Does ship size measurement include Systems?

[Grass4hopper]

So my unequipped Frigate is under 12 studs, but when I add systems they stick out further than 12 studs? Is this a problem?

[Shades_Corvid]

As long as it isn't ridiculous out there it should be fine.

[CmdrRook]

I'm on the other side of the fence about this particular rule, as I consider systems to be a part of a ship/frame design process. Even if the goal is modularity, you are secretly challenging yourself more to make physical and aesthetic choices that work in any configuration.
A lot of people treat size constraints like a speed limit; "How far can I push this before I get into trouble?" It's a limit set with a specific purpose in mind, with a lot of room inside for any design to flourish. If you think of it like an actual limitation- even if you end up breaking it anyway- your ships will work on the table, but at the end of the day, the ball is definitively in your court.

[Shades_Corvid]

I am just talking a few studs whichI think all the given ships are guilty of.

[Grass4hopper]

What about exhaust flames? I feel like those shouldn't count.

[Grass4hopper]

I am just talking a few studs whichI think all the given ships are guilty of.

I tested it out, and the Zealous Class Carrier is 18-22 studs, depending on whether you include systems and engine thrust.
Measurement by Grass4hopper, on Flickr

[Soren]

Rotation is mostly what you'll have problems with, bits of your ship scraping into other ships. The closer to the centerline any bits poking out are, the less of an issue it'll be. You can take the existing size limits as a very rough guide; if something has problems in a game, time for a redesign.

(The original spec Joshua wanted for ships was around half the current sizes; it was a bit of a struggle to convince him that it would be impossible to make or display meaningful systems on the ships at that size.)