[HELP] Heat Animation?

[Xyphos]

MODULE
 {
  name = ModuleAnimateHeat
  ThermalAnim = IntakeRampHeat
 }

while digging through the stock parts, I found that tidbit on one of the intakes, and I'd like to know how to implement such feature to my own custom intake.

[NecroBones]

Heat animation is basically the same thing as window lights animation, which we just talked about here:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/126518-Resolved-Cockpit-lights

The main difference is that instead of the emissive animation playing from beginning to end with a feature being switched on and off, the heat animation will pick a point somewhere along the timeline based on how hot the engine is. So you can create it with something like a 1-second duration, from dark to bright, and that's all you need.

[Xyphos]

So... basically, I'd need to pretend that the model is a light, and create a [transparent->red->white] color curve animation?

[NecroBones]

Yep, basically. For a lot of the heat animations on my engines, I go from black->hot with a single ending keyframe, where the RGB color is 5,2,1 (which turns to white due to saturation, on the brighter parts of the emissive map).

I'll usually put the hottest parts of the emissive map up inside the nozzle, with it getting less bright toward the inside of the rim, and then the outside of the bell will be maybe 25% as "bright". With such hot colors on the emissive animation, the outside of the bell will get a nice orange-red, while the inside will reach yellow and white.

[Xyphos]

OK, I setup the animations in Unity v5.0.2f1

I write the MU file

part is missing from the KSP menu (yes, the cfg is there)

but when I remove the animation, recompile and reload, the part shows up.

apparently, KSP doesn't like the animation for some reason, any idea why?

[sumghai]

Downgrade your project to Unity 4.2.2, and redo your emissive animations there.

KSP uses the legacy animation system for emissive animations, which was taken out from 4.3 onwards.

[Fengist]

OK, I setup the animations in Unity v5.0.2f1

I write the MU file

part is missing from the KSP menu (yes, the cfg is there)

but when I remove the animation, recompile and reload, the part shows up.

apparently, KSP doesn't like the animation for some reason, any idea why?

I just dealt with this same exact problem doing cockpit lights. I found a way to get it working without installing an earlier version of unity. The solution I found is here.

Once you figure it out, it's pretty easy to search/replace in the animation files. After that, it'll load up your model and it works. So far, the only editing I've had to do is with animations involving emissives. Point lights and such work without having to edit.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Fengist