Sections is a Space Engineers plugin, which allows for selecting part of a grid, then copying, cutting, deleting or blueprinting the blocks inside the selection box.
This is an implementation of a publicly announced Space Engineers 2 feature for the current version of the game. It is so useful, that I could not stand not implementing it. Sorry. :)
This is an implementation of a publicly announced Space Engineers 2 feature for the current version of the game. It is so useful, that I could not stand not implementing it. Sorry. :)
For support please join the SE Mods Discord.
Please consider supporting my work on Patreon or one time via PayPal.
Thank you and enjoy!
- Install Plugin Loader's Space Engineers Launcher
- Run the game
- In the new Plugins menu add the Sections plugin
- Apply and restart the game as requested
This plugin is designed for offline ship design. It works only in creative mode. It is availabel in survival mode only if the creative mode tools are enabled for the player.
Start your selection by pressing the NumPad 0 key. It is rebindable in the configuration, should you play on a keyboard without a numpad.
Follow the hints shown on the screen. You do not need to hold a block in hand
for the selection to work, actually it would just be in the way. I suggest pressing
0 to deselect anything held in hand to clear up your view.
The block distance from the character is the same as normal block placement in creative mode.
You can change the maximum distance of the aimed block by keeping any block at hand while
Sections is not active and using the Ctrl-MouseWheel to change the distance.
Adjust the selection box as needed:
- Block rotation keys: Grow the selection box. Hold down shift to shrink.
- R key: Resets the selection box to its initial size.
You are free to fly around while right-sizing the selection box. It is helpful, since you will likely need to check the other side or inside your ship as well.
The keys used here are different from the ones seen in the SE2 reveal video in order to allow for flying around while resizing the selection box.
Once the selection is good, you can do these operations on the selected blocks:
- Left mouse button: Copy the section to the clipboard, so it can be pasted elsewhere.
- Right mouse button: Cut the section (copy, then delete), so it can be moved elsewhere.
- Backspace key: Delete the blocks in the section. It may result in a grid split, so careful.
- Enter key: Make a blueprint out of the blocks inside the section. They will be stored locally in the
Sectionsblueprint folder. You can name the blueprint on saving and confirm a possible overwrite.
By default, only the blocks fully enclosed in the selection box are operated on.
You can hold down the Ctrl key while using the above section operations to include the blocks intersecting the surface of the selection box without being fully contained.
Any subgrids which would be orphaned if the selected blocks would be deleted are copied together with the section. This allows for cutting out custom PDCs and other mechanical constructs using subgrids without disconnecting the mechanical bases from their tops, so they can also be pasted back into the same grid.
Notice how the custom PDCs were cut out together with their base:
The same applies to saving to a section blueprint:
Pasted the blueprint into clear space. As you can see both PDCs are preserved:
Please note, that the selection box must cover only the mechanical base or top blocks connecting the subgrids. The selection box does not have to cover the subgrids themselves, because the selection applies only to blocks on the same grid as the first selected block.
Any subgraph of subgrids are also copied the same way, as long as they lose all mechanical connections to the main grid which was selected. It ensures that no subgrid is lost. It should work in any combination of mechanical connections, including reverse order ones (which cannot be built directly in the game, only "towed" together) and multiple connections between the same pair of subgrids (like double hinged PDCs or doors).
References between blocks via toolbars, drop-down block selectors or block lists would be lost if part of the grid is cut or copied via a section blueprint. To avoid this from happening the Sections plugin implements a mechanism to store all such block references and restore them relationships when grids are pasted back onto each other. For example slicing a ship and merging the pieces back together should not break functionality.
The following blocks refer to other blocks:
- Any block with a toolbar (
Cockpit,Sensor,AI Defensive, etc.) Remote Controlassigned cameraEvent Controllerselected blocksTurret Controllerazimuth and elevation rotors, camera and bound tool blocksAI Offensiveblock weapons listAI Recorderblock waypoint toolbars
For each terminal block the Sections plugin saves the following into a new entry in ModStorage:
- GUID of the block itself
- GUIDs of each block referenced
This data is saved right before the Sections plugin operates on a grid.
You can see the data stored by using the Block Reference Data button on the block's terminal.
For example the toolbar slots of a Cockpit saved like this:
This information is copied with the grid, saved with the world and blueprints. This information is then used to restore any missing block references whenever the grids with such data stored are pasted onto each other. These are typically ship "slices" produced by this plugin.
Should you need it, this information can be cleared from the grid. Activate the Sections
plugin (NumPad 0), face a grid and press the - (minus) key to initiate the clearing of
this data. Please note that these keys are remappable. This operation has a confirmation
dialog which cannot be turned off. The clearing affects only the faced grid and all of
its subgrids.
You can paste your saved sections efficiently using the existing blueprint functionality.
Configure the Blueprints dialog (F10) this way:
- Select only the Home source for blueprints, so it lists only local files
- Open the
Sectionsfolder: Click on the folder icon above the search box, then double-click onSections
This way you can press F10 and quick search immediately in the saved sections.
The Sections folder will be created automatically when you save your first section.
The sections are saved with the grid names, plus numbering to avoid overwriting. The numbering works exactly the same way as saving blueprints with Ctrl-B.
The sections have thumbnails generated from a screenshot taken when the section
is saved. Position your character to have a good view before saving the section,
if possible. If not, then you can make a new screenshot in the Blueprints dialog.
The vanilla game sets the drag point of pasted blueprints to the center of their bounding sphere. Not to mention, this is very suboptimal for sections, because it works well only if you try to align a block near the center of the blueprint.
For example, let's consider this corner girder section.
Notice the blue cube at the far corner, that's the origin block faced while making the blueprint.
That's why it is at the dead center of the blueprint's thumbnail:
If you're trying to paste it on top of the other corner in the vanilla game,
then it is impossible to align properly:
With the fix implemented in this plugin you can just face where the origin block should go:
Certainly you have to make sure first, that the rotation is right, but that's already second nature...
Holding Alt disables the placement test while pasting. It is very useful if there is a subgrid in the way and while you know for sure it will not collide the game does not agree with you.
It happens with some tight designs. For example if a small block torpedo is inside a tube of
large block sliding doors:
Let's cut out the PDC block and the torpedo tubes, so there is easy access to the torpedo welders:
When you attempt to paste the block back the game shows a red placement box, indicating a collision:
Hold down Alt in this state. It will show a warning message to remind you and the placement box will turn green, so the block can be pasted.
Use this feature with great care! Always make sure that no actual collision will happen, otherwise you will likely trigger Clang.
Press Ctrl-Alt-/ while in-game and not in the GUI. It will open the list of
configurable plugins. Select Sections from the list to configure this plugin.
Alternatively you can open the settings by double-clicking on this plugin in the Plugins
dialog of Plugin Loader, then clicking Settings in the dialog opened.
The configuration can be changed anytime without having to restart the game.
- No support for symmetry mode. This is planned for version 1.4.0.
- Pasting sections with disconnected blocks works as expected, but may result in "floating" blocks. This is normal and by design to allow for some building tricks. Play with it!
- This plugin is largely untested in survival (only with creative mode tools enabled) and is disabled in multiplayer (even if you're an admin). It should work if you're playing on the server of a "Friends" multiplayer game, but this mode has not been tested yet.
Should you have any issues using this plugin, then please either submit a ticket here
on GitHub or report the issue in the #bug-reports channel of the SE Mods Discord.
Space Engineers and Space Engineers 2 are trademarks of Keen Software House s.r.o.
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This is the ship used in some documentation screenshots and demo videos: IMDC Honorius DDS Warship
- Klime: How to disable the clipboard placement test (
BuildFreedomplugin) - Pas2704: Mod storage data component registration code
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