Open Source Construction Techniques for Craft Aesthetics

[problemecium]

^ That... is actually brilliant! So simple and yet so effective! I was worried for a bit when Step 1 was "Add cubic strut" but you actually used it in a very non-stereotypical way.

Unfortunately, while very strong, they do have a frustratingly low crash tolerance, so I wouldn't call them "indestructible"

[Wjolcz]

^ That... is actually brilliant! So simple and yet so effective! I was worried for a bit when Step 1 was "Add cubic strut" but you actually used it in a very non-stereotypical way.

Unfortunately, while very strong, they do have a frustratingly low crash tolerance, so I wouldn't call them "indestructible"

Thanks! Still looking into this design. Maybe I'll find some substitute for it in 1.0. For now it holds alright.

[Rath]

Well if you used a scientific sensor and compleatly covered it with the "Strut ends" which have 12mps crash tolerance it might be more resilant.

[Woopert]

Submitted this to Reddit but this is probably a better place, because Official KSP forums > Unofficial Subreddit.

How to make LAS shrouds in KSP

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[Rath]

I need some help with making a stock preaty transfer stage, on mobile but will post pictures and maybe the craft file later. P.S. I think it's called the LES not the LAS but I geus if you put only Valentina in a capsule and did the it COULD be called a 'LES for a las'

[sgt_flyer]

ok, for a first 1.0 trick - custom nozzle building / open ended interstages (like on soyuz) with fairings

note, this trick is not yet useful - until Squad fixes the cargo bays / fairings bug not allowing engines to be ignited while 'stowed' inside fairings. - if squad fixes this bug, it should be easy to clip an engine inside this

for this one, i used this technique (but it should be able to work without it too) http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43086-Open-Source-Construction-Techniques-for-Craft-Aesthetics?p=1709894&viewfull=1#post1709894

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[Yukon0009]

Hey guys, Maorjim's no engine fairing also works with heat shields. Can someone comfirm?

[Majorjim!]

Hey guys, Maorjim's no engine fairing also works with heat shields. Can someone comfirm?

Hey man, yes I can confirm this. I did this last night. Very happy it still works!

[GusTurbo]

This one's more of a PSA than a technique, but here it is. So the new fairing code has some quirks, and one of them is that you cannot replicate fairings with symmetry. This is extremely important for making R7/Soyuz boosters.

The Workaround

Make your booster using the new fairing system. Once you're ready to add more boosters, like the 4 on the Soyuz, take your booster and make it into a subassembly. Once you've done that, you'll need to pull a new subassembly each time. Slightly annoying, but it's better than having to re-create the fairing each time!

[Zucal]

This is one I'm excited to use for more things- right now it's just on my Phoenix lander. If you take the LY-01 Fixed Landing Gear and rotate them around/offset them outwards, you get nice probe landing legs. They look even better if you attach struts to them. So many possibilities for building now!

Edit: 5 bars of rep

Edited April 29, 2015 by Zucal

[Mr. Speed]

This one is quite obvious, but the new fairings make it really easy to place a scanner inside the nose, just like real jets have their radar inside the nose.

it is harder to access the GUI though, since it can't be assigned to an actiongroup.

[Halsfury]

Ok I just discovered something, which can help with aesthetics and ergonomics.

For the service module of a 2.5m capsule:

Take a 2.5m Service Bay (that's the funny new part with doors), and in the centre of the bay place a SC 9001 Science Jr. science bay.

On the floor or ceiling of the bay there is still room for radially attachable objects like goo containers and RCS propellant tanks.

On the back of the Science Jr. module there is room for smaller experiments such as thermometers, Gravifoli detectors, accelerometers, and Barometers as well as radio equipment.

This is how it looks from the front, on my campaign crew vehicle, the NCV (imaginatively named the New Crew Vehicle.)

- - - Updated - - -

Submitted this to Reddit but this is probably a better place, because Official KSP forums > Unofficial Subreddit.

How to make LAS shrouds in KSP

http://imgur.com/a/JGLDt

You Sir, get rep for that, not only is that really nice looking, it also is very efficient since the mass of fairings is concentrated in the fairing base apparently. Doing it your way allows one to ditch the mass effectively when the fairing is no longer needed. you just saved me 0.20 tons of launch mass and boosted my efficiency

[ThatGuyWithALongUsername]

Alright, here I go. This one uses the ROUND-8 (please keep it, Squad!)

https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=F177F71EA26E6090&resid=f177f71ea26e6090%214842&authkey=AJkZwozQrmIuCVw

https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=F177F71EA26E6090&resid=f177f71ea26e6090%214840&authkey=ALOLIYWjcmqcO48

https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=F177F71EA26E6090&resid=f177f71ea26e6090%214841&authkey=AFPuAFuOfz22Ymw

I offset and rotated the tiny radial rockomax engines into the mk1 command pod to get nice retrorockets.

- - - Updated - - -

oh... um, I guess I'll have to host those pics some other way. oops.

I updated that little service module. Here it is:

The propulsion module in action.

Detachable!

completely flush!

Instructions later, I don't have time now. It's quality a little more complicated on the inside.

[Rath]

Just to let evreybody know that transfer stage I needed help with got broken by 1.0 somehow. I.E. whenever I try to launch it even with a fairing the parts randomly jitter around and explode.

[sgt_flyer]

@rath we won't be able to help without knowing what your design looks like:)

Though, i know some parts don't play nice with others - ex, i recently tried clipping a RT-5 flea inside a booster for decoupling - the thing made my boosters explode each time - replaced it by a small fuel tank and a MK-55 radial engine - no more rappid unplanned dessassemblies. Now, other parts do the same (like the inline docking port, the new 1.25m and 2.5m cargo bays also don't like clipping.)

Besides, if you need someone to build a transfer stage, he'll need infos on what you want to do with it - ex : where do you want to go with that transfer stage, and with what payload weight. (And after that - depending on the upperstage, your launcher might need a redesign(

Edited May 2, 2015 by sgt_flyer

[Rath]

Well the snazzy thing you just mentioned tears it apart now no matter how much I strut it.

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The main jittery thing is a z-100 battery. It's indestructable. Like hyper edit to 50% of speed of light and it not exploding.

I shall remove it and try again. At least the payload (The Eve mission package- a 3.75 ton clump of clipping that has two landers and a rover) is fine.

- - - Updated - - -

For the use of the stage I want to send the payload to eve and send it back alone to be refueled and reused so it needs to not take too much fuel have sane burn times (pssst I'm in the IB so I have no time-like Zekes) and be stabe with a 1.25 meter docking port. I would like to have it be able to go to duna too)

[Rath]

And I have a transfer stage that I want to us but I don't know how much delta V it has. Take a look at long 1.25 meter tank and add a nuke to it (I have a load if other stuff on it but most of it is massless.

- - - Updated - - -

Sadly I'm away from the file for a while

[Rath]

Here it is-No spazzy!

[Chris_2]

Maybe this is a pretty 'obvious' trick but this is how I clip struts in wings to make bigger wings that don't bend weird or have all kind of gaps between the parts when in flight / under aero forces:

1 Build your wings

2 Move the wing parts slightly seperated

3 Place struts between the wing parts, completely clipped inside the wings

4 Move the wing parts back to their original positions

5 Now you have 'strong' wings with fully clipped and invisible struts.

Be careful though, when using symmetry, the struts on one side of the craft will break, so this has to be redone everytime when moving or placing the wings with symmetry...

[sal_vager]

Playing career and have not researched airbrakes yet?

Need to slow those spaceplanes down on the cheap?

Try doubling up on control surfaces, reversing the deploy direction of one set and binding them to the brakes.

Instant airbrake!

[Captain Sierra]

Playing career and have not researched airbrakes yet?

Need to slow those spaceplanes down on the cheap?

Try doubling up on control surfaces, reversing the deploy direction of one set and binding them to the brakes.

Instant airbrake!

http://i.imgur.com/EQTPfyE.png

Using inverted deploy control surfaces also makes great flaps, used that to make my cargo plane (normal take off speed: 140m/s) lift off at 70m/s.

[Wjolcz]

Not really aesthetic, but could be useful for some.

You can actually set airbrakes as yaw control surfaces on your flying wing designs.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Look at this:

Now, this is the best place I could figure to post it, do you think I should start a thread in General?

[Zucal]

Now, this is the best place I could figure to post it, do you think I should start a thread in General?

Hmm? What technique?

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Hmm? What technique?

Well, it's not a technique as such, but there is a folder called thumbs which has all those awesome craft thumbnails.