EVA Construction Mode: how do I start to build a storaged rover?

[antipro]

Hi, I was building a ship for a new contract that asks to land on Ike and I decided that I would like to use the new 1.11 "EVA Construction Mode"
building a rover after landed there.


So I first assembled a rover:

 

Then I packed it into a SEQ-24 Cargo Storage Unit:

Successively I've added the Cargo Storage Unit to the ship:




At the end I went on Ike surface, I put Bill outside and I pressed the EVA Construction Mode button.
I can't assembly nothing, I can't take any parts from the slots,
if I move away too much from the CSU or other storage parts, in short if I stay on the ground, they disappear from the left panel.

So what I have to do at this point in order to pick up and put some Work Lamps on the ground and assembly the rover?
Do I have to stay on the surface?

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by antipro

[bewing]

You need to have a "vessel" to start with. You can't build a vessel starting from nothing. You need to have one part laying on the ground before you can start adding to it. Which means you need to decouple it from your craft, using staging (not construction mode).

After that, you should be able to take cargo storage parts and weld them onto whatever is laying on the ground. Then hopefully you can remove that starting part, and store it away again. The only problem I see is that the part you start with will be the root part, so I don't know if you will be able to remove it again.

I would suggest the two antennas. Have them on your craft, with decouplers, set to zero decoupling force. Decouple them, and use one of them as the basis of your rover.

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by bewing

[Streetwind]

Well... technically you don't need to have anything to stage off of your craft. You could start entirely from storage... but your existing craft will still need to play a role.

• Weld a junior docking port to the side of your rocket
• Add a second junior port to it in docked configuration
• Build the rover on that second port
• Undock the finished rover
• Remove the docking ports from the rover and the rocket and put them back into storage

So your plan will work as long as you add the two junior ports required to your cargo unit.

As far as accessing the storage unit goes - it's distance based. You need to be close enough with the Kerbal you control to take parts from it, and you also need to be close enough to where you want to weld the part. Your Kerbal can hang on a ladder while doing this, IIRC, so that may help. (And remember that only engineers can do EVA construction, in case you tried it with a pilot.)

EDIT - Oh, and work lamps are deployable parts (like the Breaking Ground science experiments). You need to put them in your Kerbal's inventory (this may require you to put away parachute and jetpack first), and then deploy them fom there. Not using construction mode.

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Streetwind

[antipro]

First of all thanks you both and I would like to specify that I could not collect anything from the slots because I didn't noticed that,
as also seen from last ss, by default I was in "Tool: Rotate" and not "Tool: Place" mode.

 

23 hours ago, bewing said:

You need to have a "vessel" to start with. You can't build a vessel starting from nothing. You need to have one part laying on the ground before you can start adding to it. Which means you need to decouple it from your craft, using staging (not construction mode).

Not to contradict or start a discussion but I actually can build a rover from nothing, starting from "Probodobodyne RoverMate":
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qfukkgmqjm3n9ou/building rover from nothing.mkv?dl=0

So yes "You need to have one part laying on the ground before you can start adding to it."
But apparently not "Which means you need to decouple it from your craft, using staging (not construction mode)."
Anyway, as soon as I place it, the RoverMate is moving and falls so I have to attach wheels fastly and I can't attach the battery vertically on the first try,
I don't like this way very much.

 

23 hours ago, Streetwind said:

Well... technically you don't need to have anything to stage off of your craft. You could start entirely from storage... but your existing craft will still need to play a role.

• Weld a junior docking port to the side of your rocket
• Add a second junior port to it in docked configuration
• Build the rover on that second port
• Undock the finished rover
• Remove the docking ports from the rover and the rocket and put them back into storage

"Weld a junior docking port to the side of your rocket" = ok.
"Add a second junior port to it in docked configuration" = ok.
"Build the rover on that second port" = this isn't clear, I can attach the RoverMate to a jr. docking port laying on the ground,
but then I can't move or rotate it anymore. I can't attach anything to an existing or welded jr. docking port or to any else parts.
whatever part I weld on the main vessel side, it loses its attaching nodes.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf0f9g177b2o5ht/jr docking ports try_edit.mkv?dl=0

 

23 hours ago, Streetwind said:

So your plan will work as long as you add the two junior ports required to your cargo unit.

How? I can't figure out how to "Build the rover on that second port"..

 

23 hours ago, Streetwind said:

Your Kerbal can hang on a ladder while doing this, IIRC, so that may help.

Not he can, he have to hang on a ladder, in this way the parts have their attaching nodes,
So, instead of using jr. docking ports, I can weld a beam, a micronode and a decoupler, I can build a rover somehow,
decouple it landing on its wheels and remove all the stuffs attached on the main vessel.
So thanks, it helped. I still have to refine the procedure but it works and I like this way.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6j5xxehry4xp05n/on stairs it works_edit.mkv?dl=0
 

23 hours ago, Streetwind said:

work lamps are deployable parts (like the Breaking Ground science experiments). You need to put them in your Kerbal's inventory

your're right, it works, thanks!

Edited December 22, 2020 by antipro

[Streetwind]

3 hours ago, antipro said:

Not he can, he have to hang on a ladder, in this way the parts have their attaching nodes,

Wow. o_O That is weird as heck, and very likely a bug.

Squad is on winter holiday break right now, but I'll poke them about it in January.

[vv3k70r]

On 12/21/2020 at 3:25 PM, antipro said:

I can't assembly nothing, I can't take any parts from the slots,

You take from slot and attach to existing rover wherever. Then You take this part from rover, pres space to reset to gizmo and place on the ground. Then You build on this.

But it is not VAB and symetry gonna be measured by eye.

18 hours ago, antipro said:

Anyway, as soon as I place it, the RoverMate is moving and falls so I have to attach wheels fastly and

Did You consider to put it up on something first? Like another part? We do not build cars lying on the floor? Are we?

Asembly table is first to be set on site and last to detach.