Construction

Construction, or building, is one of the most accessible mechanics. It allows you to create walls, furniture, makeshift weapons and machines, all via a few clicks of some buttons and the needed materials. There are arguably three types of construction; structures/furniture, items and grids/floors. The former two using the build menu, while the latter just takes items in your inventory.

Build Menu

The in-game build menu

• The first thing you want to familiarize yourself with is the build menu, opened by pressing G or clicking the hammer icon in the top left.
• On the left you should see a list of objects and items, when you click on these the right side should change to match the item you clicked on.
• Above the left side there is a search bar to sift through all the many things you can make.
• The right side shows the materials you need and steps you need to follow to actually construct the object.
• On the bottom right side there should be a "Place construction ghost" button, this is what you use to choose the location you want to build something. Right click to cancel this action
• The "Eraser Mode" is what you use to remove unwanted construction ghosts
• "Clear All" removes ALL of your construction ghosts

Build Structures and Furniture

To build a machine or furniture via the Build menu:

• you need its required materials around you
• click the construct button in the #Build Menu
• locate the desired item (note that for many machines, you'll need to start with a Machine Frame and have the associated Circuit Board).
• click 'Place Construction Ghost'
• click the desired location of the machine
• ensure you now see a green 'ghost' of the machine at the desired location.
• close the Build menu
• right click to exit the Construction mode
• examine the construction ghost to determine what items it needs
• place the required item(s) in your hand and click on the construction ghost

For example, if it were a basic wall you would place 2 steel on the construction ghost to build it.

Craft Items

To make an item via the Build menu:

• you need its required materials around you
• click the construct button in the #Build Menu
• locate the desired item
• click Craft

Grids and floors

Now making new grids or extending an already made one just takes a bit of know how. If you wish to expand an already existing one take some Metal Rods and click on an empty space right next to a floor; this should create a tile called lattice. A lattice is full of holes and will not function as a proper floor. To install proper flooring you place down a steel sheet on the lattice to make a tile called steel plating. You can then optionally get some floor tiles and place them down on top of the plating.

Making new grids

If you click with Metal Rods on any space tile that is not adjacent to a floor tile it will create a new grid which will not be attached to any others, this is how people make shuttles.

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is the act of taking apart an object down to its raw components. For example taking a chair and reverting it back into a steel sheet. Deconstruction often causes a loss of value. Note that a lot of objects can be simply pulled out of the way rather than deconstructed. Some objects will first need to be unanchored with a wrench in order to be pulled.

To find deconstruction instructions, right-click the object to bring up the drop-down menu and click ‘Begin Deconstruction’. Afterwards, every time you examine the object, it will tell you your next step. Most objects will require Station Engineer tools to deconstruct. If a Welding Tool is required, be sure to first wear a Welding Mask. Deconstruction of some items is not as intuitive. For example, deconstruction of plating (floor) or lattice (requires wirecutters).

Constructable items

This is not an exhaustive list and is mainly for wiki searchability as it's not always obvious how objects are sourced. All of these objects are sourced via the Construction menu.:

Name	Description	Required Items	Required Tool(s)
air alarm		2 steel, 2 lv cable, air alarm electronics	screwdriver
air injector	Injects air into the atmosphere	2 steel
air scrubber	Sucks gas into connected pipes	2 steel
air sensor	Senses air	2 steel	welder
air vent	Pumps gas into the room	2 steel
airlock	It opens and closes. Air cannot pass but mice can?!	4 steel, 5x lv cable, door electronics circuit board	screwdriver
APC	Area Power Controller (APC). Controls power in an area	3 steel, APC electronics
bar stool	A seat commonly found at the bar	1 steel
baseball bat	A wooden weapon	5 wood plank
bed	Used to lie in, sleep in or be strapped into. Resting on this provides extremely slow healing	2 steel, 2 cloth
blindfold	Can be work to cause temporary blindness	3 cloth
blunt	A smokeable object for entertainment	1 dried tobacco leaves, 1 ground cannabis
cable terminal	Input for devices such as the SMES. Red cables must face this.	10x lv cable
camera	Surveillance device	2 steel, 1 lv cable	screwdriver
catwalk	A fancy lattice	2 rods
chair	A steel seat	1 steel
cigarette	A roll of tobacco and nicotine that can be smoked	1 rolling paper, 1 cigarette filter, 1 ground tobacco
cleanbot	A robot that wanders around the station mopping up any puddles it sees	bucket, proximity sensor, borg arm
comfy chair	A comfy steel seat	5 steel
computer	A computer frame that can be configured with a computer circuitboard	5 steel, computer circuit board,5 lv cable, 2 glass	screwdriver
connector port	Can connect portable devices related to atmospherics control	2 steel
conveyor belt	Can be used to transport items in one direction and can connect to other conveyor belts	conveyor belt assembly
crude spear	A weapon	2 rods, 2 lv cable, glass shard
dark office chair	A steel seat	2 steel
dark tile	Four dark station floor tiles	1 steel
directional plasma window	Clear, tinted window that is tougher than glass	1 plasma glass
directional reinforced plasma window	Clear, fire-resistant, tinted window that is tougher than glass	1 reinforced plasma glass
directional reinforced window	Clear window that is tougher than glass	1 reinforced glass
directional window	Clear window	1 glass
disposal bend	A disposal pipe bent at a 90 degree angle	2 steel
disposal junction	A disposal three-way junction pipe. The arrow indicates where trash will exit	2 steel
disposal pipe	A disposal pipe used for constructing disposal systems	2 steel
disposal router	A disposal three-way router. Trash with a certain name get routed to the side.	2 steel
disposal tagger		2 steel
disposal trunk		2 steel
disposal unit		1 steel, 2 lv cable, 2 plastic, 1 steel	screwdriver
disposal Y junction		2 steel
dog bed		10 wood plank
dual-port air vent		2 steel
durathread		1 cloth, 1 plastic
fire alarm		2 steel, 2 lv cable, fire alarm electronics	screwdriver
firelock		3 steel, 2 lv cable, firelock electronics	screwdriver
flower crown		flower
folding chair		1 plastic, 2 rods
gas filter		2 steel
gas mixer		2 steel
gas pipe bend		2 steel
gas pipe fourway		2 steel
gas pipe half		2 steel
gas pipe straight		2 steel
gas pipe T junction		2 steel
gas pump		2 steel
gauze		2 cloth
girder		2 steel
glass firelock		3 steel, 2 lv cable, firelock electronics, 2 glass	screwdriver
glass table		2 rods, 1 glass
gold door		20 gold
gold wall		2 steel, 2 gold	welder
grille		2 rods
ground cannabis		2 dried cannabis leaves
ground light post		5 steel
ground tobacco		2 dried tobacco leaves
honkbot		box of hugs, clowns rubber stamp, bike horn, proximity sensor, borg arm
improvised pneumatic cannon		pipe, cuffs, 6 steel
joint		1 rolling paper, 1 cigarette filter, 1 ground cannabis
light switch		1 steel
livestock crate		5 wood plank
machine frame		5 steel, 1 lv cable, any machine board	screwdriver
mailing unit		1 steel, 2 lv cable, 2 plastic, mailing unit electronics, 1 steel	screwdriver
makeshift bola		Cuffs, 6 steel
makeshift handcuffs		15 lv cable
makeshift shield		15 lv cable, 30 steel
manual valve		2 steel
meat spike		15 steel
medibot		medkit, health analyzer, proximity sensor, borg arm
medical bed		2 plasteel, 2 durathread
metal counter		2 steel
metal door		20 steel
metal rod		1 steel
modular grenade		5 steel, 1 lv cable, any trigger, any payload
modular mine		5 steel, 1 lv cable, proximity sensor, any payload
muzzle		2 steel, 3 cloth
office chair		2 steel
paper door		20 paper
passive gate		2 steel
passive vent		2 steel
plasma door		20 Salvagingplasma
plasma glass		1 glass, 1 Salvagingplasma
plasma glass table		2 rods, 1 plasma glass
plasma wall		2 steel, 2 Salvagingplasma	welder
plasma window		2 plasma glass
plasma crate		5 plastic
plastic flaps		5 plastic
plastic wall		2 steel
pneumatic valve		2 steel
poker table		1 wood plank, 1 cloth
rack		2 steel
railing		1 rods
railing corner		2 rods
railing corner small		1 rods
reinforced girder		2 steel, 2 plasteel
reinforced glass		1 glass, 1 rods
reinforced glass table		2 rods, 1 reinforced glass
reinforced plasma glass		1 glass, 1 plasma, 1 rods
reinforced plasma window		2 reinforced plasma glass
reinforced steel table		2 rods, 1 plasteel
reinforced wall		2 steel, 4 plasteel
reinforced window		2 reinforced glass
ritual chair		2 wood plank
secure window		Screwdriver|
shutter		Screwdriver, Wrench|
shuttle airlock		Wrench, Welder, Screwdriver|
signal button		1 steel
signal switch		1 steel
silver door		20 silver
silver wall		Welder|
small wall light		1 steel
solar assembly		Wrench|
steel crate		5 steel
steel table		2 rods, 1 steel
steel tile		1 steel
stool		1 steel
telescreen		Screwdriver|
tinted window		2 reinforced glass
toilet		5 steel
torch		2 wooden plank
two-way lever
uranium wall
volumetric gas pump
wall
wall light
wallmount APU
wallmount generator
wallmount substation
white tile
windoor
window
wood counter
wood floor
wood table
wood wall
wooden barricade
wooden buckler
wooden chair
wooden door

Troubleshooting

IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE WITH COMPLETING A CONSTRUCTION GHOST: Make sure you aren’t still in ‘place construction ghost’ mode. If you are, the bar in your crafting menu will be green. Press Escape or right click to exit the mode after which you can start construction.