Blueprint from Helmod (In Development)

This is not a finished mod. It is a work-in-progress personal project, published for the author's own use and convenient access from different computers.

Create blueprints from your own Helmod plans. Press Ctrl+B to open the generator. Production machines, recipes, modules, qualities and configured beacon effects follow the selected plan. The plan is not automatically expanded with missing recipes.

Layout and logistics

Connected layouts route resources between production blocks and collect external inputs and final outputs on the selected sides.
Independent layouts keep separate blocks in a vertical list. Bus mode is currently unavailable.
Select researched belts, pipes, inserters and compatible loaders. Sufficient inserters are retained; selected bottleneck policies handle supported insufficient operations.
Optional DisplayPlatesForked signs label external inputs. Optional container distribution uses compatible loaders; strict equal free-output division is not guaranteed.
Quality-aware flows, checked beacon cells and experimental Fluid Must Flow adapters are supported with the limitations below.

Version 1.4.100

Eligible pairs of assemblers can share one configured beacon. Coverage follows the selected beacon prototype and quality, including the compact and wide Space Exploration variants. In a two-assembler test across five beacon prototypes, the resulting block occupied 52–81% less bounding area. Output differed by at most two gears per game minute.

Version 1.4.99

Remove redundant final belts from single-machine templates and unnecessary top rows from eligible two-ingredient banks.
End ordinary paired collectors at the final unloading row. Preserve clearance required by 2x2 loader taps and lane-balancing geometry.
One connected test plan: 168x134 instead of 169x136 tiles, 6339 instead of 6399 entities, and 388 instead of 418 underground entities. Independent blocks: 66x424 instead of 66x435, 2693 instead of 2710 entities.
Routing work in this connected example increased by about 17% compared with 1.4.98. This update does not claim faster generation. Measurements are plan-specific.

Generation and verification

Generation runs incrementally and reports progress in chat. The interval is configurable: 10, 20, 30, 60 or 120 game seconds. Use /bfh-cancel to cancel. Results are delivered to the cursor or inventory when possible. Save/load continuation is supported; changes to generator version or relevant settings can require a new calculation.

The controlled test supplies the plan's external inputs, including ready-made processed fuel, and provides electric energy. It does not test mining, fuel production or electricity generation. Connection checks do not replace a throughput test in a sandbox. Startup buffers can cause temporary output fluctuations.

Limitations

This project can still produce unsupported layouts, errors and long calculations. Minimum area, arbitrary-plan throughput and smooth multiplayer performance are not guaranteed. All multiplayer participants need the same mod version. The full joining-client network scenario has not been verified in the current test run.

Shared coverage applies to eligible solid-item pairs with one configured beacon per assembler. Other configurations can use separate beacon cells. Some complex fluid layouts are unsupported. Fluid Must Flow substitution covers suitable clear straight sections, not every pipe.

A recipe requiring two different qualities of the same ingredient is not yet supported. Transport equipment quality has no separate selector. Quality output rates use Helmod's expected proportions; short measurements may fluctuate.

Requires Factorio 2.1.7+ and Helmod 2.3.6+. Restart Factorio and regenerate blueprints after updating. Verify results in a sandbox.

Verified example

In Factorio 2.1.24, the 266-machine connected test factory reached all six planned output rates after 50 game minutes of filling and a 5-minute measurement: electric motor, engine unit and motor at 1 item/s each; electronic circuits, iron gears and iron sticks at 15 items/s each. Background generation took approximately 159 game seconds versus 136 in version 1.4.98 at the same work setting. Loading a saved in-progress queue produced exactly the same 6339 entities. These are measurements of one controlled example, not a guarantee for every plan.