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[1.8.1-1.12.x] Modular Launch Pads v2.6.1: Launch clamps evolved: Real-style launch bases and towers [03 July 2023]


AlphaMensae

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v1.3.7 has been put on Spacedock and Github.  Another minor update for v1.3, still not v2. :P 

Changelog:

    > Made the dummy nodes unusable for parts using Animated Decouplers by moving them to -1000 on the Y-axis.
    > Changed the order of the B9PS switchers for the Saturn tower arms so the color one is now last.

I had noticed that the dummy nodes I had put in for the parts using Animated Decouplers might be confusing if they were too visible (many of them are buried in the part itself, but others are not).  So I made them unusable by putting them at Y -1000.  They are there just so Animated Decouplers doesn't throw NRE spam when they are activated.

Also felt that having the color switcher for the Saturn parts that have dual colors should be the last one.

v2 dev Saturn arms also got the changes, and I also merged the separate Saturn S-IB arm into the main Saturn V arm.  Having it separate no longer made sense, noy sure why I made it that way in the first place. :)  Also changed the arm type switcher labels to show what stage they are for, in abbreviated form; e.g. "1 S-IC Int" or "6 S-IVB Aft".  They fit without spilling over the text box too.

The changed v2 dev arms will show up on the Github soon

I also have some options to handle the rectangular flame hole shape and side-booster hold-downs for the new single-insert Saturn launcher base.

   1> Only make the 2x180 X-axis core hold-down arm nodes usable by having a grating/plate (with full collider) appear in the flame hole if any of the other options are selected.  This will keep stack symmetry in 2x mode, allowing for proper placement of separate hold-downs for side boosters (which will have a new part), enabling them to be both adjusted using the offset gizmo.  This does limit the core stage hold-downs to just one configuration, but some of them will need the grating anyway, since something like the 4x90 or 6x60 types don't work without having four walls present.

   2> Make an insert for the insert.  This will be just a plate or such with two nodes for the side-booster hold-down arms that will snap into the flame hole insert via a switchable node that will be off by default. This will allow for a few more core-stage hold-down configurations, but will be another part to deal with.  Alternatively, the insert could be have integrated side-booster hold-downs that are adjustable in different ways, including a deploy-limit slider.

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On 10/3/2018 at 2:46 PM, Briso said:

Hey. I understand you're busy, but I'd like to see the space Shuttle launch pad, for a modernized space Shuttle system. I hope I haven't disturbed you )

 

I have created a patch for that 1.4.5 fork of the DECQ shuttle, it and an associated craft file are on the github

A caveat though:  The shuttle pad was developed for the CA shuttle, this one differs in some details.  You can't have the bottoms of the SRB aft skirts too low (normally they're almost level with the top edges of the SRB exhaust holes), as Bad things will happen at liftoff...I think the colliders are interfering with each other.  The craft file has the shuttle positioned about as close as possible and still launch without problems.  It might be possible to tweak it some more.  Also, the various arms will need tweaking, and the crew arm will be inaccessible to Kerbals, as it ended up located between two of the FSS levels.  The SRB hold-down bolts won't reach the aft skirts of the SRBs either (and the hold-down recesses in the skirts aren't modeled anyway...curious).

3wqxv3q.png

v6an22E.png

Edited by AlphaMensae
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41 minutes ago, darkerdadorito said:

Hey! 

So I see most of the parts seem to be stock scaled...

Do you plan to make parts that will be real size for RSS/RO players?

If you know how to make Tweakscale .cfgs, I recommend doing that, as that is what I'll be doing anyway for most of the parts, as I'm not going to remake them for RSS/RO.  Maybe for the simpler parts, but the focus is on stock scale.

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9 minutes ago, AlphaMensae said:

If you know how to make Tweakscale .cfgs, I recommend doing that, as that is what I'll be doing anyway for most of the parts, as I'm not going to remake them for RSS/RO.  Maybe for the simpler parts, but the focus is on stock scale.

Ah, alright.

Also, how do you plan to integrate the Falcon 9/Heavy's Strongback for the FSS and MLP?
Not only that, do you plan to add SpaceX's new Crew Dragon arm to the mod?

(P.S. I don't know if TweakScale works in RO. (Guess I gotta find out)

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27 minutes ago, darkerdadorito said:

Ah, alright.

Also, how do you plan to integrate the Falcon 9/Heavy's Strongback for the FSS and MLP?
Not only that, do you plan to add SpaceX's new Crew Dragon arm to the mod?

(P.S. I don't know if TweakScale works in RO. (Guess I gotta find out)

I may just make the large versions by altering the rescaleFactor in the .cfg, which all Tweakscale does, it just does it dynamically while KSP is running.  Of course, that would double the number of parts, so they would be in a separate folder in the download .zip, and you would pick which size you want.  Or just say screw it and make Tweakscale .cfgs... ;)

The Falcon 9/H strongback will be an option for the upcoming large General pad base (square base that will be a launch clamp, not free-standing), which will be able to have the shuttle FSS tower attached it as well.  The strongback probably will be able to be used with the shuttle launch platform as well, though it would look a bit odd... :)

Also, the SpaceX crew arm for Dragon 2 works differently than the default command pod orientation in KSP, where the hatch is normally facing the right wall of the VAB when looking towards the doorway (the Apollo CM's hatch was like this).  Making it true to the real one would require rotating the command pod or whole rocket 180 degrees or whatever the orientation of the Dragon 2's hatch is.

Edited by AlphaMensae
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On 10/7/2018 at 1:58 PM, AlphaMensae said:

Also, the SpaceX crew arm for Dragon 2 works differently than the default command pod orientation in KSP, where the hatch is normally facing the right wall of the VAB when looking towards the doorway (the Apollo CM's hatch was like this).  Making it true to the real one would require rotating the command pod or whole rocket 180 degrees or whatever the orientation of the Dragon 2's hatch is.

Wait so just to clarify, you don't plan on making SpaceX's new Crew Dragon arm?

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29 minutes ago, darkerdadorito said:

Wait so just to clarify, you don't plan on making SpaceX's new Crew Dragon arm?

No, I will do it eventually, just know it won't work like the Apollo crew arm. ;)   I actually kinda want to see it with an actual Crew Dragon first...

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Been spending what time I've had this week working on the new insert for the Saturn mobile launcher base.  This thing is proving to be a lengthier job than I had expected. :D  But it's also laying the groundwork for the new general pad bases, which will use the same system and eveb objects, just integrated into the bases themselves.

The Saturn pad insert is finally starting to fill in a little, as this early WIP demo shows:

 

Still a lot more to put in....

A major change is how side-booster hold-downs for the rectangular shape exhaust hole will be handled.  The normal hold-downs for the core won't be used, instead optional nodes can be turned on for a new "center-mount" hold-down assembly, which will go into the bays for the side-boosters.  These will be switchable among various sizes to match the selected insert configuration.  This new center-mount hold-down can also be used for the core, with or without the normal hold-down supports (which can now be turned entirely off).

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Ok, the AlphaDev branch on the Github has been updated.

It was more of a mess than I had thought, with more than a few missing assets and files.

The old 3D_Assets_Dev folder was deleted, and a newly written one was uploaded, now it only has the v2 Saturn and Shuttle pad parts.  The hold-down arms are not in it, as they are still holdovers from v1.3.7

One note, the v2 Saturn launcher base's deck has some dark strips on the edges, this is because both it and the insert are in flux right now, as I'm revising them.  The main texture for the base now has the shuttle base on it, as well as areas for the inserts.  I reverted to an older version, so it mostly looks like it did earlier, but the model and UV map for the deck have changed, resulting in that texture glitch.

Once it's all finalized, it will be ok. :) 

There's also a subassembly folder now, with the shuttle and v2 Saturn pads as plain subasssemblies, with no shuttle or Saturn stack on them.
 

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Update on the new Saturn mobile launcher base insert:

 

It's starting to fill in now, just have to finish assembling all the configurations in Unity... :)

Oh yes, the Saturn base is now limited to three core sizes: Saturn V (6.4/5.625m), SLS (5m) and Saturn IB (4.25/3.75m).

It's partly due to how below 3.75m, the differences in the exhaust hole sizes start becoming too small to justify all the custom shapes...and partly due to me getting sick of making them :D 

 

 

Edited by AlphaMensae
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31 minutes ago, linecrafter said:

Hello, i was curious whether this is compatible with ksp 1.3.1. I'm not at my PC so I can't test it.

It is compatible:

Quote

[1.3.1/1.4.5] Modular Launch Pads v1.3.7: Multi-Configurable Soyuz and Saturn-style pads for (almost) any rocket. [06 October 2018]

 

There are two parts in the download, one for 1.3.1 and one for 1.4.5.

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Ok, uploaded the new new Saturn launcher base and insert to the Github.  For now they are new parts, and won't overwrite the existing ones.  Both have "v2B" in their names.  Currently the center-mount hold-down assemblies that can be used with them aren't made yet, as they will be usuable for the Saturn and general pads, so will wait until the large one is complete first to do them. :)

I also have made the Shuttle RSS usuable with the alternate FSS base location, that being with the launch platform rotated 90 degrees so it's pointing east.  It was mostly just tweaking the FSS base, so now both variants use the same attach node; no need to reattach it after selecting the "Alternate" option.

The RSS switcher has been renamed "RSS Configuration", and now has three options:  default, Alt Position and Alt Pad (used for any proper Kerbal Konstructs LC-39 pad).

The revised RSS and FSS base are also now on the Github.

Pic of the Alternate FSS position:

nf4ACPw.png

Edited by AlphaMensae
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19 hours ago, linecrafter said:

Hello, i was curious whether this is compatible with ksp 1.3.1. I'm not at my PC so I can't test it.

I should add that the things which are KSP version- specific are the two required plugins, B9PartSwitch and Animated Decouplers. Both 1.3.1 and 1.4.5 versions of each are included in the download.

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v1.3.8 is now on Spacedock and the Github.  Another minor bug fix.

I guess I should have tested adding "layer = 0" and "layer = 1" to the Saturn pad parts (mostly the tower arms) that use both ModuleAnimateGeneric and ModuleAnimatedDecoupler, just found out that when those parts are staged, they will reset once the animation is finished.  Removing "layer = 0" from ModuleAnimateGeneric fixed it.

So the fix has been applied to all the parts, and a new release is up.

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