[1.8.1, 1.7.*, 1.6.*, 1.5.*, 1.4.*] DockRotate - lightweight robotics - rotational control on docking ports (plus NodeRotate, make any part rotate)

[peteletroll 393]

New release! New "Smart Autostruts" feature, available with advanced tweakables. @Yargnit, let me know if this works with your large crafts.

[Yargnit 157]

Sweet, with work I'm not sure I'll get a chance to test it for a couple days, but I'll try and see if I can jump on for a few minutes tonight and throw an adjustable arm on my carrier to give it a quick go.

 

You rock

[Yargnit 157]

Dude, works brilliantly! Didn't massively test it, but worked perfectly with an adjustable height docking birth for my carrier. Well done

Only final thought would be possibly make it so if you connect the nodes in the VAB the rotation works even if the part it's attached to isn't actually a docking port. That's mostly just to save a bit of part count if I could attach the port directly to what I wanted to rotate as opposed to needing a matching port. (so I-beam > port > i-beam, instead of i-beam > port > port > i-beam) for example. Just a very small idea i thought I'd throw out to see what you think.

Overall, they're just about perfect now I think.

[Psycho_zs 241]

On 25.03.2018 at 7:33 AM, Yargnit said:

make it so if you connect the nodes in the VAB the rotation works even if the part it's attached to isn't actually a docking port.

A step towards the universal node rotator

[peteletroll 393]

1 hour ago, Psycho_zs said:

A step towards the universal node rotator

I actually started thinking about it, but hey, don't tell anybody yet! 

[ioresult 47]

Hey @peteletroll, could you add latest supported KSP version to thread title please? Thanks.

[peteletroll 393]

2 hours ago, ioresult said:

could you add latest supported KSP version to thread title please?

Done!

[Yargnit 157]

Well, unfortunately my lift is a bust. The smart auto-struts keep the vessel itself from falling apart, but the actual hinge joints have way too much flex, and it does not approve of having a 30+ ton aircraft on it in the slightest

[peteletroll 393]

6 hours ago, Yargnit said:

the actual hinge joints have way too much flex

Too bad... 

Two things to try:

* use large docking ports;

* play with the "rigid attachment" tweakable in the VAB/SPH;

* EDIT: ask the developer to add a "stiffen joint while moving" configurable tweakable. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by peteletroll

[peteletroll 393]

@Psycho_zs, I started working on ModuleNodeRotate. It will be part of the DockRotate distribution, and it will be unavailable to the player by default. It will have to be activated via MM patches on parts, on a configurable node. It won't be possible to have more than one rotating node per part.

[Psycho_zs 241]

13 hours ago, peteletroll said:

@Psycho_zs, I started working on ModuleNodeRotate. It will be part of the DockRotate distribution, and it will be unavailable to the player by default. It will have to be activated via MM patches on parts, on a configurable node. It won't be possible to have more than one rotating node per part.

Essential and on-point stuff. Sounds great!

[Acvila 51]

is it possible to add solar tracking to these docks?

[peteletroll 393]

6 hours ago, Acvila said:

is it possible to add solar tracking to these docks?

You can probably do it with KOS. Adding it to the mod would be difficult in terms of user interface.

[RealKerbal3x 2,528]

I'm going to try making a 'Kanadarm' using Jr docking ports and this mod. Unfortunately it won't be possible to make it articulate in multiple directions, so it'll just go back and forth. 

(Actually, I could maybe add another couple of ports as the arm's mount, so it could pivot round in a circle)

EDIT: @peteletroll Will this ever work with the Making History inflatable airlock/docking port? Or does it already?

Edited April 8, 2018 by RealKerbal3x
Question

[peteletroll 393]

23 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Will this ever work with the Making History inflatable airlock/docking port? Or does it already?

The inflatable airlock docking port is based on ModuleDockingNode, so it should work already. But I didn't try it yet.

[RealKerbal3x 2,528]

1 minute ago, peteletroll said:

The inflatable airlock docking port is based on ModuleDockingNode, so it should work already. But I didn't try it yet.

OK, cool. I'll try it when I get a chance to play (maybe tomorrow).

[Geonovast 5,388]

8 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

OK, cool. I'll try it when I get a chance to play (maybe tomorrow).

 

11 minutes ago, peteletroll said:

The inflatable airlock docking port is based on ModuleDockingNode, so it should work already. But I didn't try it yet.

 

Just tested it, works fine.

[RealKerbal3x 2,528]

15 hours ago, Geonovast said:

 

 

Just tested it, works fine.

Great! Do you know if it works when a normal docking port (size 1) is docked to it?

[peteletroll 393]

43 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Do you know if it works when a normal docking port (size 1) is docked to it?

The inflatable airlock has a size0 port, so it should work with a Clamp-O-Tron Jr.

[RealKerbal3x 2,528]

1 minute ago, peteletroll said:

The inflatable airlock has a size0 port, so it should work with a Clamp-O-Tron Jr.

Damn. I thought that it connected to size 1 ports.

[peteletroll 393]

A little update:

ModuleNodeRotate is almost finished! I still have some testing to do, but it's mostly working right now. I hope I can release it this weekend.

I have a couple of questions for users:

* I will of course include an example cfg for NodeRotate. Original @Psycho_zs suggestion was to turn the large node of the FL-A10 Adapter to a rotating joint. I think this part might deserve a little attention. Any thoughts/proposals? Would you like the cfg to be commented out, or enabled by default?

* I'd like to activate smart autostruts by default now. @Yargnit tested them, and it looks like they work. Any other report about them?

[Psycho_zs 241]

20 minutes ago, peteletroll said:

* I will of course include an example cfg for NodeRotate. Original @Psycho_zs suggestion was to turn the large node of the FL-A10 Adapter to a rotating joint. I think this part might deserve a little attention. Any thoughts/proposals? Would you like the cfg to be commented out, or enabled by default?

I thought of it too, haven't decided what is better yet.

What would be a preferable configuration: motor is fixed to the parent part (attachment point variant), or motor rotates against the parent part (adapter variant)?

New parts can be created by combining existing models in MM patch, like this.

I can draw a new texture for BZ-52. We can make a patch that would create 2 new parts with BZ-52 model and the new texture: one in the original 1,25m size, the other x0.5 size for small things.

Edited April 11, 2018 by Psycho_zs

[peteletroll 393]

9 minutes ago, Psycho_zs said:

What would be a preferable configuration: motor is fixed to the parent part (attachment point variant), or motor rotates against the parent part (adapter variant)?

The motor is in the node joint between parts, so to speak. It works both ways, if I understand your question correctly.

Edited April 11, 2018 by peteletroll

[Psycho_zs 241]

6 minutes ago, peteletroll said:

The motor is in the node joint between parts, so to speak. It works both ways, if I understand your question correctly.

So rotation controls would be available on both sides of the joint, is that correct? Then, let's target BZ-52, copy it, and place motor on the top node.

Is physical insignificance ok for a motor?

Edited April 11, 2018 by Psycho_zs

[peteletroll 393]

30 minutes ago, Psycho_zs said:

I can draw a new texture for BZ-52.

I'd like DockRotate/NodeRotate releases not to contain new parts, so that nobody loses their ships with KSP upgrades (ok, the real reason is to make my life simpler ). Of course the "target audience" of NodeRotate is part modders, so please do create any cool rotating part mod you want!

16 minutes ago, Psycho_zs said:

So rotation controls would be available on both sides of the joint, is that correct? Then, let's target BZ-52, copy it, and place motor on the top node.

No, rotating control (right-click menu and actions) is available only on the parts that have ModuleNodeRotate activated.

16 minutes ago, Psycho_zs said:

Is physical insignificance ok for a motor?

I didn't try it yet actually... we'll see.

Edited April 11, 2018 by peteletroll
clarification