Build a projector on a ship and project its own blueprint onto itself. This makes it easy to weld it back up where it was damaged!

A ship with a built-in projector that projects its own blueprint onto itself flies into a welder wall for repairs (2014)

Inventory Management  Connector,  Small Connector/Ejector,  Collector,  Conveyor Junction,  Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Curved Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Conveyor Tube T Junction  (Reinforced),  Conveyor Sorter;  Small Conveyor,  Small Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Small Curved Conveyor Tube  (Reinforced),  Small Conveyor Tube T Junction  (Reinforced),  Small Conveyor Sorter;  Conveyor Frame,  Conveyor Converter

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While welding a blueprint, open the Projector's control panel, and look in the bottom right. A scrolling info panel shows build progress expressed in "blocks built / blocks total" format. It also lists the exact blocks remaining to be built, which is helpful to verify whether it's complete. If you see that, for example, a gyroscope or reactor are reported missing, you must find them and weld them up before cutting the grid loose.

Life Support  Medical Room,  Corner Medical Room,  Survival Kit,  Cryo Chamber,  Inset Cryo Room,  Oxygen Farm,  Interior Light,  Offset Light,  Spotlight,  Offset Spotlight,  Inset Light,  Air Vent ( Full),  Air Vent Fan ( Full)

For optimal mass production, the projection must be positioned well right away relative to the Welder Wall or 3D Printer, requiring the least amount of manual adjustments.

Tip: It can be beneficial to make your HUD transparent in the Options so you can see the big picture better. Or sit in a control seat on the projector grid.

Furniture  Bed,  Half Bed ( Open),  Inset Bed,  Console Block,  Desk,  Desk Corner,  Jukebox,  Kitchen,  Inset Kitchen,  Lab Equipment,  Lockers,  Armory,  Armory Locker,  Cargo Crate,  Light Panel,  Inset Bookshelf,  Inset Couch,  Inset Aquarium,  Inset Entertainment Corner, ( Corner)  Couch,  Bathroom,  Toilet,  Shower,  Planters,  Storage Shelf,  Sci-Fi Bar Counter,  Sci-Fi Bar Counter Corner

A custom 3D Printer setup quickly builds replaceable mobile grids for you: fighter squadrons, drones, Player Built Weapons and missiles, portable turret emplacements, etc.

Welding by hand may be more precise, but is limited by the player's small inventory size. Using a handheld welder is very slow compared to a conveyored Welder Block, which also has a much wider area of effect.

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The point around which the projection rotates when you fine-tune the position is called Grid Pivot. By default, the Grid Pivot of the blueprint will be positioned on top of the projector when you load the blueprint.

Mechanical Blocks & Gravity Control  Advanced Rotor,  Rotor,  Piston,  Hinge,  Landing Gear,  Magnetic Plate,  Merge Block,  Artificial Mass,  Gravity Generator,  Spherical Gravity Generator,  Safe Zone

Cockpits & Control  Cockpit,  Fighter Cockpit,  Control Station,  Flight Seat,  Helm,  Saddle Cockpit,  Saddle Cockpit Compact,  Cab Cockpit,  Buggy Cockpit,  Rover Cockpit,  Passenger Seat,  Control Panel,  Control Panel Pedestal,  Vertical Button Panel,  Sci-Fi One-Button Terminal,  Sci-Fi Four-Button Panel,  Sci-Fi Control Panel, ( Inset)  Button Panel,  Button Panel Pedestal,  Remote Control,  Custom Turret Controller

The Projector is a block that makes a grid's blueprint visible and weldable in the world. Welding up the projection lets players build grids quickly, so they do not have to place blocks manually from memory. It was introduced in Version/01.058.