Science & Industry

P3 can be produced on any planet where you have enough surplus CPU and power to build an advanced factory and a launch pad to import the source material. The P3 schematic is installed in the factory, required inputs are routed from the launchpad and the finished product is routed back to the launchpad.

A dedicated factory planet will generally require the output from many planets to keep it busy. Conversely, an advanced factory will consume CPU and Power that may be better used by more extraction heads. A lot will depend on the number of planets you have, your skill level, the security of the space where you are working and the amount of time you want to devote to PI.

Practicing in highsec, where Command Centers are cheap and close by, is a good idea. It's useful to have some experience before setting up in nullsec or wormhole space where the command centers need to be imported - often at considerable expense because of their bulk.

thanks for the replies i am already in a wh producing stuff i just needed a guide to marry all these items together to make a p3 product.

http://imgur.com/a/nzmjR
The top one is a six P1 input -> P3 factory planet (Gel Matrix Biopaste in this instance). Put ~13k of each required P1 into launchpads in pairs. Route out and back for P2, then the centre three factories make the P3. Can run for two days with full hoppers.
The bottom two are P1-P2 factories. These run for about a day before needing feeding again.

http://imgur.com/a/8d4Zs
This is a four P1 input -> P3 factory planet.
The Red and Yellow sections draw from the launchpads to produce a P2, which routes back evenly to the launchpads. The blue factories down the centre draw P2 and spit out P3. Runs for two days.

With all of these, build from the centre out. They require CCU V.

http://imgur.com/a/qOgq0
Extraction -> P1 facility, can be built with CCU IV.


Two other tips:
1: Always route to and from a buffer.
2: Try to minimise time spent gamboling around in an Epithal.

Is that final one set up so that it fills both launch pads?
I made some p1 planets a while back but I had it set up so that the extractor routes to storage, then storage ran to 2 lines of factories and then filled a storage that i just sent to a second launch pad as it filled up. Splitting it in half like that better better?

An example:

https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=4252398#post4252398

Beware of synchronization issues that can lead to lost product, or idle factories. The rules of proper routing:

1. All routes must begin or end on some sort of buffer (command center, storage, spaceport).

e.g. Extractor > Storage > BIF > Storage > AIF > Storage

2. If a factory depends on another factory, then the dependent factory MUST have its input buffer filled at all times. If it starts-off empty, you will have idle factory cycles. "Priming" (adding material to start the factory AND then fill the buffer) is necessary.

3. NEVER try to route less than the maximum amount possible.

4. Keep links as short as possible. Avoid planets larger than 25,000 km (typically large gas planets). Barren planets tend to be the smallest, so can have the shortest links, therefore are ideal for factory planets (more factories).

I would have thought you could be doing much more with your planet than that.

With skills at IV, and assuming a 24ish hour cycle, you could be running six basic factories and three advanced factories on a decent PI planet. That's basically the gold standard.

Of course, longer cycles, or poorer planets, mean needing more extractor heads, which force you to drop some factories. That's fine, but it does mean that you are only making about 66% of your potential income with this setup.

When I run direct to P2 planets, I tend to use a 't' formation.

Resource 1

E
B
B
B
SAAA
B
B
B
E

Resource 2

Extractor, Basic, Advanced, and Spaceport, obviously.

This is an efficient link setup (although no more so than any number of other decent arrangements), but because direct to P2 colonies tend to sit between two different resource hotspots, I get a little more coverage by stretching the 'arms' between the two hotspots, as shown.

You may want to check out my blog (see sig) for some PI posts. In particular, I've got some posts comparing P2 production to P3 production, including the pros and cons of each. They should all have the 'planetary interaction' tag, so you don't need to wade through the pvp stuff if you don't want to.

Dont train CCU to 5 unless IPC (interplanetary consolidation) is already at level 4. If you have IPC 4, you can set up a total of 5 planets. This means you can have 4 planets extracting P0 resources to convert to P1, and a 5th planet doing the P1->P3 chains. This reduces your export/import costs and also increases your production capacity.

http://imgur.com/a/YTZWh

This is one of 10-11 resources planets I have. As you can see, i prefer a cluster approach to my layouts, as it minimizes link size and can fit more structures in a given area. My manufacturing is done on a similar planet except instead of an extractor, it's a bunch of advanced factories clustered around several launchpads.

FYI, P0 is what extractors give you, P1 is what basic facilities turn P0 into. P2 is any PI resources that take P1, with P3 taking P2.

Additionally, unless you're starved for planets in your wormhole, never run 2 ECUs on the same planet (imo). You sacrifice extraction and production capability in large amounts doing that.