The Open Part Mod - Week of 4/11 project started

[frizzank]

Im trying to keep things dirt simple so everyone can play along. Blender, Gimp, and Unity are all free and excellent programs to get your feet wet. Many programs also have a 30 day free trial so you can figure out which one is best for you.

Good modeling and texture techniques are universal, so it will not matter what your using.

[TheCardinal]

This is a very good initiative! On the down side, it requires a basic level of knowledge which is often the problem for most wannabe developers. I myself have tried several times to design/build a part but i never succeeded in getting it succesfully into KSP. After some tries i usually give up.

My latest attempt was the Pook shuttle

[Deathsoul097]

I'll have a go! Though you probably wont hear from me until the end of each build.

[CaptainKipard]

I'll just add that if you're looking for some functionality of Max, Maya or Photoshop, then you might be able to find a plugin, or script for GIMP and Blender. They are also user-made and free.

[electronicfox]

This is a fantastic idea, kind of like the monthly noob challenge on Polycount.

I'll likely by making models for some of the challenges, but wont be entering into the challenge (it'd give me an unfair advantage over people new to this).

I'm curious, does anyone else use maya to make their parts?

I use Maya (student edition) for my models and Photoshop for textures, and can offer tips for the software.

If you go the free route, there are many alternatives, the most notable being Blender for 3D modelling, and Gimp for texturing. Xnormal is also a good tool for baking normals, cavity maps, AO etc.

I'm excited to see what the first challenge will be.

[electronicfox]

I'll also note for those that dont know, CST is 6 hours behind GMT, so if you're based in UK this wont start till 9pm.

[Silvester]

i too use blender last time i try to mod ksp since its on the tutorial

can i use spaceclaim , UV layout and materialize magic without blender to export to unity?

[Dirt_Merchant]

Oh sweet, I'm super stoked about this! What better opportunity could there be to learn how to create content for the best game ever!?

[curiousepic]

Will anyone else be building in Sketchup then importing to Blender?

[Silvester]

my opinion is we can use whatever 3d software we want as long as we get the model center of origin ( center of mass in unity thus ksp ) right

[curiousepic]

Sure, just wondering if there will be anyone else with whom I can compare notes

[Snjo]

This sounds cool. I want to participate in this since it seems like a good arena for spreading some knowledge to fledgling modders!

I'll have to step up my documentation game though

[Silvester]

whoa, looks like many full fledge modder are in

looks like we need some soft of price for the winner other than picking next part...

[frizzank]

As with art in real life recognition is the real prize....

[CaptainKipard]

As with art in real life recognition is the real prize....

I beg to differ. The real reward is a release of endorphins or some such chemicals that accompany the evolutionary response to proactive helpful actions.

[frizzank]

I posted this on the main page so it does not get lost. I hope to keep adding to it as time goes on. It may be better to start a new thread for each week but I like the idea of all the info in one thread, as massive as that may be....

Also added a new rule to part picking for the winner.

The part must be different visually than any previous part (be creative, if a fuel tank was done last week do a science part this one)

There will be a list of all parts per week in the first post

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Week 1 Project -Starting a bit early since its the first one.

Friday 4/11 at 3pm cst and ends Thursday 4/17 at 3pm cst

Create a small radial attached fuel tank that looks like it can carry all 3 of these fuels at the same time.

9 units of LiquidFuel

11 units of Oxidizer

10 units of MonoPropellant

Your first step should be to gather reference to get a general idea of what you want your tank to look like.

This is a very simple example of what it may look like. Yours should look different than this one.

Other reference ideas. Google is your friend!

https://www.google.com/search?q=fuel+tank&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=DBhIU_66I6Pg2AXPl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1513&bih=800#q=liquid+h2+tank&tbm=isch

https://www.google.com/search?q=fuel+tank&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=DBhIU_66I6Pg2AXPl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1513&bih=800#q=+propane+tank&tbm=isch

https://www.google.com/search?q=fuel+tank&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=DBhIU_66I6Pg2AXPl4DYBA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1513&bih=800#q=liquid+fuel+model+rocket&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=-sIhVatOBwd23M%253A%3B8L_-cQB4TlFB5M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblogs.scientificamerican.com%252Fobservations%252Ffiles%252F2012%252F02%252FGENIE-Xombie.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblogs.scientificamerican.com%252Fobservations%252F2012%252F02%252F16%252Frobot-rocket-knows-when-to-fly-when-to-hover-video%252F%3B480%3B640

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Edited April 11, 2014 by frizzank

[DMagic]

Is that all three fuel types at the same time, or something that can take Mono or Liq Fuel/Oxi, but not at the same time? Or is it whichever we choose?

[Snjo]

My first thoughts are towards creating an untraditional shape, and extra functionality. I will endeavour to embellish in an educational manner though

Oh, and as an addendum to the things frizzank has said in the OP, I'd say don't be afraid to be inspired by other people's ideas in this thread (or otherwise), cause this is about what you learn during the process more than anything, I think.

And if someone creates something close to your own idea, it was probably because it was a good idea

edit: And if I step outside the spirit of the rules, do not be afraid to exclude me from the judging, I'm just here to help!

[AngusJimiKeith]

Well, after some in-head formulation, here's the beginnings of my tank!

The top, spherical tank will contain LF, the two pills contain Oxidizer and Monoprop. Very simple right now, just primitives in 3dsMax. One sphere, two capsules.

.4m diameter, so a little narrower than the probe parts, and 1.4m tall.

Next up, I'll add a "framework" around the tanks to hold them all together.

For the texture, the frame will be more or less the same grey used on the stock radial Monoprop tanks.

The tanks themselves, though, will have some sort of insulation around them. Not sure what yet, but Foil MLI is a pretty strong contender.

Textures are my weak spot, though, and I'm hoping to pick up some knowledge here!

[frizzank]

Is that all three fuel types at the same time, or something that can take Mono or Liq Fuel/Oxi, but not at the same time? Or is it whichever we choose?

All 3 at the same time.

Remember its suppose to be a small radial attached fuel tank, under a meter in size. It is also suppose to be finished in less than a week.

Your probably going to want to do it in under a 1000 triangles and with a 512x 512 texture maximum.

My example was 275 triangles with a 256x256 texture. So if it holds 3 tanks instead of one it will probably have 3x the detail.

[SamCom]

I think I'll jump in on this! Thinking three round tanks in a triangle, bare metal.

[Tiberion]

Started off today making some rough models, to put the idea in my head "on paper" I'll probably make a few more passes to clean it up, or even redo it if I am not happy, since there isn't too much time invested yet. Also, there's an example of cutting down on triangles without losing much detail.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited April 13, 2014 by Tiberion

[BahamutoD]

As usual, started off with basic modelling.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Snjo]

Going to make some code to make the liquid level in the flask respond to gravity, and fill level, as well as the needles on the tanks.

Not sure if I can find a nice transparent shader for the liquid+glass, but time will tell.

I'll have to tweak the poly count on the flask to where it just barely works I guess.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Snjo

[AngusJimiKeith]

Update #2:

I've added the framework to hold the tanks together.

The vertical band is a 5cmx5cm square extruded along a spline that looped around the tank. After the extrusion, I only had to weld the ends together.

The horizontal bands are cylinders, positioned across the center of each tank.

Next up: getting the tri count down! This may involve redoing the extrusion, as it's the worst offender right now.

Following that is UV mapping, which I'm just as bad at as the texturing itself.