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Overview
The building system in Starsand Island is one of the most flexible in the cozy sim genre. With nearly 1,000 decorative items, three distinct construction modes, eight paint textures, full terraforming, and no loading screens between interiors and exteriors, it gives players deep control over their island home.
Construction modes
Three modes are available, each suited to different tasks:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Free-view mode | Design from a top-down or angled perspective. Best for laying foundations, placing walls, and planning room layouts. Gives a clear overview of the entire structure. |
Character Perspective mode | Decorate interiors and exteriors from a third-person view. Best for placing furniture, hanging decorations, and fine-tuning object positions at eye level. |
Local View mode | A close-up mode for small spaces like fish tanks, display shelves, and detailed arrangements. Useful when precision matters. |
Paint textures
Eight paint textures are available for walls, floors, and surfaces:
Wood grain
Brick
Stone
Paint (gloss)
Paint (matte)
Paint (metallic)
Rough/micro cement
Ceramics
Each texture can be applied to individual surfaces, so a single room can mix brick walls with wood flooring and ceramic countertops.
Blueprint Library
The Blueprint Library lets you save and share building designs. A saved blueprint captures the structure, object placement, and decoration styles so you can rebuild an identical design elsewhere on your island, or share it with the community. In the upcoming multiplayer update, players will be able to trade blueprints directly.
Terraforming
The terrain editing tools allow players to raise and lower ground, create hills, dig lakes, lay roads, and reshape the island landscape. Terraforming works seamlessly alongside building. You can embed a house into a hillside or create a lakefront property from flat ground.
Seamless interiors
There are no loading screens between interiors and exteriors. Walk through a door and you are inside immediately. This makes decorating more intuitive since you can see how a room looks from outside, and NPCs can naturally walk in and out of buildings.
Item sources
Decorative items and furniture blueprints come from several sources:
Alex's Lex Woodworks, furniture blueprints and finished pieces
Zerine's General Store: the largest blueprint selection, open 24 hours
DLC packs European furniture, Chinese New Year items
Seasonal events event-exclusive decorations
Kickstarter rewards, exclusive furniture blueprints for backers
Tips
Use Free-view mode for structural work, then switch to Character Perspective for interior decoration.
Save your best designs to the Blueprint Library before making changes. It acts as an undo system for entire buildings.
Mix paint textures within a single room for visual variety. Brick accent walls behind wood paneling is a popular combination.
Terraforming before building prevents awkward floating foundations or buried walls.
Related articles
Crafting crafting furniture and building materials
Workbench upgrades unlocking advanced building items
Alex furniture shop owner at Lex Woodworks
DLC content additional furniture packs
Multiplayer co-op building and blueprint sharing
Character customization personalizing your character's home