Angelo Kerman

While there are definitely some edge case bugs that I found last night, the print order you're seeing is by design. Support printers start from the bottom of the list so that by the time the primary printer gets to them, they're already done. It reduces the chances that the primary printer has to wait on a support printer to finish its job. I also noticed that for my build, the UI was showing the incorrect part that the primary printer was working on. I also had vessel spawn-in issues that are my top priority to address. Thanks for the feedback.

I have plans to add printable base parts inspired by things like Subnautica, and the new vessel printing/recycling feature is vital to that goal. If I can do that, then Sandcastle will soft-deprecate Pathfinder, which is really showing its age at this point. But the new feature also opens the door to larger Kerbal Konstructs-based colonies. With the demise of KSP 2, I've been gathering all the developer notes and screenshots that they shared about colonies with the intent to make a self-sustaining colony mod. Think of Project Eagle, which is available on Steam, which is on a much larger scale than Pathfinder, Sandcastle's base parts, and so on. To get there, I have permission to revamp the Kerbal Konstructs' user interface. If I can make Kerbal Konstructs work more like the VAB/SPH when snapping statics together (existing statics would need new attachment nodes), then my dream colony mod will be possible. If not- well, Sandcastle's latest update gives me the ability to expand my base building. Anyway, those are all long-term plans. In the near term, Sandcastle 1.2.0 is now available. Changes - The Quicksand and Sandcastle 3D print shops now have IVA variants that let you switch between horizontal and vertical orientations. - In EVA Construction Mode, engineers can now switch part variants. - In EVA Construction Mode, engineers can now change flags, set flag sizes, and toggle them on/off. - The Sandcaster 3D Printer and EL-OCD Konstruction Manipulator are now available even when Extraplanetary Launchpads isn't installed. - The Sandcaster 3D Printer and EL-OCD Konstruction Manipulator can now print a single part regardless of volume and drop it into space or onto the ground. - The Sandcaster 3D Printer and EL-OCD Konstruction Manipulator can now print a vessel and drop it into space or onto the ground. NOTE: Multiple Sandcasters/Konstruction Manipulators, whether on the same vessel or on a different vessel, can collaborate to finish the build. - When printing vessels, the Sandcaster/Konstruction Manipulator can use pre-printed parts to reduce print time. - The Sandcaster 3D Printer and EL-OCD Konstruction Manipulator can now recycle vessels. If there's room in the inventory, the recycler can store the recycled vessel's parts and if not, it will convert the part into raw resources. NOTE: Multiple Sandcasters/Konstruction Manipulators, whether on the same vessel or on a different vessel, can collaborate to finish the recycling. - If in timewarp, the print shop will now kill timewarp when all print jobs are done. - Added a new Sandcastle game settings menu. It has things like a debug flag and the option to disable the check for kerbals occupying parts and vessels that are about to be recycled. - Fixed EC smelter config - thanks Aelfh1m! New Part Modules - SCModuleEVAFlagSwitch: Lets your engineers change flag decals set in the VAB/SPH. - SCModuleEVAVariants: Lets your engineers change the part variants during EVA Construction. TODO: Figure out how to charge for changes in mass. - SCBasePrinter: Base class for other printers. - SCShipwright: Handles all things vessel printing. - SCShipbreaker: Handles all things vessel recycling. Changes - Wild Blue Core - Added new ModuleInternalVariants - lets you switch IVA INTERNAL models. - Added new ModuleAnimateGenericExtended - provides options for skill checks, requiring resources, and enabling/disabling part modules. - Added new Settings menu, accessed through game settings. --- Future Updates --- To give you an idea of what's next for Sandcastle: Right now, the SCShipwright part module requires that the vessel spawn point be in the same part as SCShipwright. Next update will enable players to select a different part, highlighting your options sort of like how you transfer kerbals from one part to another. That selected part could be located in a different vessel. Breaking Ground Science- inspired printer parts including a small, stand-alone printer (especially useful for those times when you forget your #$%^& repair kits), an advanced printer drone, and a printer drone control station. The printer drone and control station are essentially an advanced, far more portable form of the Sandcaster. A Mass Effect-inspired Omni Tool that can print small parts and put them in the kerbal's inventory. Stretch goal: Investigations into improving stock EVA Construction- If you've ever tried to node-attach a part to another part, and have noticed that the alignment is off, then you know what I mean... Stretch goal: Investigations into whether or not it's possible to activate EVA Construction without the need for a kerbal. If possible, then automated assembly robots become a possibility.

I don't account for part cost in the build process, only part mass. If anything, I should account for the dimensions of the part along with its mass as a factor of build time (watch a 3D printer do its thing...). This upcoming update is definitely an alternative to Extraplanetary Launchpads. I've been a huge proponent of Extraplanetary Launchpads for the better part of a decade and love that mod. I've written stories around astronauts printing and building vessels off-world thanks to EL. For Sandcastle, I am making an alternative that leverages the stock inventory system to speed up the process by using parts in the inventory. But there's more to it than that. Out of the box, Sandcastle just requires Ore for printing, but it has the built-in capability to require a lot more including additional resources, varying levels of gravity and pressure, and even other parts. Imagine needing a Z-100 battery in order to print up a probe core, for instance. Through Module Manager, crafty players could create a whole part manufacturing chain in order to make parts at the top of that chain and have a Factorio-like play experience if desired. And some of those parts could be barred from being 3D printed, requiring you to ship them from the home world. For my game, for instance, warp engine tech will require Quantum Computers, Quantum Power Converters, and Quantum Warp Guides that cannot be 3D printed (they're alien tech and require highly complex processes to replicate)- at least until @JadeOfMaar makes an "alien tech" printer. This is probably best left to Vessel Mover, but yeah. Anyway, this weekend I need to do some code cleanup and leave myself some notes so I can pick up where I left off. Then I can finally kick this release out the door. While they won't be in this weekend's release, I already have plans for advanced printer tech that are kerbal-portable and leverage functionality from the Breaking Ground DLC...

Yes, you can launch the smaller saucer vertically. One way to do that is to put it inside a large fairing. Here is an example of how: You can also use the Mk2 engine plate that's included with the mod: Kerbal Flying Saucers requires a minimum of KSP 1.12.2, and works just fine in KSP 1.12.5. I have no plans to make the mod work in KSP 2 given that the game is essentially a dead end at this point.

These aren't insta-build. Just as it takes time to 3D print a part, it takes time to 3D print a whole vessel. Yes. Both the Sandcaster and the construction manipulator are getting the same treatment. I've been bashing my head on my desk for the past two weeks trying to figure out how to ensure that when landed, the spawned craft is always level (meaning, your navball is reading 0 for roll and pitch). Thus far, I've failed to figure that out. For various reasons, it's hard to do in KSP. If I can't figure it out by the weekend, I'll release what I have into the wild- the spawned craft will have the same orientation as the printer, so you might need to find some creative ways to level your printer before printing your desired craft. To be hones, this is more of an edge case for those times when you want to print a base and have it overlooking a crater or something, or you print your craft on some slope and (my) OCD compels (me) to make it level.

Printing costs are based on the mass of the part. It can handle part variants but at present it cannot handle B9PS.

It would be on brand to have in Sandcastle, I just don't have the bandwidth yet for it. Once I tackle the basic functionality of vessel printing though, I've got plans- like a Breaking Ground-like deployable printer, and an item like the Mass Effect Omni Tool printing small items and placing them into the kerbal's inventory. At least I'm getting there. Now the rover doesn't spawn into the ground: ... But I have to figure out the rotation...

I don't have weldable docking ports but I do have a disposable construction pad (replaces the pad with the constructed vessel, welding it to where the pad was) on my TODO list, but it won't be in the next release. Right now I'm focused on the basic functionality of building and spawning vessels as well as recycling them. I'm currently chasing bugs related to spawning rovers and vessels with launch clamps, but once that's sorted I'll finally be able to post the latest Sandcastle.

That WBI setting is from a long time ago. I tried making weldable docking ports and couldn't get it to work. I'll have to remove that next time I go through Wild Blue Tools.

Small update: Sandcastle now has Game Settings. Normally when recycling a vessel or parts of it, Sandcastle will wait until the kerbals have vacated the part. Normally... If for some reason you don't want to bother with that check, you can disable it. I'm undecided if, when "recycling" kerbals, they'll generate Snacks...

Configurable in what way? The Shipwright honors all the settings from MaterialsList.cfg, for instance.

I finally got the Shipbreaker UI done and most of the bugs worked out. Here's a preview: There's more to do with the Shipwright- the Shipbreaker gave me some ideas- but I'm almost done with this update. Oh, and in addition to multiple Shipbreakers on the same vessel, now it'll support Shipbreakers helping out from other vessels. The Shipwright will do the same once I'm done.

Yes.

More progress: now multiple Shipbreaker part modules can work together to tear a vessel apart faster than a single one can:

Today I got multiple Shipbreaker part modules to work together to tear a vessel apart faster than a single one can: Similarly, multiple Shipwright part modules can work together to build a vessel faster than a single one can.

Making progress... Once triggered, the Shipbreaker latches onto the vessel, stores parts that can be stored, and recycles parts that can't be stored.

Thanks! I'll take a look when I have more time.

When the Shipwright starts a print job it sends out a request to all available printers to print parts. Each time the Shipwright begins to print a part, it first checks the inventory. If a part is already available, then it will use it. Otherwise it will "print" the part using raw resources.

Only one vessel printer can print a single vessel, but you can have multiple print shops printing parts for you (if you have enough room to store the parts).

Next update will add some help to setup other parts as printers. Here's a draft of "Adding Printers To Parts.txt"

I guess the other way to make it work would be to allow the option to use the host part's origin point along with an offset. That is doable, but it would be up to the config writer to do a lot of testing to make sure that spawned vessels don't collide with the host part. Plus, the recycler would not function as it needs a special collider set as a trigger. @JadeOfMaar's technique of adding additional MODEL objects would help with that. I can add a couple of basic .mu files for exactly that purpose, but the config writer would need to incorporate them into the desired host part(s).

Ah, yes, you'd need to change them to have a spawn transform in order to print vessels. For the print shop you wouldn't need a transform. I think the Rangeland pad's EL spawn transform could work though, but I haven't tested it yet.

Right. The Shipwright is a different part module than the print shop. While the print shop can only print and store items into an available inventory slot, the Shipwright can print an entire vessel. It does so by pretending to print each part that comprises the vessel- that's how I can get away with taking an existing part from the inventory (assuming you had a big enough space for it), and using it instead of consuming more resources. For large vessels like this one: I calculate the dimensions of the vessel and offset the spawn point to avoid the collisions you're rightfully concerned with. And since we're talking about a craft file, the templates will already be set up. In the above case, the boxed parts that comprise the domes are pre-assembled in the SPH, and the Shipwright knows that and adds the additional required mass. Ideally that would work for any part but the truth is that I can't account for every part mod out there, so there are bound to be some issues. But if the part uses the stock ModulePartVariants, and the selected variant has additional mass, then the Shipwright can account for it. It's also already set up to handle the part variants found in Buffalo 2 and SunkWorks. Side Note: The Storage Depot can only hold 50,000 liters of stuff (or, it will once I get some bug fixes done). I can imagine a certain someone *cough* @JadeOfMaar *cough* creating a huge warehouse part for storing those big 5m fuel tanks and such...

Each printer has a fixed point. One thing I've noticed about EL is that the survey stakes can be a challenge to use and get set up right. Sandcastle's fixed point just ahead of the print nozzle bypasses that issue. Currently I'm working on getting the Shipbreaker (vessel recycler) working. The basic mechanics are almost there. then I need to work up a user interface for it. I have an intense week at work this week so things are slow as a result...

There is a spawn transform that I create in the 3D model, much like how EL's launchpad parts work. EL has always been optional, but now the Sandcaster and construction manipulator will always be available even when EL isn't installed. You'll also have the option to use EL's RocketParts-based vessel construction or Sandcastle's Ore-based vessel construction. It depends on your play style.