This is a very difficult thing, as ultimately, creativity is all down to the communication of various neurotransmitters in the front and back of your brain.
Creativity is also subjective. Everybody has a different brain and if you are totally incapable of creating original builds, it might be best for you to try out another development skill (scripting etc) as you might find that your brain is wired to be more creative in logical or methodical patterns - you are always going to be amazing at something!
With that being said, I want to comfort you with the idea that ‘brain fog’ and ‘writers block’ are EXTREMELY common, even the best builders sometimes fly around in studio for an hour or two and have no idea - sometimes I’ve even rage quit over this - so don’t get too anxious about it!
I build most of my things and design all of my terrain free-hand. Building is like drawing, the only skill is being able to put the idea that’s in your head into parts. So all I can do is list my thought process:
This process all starts with the MAP I am building. This is the most IMPORTANT part. (In my opinion)
- Create a scene in your head, what is the map? (I’m going to make a sci-fi city!)
- Find concept art relating to this. Do NOT use google images, find something else, I know a lot of people will disagree but stuff like Pinterest is just WAY better. More concept art = better.
- Start to make a basis for your map. Create the roads, add in varying levels of height - you’ll thank yourself later for doing this. Based on the image above, I would make the raised promenade and then make the ramp. This means that even if you struggle to make a building, at least you made some progress.
- Make your FIRST structure BASED off of concept art.
- Notice how you didn’t totally copy the building you just made? You might’ve accidentally added an extra detail or two, maybe cut a few corners. Now you know you’re capable of being creative and finding your own way of making things.
- See what you like about the buildings, maybe merge a few of the ideas together and make a totally new building.
- The more you do this… the more you do this! Your brain will be automatically wired to produce ideas and images in your head. Now we get onto the hard part, which is actually visualising that and building it in studio. This is 90% of the skill of building and is gonna take you a year or two to master.
It is worth noting as well that giving your building a PURPOSE can really help. If I wanna make a storage depot, I can make the building more industrial and add pipes etc to add detail. If I wanna make a residential building, I can throw some planters and other stuff. Building is all about making things that look nice that cover up space to create a scene.
Also, props are your best friend. Sometimes buildings look sort of dull and maybe you didn’t put enough detail. Slap a few barrels or a street lamp in front and viola! It looks great.
Another thing worth noting is that building does require some PROBLEM SOLVING. This is a thing that often goes overlooked. You have to THINK about how to build stuff. If there’s an arch or curve, you need to find ways to create it with the tools ROBLOX has given us. This is why using blender as a builder is really overpowered.