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[Slappy Moose]

I'm trying to dig out a very large cavern shape, and I need some help. As far as I know, the only digging trick is to make large areas of up-ramps on each z-level, starting from the top, then remove them.

What other methods are there for digging out large, multi-zlevel spaces?

My current idea is to dig out lots of up/down-stairs, which would reveal the stone below the stairs, which would help me designate the lower-zlevel stairs so I don't have to go between the level already designated and the level below that to copy the design.

Any other ideas? I hope what I've said makes sense, I'm very tired so I may be forgetting certain information or talking like a moron, if so I apologize.

[Shoku]

Up down stairs will work. You can maintain access to the walls n such for engraving pillars and there are no problems with them getting stuck while channeling. Then just remove up stairs on the bottom level.
-This is probably your best option.

[Slappy Moose]

Will the designation of "remove up stairs" work on up/down stairs, though? This is my only concern.

[Shoku]

You channel out the top layer all at once then the layer below that and the layer below that till the bottom. This gets with of all of the up-down stairs and the layer of up stairs at the bottom and you know how to deal with that~

[AncientEnemy]

the ramps method is by far the easiest: you don't need to remove the up ramps after you've carved them, you just turn an entire level into up ramps, then dig up ramps in the next level down, and it'll remove the floor/ramp above it, like so:
1.

Code: ( side view) [Select]

WRRRW Walls, Ramps
WWWWW
WWWWW
2

Code: [Select]

W   W
WRRRW
WWWWW
etc

something to watch out for tho: if the top level is the surface (with trees), make sure to cut down the trees first as they count as 'walls', and if you ramp out a 3x3 area around a tree, it'll cause a cavein.

[Ivefan]

Ramps are dangerous.
Large scale digging is best handled by making the whole areas into stairs and then channel them level by level

[Slappy Moose]

I'll try the stair method: I need to be able to tell from a lower z-level what is dug out on the z-level above it, and stairs let me do this by showing the ground below them.

I'll be sure to post the fort when I'm done, it should look awesome.

[runcible spoon]

I like to dig out all the levels and then collapse the top floor and watch it all crumble.  It does leave a ring of floors all the way around (unless you have a larger top floor) but it's far more satisfying...  I usually designate stairs all the way around, so I can dig them out from below.

[Untelligent]

Ramps are dangerous.
Large scale digging is best handled by making the whole areas into stairs and then channel them level by level

Ramps are only dangerous if you attempt more than one floor at a time, I think.

[Smew]

Ramps are hilariously easy and not dangerous at all, as long as you do them one z level at a time.
They are however, time consuming, as the game slows to a crawl while they are being dug large-scale, but I hear it does the same thing when stairs are being dug large-scale as well.
The only thing you really have to remember is that your top floor of ramps is your second-floor from the top of the room.

[Shoku]

If you're going for a complex organic shape ramps only suck in that you have to constantly toggle between views to do the same thing the next level down. With stairs you can either designate the entire space all at once or level by level  so the next floor down shows you what's on the space above.

Nowadays if I were doing anything really big I'd just have the one central stairway and dig the whole thing out while channeling out the edges, build a support at the bottom, remove the lowest up stairs, and then pull a lever to drop the whole thing with just that spike of lag until it's over.
It's dwarfier.

[Slappy Moose]

If you're going for a complex organic shape ramps only suck in that you have to constantly toggle between views to do the same thing the next level down. With stairs you can either designate the entire space all at once or level by level  so the next floor down shows you what's on the space above.

Nowadays if I were doing anything really big I'd just have the one central stairway and dig the whole thing out while channeling out the edges, build a support at the bottom, remove the lowest up stairs, and then pull a lever to drop the whole thing with just that spike of lag until it's over.
It's dwarfier.

Yeah, I'm currently trying the stair method. I'm only gonna do it for the top layers since I have a bunch of stalactites and those would be BITCHES to channel around. The up/down stair method works very well and is accurate, the only problem is that it sucks that I have to go back over everything with channels instead of just up-stair-removing them.

However, now that I've finished those layers, I may try the cave in method.

[inaluct]

I recommend the cave in method. It's actually quite safe, provided that you think carefully about the procedure and make sure that the collapsing levels are vacated.

[MrWiggles]

I recommend the cave in method. It's actually quite safe, provided that you think carefully about the procedure and make sure that the collapsing levels are vacated.

And the last tile is can be dug out on the left.

[Skid]

I recommend the cave in method. It's actually quite safe, provided that you think carefully about the procedure and make sure that the collapsing levels are vacated.

And the last tile is can be dug out on the left.

Or you have a mechanic free to do a little work with levers and supports.  Also, grates can provide dwarf access without supporting connected floor.