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 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
 * 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
 * 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 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.:

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.