How to get panels to separate from craft?

[kbkline]

I've seen a lot of videos where people make side panels that will separate from the craft (like around the mid portion of Orion) once it gets into space. How do you do that? I haven't looked at it closely since .90 came out but I am very curious as to how this is done.

[Ignath]

Those side panels are called Fairings and there have been numerous threads on this very forum on how to make them. Check out this thread for numerous examples:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/94470-Stock-fairings-possible

You can also use a mod (Procedural Fairings, Zero-Point Inline Fairings) to have fairings you don't have to build out of structural panels yourself as well...

Edit: There are also some parts packs that add fairings along with numerous other parts (AIES Aerospace and KW Rocketry to name 2), but if you're only looking for fairings, the part bloat with these could get pretty big.

[Anquietas314]

I think you're talking about "fairings", and those come from mods usually. You can make them in stock, but it's a lot of work, very fiddly, and usually doesn't look very good. KW Rocketry is one such mod, Procedural Fairings is another

EDIT: damnit, ninja'd!

[Cerberus738]

There is a mod called procedural fairings that let you do that easily. Otherwise you have to build the panels your self using the structural panel part. Takes a bit of time and patience. I have never done either so I don't know the exact steps involved. You would need some decouplers between the fairing you build and your rocket/payload to make them separate.

[kbkline]

OK thanks for the replies. To much work to do it myself. Got it lol. I'll get KW Rocketry and Procedural Fairings.

[Anquietas314]

OK thanks for the replies. To much work to do it myself. Got it lol. I'll get KW Rocketry and Procedural Fairings.

You don't need both if you're just going for the fairings KW has lots of nice parts too though, but you should watch the fairings tutorial video. They're a bit counter-intuitive to use.

[Ignath]

You don't need both if you're just going for the fairings KW has lots of nice parts too though, but you should watch the fairings tutorial video. They're a bit counter-intuitive to use.

Yep, this is correct...you shouldn't need both KW Rocketry and Procedural Fairings IF the only thing you're looking for is fairings. Procedural Fairings does fairings much better (IMO) and with less hassle.

There are also some extra textures and visuals for Procedural Fairings created by blackheart612. Those add new textures to PF as well as integrates KW fairings directly into PF. That can be found in this thread (which has a bunch of extra textures for Procedural Parts as well): http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68892

[Anquietas314]

Procedural Fairings does fairings much better (IMO) and with less hassle.

I'll just add that if fairings are the only thing you're after, definitely go with PF because KW adds a lot of parts, which means high memory cost.