Tip 1: (I dont have a picture on hand, but I will describe it as best as I can) Basically you only build beams facing towards the x-axis (forward) with a gap of 4 blocks in between (one long beam). Then when you are 3 "blocks" away from the building zone edge you build a short/cube beam at each end and then connect them along the y-axis. The remaining 2 block gap is left empty until you expand to your next zone and then just place one forward facing row of long beams and repeat the pattern. For the z-axis build a column in the corners of each zone (starting on the short/cube beam from the ground floor), with a pattern of 1 long beam and then 1 short/cube beam.
Tip 2: Use half blocks when building floors to be able to run conduits below
Tip 3: Always plan for needing more thrusters
Tip 4: You can theoretically build into ship hangars, but keep in mind that when spawning ships they might create issues with collisions
Tip 5: "detach" your external hull, basically built your interior within a cube or triangle shape within the hull. That way it is easier to create rooms and gives you more freddom with the hull.
Tip 6: Plan a workbench area into every second-fourth zone (build in a way that at least 1 workbench area is always rendered when having the station zones render setting maxed), that way you can craft throughout your cap ship and dont need to spawn ships or run around to craft/build.
Tip 7: Have separate, redundant gen setups for respawn machines, that way you can always keep them on low power for quick transfer.
Tip 8: Try to space your conduit networks in a way that your nexuses (connection points) are as far away as possible and have the minimal amount of machinery connected.
Be patient, and expect hassle all the way before you get a minimum of a functionnal capital ship (I mean ship + ship hangar)
Make a cube and warp out of the station zone ASAP to be able to modify your capital ship quickly (and expand zones)
Use tools to prepare your design
Get spots in Elysium and EOS for mining and warp. The most important beeing able to get mining spots with chips in Elysium (to also be able to make Allium Alloy).
Make storage, lot of it
Use any storage ship to be kept in your capital ship hangar (To increase your storage)
Plan your evolution and don't burn out yourself in the game. My train took 3 months before beeing finished and went throught 4 makeovers.
Whatever you're doing that alone, or with people be proud and happy to own your own cap ship. Few people does it, even less goes to make it a definitive form outside of the functionnal side.