[WIP] DEV: Lithobrake Exploration Technologies 0.1 (2015-07-08)

[NecroBones]

looks pretty good.

for the window, would you consider having it extend down, and wrapping around the bottom chamfer to give you better ground visibility when in IVA? (in a similar manner as the stock can)

I'm not sure when I'll do the IVA (probably after the first test releases), because they're such a huge pain. They take like 10x as much work as the exterior, so it's time I'd rather put into other parts up front.

But having said that, I was thinking the same thing, and the usability will be really nice with a good view of the ground. So check this out.

- - - Updated - - -

That lander looks awesome. Really looking forward to your capsule design, if you are still doing that. You update a lot faster than NEAR and Taurus, so if you made the capsule thing along with a few things to go with it, I'd likely drop the use of those mods haha

Heh, cool. Well, I can't update as reliably as I used to. But I'm trying to keep the ball rolling, so to speak.

[cxg2827]

I'm not sure when I'll do the IVA (probably after the first test releases), because they're such a huge pain. They take like 10x as much work as the exterior, so it's time I'd rather put into other parts up front.

yea... I've learned the same thing after building my first IVA

But having said that, I was thinking the same thing, and the usability will be really nice with a good view of the ground. So check this out.

Nice!

[NecroBones]

That lander looks awesome. Really looking forward to your capsule design, if you are still doing that. You update a lot faster than NEAR and Taurus, so if you made the capsule thing along with a few things to go with it, I'd likely drop the use of those mods haha

Oh, forgot to answer the other part of this. Yes, I'm still thinking about possible capsules, but I've put it on the back-burner at the moment since I need to think about what will work well, without being (possibly inferior) rehashes of what exists in other mods. Some of the ideas I've had have already been done very well in other packs, and the first one I started on wasn't giving me very good results. So I'm still thinking on it.

[Nansuchao]

Different forms?

[MarcAlain]

Oh, forgot to answer the other part of this. Yes, I'm still thinking about possible capsules, but I've put it on the back-burner at the moment since I need to think about what will work well, without being (possibly inferior) rehashes of what exists in other mods. Some of the ideas I've had have already been done very well in other packs, and the first one I started on wasn't giving me very good results. So I'm still thinking on it.

No one has a 5 meter pod

[NecroBones]

No one has a 5 meter pod

Oh geez, the possibilities.... lol.

[Randazzo]

Oh, forgot to answer the other part of this. Yes, I'm still thinking about possible capsules, but I've put it on the back-burner at the moment since I need to think about what will work well, without being (possibly inferior) rehashes of what exists in other mods. Some of the ideas I've had have already been done very well in other packs, and the first one I started on wasn't giving me very good results. So I'm still thinking on it.

The 3-man lander capsule is a great idea, I think. So far as I know, the only other 3-man pod is the ALCOR pod. While truly an outstanding piece of work, I'm pretty sure it utilizes TARDIS IVA technology to fit those three kerbals in there.

[NecroBones]

The 3-man lander capsule is a great idea, I think. So far as I know, the only other 3-man pod is the ALCOR pod. While truly an outstanding piece of work, I'm pretty sure it utilizes TARDIS IVA technology to fit those three kerbals in there.

LOL, yes. It's quite beautiful, I have to say. Obviously I'm aiming for more stock-alike here. And technically, space-wise, I suspect this octagonal thing I'm making could probably fit 5 or 6 guys if I really wanted to squeeze them in, but the goal is just to be a step up from the 2-man "can" and be able to get all three professions to the ground in one pod.

[ThatGuyWithALongUsername]

Wait... Why are there custom VAB groups? It's that just the stock category thing or what?

But... What's the command pod over the mk1 pod? What mod is the that?

[CosmoBro]

What's the command pod over the mk1 pod? What mod is the that?

If you are reffering to the one I think it is Modular Rockets Sistems but that's a probe core

[NecroBones]

Wait... Why are there custom VAB groups? It's that just the stock category thing or what?

But... What's the command pod over the mk1 pod? What mod is the that?

If you are reffering to the one I think it is Modular Rockets Sistems but that's a probe core

Yep, it's the MRS "guidance nose cone". It's a probe core without any frills, other than a reaction wheel.

Also, the VAB categories are from the Filter Extensions mod.

[Starbuckminsterfullerton]

The pod is looking really good!

I'm really impressed with how well your landing legs interact with the ground, the 'ankles' appear to pivot, yet the feet do not sink into the ground. Could you explain a little of how they are setup in unity? I am familiar with how the stock legs work, but I can't conceive of a way to make that happen. Since the transform responsible for orienting the foot towards the ground is also the point of collision, everything I come up with sinks up to the ankle joint axis.

[NecroBones]

The pod is looking really good!

I'm really impressed with how well your landing legs interact with the ground, the 'ankles' appear to pivot, yet the feet do not sink into the ground. Could you explain a little of how they are setup in unity? I am familiar with how the stock legs work, but I can't conceive of a way to make that happen. Since the transform responsible for orienting the foot towards the ground is also the point of collision, everything I come up with sinks up to the ankle joint axis.

Thanks, glad you're liking it.

Yeah, so far I've found the landing legs to be the most complicated, infuriating, and confusing parts to work on.

Basically, the foot itself doesn't provide a collider, and you can't add one to it or else it'll interfere with the wheelcollider. What I do is extend the piston collider (which is a capsule collider in Unity) down such that the ending "sphere" has it's center on the foot's pivot, and set the radius to extend to the ground through the foot. That way the spherical part of the collider will always line up with the ground, whichever way the foot pivots. It's not real clear in the screenshot, but I tried to capture it to show what I mean:

[NecroBones]

I have a service bay working, with sliding doors. This one is 2.5m at the stack nodes, but is expanded to a little over 3m in width (25% diameter increase). It's a little taller than the stock 2.5m bay as well, so it'll be easier to put rovers etc inside, plus it'll take 2.5m parts in the interior as well.

[SmallFatFetus]

Looks good!

[NecroBones]

Worked on another service bay, with combined fuel storage. The bay is designed to open at the front, with attachment nodes on the floor+ceiling, and one on the rear wall. The underside functions with a single 2.5m node, or 4x 1.25m nodes. Ceiling lights are switched on and off independently of opening the doors.

I haven't tried actually fitting a rover into it yet. It'll still be tight since it's only about 2m wide in the interior.

[Windspren]

Can you make a 2.5 m Orion-like pod that seats 4? (Jeb, Val, Bill, Bob)

[NecroBones]

Can you make a 2.5 m Orion-like pod that seats 4? (Jeb, Val, Bill, Bob)

Possibly. I'll keep that in mind! Actually, it's a pretty good idea.

[Randazzo]

Those service bays are looking awesome! Well, it's all looking awesome, actually. heh

[Jim Starluck]

If you're still looking for ideas, I've been hankering for some 2.5m+ "in-line" command pods, designed for pure space use. Something to build a good-sized interplanetary spaceship around.

Also, in addition to ladders... how about a sci-fi style telescoping boarding ramp?

[NecroBones]

If you're still looking for ideas, I've been hankering for some 2.5m+ "in-line" command pods, designed for pure space use. Something to build a good-sized interplanetary spaceship around.

Also, in addition to ladders... how about a sci-fi style telescoping boarding ramp?

Hmmm, inline pods could work. I'll think on that a little.

The problem with telescoping ramps is that it would need to be physically collidable (so Kerbals and rovers can walk/drive on it), which means it can't extend into the ground like the ladders. So it would be a lot of guess-work to get them to extend to the right height for your landing legs. The ramps would have to have one extension length, and the player would have to take that into account when positioning it.

I suppose one possibility is to make it function as a landing leg itself, so that there could be some spring to it (telescoping would permit this somewhat). I'll think on it, but I'm not sure how practical it'll be with how KSP works currently.

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Those service bays are looking awesome! Well, it's all looking awesome, actually. heh

Thanks! Glad you like it.

I'm thinking I might need to play with the octagonal service bay's size a little more. The interior is pretty cramped. We'll see how it turns out.

[NecroBones]

OK, I'm having to make some choices now. I tried two different sizes of that octagonal bay, and I'm not sure which is better. The first version looks better, I think, but the second (larger) size might have more utility.

The smaller one's bay/door width is 1.991m, and the second is 2.389m wide. I stuffed a miniscule rover into the larger bay (shown below) and it does have some breathing room.

Larger bay + tiny rover: (Rover suspended from ceiling, not touching floor. Centered over the circle in the floor)

Small bay:

Small bay at night:

Edited July 6, 2015 by NecroBones

[Starbuckminsterfullerton]

That bay is neat, that's definitely a part that hasn't been made before and has some real uses. I've long built landers with high ground clearance so they could mount a rover underneath, this is a more elegant solution.

Could ramp height be made tweakable? That might help avoid ground clipping.

Another way would be ramps with built in landing feet. Using the ramps as legs would guarantee the right height, although you would have a couple extras and suspension might be unwanted.

[NecroBones]

Unfortunately I won't be able to make tweakable ramps. Not without a dependency on another pack's plugin or something (and I'm not sure which ones out there might enable that). I'm going to think on it a bit, but right now making it act like a landing leg seems to be the best bet, if at all.

For the first test release, I may include both sizes of that octagonal bay, to get feedback on which is better.... or, I may leave both in the pack. Right now they're identical except for the physical dimensions.

Screenie of them stacked together:

[NecroBones]

I still have plans for parts, but since I might not have much time over the next week to add anything new, I figured this might be a good time to get some feedback on the existing parts.

Remember, this is an early Alpha, so things can (and probably will) change. Right now the pack adds a few service bays, a large lander pod, two types of enormous landing legs, and several ladders (both fixed, and deployable).

Alpha test version is available:

Download 0.1 from necrobones.com

Edited July 8, 2015 by NecroBones