Hello minecrafters, have you ever looked in astonishment at impossibly large and ever so detailed builds and wondered whether or not gods have actually build them? Maybe. But today I will bestow you with all the necessary knowledge to start creating your own wonders.

I'll try to make this tutorial as straight to the point as possible so you spend less time reading and more time building!

If you are new to WorldEdit, please read my Complete WorldEdit Guide, it'll help alot!

Section 1: Introduction/Preparation

S1.1 - Experience

Before embarking on a mega build one should already have a handful of experience with building regular structures like houses, gardens and other medium sized builds. Mega builds can become very tedious/seemingly impossible if you haven't already had experience with building .

S1.2 - Planning

Planning is a vital stage of creating mega builds, and there are many stages to planning.

1. Research: Go on google and find something you like, is it a castle? a church? whatever you feel like you want to create you must gather enough information so you know what your end product will look like. Even sketching your own ideas can work.
   
2. Style: When I say style I mean the blocks that will fit the colour and texture of the building in mind. For example sandstone for desert style builds and stonebrick for medieval style builds etc. Don't be afraid to experiment with different colour combinations and textures! My favourite is a combination of blocks are quartz, stonebrick and doubleslab. Along with some netherbrick to contrast the grey blocks.
   
3. Environment: Even though the big castle you plan to build may be impressive, the environment surrounding the build sets the theme for your build. I mean you wouldn't build a giant boat on a mountain or a stadium underwater.
   

S1.3 - Tools of Creation

Usually when one goes about creating a mega-build, you would have tools like World Edit or VoxelSniper to assist in the vicious cycle of placing blocks. Even though these aren't necessary it would make your life a lot easier knowing you didn't have to build the same lantern pole 126 times around the castle.

Section 2: Construction (Exterior)

S2.1 - Terra-forming

As the title implies, you would need to make the environment suit your needs for your mega creation so terraforming the land flat or uniform is usually a start. More advanced builds actually take advantage of the natural environment and build around the hills and crevices but that just means more time searching for the ideal location.

S2.2 - Stencilling (Probably one of the more frustrating steps)

This basically means measuring out every block of every corner and wall before you start building. One of the most frustrating situations is when your halfway through building and you discover that half the castle is off centre by one block. So to avoid the more annoying alternative of rebuilding it again, you should always measure out the build before you start, and make sure to check it twice.



Don't be afraid to build BIG, this is a mega build. 100x100 blocks is the average mega build size but aim bigger and go to 300x300 or if you have a couple months on your hands, 900x900.

S2.3 - Building the Shell

When building the walls, don't make them 1 block think and all the same block. The wall should pop out with detail and features like windows, floor splits or even just decorative patterns. Use multiple types of blocks that complement each other like the bricks, woods, or any combination that looks attractive.

Depth and detail is vital in a mega build, otherwise the build would look too flat or too chaotic. Balance is needed in a mega build. Finding this balance can only be learnt from experience.

TIP: Learn to add curves and curls into your builds, they make the build more interesting unique as it seemingly fights the square nature of Minecraft.

Also split your build into parts and try not to carry walls and windows from one part to another unless it is planned that way. An example of splitting a mega build into parts would be:

• Lower floor
  
• Upper floor
  
• Left Wing
  
• Right Wing
  
• Courtyard
  

S2.4 - Extensions

After the main parts are completed, you may feel like something's missing or there's a spot for an extra room. Adding extensions can make the mega-build more detailed and intricate but be careful when attaching extensions because it may look out of place or just not meant to be there if done incorrectly.
Always use the same building materials but don't make the walls exactly the same.

Section 3: Construction (Interior)

S3.1 - Defining Rooms and Stairs
Typically in large mega builds there would be a large centre area or hallway where rooms are accessible. Stairs are vital in mega builds as there are almost always more than a single floor in mega builds.

Room walls should follow the same rule as exterior walls. They shouldn't be all flat and have different materials to make them pop out. Rooms also shouldn't be 3 or 4 blocks tall, its a mega build and there should be plenty of headroom for every room.


TIP: When building stairs, add curves and railings to them as it gives them more of an intricate feel and makes them blend with the build rather than just an extension to access other levels.

S3.2 - Decorations
Decorations like plants or fountains should be used inside all mega builds to add more detail inside. However overuse or under use will again result in a very bland or chaotic environment.

S3.3 - Lighting
A pitch black interior isn't pretty but torches everywhere isn't either. Creating decorative ways to effectively light up your build is very important and can be achieved using things like lava, redstone lamps or torch holders (like cobble wall and a torch on top)

Section 4: The Environment

This is a pretty straight forward section. Hills, lakes and trees basically set the theme for your build. Many good builds actually make their own special trees to fit their specific theme.

Hills and lakes can be created very easily with world edit but trees would need to be manually made unless you use the default ones.

TIP: When making an environment refer to pictures from Google so you get an idea of how to recreate it in Minecraft. For example seeing too many spruce trees in a plains biome would be weird.

EXTRA KNOWLEDGE!

• Mega builds usually take a lot of time to complete, and therefore you should team up with a few buddies or join a team. It may seem tedious and not worth it when you begin but once you get going the more motivated you get!
  

• Also when embarking on a mega-build, don't build the entire thing at once! Dedicate certain days to certain sections of the build otherwise you may get overwhelmed and give up really quickly.
  
• If you want to share your amazing build on PMC or any other site, be sure to use MCEdit to export Schematics. Schematics are like portable build files and can be imported into servers via console/worldedit.
  
• Arcs and curved patterns are harder to make in minecraft but much more impressive that regular straight edged patterns. The quicker you can master how to create curves in minecraft, the more amazing your build would be.
  
• Make your walls pop out by adding support columns and indenting them to hold torch holders. This makes lighting walls easier and the wall would be naturally thicker and more detailed.
  

_____________________________________



If I missed anything please feel free to leave a comment and I'll be sure to add it to the guide.