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[1.9.*, 1.10.*, 1.11.*] DockRotate - lightweight robotics - rotational control on docking ports (plus NodeRotate, make any part rotate)


peteletroll

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  • 4 weeks later...
5 hours ago, peteletroll said:

@Geonovast, this is too bad...

Are you using the last version? Time warping while rotating is supported and tested (on much smaller crafts...)

 

That particular game was in 1.3.1, I'm not sure which DockRotate version it is, I can check when I get home.

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1 hour ago, Geonovast said:

That particular game was in 1.3.1, I'm not sure which DockRotate version it is, I can check when I get home.

The version that supports docking, undocking and time warping while moving is 1.4.4.15. It could work on KSP 1.3.1 too, but I didn't test it. Let me know if it works for you.

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8 hours ago, peteletroll said:

The version that supports docking, undocking and time warping while moving is 1.4.4.15. It could work on KSP 1.3.1 too, but I didn't test it. Let me know if it works for you.

I'm running 1.3.1.4.  I might try a newer version and see if it works. 

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I found some kind of bug.

 

When using this mod the FPS in map mode drop significantly. Like 30% significantly. It took me a while to identify which mod was doing that but after I uninstalled this mod the fps came back to normal. It does not matter if the vessel has a docking port on it or not, it happens to simple probes as well.

Note FPS drop s only when displaying the map, not when looking at the vessel itself.

Let me know if you need files/screenshots or something.

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  • 2 weeks later...

@peteletroll I know this mod isn't intended to be a parts module as it's primary aim is to modify docking port behavior, but I have a part request. I've used @Psycho_zs parts in a couple places and while they work, they are sometimes awkward to place and they can be difficult to place in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Same goes for using docking ports to make motorized joints, (all the photos of girders offset into docking ports).  I've never created parts before and don't really have time to learn the tools, so I was hoping someone could crank these out pretty easily. I'd like to see them eventually distributed with this mod as the primary application would I'm thinking of is for use with this mod. I see these being released in 2 scales to match each of the motors already in this mod. 

Pivot A is an rounded L bracket. If you use 2 identical parts with one of @Psycho_zs's motors in between you would get an inline motorized joint with at least +/- 90 range of motion. Pivot B is similar, but the motor mount is offset to one side, so that you get a range of 0-180, i.e. a joint that can fold over on itself.

Another approach would be to skip using the existing motor and just have that functionality built into the parts themselves.It would make designing the parts simpler as you wouldn't have to leave space for the motor. Snap two of the parts together and you could activate the motor from either part. It would also be slick if the rotation could be limited to the logical range the parts should be able to move through. 

I mocked up a couple parts in the VAB to illustrate what I'm talking about. In each case I made one side of the pivot and copy/pasted to get the matching part, so I would know they were identical. I would use something like this in the game, but these were taking around 50 parts per complete joint where it should only be 2 or 3 depending on if the motor is a separate part.

Pivot A - Highlighted green would be one part. I'm not hung up on the exact shape, color, or other details. All I really care about is function and it would be a bonus if it looked stock. Looking at these photos I think the base where other parts attach should be at least half the thickness I have here. I image most of the time these are going to be attached between struts and girders, so a grayish color scheme, maybe even size the bases to mate to the girders for the large size and I-beam for the smaller size. The only real constraint would be that when one of Psycho_zs's motors is snapped between them the opposite ends of the joint would be inline with each other. The motor should still be visible, so it can be right clicked on in flight. Minimum range of motion without visible clipping should be at least 90 degrees to either side of vertical. 

pKRCfu6.jpg

Pivot B - Highlighted green would be one part. Similar to the previous part, but this goes from inline (0 deg) to folded over parallel (180 deg). The critical dimensions are the offset of the pivot, so that the folded position is parallel and that in the inline position the opposite nodes are inline with the motor slightly visible between them (if used).

yzgoNFv.jpg

 

I'm want to do something like this, but keep all the pivots in-line with the girder segment.  This is a big radio telescope on one of my stations. At the top of the girder tower is a motor to control azimuth, between the two cylinders is a motor for elevation. This was as clean as I could do it in with as few parts as possible. Clipping wasn't an option as it was assembled in orbit with a combination of KIS/KAS and Konstruction ports. 

qtRShoP.png

Edited by Tonka Crash
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@Tonka Crash, I waited for a long time for a request like yours! :)

Of course I'd love to see NodeRotate to be used by part modders to create moveable joints of any sort. Last release is "The Robotic Arm Release" for a reason, you know :P

It looks like the "Add-on Discussion" forum is the right place for a request like yours. I'll be happy to help anybody with NodeRotate configuration.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

@peteletroll would it be possible to add a continuous rotation action? (preferably action groupable) i'm not sure if it already exists but it could be useful

and with that i'd probably love to see a possibility of even higher rotation speeds! but why you might wonder? well, you know those stock electric propellors? i'd love to make those with a far more usable and less hacky way of doing that (as in, timewarping does wake up the kraken and actually being easy to make and use)

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@BRAAAP_STUTUTU, I'm actually working on continuous rotation now. Not complete yet... Hope to find time to finish it soon. The missing part is the persistance of continuous rotation, now if you switch vessel the rotation stops. And I have to make the sound less loud, it becomes ennoying when it goes on and on and on...

I'll think about faster rotation. It could be Kraken Land.

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44 minutes ago, peteletroll said:

New release! Compiled on 1.4.5, but it works with 1.5.0.

If the rotation step is set to 0, the rotation will be continuous. You can stop it with the "Stop Rotation" right-click menu entry, the "Stop Rotation" action, or Alt-B.

Have fun!

neat, did you also add high speed rotation or?

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19 minutes ago, BRAAAP_STUTUTU said:

neat, did you also add high speed rotation or?

Not yet. This was released mostly for the 1.5.0 release. I'll release a new version as soon as I find a good UI to control fast rotation, and noise reduction for continuous rotation.

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This mod is absolutely tremendous - a godsend for a particular ship I've been trying to build. Infernal Robotics has always had a glaring gap in it for proper rotational parts, and this is superb stuff.

 

I was just wondering - there's an issue I'm experiencing, which I've seen mentioned a couple of times earlier in this thread but I don't know if a solution was ever explored.

 

MaianTrey's explanation below of the issue matches pretty much exactly with what I'm experiencing:

On 3/2/2018 at 11:53 PM, MaianTrey said:

I had an observation from earlier this week that you may or may not be aware of.

I had 2 Mk1-2 Command Pods docked nose-to-nose, but flipped 180-degrees from each other. I used the mod to rotate so they lined up with each other, and it worked almost perfectly. The only issue I had was the IVAs did not rotate with the external models. When you use the button that toggles the IVAs on, the command pod that rotated did not have the IVA showing correctly. When switching to the first-person IVA view, looking out the window should have been looking into the window of the other command pod, but was looking at the side that it was facing when originally docked. The pod that didn't rotate would look out the window and see the window on the other one since the external model was fine.

I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas for how to overcome this, or whether this is something that you might be able to look at sorting for the next update?

 

In any case, a fantastic mod and thanks so much for all your work on it!

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On 10/28/2018 at 3:53 PM, peteletroll said:

@xv323, I will definitely try to fix the IVA view rotation problem. But it's low priority, because 1) the functionality of the mod is not affected, and 2) I know nothing about cameras and layers yet.

Next release will be about fast rotation (propellers).

Understood of course!

 

In case it might be of use when you do come to it in the fullness of time - from examining the behaviour of this issue in a bit more detail, it seems that a) switching away from the vessel and then back to it reorients the IVAs to the correct place, and b) moving any kerbals between different parts within the vessel also reorients the IVAs to the correct place.

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