[WIP] (1.9.1 - 1.12+) TrekDrive - a Star Trek-like Warp Drive by ShadowWorks v0.99.1w NX-Class (10/08/2021)

[TheShadow1138]

1 minute ago, theJesuit said:

Looks so good.  Will you put the decals on it or will we be able to name the ship for ourselves?

My plan is to (hopefully) set it up with variant decals for NX-01 through NX-08:  Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavor, Buran, and Burya/Ptichka, and maybe a couple of other names for hypothetical Buran-class orbiters.  I am also planning on supplying a PSD file so that y'all can create custom names and registries.  I may also include instructions on how to create a custom name/registry if one doesn't have Photoshop or the GIMP.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to set it up so that all one would need to do is type the name and registry as it appears on the forward dorsal saucer and the name and registry would appear on the ship in the various places it is seen.  That's the plan and hope anyway.

[TheShadow1138]

Texturing Update:  The dorsal saucer panels have been completed.  This image is an actual render, so the color is what I'm planning on.  I'm trying to match the NX-01, but there will be a bluer tinted gray option as well that will be closer to the NX-02.

Edited May 28, 2021 by TheShadow1138

[TheShadow1138]

Saucer Texture Progress:  The main part of the saucer section is almost complete as far as color goes.  I've placed the windows, and added the dorsal and ventral cargo door markings.  There are some markings on the ventral part of the saucer near the deflector on the actual show model, but I've decided not to include them since most will look at the ship from above.  I think that the panels make the ventral surface interesting enough, and I can't think of a good realistic reason for the markings anyway.

Here is the progress in the base NX-01 Enterprise "bronzy" gray, and the NX-02 Columbia bluish gray:

Ventral View:

The aft cargo area is all that remains on the main saucer that will require the most attention.  Once that is completed then I will move on to the "louver" section of the saucer, and all of the other components (RCS, sensors, running lights, docking ports, etc).

Edited June 1, 2021 by TheShadow1138

[bjornadri]

hiya, really liking the concept of this mod adn love seeing the progress on the NX! quick question, my nacelles keep overheating, how do i combat this? (talking about the phoenix) also there dont seem to be any particle effects on the thrusters

[TheShadow1138]

4 hours ago, bjornadri said:

hiya, really liking the concept of this mod adn love seeing the progress on the NX! quick question, my nacelles keep overheating, how do i combat this? (talking about the phoenix) also there dont seem to be any particle effects on the thrusters

How are you running the Phoenix?  By that I mean, are you running at maximum warp for long periods of time?  I have the plugin set up so that the nacelles heat up based on the current warp factor (throttle setting) and they're own maximum warp rating.  So, if you're running at maximum warp for long periods of time the nacelles will heat faster.  Also, if you have edited the warp field generator cfg file to increase the maximum warp of the drive, but did not increase the maximum warp variable in the warp coil cfg file, then there will be even more heating.  Back in January I updated the heat generation to use a "warp ratio", which is "warp drive max warp"/"warp coil max warp".  So, if your drive can achieve warp 4, but your nacelle is only rated for warp 2, then the warp ratio is 4/2 = 2.  I then scale the heating by this multiplicative factor, so your nacelles will heat twice as fast as they would if your drive could only achieve warp 2 and your coils could achieve warp 2 as well.

This is a feature that I added to emulate the situation in many of the Star Trek shows, that they rarely travel at maximum warp for long periods of time.  This is why the Voyager didn't just travel at maximum warp all of the time.  The way I see it (according to Star Trek) the warp field is generated by injecting warp plasma into the warp coils in the nacelles, so as you are traveling at warp, there is a lot of very hot plasma flowing through those coils.  So, I reason that traveling at maximum warp would have even more plasma flowing through the coils generating more heat than they can radiate away, so running at max warp for long times would cause the coils to overheat, and if one doesn't slow down, then they could destroy themselves.  That may be a lot more explanation than you needed, but I hope it helps, but if not just let me know.

As for the effects on the thrusters, I assume you mean the RCS thrusters.  I have noticed that and I think I may have forgotten the effects definition in the cfg.  I do plan on going through that and getting it looking right before the 1.0 release.  As long as the thrusters actually thrust, that's the more important thing so I didn't worry about the particle effects in the WIP releases.

Here's a Texturing Update Render:

[bjornadri]

On 6/6/2021 at 2:46 AM, TheShadow1138 said:

How are you running the Phoenix?  By that I mean, are you running at maximum warp for long periods of time?  I have the plugin set up so that the nacelles heat up based on the current warp factor (throttle setting) and they're own maximum warp rating.  So, if you're running at maximum warp for long periods of time the nacelles will heat faster.  Also, if you have edited the warp field generator cfg file to increase the maximum warp of the drive, but did not increase the maximum warp variable in the warp coil cfg file, then there will be even more heating.  Back in January I updated the heat generation to use a "warp ratio", which is "warp drive max warp"/"warp coil max warp".  So, if your drive can achieve warp 4, but your nacelle is only rated for warp 2, then the warp ratio is 4/2 = 2.  I then scale the heating by this multiplicative factor, so your nacelles will heat twice as fast as they would if your drive could only achieve warp 2 and your coils could achieve warp 2 as well.

This is a feature that I added to emulate the situation in many of the Star Trek shows, that they rarely travel at maximum warp for long periods of time.  This is why the Voyager didn't just travel at maximum warp all of the time.  The way I see it (according to Star Trek) the warp field is generated by injecting warp plasma into the warp coils in the nacelles, so as you are traveling at warp, there is a lot of very hot plasma flowing through those coils.  So, I reason that traveling at maximum warp would have even more plasma flowing through the coils generating more heat than they can radiate away, so running at max warp for long times would cause the coils to overheat, and if one doesn't slow down, then they could destroy themselves.  That may be a lot more explanation than you needed, but I hope it helps, but if not just let me know.

As for the effects on the thrusters, I assume you mean the RCS thrusters.  I have noticed that and I think I may have forgotten the effects definition in the cfg.  I do plan on going through that and getting it looking right before the 1.0 release.  As long as the thrusters actually thrust, that's the more important thing so I didn't worry about the particle effects in the WIP releases.

Here's a Texturing Update Render:

looking good! and thank you for the information, yes i was running at max warp constantly, so that was my problem it seems. but with thrusters i meant the actual rocket engines. i have waterfall installed but either it's malfunctioning or some of my other mods are interfering. only mod i know of that also uses waterfal is bluedog design bureau and there it seems to be functioning properly.

[TheShadow1138]

5 hours ago, bjornadri said:

looking good! and thank you for the information, yes i was running at max warp constantly, so that was my problem it seems. but with thrusters i meant the actual rocket engines. i have waterfall installed but either it's malfunctioning or some of my other mods are interfering. only mod i know of that also uses waterfal is bluedog design bureau and there it seems to be functioning properly.

I haven't updated my version of Waterfall in a while, so it could be that something changed in Waterfall that messed up my thruster plumes.  I know Zorg over at BDB is keeping their Waterfall plumes maintained.  I'll have to update my Waterfall install and see if I can figure out what's up.

Throttling down from max warp a bit should help your nacelles to start to cool off.

Edit:  What version of KSP are you using?  I just tested on 1.11 with the latest release of Waterfall and the plumes do show up.  I'll update my KSP install to 1.11.2 and try it again.

Edited June 7, 2021 by TheShadow1138

[TheShadow1138]

NX Saucer Color Texture Complete!!!  There are a few areas that will get more detail with the normal map, so there are a few areas where there is just plain color that will get more detail.  Still need to do the incandescent, specular, and normal map, but that should be a much faster process with the base color texture done.  Then, it's on to other components.  Here are some pics for you.

Dorsal:

Close-up of the cargo door and deuterium fill connect:

Starboard sensor pack, docking port, and formation light:

Ventral view:

Shuttle bay close-up

Aft cargo loading area:

[bjornadri]

8 hours ago, TheShadow1138 said:

I haven't updated my version of Waterfall in a while, so it could be that something changed in Waterfall that messed up my thruster plumes.  I know Zorg over at BDB is keeping their Waterfall plumes maintained.  I'll have to update my Waterfall install and see if I can figure out what's up.

Throttling down from max warp a bit should help your nacelles to start to cool off.

Edit:  What version of KSP are you using?  I just tested on 1.11 with the latest release of Waterfall and the plumes do show up.  I'll update my KSP install to 1.11.2 and try it again.

i'm using 1.11.2

5 hours ago, TheShadow1138 said:

NX Saucer Color Texture Complete!!!  There are a few areas that will get more detail with the normal map, so there are a few areas where there is just plain color that will get more detail.  Still need to do the incandescent, specular, and normal map, but that should be a much faster process with the base color texture done.  Then, it's on to other components.  Here are some pics for you.

Dorsal:

Close-up of the cargo door and deuterium fill connect:

Starboard sensor pack, docking port, and formation light:

Ventral view:

Shuttle bay close-up

Aft cargo loading area:

holy sweet jesus that is simply gorgeous looking!

[TheShadow1138]

NX Saucer section textures complete!!!!  Color, specular, normals/bump, and incandescence maps are all complete!  In the pics you see below I use a bump map instead of the final normal map, which I will generate from the bump map.  The text around the shuttle bay doors is the only text that will appear regardless of the name of the ship, so that is in the texture for the saucer.  The name and registry will be a separate texture and simple mesh(es) that I'll set up after the full ship is textured.

Varied specular highlights per hull panel with "dirt"

Ventral hull with the only two windows without lighting

Close-up of the shuttle bay

Aft cargo area, now with a bit more detail from the bump map

I'm hoping that the rest of the texturing will go a bit faster as most of the rest of the components are not nearly as large as the saucer section, and do not have as many painted markings (like the aft cargo area).  Also, I won't have to experiment as much with the panel color variations now that I have something that I know looks good, and again, much smaller areas to panel.

No targets for release as of yet.  I will say that I have decided to include a variant of the navigational deflector that is the more squared off deflector dish seen on the NX-02 Columbia, so you can choose which type you want on your ship, along with which nacelle configuration (2-up, 2-down, or 4) you want.  I'm still mulling the NX-Refit engineering hull, but right now my focus is on the on-screen NX-class.

[bjornadri]

12 hours ago, TheShadow1138 said:

NX Saucer section textures complete!!!!  Color, specular, normals/bump, and incandescence maps are all complete!  In the pics you see below I use a bump map instead of the final normal map, which I will generate from the bump map.  The text around the shuttle bay doors is the only text that will appear regardless of the name of the ship, so that is in the texture for the saucer.  The name and registry will be a separate texture and simple mesh(es) that I'll set up after the full ship is textured.

Varied specular highlights per hull panel with "dirt"

Ventral hull with the only two windows without lighting

Close-up of the shuttle bay

Aft cargo area, now with a bit more detail from the bump map

I'm hoping that the rest of the texturing will go a bit faster as most of the rest of the components are not nearly as large as the saucer section, and do not have as many painted markings (like the aft cargo area).  Also, I won't have to experiment as much with the panel color variations now that I have something that I know looks good, and again, much smaller areas to panel.

No targets for release as of yet.  I will say that I have decided to include a variant of the navigational deflector that is the more squared off deflector dish seen on the NX-02 Columbia, so you can choose which type you want on your ship, along with which nacelle configuration (2-up, 2-down, or 4) you want.  I'm still mulling the NX-Refit engineering hull, but right now my focus is on the on-screen NX-class.

this simply looks gorgeous. though i have one question, do you have a plan on how to get this up into space or need we use hyperedit?

[TheShadow1138]

9 hours ago, bjornadri said:

this simply looks gorgeous. though i have one question, do you have a plan on how to get this up into space or need we use hyperedit?

That is a question I have been asking myself for a while now, especially since it is more or less correctly Kerbal-scaled (the docking ports are about 1.25m diameter).  I've done a couple of cursory searches in breaks from modeling and texturing for any mods that add a shipyard type functionality or some other orbital construction capability, but couldn't find anything I liked, or had the capabilities that would be needed.  I may have overlooked, or not found something that actually does add these capabilities, so if anyone out there knows of something like that, please let me know so I can look into it.

It would be nice if we could like co-opt the editor scene, give it a new dry dock structure instead of the VAB or SPH, so that the game "thinks" it's in the VAB or SPH, but has larger bounds and new assets, and then "launches" to orbit.  I know there's a mod that extends the bounds of the VAB and SPH to allow much larger vessels to be constructed, but that it would probably be extremely difficult, if not impossible/EULA breaking to replace the VAB/SPH assets in a "new" editor scene, which would be the ideal.  If we could use the extended VAB mod, the name of which I forget right now, and set an alternate "launch pad" that is in orbit, that would be a good serviceable solution.  I'm very much open to ideas.

[theJesuit]

What may be better would be a way of 'shrinking' like zooming the parts within the VAB and then expanding them to the correct size upon launch.   That would be a whole different mod which doesn't yet exist.

Peace.

[TheShadow1138]

1 hour ago, theJesuit said:

What may be better would be a way of 'shrinking' like zooming the parts within the VAB and then expanding them to the correct size upon launch.   That would be a whole different mod which doesn't yet exist.

Peace.

That would be a good solution also, if it were available.  Thanks for the link.

Edited June 10, 2021 by TheShadow1138

[bjornadri]

8 hours ago, TheShadow1138 said:

That is a question I have been asking myself for a while now, especially since it is more or less correctly Kerbal-scaled (the docking ports are about 1.25m diameter).  I've done a couple of cursory searches in breaks from modeling and texturing for any mods that add a shipyard type functionality or some other orbital construction capability, but couldn't find anything I liked, or had the capabilities that would be needed.  I may have overlooked, or not found something that actually does add these capabilities, so if anyone out there knows of something like that, please let me know so I can look into it.

It would be nice if we could like co-opt the editor scene, give it a new dry dock structure instead of the VAB or SPH, so that the game "thinks" it's in the VAB or SPH, but has larger bounds and new assets, and then "launches" to orbit.  I know there's a mod that extends the bounds of the VAB and SPH to allow much larger vessels to be constructed, but that it would probably be extremely difficult, if not impossible/EULA breaking to replace the VAB/SPH assets in a "new" editor scene, which would be the ideal.  If we could use the extended VAB mod, the name of which I forget right now, and set an alternate "launch pad" that is in orbit, that would be a good serviceable solution.  I'm very much open to ideas.

 

this exists but it does look discontinued however

[TheShadow1138]

7 hours ago, bjornadri said:

 

this exists but it does look discontinued however

Yeah, it does look like it hasn't been updated in a while, and some people are having problems running it in 1.11+.  It's too bad, as this would probably work for building the NX in orbit.

[TheShadow1138]

On 6/7/2021 at 8:11 PM, bjornadri said:

i'm using 1.11.2

I finally got around to updating my KSP install, and installed BDB in my mod testing install.  All of the Waterfall effects on the Phoenix were present with those installed, so I'm not sure why they aren't showing up for you.  Is it just the four small thrusters, or all of the engines/thrusters included in the TrekDrive download that aren't showing up?  Also, I just thought of this, how did you install TrekDrive:  manually, or through CKAN?

[bjornadri]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:23 PM, TheShadow1138 said:

I finally got around to updating my KSP install, and installed BDB in my mod testing install.  All of the Waterfall effects on the Phoenix were present with those installed, so I'm not sure why they aren't showing up for you.  Is it just the four small thrusters, or all of the engines/thrusters included in the TrekDrive download that aren't showing up?  Also, I just thought of this, how did you install TrekDrive:  manually, or through CKAN?

all of the engine's effects included with trekdrive aren't showing up. i installed it manually

[TheShadow1138]

4 hours ago, bjornadri said:

all of the engine's effects included with trekdrive aren't showing up. i installed it manually

That's strange, but I assume we can rule out BDB as the cause.  Try reinstalling TrekDrive to see if that fixes it.

[TheShadow1138]

NX Texturing Update:  I've begun working on the engineering section, and have completed the paneling of the pylons, as well as coloring the plasma accelerators.

[bjornadri]

23 hours ago, TheShadow1138 said:

That's strange, but I assume we can rule out BDB as the cause.  Try reinstalling TrekDrive to see if that fixes it.

will give that a go

[TheShadow1138]

NX Texture Update:  I have completed the textures for the engineering section!  I have added a tiny amount of geometry to the warp field governor (the pod in the center of the aft wing), in the way of making the groove geometry, instead of using normal mapping, and the six impulse thrusters(?) that sit in the aft groove.  I have also updated the specular map for the saucer section that makes the "dirt" much more visible as well as more distinguishable variation in the main part of the saucer.  Previously the variation was more apparent in the "scoop" than it was anywhere else on the saucer.

Pics:

Next up is the nacelle pylons and the primary and secondary impulse engines, which hopefully will not take as long as the engineering section and saucer section.

Request for Input:  It occurred to me that a warp-capable ship, particularly if one is going to be playing out a Star Trek-type discovery program, isn't much good if you can't get from the ship down to the surface.  I thought about making the shuttlepod bay actually usable and providing a shuttlepod with the initial release.  I could also, I believe, code in a transporter functionality in my plugin, that would kind of negate the need for the shuttlepod bay to be usable.  This may be the best solution, especially if I add the NX-refit engineering hull in the future.  In looking at the NX-refit, the "neck" connecting the saucer to the engineering hull covers up the two forward-most bay doors, and could make docking in the aft two doors precarious at best.  According to deck plans of the NX-refit, the shuttlepods were to be moved to the starboard aft bay of the saucer where the inspection pods had been stored, with the inspection pods moving to the old shuttlepod bay.  So, these are the options I'm going between, but can't quite settle on, and I'd like some other opinions.

1.) Add a shuttlepod, and a shuttlepod bay part that would have an NX-refit part variant to account for the "neck".  One would then be able to use all four bay doors in the original configuration, and would be able to dock in the aft two doors in the Refit configuration.

2.)  Add a shuttlepod, and two shuttlepod bays (the primary ventral bay, and the starboard aft bay), with the primary ventral bay having a part variant for the Refit configuration that would not be usable as a shuttle bay.

3.)  Add a shuttlepod, and modify the saucer section to include two launch bays that would be entered through the aft doors on the "porch" at the aft of the saucer that could hold one or two shuttlepods each.

4.)  Add transporter functionality and ignore the shuttle bays altogether.  Could still add a shuttlepod.  This option would either negate the use of shuttles altogether, or defer the matter of shuttlecraft until the next ship, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) from DISCO.

If you have an opinion, or a preference for one of these options, or even an alternative that I haven't considered, I'd like to hear from you.  Happy launchings!

[bjornadri]

On 6/16/2021 at 4:45 AM, TheShadow1138 said:

NX Texture Update:  I have completed the textures for the engineering section!  I have added a tiny amount of geometry to the warp field governor (the pod in the center of the aft wing), in the way of making the groove geometry, instead of using normal mapping, and the six impulse thrusters(?) that sit in the aft groove.  I have also updated the specular map for the saucer section that makes the "dirt" much more visible as well as more distinguishable variation in the main part of the saucer.  Previously the variation was more apparent in the "scoop" than it was anywhere else on the saucer.

Pics:

Next up is the nacelle pylons and the primary and secondary impulse engines, which hopefully will not take as long as the engineering section and saucer section.

Request for Input:  It occurred to me that a warp-capable ship, particularly if one is going to be playing out a Star Trek-type discovery program, isn't much good if you can't get from the ship down to the surface.  I thought about making the shuttlepod bay actually usable and providing a shuttlepod with the initial release.  I could also, I believe, code in a transporter functionality in my plugin, that would kind of negate the need for the shuttlepod bay to be usable.  This may be the best solution, especially if I add the NX-refit engineering hull in the future.  In looking at the NX-refit, the "neck" connecting the saucer to the engineering hull covers up the two forward-most bay doors, and could make docking in the aft two doors precarious at best.  According to deck plans of the NX-refit, the shuttlepods were to be moved to the starboard aft bay of the saucer where the inspection pods had been stored, with the inspection pods moving to the old shuttlepod bay.  So, these are the options I'm going between, but can't quite settle on, and I'd like some other opinions.

1.) Add a shuttlepod, and a shuttlepod bay part that would have an NX-refit part variant to account for the "neck".  One would then be able to use all four bay doors in the original configuration, and would be able to dock in the aft two doors in the Refit configuration.

2.)  Add a shuttlepod, and two shuttlepod bays (the primary ventral bay, and the starboard aft bay), with the primary ventral bay having a part variant for the Refit configuration that would not be usable as a shuttle bay.

3.)  Add a shuttlepod, and modify the saucer section to include two launch bays that would be entered through the aft doors on the "porch" at the aft of the saucer that could hold one or two shuttlepods each.

4.)  Add transporter functionality and ignore the shuttle bays altogether.  Could still add a shuttlepod.  This option would either negate the use of shuttles altogether, or defer the matter of shuttlecraft until the next ship, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) from DISCO.

If you have an opinion, or a preference for one of these options, or even an alternative that I haven't considered, I'd like to hear from you.  Happy launchings!

i think 1 or 3 are the best options talking about general fun gameplaywise. i think it would be best to leave the transtporter/shuttlecraft combo for the discoprise. also i am curious, how would this transporter work?

[TheShadow1138]

11 hours ago, bjornadri said:

i think 1 or 3 are the best options talking about general fun gameplaywise. i think it would be best to leave the transtporter/shuttlecraft combo for the discoprise. also i am curious, how would this transporter work?

There was a mod a while back called LCARS that added impulse engines, transporters, and some other Star Trek tech functionality, but it hasn't been updated in a long time.  I had a look at its code for the transporter and I think what could be done is to target a vessel, or set a waypoint on a planet or moon, then open a GUI window that lists the crew on the ship for one to select one or more kerbals, and and then remove the selected crew from the ship, and spawn them on the targeted vessel (space permitting) or spawn them on the surface at a waypoint, and maybe play a sound effect.  This would be done with a GUI, which I would need to learn how to set up, and I think it might be easier to do now than it was when the LCARS mod was originally being developed.  With the advent of cargo/inventory in KSP it might be possible to transport the contents of a cargo container or inventory slot as well.  I'd obviously have some more learning to do, but I think a transporter is within the realm of possibility.  Shuttlecraft would obviously be much easier to accomplish, and would require no more coding than the full starships.

As a side note, I am going to add impulse engines to the plugin to ensure that their thrust is always applied to the center-of-mass of the vessel to prevent any unwanted rotational motion, especially on ships like a Constitution-class.

Oh, and did reinstalling the mod fix the waterfall plumes?

Edited June 17, 2021 by TheShadow1138

[bjornadri]

On 6/17/2021 at 9:44 PM, TheShadow1138 said:

There was a mod a while back called LCARS that added impulse engines, transporters, and some other Star Trek tech functionality, but it hasn't been updated in a long time.  I had a look at its code for the transporter and I think what could be done is to target a vessel, or set a waypoint on a planet or moon, then open a GUI window that lists the crew on the ship for one to select one or more kerbals, and and then remove the selected crew from the ship, and spawn them on the targeted vessel (space permitting) or spawn them on the surface at a waypoint, and maybe play a sound effect.  This would be done with a GUI, which I would need to learn how to set up, and I think it might be easier to do now than it was when the LCARS mod was originally being developed.  With the advent of cargo/inventory in KSP it might be possible to transport the contents of a cargo container or inventory slot as well.  I'd obviously have some more learning to do, but I think a transporter is within the realm of possibility.  Shuttlecraft would obviously be much easier to accomplish, and would require no more coding than the full starships.

As a side note, I am going to add impulse engines to the plugin to ensure that their thrust is always applied to the center-of-mass of the vessel to prevent any unwanted rotational motion, especially on ships like a Constitution-class.

Oh, and did reinstalling the mod fix the waterfall plumes?

very interesting, i have tried that mod in past times, but it never seemed to work for me. if it hasn't updated in a while a possibility would be to check the licensing and basically use the code from lcars as a base with the authors permission. also yes, reinstalling did fix the plumes, thanks for the support on that and overall keep doing what you do because it's awesome thusfar!