Minecraft Building Tips: Architectural Design and Aesthetics

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This past Saturday we had a great turn out for the Weekly Workshop, and we even managed to get a few of you in TeamSpeak. Thanks to all who joined in, hope you learned some awesome new things!

Today we'll be going over some tips and tricks we learned on Saturday to help give that build of yours some extra pizzazz.

Do Your Research!

In order for your build to fit the era you're going for, you will want to do some research. Go to Google and start looking for architectural designs that you find intriguing. Remember, things that work as a design have most likely been done before in real life! From there you should be able to choose which theme/era you are aiming for with your Minecraft build. Take several notes, save pictures, and do your homework!

When doing your research, you may notice that more advanced builds are never square in shape. Square buildings have a tendency to give off a less appealing look to them because they are too "simple."

You want to have as much interest in your design as possible, but never go overboard—especially if you are working with patterns!

Setup

Before beginning your new build, you will always need to make sure you know exactly what you want your build look like realized. To do this, Andrewed and Leinad first set up a bunch of different designs to choose from. Andrewed then chose the best design to suit his needs, and started building with that set design.

Gathering information, designs, and terraforming to prepare for your build should take the longest out of the entire process. After you're done with your research and setup, building the actual project should be very simple!

This image shows Andrewed and Leinad's wall/pillar designs they were working with. There were 11 designs in total, so keep in mind, it may take a while for you to figure out which design you like the best!

For every project Andrewed does, he spends hours terraforming and setting up the area for his design. He uses red wool to mark where the wall will sit, and blue wool to mark where the towers will be placed.

Putting Your Design Together, Block by Block

Andrewed decided to go with the Brick and Cobblestone design he made.

Taking the design shown above, he created a sort of palace, and it really turned out great!

Tips

• When deciding what your build will be made out of, use materials that compliment each other in both color and texture.
• When creating an outside environment around your build, work with the design you started with and try to incorporate that into the fountains, pathways and landscape.
• Don't devalue exterior terrain, use the terrain to your advantage. See Leinad0716's post HERE for some extra tips.
• Simple designs will take your build a lot further than complex designs. Don't go overboard if you're a beginner, especially when working with patterns!

The new Weekly Workshop will be be announced on Wednesday, so be sure to check back! If you have a suggestion for this week's Workshop, leave a comment below. We'd love to hear your ideas!

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