material guidebook

The material guidebook contains 5 pages.

1. 1 - Forenote
2. 2 - Metals
3. 3 - Ceramics
4. 4 - Fibers
5. 5 - Liquids

This document serves as a reference for those wishing to study materials both commonplace and rare and the uses of these materials, there are many cases where one material may be substituted for another potentially higher-quality material or an alternative material which may be easier to procure. This document also states where each material can be discovered and harvested.

Common metals such as Inert or Solid-phase metal are near omni-present on planetary crust, lunar surfaces and asteroids and are used in all manner of constructions and more valuable strains of these metals can be harvested from especially rich asteroids, Responsive metals are less commonly found but are present in all the same environments. Rare-earth metals must be refined from minerals that bear them- namely the Magneto-mineral classes. Transuranic metals are found mostly in lunar surfaces and asteroids but can also be found through thorough exploration and discovery in deserts and mountainous areas.

Magneto-minerals and Ceramic geodes are not found in abundance on most planets but veins of these materials can be found though thorough exploration and discovery in deserts and mountainous areas. Rare earth metals can be refined from Magneto-minerals, as can Supermagnetic alloys. Monocrystals are far less common than the previous two materials but occur in similar environments. Gems can be found in deserts and bear value as luxury items, exotic gemstone forms can be discovered through thorough exploration. Silica suitable for producing electronics can be refined from any form of sand available on a planetary surface, lunar surfaces lack the environmental factors that exert the erosion forces necessary for producing sand.

The most common form of fibrous material is that produced as supportive material in plants found on most planetary surfaces with flora- aptly named Native fiber, this can be woven into fabric or used straight in coarser materials such as rope or coarse fabric. A high-quality surrogate for Native fiber is that which forms in the ocean- Ocean fiber. Native fiber most often coincides in areas bearing trees which can be harvested for Native lumber which can be used in construction of buildings and tools. More exotic fiber types known as Adaptive-phase fiber and Neuro-aligned fiber are rarer but provide a greater range of properties and applications and they often find use in advanced construction projects and starship components. A common form of feedstock for plastic-like materials is Plastiform fiber, this type of fiber is made up of natural polymers produced by plants present in dense jungles which would most commonly be found as man-made petroleum-based polymers. As plastiform fiber is only present in denser forests, jungles and swamps it may not immediately be available to most colonists however a common surrogate material known as Polymer fiber can be produced from petroleum based oil sands found in deserts known as Hydrocarbon sludge.

Water is a common substance in the universe and hence is near omni-present on most planetary, lunar and asteroid bodies. Mineral acids are an important chemical feedstock and can be found on some planets with acidic surfaces and localised acid pools. Hydrocarbon sludge, the feedstock for petroleum-based polymers is most often found in oil-bearing sands in desert regions.