Apple Fall Coastal Pier Kit Version 1.0

A modular pier building kit for all scenarios.

In your package you will find:

The walkable dock pieces;
1 x Large Dock Piece - 7LI
1 x Large Dock Piece, Semi Destroyed - 8LI
1 x Large Dock Piece, Destroyed (frame, no planks) - 4LI
1 x Narrow Dock Piece - 8LI
1 x Steps - 2LI

The dock structural support pieces;
1 x Pier Truss (wooden, mainly for water areas) - 9LI
1 x Metal Beams (metal, mostly for wooden docks over land) - 6LI
1 x Pontoon Float - 5LI

The railing pieces;
1 x Long Railing - 5LI
1 x Short Railing - 2LI
1 x Railing Corner - 1LI
1 x Railing Cap (for open ends) - 1LI

And odds and ends;
5 x Pre-built Examples (in a separate box) - Varying LI

The set can be configured in many, many ways. It is designed for the end user to be able to create a highly individual pier, dock, pontoon, or anything they desire with the set - something that is unique to them and their sim.

There are several pre-built examples included in the box to give you an idea of what can be created with the set. You are also free to use these as-is on your sim if you wish to do this. I would heavily advise, even if you have no intent of using them, to rez, observe and study how the examples are built; this will ensure a greater understanding of this document and the building process in general.

You may find it the easiest to lay out your big pieces first; your walkable dock pieces. This will outline your layout and all of the other pieces will fit around whichever shapes you create with them.
Something that can be observed in the examples is the use of different levels of dock. These levels are created and sustained using the steps. The steps are designed in a such a way that you can have unlimited numbers of steps connecting to create a short step-up or a long step-up, whichever suits your needs.

The different levels can be 'supported' underneath by any means you choose. There are a few pieces which are designed for different purposes, however you are not limited to this and the pieces will work however you want them to.
Once you are happy with the layout of your large pieces, we are ready to move on.

Now we are onto the structural supports. By and large, the wooden supports (Coastal Pier Truss) are used on parts of the dock that are over the water; the wood is water damaged with lichen so it makes the most sense to use them in such situations. They are wide pieces but they are designed to fit both the large and narrow dock pieces, it can be rotated and it will fit down the long side of the narrow dock. Alternatively, you can try using the metal beams (Coastal Pier Beams).

The main design intent of the metal beams is to be used as supports under docks that are over land. It creates an interesting visual, textural juxtaposition to have a transition between natural wooden supports and metal supports, while complimenting other components of the set. This also allows the dock pieces to be used purely over land if you wish - an elevated viewing deck or platforms in the woods.
For parts of the dock that are very close to the water, large support beams may not particularly make sense. This is why I created the pontoon floats (Coastal Pier Pontoon Float). This gives the effect of the dock pieces floating on the water using air-filled metal cylinders or barrels. But you aren't just limited to using these on docks - you can use them to float small wooden houses, boat docks, or you can even create completely individual floating pontoons out in a lake using this kit.
Once you are happy that your dock is fully supported and looks like it wouldn't fall down (always a plus!) you are ready to add your railings.

Before I go into explaining the railing pieces, I would advise you to please observe one of the examples, and study the placement of the railing pieces relative to the dock, to ensure your pieces will fit together as they should.

You have in total 4 railing pieces. A long piece, a short piece, a corner and a cap. The long pieces are placed along exposed long edges of dock, the short pieces are placed on exposed short edges of dock, or where half of the dock may be used by stairs.
The corner pieces are used to cap the corners - the corner piece is 2 linksets. In some instances the railing corners will align with the railings, however the wooden piece will not. This is a simple fix, simply 'edit linked' and move / stretch the wooden piece to cap off the corner nicely along the bottom. The cap piece is an easy one, just place it over exposed railing pieces that don't have a corner on them.