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[WIN/MAC/LINUX] KSP Trajectory Optimization Tool v1.6.9 [New MATLAB Version!]


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Hi all!

Tonight I want to publish the third pre-release for KSPTOT v1.6.0.  The major change of this release is the inclusion of Graphical Analysis for Launch Vehicle Designer.  As with Mission Architect, access Graphical Analysis through the Tools menu.

I wanted to get this pushed out tonight because using graphical analysis is so critical to being able to use and test the new Launch Vehicle Designer.  Note that I'm aware of at least one outstanding bug with GA, somewhere in the Output to CSV system.  I will correct that in a future pre-release.  I also have some work to do on the aero angles steering mode, as it doesn't currently behave as I would expect it to in all cases.

As usual, please let me know if you have any questions or if you find any bugs.  Thanks!

 

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Hi everyone!

Good news, tonight I compiled KSPTOT v1.6.0 pre-release 4.  There have a number of important changes in this pre-release from the last one, again all focused on Launch Vehicle Designer.

  1. MAJOR FIX to the steering algorithms.  They now behave as expected, as far as I can tell.  Before the steering laws were just very broken and didn't work right.  Also, pitch and angle of attack are now positive "up" so that weird "negative is up" thing is no more.
  2. I added the astrodyanmics calculators and celestial body catalog UIs to LVD.  These are identical to those in Mission Architect (in fact it's the same function call internally).
  3. I tuned the optimization algorithm a bit and I think it runs better now.
  4. Fixed some other bugs.
  5. Updated the two stage to orbit example MAT file (included in this download).

Please give it a try and let me know how it works out.  If you find any bugs, definitely report those here or on the github issue tracker.  Thanks!  Happy orbiting!

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I'm working as fast as I can to get back to launching rockets so I can really check out the new functionality. In the meantime tho have you noticed this yet?

The full implications of how the mod affects KSP are still being looked into. I think you may already have axial tilt worked out for MA given that it's available in Principia and MA can plot n-body orbits, but I'm not sure. Just a heads up

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1 minute ago, Drew Kerman said:

I'm working as fast as I can to get back to launching rockets so I can really check out the new functionality. In the meantime tho have you noticed this yet?

The full implications of how the mod affects KSP are still being looked into. I think you may already have axial tilt worked out for MA given that it's available in Principia and MA can plot n-body orbits, but I'm not sure. Just a heads up

Hey!  Yes, I saw it earlier.  Unfortunately it's more difficult to implement this than it might seem.  See, right now KSP has every body's coordinate system exactly parallel.  There is no axial tilt.  Because of that, I never coded KSPTOT with that idea in mind.  Basically to get it right I would have to know the spin axis of each body, compute the rotation between body coordinate systems for each SoI transition (for MA) or local orbit (for MFMS, Compute Departure, and others), and then apply that rotation... everywhere.  It's not hard mathematically or anything, but it would require a pretty significant rewrite of code just about everywhere.

I'll think about it, but it's not going to be something I look at soon.  I'll need to dig into the mod first to see how it works.  Thanks for bringing it to my attention though!

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hello, thanks a lot for this log, it's very cool

I just start to use KSPTOT, but i need help, i'm on orbit arround Kerbin and i want go in orbit to mun (i prefer low space), i have follow the tuto on the github, but every time i'm trying that i don't find the good trajectory( the moon is very far of what i want).

 so i go in  mission architect :

  - i put my initial orbit arrond kerbin

- create coast put in "go to UT time", put my burn UT, uncheck "opt", save

- re open the coast put in "go to true anomaly", check opt and save

- create delta-v maneuver, i enter all my delta-v found in RDVZ sequencer

- create a new coast, put in go to periapsis , and put mun in reference body

after to optimize i make contraint for obirt altitude to apoapsis and periapsis with lower and upper bound ( 20-60 km for mun?)

and voila nothing good ......

 

 

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9 minutes ago, sonic300 said:

hello, thanks a lot for this log, it's very cool

I just start to use KSPTOT, but i need help, i'm on orbit arround Kerbin and i want go in orbit to mun (i prefer low space), i have follow the tuto on the github, but every time i'm trying that i don't find the good trajectory( the moon is very far of what i want).

 so i go in  mission architect :

  - i put my initial orbit arrond kerbin

- create coast put in "go to UT time", put my burn UT, uncheck "opt", save

- re open the coast put in "go to true anomaly", check opt and save

- create delta-v maneuver, i enter all my delta-v found in RDVZ sequencer

- create a new coast, put in go to periapsis , and put mun in reference body

after to optimize i make contraint for obirt altitude to apoapsis and periapsis with lower and upper bound ( 20-60 km for mun?)

and voila nothing good ......

 

 

Can you please edit your post with a link to the MAT file so I can take a look?  Thanks!

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Hi everyone,

This afternoon I'm pushing out the fifth pre-release of KSPTOT v1.6.0.  The major update in this pre-release is the ability for spacecraft to transition SoIs within Launch Vehicle Designer.  I had originally left out this capability in order to concentrate on more pressing concerns.  However, now that those are resolved, I am including this functionality in LVD.

I've tested it reasonably well but, as usual, please report any bugs to me.  There are a number of other smaller changes, too.  You can read the commit logs on the KSPTOT GitHub for more information.

By the way, has anyone tried out Launch Vehicle Designer yet?  Any thoughts or feedback?

 

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On 11/2/2018 at 10:42 AM, sonic300 said:

after few aptent it's finaly is working, ................ No is not . the celest body are always far far far

I've try too create bodies.ini but the same things.

link too my Mat file https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DTOth6Avj7aq_8OZ1-6KyfGFjvH2MH3j

the result in game after upload manoeuver

MoTXAFk.png

 

thanks

Go ahead and execute the maneuver anyway.  I played around with it some and initially I saw what you did.  However, after I put my spacecraft in the post-burn orbit and timewarped at x50 for about 5 seconds, the intercept with the Mun appeared.

dCiOy7q.png

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3 hours ago, Arrowstar said:

.  You can read the commit logs on the KSPTOT GitHub for more

whereat? Nothing shows as being updated the last 3 months

3 hours ago, Arrowstar said:

has anyone tried out Launch Vehicle Designer yet

Nope. bad timing! I'm putting all my free time into working through daily KSA ops that will bring me back to launching rockets in Jan. I'm halfway through Dec at the moment so getting there, but until I reach the point where things are launching again I don't have the time to look at it, which sucks because when I do maybe you won't have time to incorporate the feedback until some days or weeks later :P On the other hand the very existence of this new tool is extremely motivating for me to get back to the point where I can start playing with it!

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Just now, Arrowstar said:

Change the branch to "Launch Vehicle Designer."

ah! still learning how to get around github projects. Did not even think to look at the branches. I haven't even tried branching any of my projects yet even tho now that I think about it there were cases I probably should have...

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1 hour ago, Drew Kerman said:

Nope. bad timing! I'm putting all my free time into working through daily KSA ops that will bring me back to launching rockets in Jan. I'm halfway through Dec at the moment so getting there, but until I reach the point where things are launching again I don't have the time to look at it, which sucks because when I do maybe you won't have time to incorporate the feedback until some days or weeks later :P On the other hand the very existence of this new tool is extremely motivating for me to get back to the point where I can start playing with it!

No worries!  Doesn't look like the twitter account has been active for a while though?  Are you posting your progress anywhere?

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1 hour ago, Arrowstar said:

Doesn't look like the twitter account has been active for a while though

really? activity is low due to recovering from the Monolith acting up again but posting has remained regular. Website always has the latest tweets and any articles, a few posted in the last few weeks

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23 minutes ago, Drew Kerman said:

really? activity is low due to recovering from the Monolith acting up again but posting has remained regular. Website always has the latest tweets and any articles, a few posted in the last few weeks

Huh, could you PM me a link then?  Maybe I'm looking at the wrong Twitter feed. :)

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4 minutes ago, Arrowstar said:

Huh, could you PM me a link then?  Maybe I'm looking at the wrong Twitter feed. :)

click the KSA flag in my sig

edit: wait maybe you have sigs disabled: http://www.kerbalspace.agency

at the bottom of the twitter feed on the right sidebar is a link to just the feed if you want that

Edited by Drew Kerman
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Tonight I added one of that last details to Launch Vehicle Designer I wanted to get in before the first formal release.  There is now a "Next SoI transition" event termination condition.

I'm thinking that, unless anyone mentions anything or reports a bug, I'll probably create the v1.6.0 build this upcoming weekend.  Presumably the bug reports will start coming in then lol. :)

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Hey everyone!

I have a question for the KSPTOT community tonight.  For a bit now I've been thinking of setting up a Ko-Fi account.  Ko-Fi is a bit like a PayPal Donate button, but appears to be a bit more user friendly (and creator friendly).  The intent behind this is to give people another way of saying thanks beyond sending me PM notes or leaving messages here in my thread.  (The latter two of which, I should point out, I really do appreciate and always give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I read one.)

I'm asking because I'm not too familiar with how these sorts of things are received by a community and I want to make sure I am not doing something that will be perceived negatively.  This is probably a good time to point out that KSPTOT has always been free, is free today, and will always remain free to download and use.  It is one of my most enjoyable hobbies and I consider it my gift to the KSP community.  KSP has given me so many hours of enjoyment, it's my pleasure to give back in this way.  That said, in the past, I have received questions from users over the years about if I accept donations or the like and I've always had to say no because I never liked PayPal and I don't think I produce regularly enough for a Patreon or something like that.  My discovery of the Ko-Fi website changes that a bit.

Anyway, what are your thoughts?  I'm happy to hear opinions either way, positive or negative.  And if I don't hear anything, I'll assume no one cares and probably go ahead and give it a whirl anyway lol.

Thanks everyone!  Happy orbiting. :)

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On 11/7/2018 at 8:44 PM, Arrowstar said:

Anyway, what are your thoughts

If you're working at Wallops I'd still like to buy you a drink in person after a launch (obviously not this upcoming one :P) but barring that I've wanted to toss over a donation for a while now.

From a general perspective, I think this tool has evolved well beyond the point where adding a donation button would cause anyone to think negatively about it. Having people donate early to a project that isn't well-rounded and still buggy or feature incomplete can be stressful on the developer to deliver but you've already done that IMO.

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On 11/8/2018 at 6:53 PM, nsgallup said:

Wondering what I am doing wrong here...

Trying to use this tool for a transfer to Dres from Kerbin,

<snip>

This is what it gives me

<snip>

Closer image of orbit

<snip>

What mechjeb planetary transfer tool gives me

<snip>

@nsgallup, my best guess is that because you're not using the option to incorporate your orbit's mean anomaly and epoch, the code is just assuming you'll be at the right place at the right time.  Check that box in the initial orbit window that pops up and see if that helps.

@Drew Kerman, thanks for the thoughts!

In other news, I've been putting the finishing touches on Launch Vehicle Designer tonight.  I worked through some major code speed/performance improvements (up to 50% decrease in run time depending on the orbit regime and if engines are firing or not), added a few new event termination conditions related to the ascending and descending nodes, and added some helpful warnings related to maximum mission time and maximum propagation time upper limits.  (These checks prevent the code from getting stuck or taking forever and never finishing or finishing too slowly.)

I think we're going to be ready to go for a v1.6.0 release by the end of this weekend.  I can't think of anything else I need to add, and with the exception of a bug report I received today that I still need to investigate, I think everything is in pretty solid "initial release" state.  This has been about two months in the making and I'm very excited to be getting to this point. :)

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56 minutes ago, Arrowstar said:

@nsgallup, my best guess is that because you're not using the option to incorporate your orbit's mean anomaly and epoch, the code is just assuming you'll be at the right place at the right time.  Check that box in the initial orbit window that pops up and see if that helps.

I was doing some more troubleshooting and did try with that option enabled but had the same problem.

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1 hour ago, nsgallup said:

I was doing some more troubleshooting and did try with that option enabled but had the same problem.

If you have a stock save file that shows this problem (preferably the issue you screenshot above), then if you can pass that along to me, I'll try to take a look. :)

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