❓ FAQ

Every now and then I notice the same questions on different forums, subreddits and Discords regarding these tools, so in an attempt to inform and consolidate information I’ve curated this FAQ!

What does “Blender building” actually mean?

Firstly - to address a common misconception - it does NOT let you import custom models into the game.

Using the Blender add-on or the Building App allows you to build vanilla bases and corvettes as if using a typical 3D application. You can translate, rotate, and scale any part to any location. It uses a save editor tool to pass the data between the game and the tools, how to do this is described in the other sections of these guides.

It uses the exact same base parts you use in game. From a data point of view - bases and corvettes built this way are exactly the same as ones built entirely in-game, therefore anyone in the game can see your creations - no mods needed!

What’s the difference between the Base Building App versus Blender? What should I use?

Historically, despite the fact Blender has it’s own learning curve, the set up process for the Blender add-on was cumbersome and prone to error, so I created the app to simplify this and make it accessible to those who find Blender a bit daunting. The app is designed to be as quick as possible to load a base/corvette and give you the tools tailored specifically for No Mans Sky.

The Blender add-on was developed before the app, and comes with all the established benefits of using a robust 3D application. It generally can be better for power users, but some users don’t like this complexity and is more prone to break.

Both methods are supported and updated.

Some users will say one is better than the other, but honestly there’s no right or wrong answer - just use whatever is comfortable to you! You might even find yourself using both!

Isn’t this cheating? Why doesn’t Hello Games ban “Blender builds”?

If it was cheating, I think Hello Games would have found a way to stop this by now.

I cant really know what they are thinking, but these tools have been around for the majority of the games life span, and has had multiple public mentions directly from Sean himself and other team members of Hello Games. The Anomaly has also featured bases built with these tools on multiple occasions and they included my very early Iron Giant build in their ByteBeat trailer. I have always seen this as a minor form of endorsement for these tools until they decide otherwise.

I’ve exported my base, but it looks different in game to how it looks in Blender!

90% of the time this is because you have used the modifier tools that Blender provide. Mirroring, array, etc.

These tools disrupt the transformation data (those X,Y,Z values) for base parts which is important for the game to recognise. It’s best not to use these tools and find other transform friendly ways of manipulating things.

To get things more stable again in Blender you can do an import directly after doing an export. However you will probably need to do some fixups after this.

Using the Base Building App doesn’t suffer from this problem.

How can I support you?

Occasionally some folks want to show their support - so thanks for asking! I have a page dedicated to ways you can direct your support.

If it’s not financially - just spread the word and share your screenshots on Discord and elsewhere online!