Space Engineers

How to Paint in Space Engineers

Posted on Aug 21, 2023 by justin

Perhaps you’re looking into adding some spice to the blocks in Space Engineers. Coloring those assets can be a great way to personalize them. So, continue reading to learn how to paint in Space Engineers and bring color to what might otherwise be a black-and-white (and gray) world.

How to Paint in Space Engineers

You can use the Space Engineers paint mechanic to color different blocks, including thrusters and refineries. Start by entering Block Placement Mode by selecting any block you want to place into the world. Alternatively, you can press CTRL+G while sitting in your ship’s cockpit to access this mode. Next, select a block you want to place and press “P” (by default) on your keyboard to access the Color Picker. Here, you can choose from various colors and textures for your block. If you’re unsatisfied with the default color set, altering the sliders can modify their hue, saturation, and vibrancy. Alternatively, you can enter the color’s specific Hex code into the designated field if you know it. Tip: Use the “[“ and “]” keys to cycle through the color choices quickly. While in Block Placement Mode, highlight the block you want to paint. Then, click on it using the middle mouse button (by default) to paint that side. Alternatively, you can hold CTRL while holding the middle mouse button to color a 3x3-block area or SHIFT to paint a 5x5-block area. You can also press CTRL+SHIFT+middle mouse button to paint an entire grid. Tip: Press SHIFT+P on a side to copy the color of a block and place it on another block.

Texture Packs

As mentioned earlier, you can paint in Space Engineers using textures instead of solid colors. Note that vanilla Space Engineers already has preset textures you can use on blocks. But you can also download and use textures from paid DLCs and mods. Below are some texture choices to select to paint in Space Engineers: