Developing a modular engine mod

[bananasrawesome]

I want to make a modular engine mod. The idea is to add a group of parts made up of engine nozzles, combustion chambers, engine base plates, and some other engine parts which function as one engine when assembled. I know how to model and add new parts to the game, but I need help with getting the "combined engine" functionality working, hopefully without adding/coding plugins. Also, tips on texturing will help. Thanks for reading!

[Mecripp]

You talking about use kis to build the engine in space ? You would need a plugin but there would be a work around to do it with out one for textures you might take a look here 

 

[bananasrawesome]

That's an interesting idea, but I meant building the engine like a rocket in the VAB. KIS and KAS might be compatible once I have put the mod together, but I didn't plan on using those to build engines with.

 

Perhaps I can make a resource system? For example, the combustion chamber part produces the resource hot gas from LFO which is then used by the nozzle part to produce thrust using the hot gas. An optional alternator part could be mounted on the combustion chamber to produce electric charge from a little hot gas as thermal energy. I'm considering adding a fuel injector but that may be best left as an integrated part of the combustion chamber part type. Can all this be done with models, textures, and cfgs?

Edited August 5, 2017 by bananasrawesome

[Mecripp]

yes the problem is in VAB or Hanger you can only get the nodes so small so your node would be bigger  then some of your parts really would matter I guess on how you set it up just would have to see the parts and how they would go together

Edited August 5, 2017 by Mecripp2

[bananasrawesome]

I'll have some models done tomorrow. The engine plate should fit onto a 1.25 m fuel tank. For any parts smaller than that, I will try to use surface attach.

[linuxgurugamer]

Interesting idea.

I assume you have several categories of parts needed to make an engine?

Like, for example, thrust chamber, engine bell, turbo pumps, etc?

If so, then you will need to decide how each part affects the final result. Once that is done, then it should be fairly simple to calculate what the final engine can do based on what is attached to the engine root part.  But, those interactions can be very complex and subtle

[bananasrawesome]

For now, the part categories are just plate, chamber, and nozzle so I can make the mod work. I'll make things a little more complex yet not too hard to use later on.

The nozzle part type will probably be the engine itself, with the combustion chamber providing the required "fuel", with other parts changing how the fuel flows and what type.

Is there a way to make a part connect only to a specific part?

Edited August 6, 2017 by bananasrawesome

[bananasrawesome]

I decided to do extra work tonight and got the parts finished, but I ran into an issue with resource conversion. I'm trying to convert LFO into my custom resource hotGas using the combustion chamber part for use with my nozzle. What do I need to add to the cfg to do this?

Never mind, I took a look at the ISRU cfg.

Edited August 6, 2017 by bananasrawesome
found answer

[bananasrawesome]

I put together the first test build of the mod but ksp hangs at "loading resources". The mod has one resource called hotGas and is defined like the stock generic resource like liquid fuel. The combustion chamber part produces that resource for the nozzle using LFO using a copy of the isru cfg. Why does ksp do that?

[HebaruSan]

12 minutes ago, bananasrawesome said:

I put together the first test build of the mod but ksp hangs at "loading resources". The mod has one resource called hotGas and is defined like the stock generic resource like liquid fuel. The combustion chamber part produces that resource for the nozzle using LFO using a copy of the isru cfg. Why does ksp do that?

KSP.log will often have useful output when a new mod freezes.

[bananasrawesome]

33 minutes ago, HebaruSan said:

KSP.log will often have useful output when a new mod freezes.

Is that the output_log.txt file in the ksp data folder?

[HebaruSan]

8 minutes ago, bananasrawesome said:

Is that the output_log.txt file in the ksp data folder?

I usually look at KSP.log in the base Kerbal Space Program folder, but I think output_log.txt is a superset of that one, so both should be useful.

[linuxgurugamer]

What is the custom resource used for?

[bananasrawesome]

2 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

What is the custom resource used for?

The combustion chamber converts LFO to hot gas which is used as fuel for the nozzle.

the log says /KSP_x64_Data/Plugins/CSteamworks.dll could not be found but I found it in there.

Edited August 6, 2017 by bananasrawesome

[linuxgurugamer]

1 minute ago, bananasrawesome said:

The combustion chamber converts LFO to hot gas which is used as fuel for the nozzle.

the log says /KSP_x64_Data/Plugins/CSteamworks.dll could not be found but I found it in there.

Ignore that, your problem is elsewhere

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@bananasrawesome What is CSteamworks.dll?

[linuxgurugamer]

10 minutes ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

@bananasrawesome What is CSteamworks.dll?

That is part of the steam Network. There's nothing wrong if it's missing.

[bananasrawesome]

11 minutes ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

@bananasrawesome What is CSteamworks.dll?

It's a library of some kind located in KSP folder\KSP data folder\. I don't know what exactly it does, but I think it's important.

3 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Ignore that, your problem is elsewhere

Could the issue be with part tools? The version I have might be outdated, but my previous test mod worked, except those parts were only structural and there were no new resources added.

[linuxgurugamer]

I have absolutely no idea. I would need to see the output log to have any ideas to what's going on.

[bananasrawesome]

Log:

Spoiler

 

 

Edited August 6, 2017 by bananasrawesome

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

3 minutes ago, bananasrawesome said:

It's a library of some kind located in KSP folder\KSP data folder\. I don't know what exactly it does, but I think it's important.

Do you have KSP on Steam or did you get it from the KSP store?

[linuxgurugamer]

Please delete all the text in that log immediately. You should not post huge files in the Forum. put the file on a file sharing site and post a link.

Post that big can break the Forum software as well as browsers.

Edited August 6, 2017 by linuxgurugamer

[bananasrawesome]

6 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Please delete all the text in that log immediately. You should not post huge files in the Forum. put the file on a file sharing site and post a link.

Post that big can break the Forum software as well as browsers.

Log: http://www.mediafire.com/file/zss5scdp99z3spq/KSP.log

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

10 minutes ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

Do you have KSP on Steam or did you get it from the KSP store?

Can you please answer this question, @bananasrawesome?

[Mecripp]

Did you make a Resources cfg for you new Resources ?