Multiple refiners

[Desker]

What is the trick to build large/medium refiners close together?

[Creative Guy1]

If you mean 'turn Portable Refiners into Replicators' check out this YouTube vid (and look at my comment on the vid too)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tq7rPCjBPk
If you mean 'how can I build more than 3 Medium Refiners close together', use the build glitch. On PC select Medium Refiner from build menu press Q to switch to wire mode then press Q and left mouse click at the same time.

[rdouglass1]

When I build in Freighter, or on Ground, I Turn in a Tight Arc, and set 3 Medium, and 2 Large so I can work all 5 standing in one spot. (In a Cuboid set up they are in a Long Lind, and I need to run down the line to use all of them)

[Yuki]

Originally posted by GreenPuke:

What is the trick to build large/medium refiners close together?

Glitch building.
There are several variations of that.
In general: the HUD is pretty slow and may not realize you are building a refiner fast enough if you swap something.
Thats not really "as intended", but imho that limit is silly to begin with.
Use at your discretion:

Probably the most easy way, also to place them properly:
Try to build lets say your large refinery (limited to 2 btw).
Build 1, 2, the third should now show up red.
Rotate and hold it where it should go anyways, keep your mouse there.
Now use the quick item swap button that scrolls through "related items".
Depending on your unlocked items the item "before" the large refinery should be the appearance modifier. In difference to the large refinery its green, it can be placed- and it kept the rotation you set for the refinery.
Dont place it.
Hit the swap button once more and quickly hit the mouse button.
Congratulations, you just placed the third large refinery before the hud realized it shouldnt allow you to. (may need a few attempts, but "success" rate is usually >80%)
Similar things are possible by swapping into electric wire mode and back, but electric wires tent to rotate weirdly (or preferably depending on what you do, thats how you build ground modules as walls. Buuuuut- thats another tutorial.)

Or depending on where exactly you try to build:
The freighter is split into sections, 2 refineries per section. If you build a room directly over that section border you can possibly put 4 into one room close together. But thats more of an edge case and rather limited still.