The White Guardian

The issue is in the mod VertexHeightMap. There is an entry there that reads 'scaleDeformityByRatius', while it should be 'scaleDeformityByRadius'. A d, not a t. This was a typo overlooked during the writing of this guide, one that I have removed mere hours ago. Anyhow, fix that typo, make sure scaleDeformityByRadius is set to 'false', check your filepaths, then try again.

I wish I knew. It is possible in theory to draw your planet textures with and image-editing software, and they will in fact work, but there is one problem: you will need a special blending effect at the poles, otherwise the texture, when applied to a sphere, will look disorted at the poles. I wish I knew how to add this blending effect, but so far I have found no answer to this problem myself either. The problem is that, the further from the planet's equator the row of pixels on your color map is, the smaller the strip of land it needs to cover. For instance, the uppermost and lowermost textures color in only a minute circle of your planet's surface, while the pixels at the equator color a much greater distance. There is a good alternative though in the form of PQSMods and Kittopia, but I will explain all of that in a later guide. I'm still experimenting with that myself, you see.

I just noticed something whilst lazily browsing through this thread's comments out of boredom. There is an error in the entry 'VertexHeightMap', it has a value called 'scaleDeformityByRatius' while it should be 'scaleDeformityByRadius'. I could have mentioned this already, and you could even have found the problem already, but I thought I should let you know nevertheless. My sincerest apologies for noticing this error this late.

No problem! Give it a try, and if it still doesn't work, I'll still be here, and please know that I will reply to any question ASAP.

I saw the problem immediately. What you did wrong was setting 'removeAllPQSMods' and 'removeOcean' to false, while only a few lines later, you specify the PQSMods and an ocean. You see, using the 'Template' lines, you clone a stock planet and edit it from there. Every stock planet already has a few PQSMods, and by setting 'removeAllPQSMods' to false, you left those in place while applying new ones later, and in fact you might have added PQSMods that were already there, which will lead to a Kopernicus issue. Furthermore, it is okay to leave the original ocean in place with 'removeOcean = false' if the ocean you wish to specify is identical to the ocean of the templated planet. In this case you are specifying Kerbin, if you want a Kerbin-like ocean, do not specify the ocean later with Ocean { (stuff here } Furthermore, instead of 'removeOcean = false' you can leave it out altogether, Kopernicus will never remove stuff unless told to. So, in short, apply the following changes. Template { removeAllPQSMods = false removeOcean = false } Change this to Template { removeAllPQSMods = true } Furthermore, delete the following part Ocean { maxQuadLengthsPerFrame = 0.03 minLevel = 1 maxLevel = 1 minDetailDistance = 8 oceanColor = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 Material { colorFromSpace = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 color = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 } FallbackMaterial { colorFromSpace = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 color = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 } Mods { AerialPerspectiveMaterial { globalDensity = -0.00001 heightFalloff = 6.75 atmosphereDepth = 150000 DEBUG_SetEveryFrame = true cameraAlt = 0 cameraAtmosAlt = 0 heightDensAtViewer = 0 enabled = true order = 200 } OceanFX { Watermain { waterTex-0 = BUILTIN/sea-water1 waterTex-1 = BUILTIN/sea-water2 waterTex-2 = BUILTIN/sea-water3 waterTex-3 = BUILTIN/sea-water4 waterTex-4 = BUILTIN/sea-water5 waterTex-5 = BUILTIN/sea-water6 waterTex-6 = BUILTIN/sea-water7 waterTex-7 = BUILTIN/sea-water8 } framesPerSecond = 1 spaceAltitude = 150000 blendA = 0 blendB = 0 texBlend = 0 angle = 0 specColor = 0.000,0.000,0.000,0.000 oceanOpacity = 0 spaceSurfaceBlend = 0 enabled = true order = 200 } } Fog { fogColorEnd = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 fogColorStart = 0.15,0.25,0.35,1 skyColorOpacityBase = 0.7 } } Because the ocean you are specifying is identical to Kerbin's default ocean. Deleting this part of the config and leaving 'removeOcean' out altogether will result in an ocean nevertheless.

I'm having the same issue with rings being behind planets. In your case, delete scatterer, it's known to cause this effect. As for why I am having the same issue without scatterer, I'd guess using outdated stuff in combination with updated stuffTM is going to leave some scratches...

New E.V.E I think, judging by the detail texture.

Heh, I've been searching the internet for the answer to that very question for months now! I am sorry, but I do not know, and it seems as if the internet does not know either... or I simply have not found the answer yet.

I cannot really describe it, you need to see an example to know what I mean. Just open a planet's color.dds file (can be any planet or moon from any mod) and take a look at the poles. Basically the texture needs to be 'wrapped' a bit, you see, the uppermost and lowermost layer of pixels color a circle on the poles that is way, way smaller than the pixels at the planet's equator.

Another update! For those of you who just don't feel like writing an entire config or who are tired of copy-n-pasting stuff from this thread, I have uploaded a ready-to-go gas giant config, all you have to do is punch in your gas giant's numbers. It can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3at9y9cxqfyeeu0/Gas%20Giant%20Config.cfg?dl=0 Happy planetbuilding, everyone!

you are free to use my example, but I have just noticed a critical value being forgotten under 'properties'. This is my fault though. You see, the size of the planet has not been specified. To do this, add 'radius = (distance from your planet's core to it's surface)' Another issue: remove the '(important)' after 'enabled = true' in Atmospheres. Unless notes like this have '//' in front of it, Kopernicus will read it and then scratch it's head in confusion for it has absolutely no idea what you mean. Please remove these kinds of notes.

No problem! And you aren't wasting my time, the more you know, the better the resulting pack. So if you ever have a question, feel free to ask! And if I cannot find the answer, I'm sure that @Thomas P., @KillAshley and @Sigma88 on the main Kopernicus thread are more than happy to lend a hand. Update! Upon inspection, it seems that I forgot an entry for the orbit properties. You can also write 'eccentricity = (number)' to make your planet's orbit more egg-shaped. For instance, comets have a high eccentricity. Setting this value to or near 0 will result in an (almost) perfectly circular orbit. Sorry for the inconvenience everyone, and happy Kopernicus modding!

Hmm... There are many ways to obtain a texture. The easiest way is by using the free 3D exploration program Space Engine that allows you to export planet textures, though please, do not use these textures in any released packs, for Space Engine planets closely resemble each other and do not look stockalike. Another way is by using programs like GIMP and Photoshop and the texures will actually work, but they are missing a special blending effect at the poles. There is one third, reliable way though. However, for that you must understand procedural, heightmap-less generation and this is something I have not yet covered. As soon as you understand the basics of procedural generation though, you can simply code a planet, but 'forget' to specify the ScaledVersion. You see, the scaledversion is only required to update and tweak scaledspace, not speficying it will result in a scaledversion that is identical to the templated planet. However, upon landing, you will find a different planet, and the way it will look will depend on the config it uses. You can then use Kittopia to export the textures and use these to update the ScaledSpace. So, you frankly do not need textures to create a planet, all you need is some Kopernicus knowledge. As for template-less generation, I'll cover that later, but if you'd like you can shoot me a private message and I'll explain which PQSMods to add instead of VertexHeightMap.

Pressure and temperature keys? The 'key =' tells Kopernicus that it is reading a new entry in the curve and that the values that Kopernicus is about to read are from a new specified altitude and not the previous specified altitude. Here is an example key: key = 0 1722.525 -3.68761403636364E-02 -3.68761403636364E-02 I've already explained what the 'key =' means. Next, you see the zero? That is the altitude for this key. The '1722.525' has to do with the pressure (don't take it too literal, Kopernicus performs some calculations with it) and the last two numbers are the derivs, they have to do with the pressure CURVE rather than the pressure itself. They are indeed rather confusing, but there is a handy online calculator that will calculate all the numbers for you. I cannot give you the link though, ask @KillAshley. Hope this helps The White Guardian

Oh... well... NOBODY SAW THAT!

I know, no PQSMods, basically a huge ScaledVersion. I was talking about the way you recolor Jool in Uncharted Lands. According to the page of Uncharted Lands, all textues have been generated from PQSMods, so... For now I'll use S.E. textures for gas giants. Before you frown, hear me out. I open the textures in GIMP... and smite the living daylights out of 'em. I never really use textures from S.E. directly.

And you will succeed, trust me on that. If I can do it... I'm not sure what PQSMods to use for coloring gas giants though, I'll have to look into that.

I think you do not understand. You do not need to specify a template with gas giants. You see, template-less generation is extremely difficult, and only very few ever created one. However, it depends on what you are trying to create. Template-less terrestrial planets are hard, since you need to specify a crap load of PQSMods correctly. Gas giants, however, are always scaledspace textures with an atmosphere pasted on top of it, they do not need PQSMods and therefor generating them is easy. Jool, for instance, has a perfectly flat surface thanks to it being a scaledspace, a thin layer with a texture painted on top of it. So no Minmus-sized planets with extreme atmospheres, not only because it will look really weird in... well... it'll look weird no matter where you are, and because that's not how KSP's gas giants work. I am also creating a few 'example' configs for the people who want to get straight to creating planets with the miracle that is Kopernicus rather than having to write a config, because writing the config itself is a part where many people make mistakes, I bet at least 60% of all questions asked on the main Kopernicus thread is the result of an incorrectly written config. Next I will feature how to edit stock worlds as well. Creating textures, however, is something completely different. I'd personally recommend using Space Engine for educational purposes ONLY. I will, however, do a guide on making planets the @KillAshley way, with generating them from PQSMods only, then exporting them through Kittopia, and huzzah! Stockalike planets made with only Kopernicus and Kittopia, no external textures needed!

Alright, other guides are still in the makings, but since gas giants are easy, I've written a quick guide on it. So, how do I create a gas giant with Kopernicus? The answer is rather simple: it's easier than 'solid' planets! Let's start off as usual. Step 1: Start as always @Kopernicus:AFTER[Kopernicus] { Body { name = (your planet's name) cacheFile = (filepath) That's how you begin. Easy, right? Next step: the properties of your gas giant. Step 2: Planet properties Properties { description = (in-game description in the info tag) geeASL = (surface gravity in G's) radius = (distance from your gas giant's core to it's surface, how 'big' is the planet?) rotationPeriod = (rotation period of your planet) rotates = true (important!) initialRotation = (number here) tidallyLocked = (do you want your planet to be tidally locked, ergo, do you want it's rotation period to be identical to it's orbital period, resulting in it always showing it's parent object the same side of the planet? If yes, write 'true', if not, write 'false') isHomeWorld = false (important!) timewarpAltitudeLimits = (eight numbers here. Each number is a specific altitude above your planet's sea level at which a set timewarp speed is unlocked. Example: 0 30000 40000 60000 100000 200000 400000 800000. In the example, 1x time warp is unlocked at altitude 0, 5x is unlocked at 30000m above sea level, 10x at 40000, etc) ScienceValues { landedDataValue = 1 splashedDataValue = 1 (Since this is a gas giant, it is in theory impossible for science to be collected at the surface or while 'splashed down'. Therefor, write down '1' for conditions that are not possible, for example, flying low and flying high on planets that have no atmosphere) flyingLowDataValue = 6 flyingHighDataValue = 5.5 inSpaceLowDataValue = 5 inSpaceHighDataValue = 4.5 recoveryValue = 6 flyingAltitudeThreshold = 12000 spaceAltitudeThreshold = 140000 } } That wasn't too complicated now, was it? Next up is specifying the planet's orbit. Step 3: Orbit properties Orbit { referenceBody = (what object does your planet/moon orbit?) color = (orbit line color) eccentricity = (how eccentric (oval shaped) is the orbit? For instance, comets have highly eccentric orbits) inclination = (orbit inclination relative to the equator of the 'referenceBody') argumentOfPeriapsis = (number here) longitudeOfAscendingNode = (number here) meanAnomalyAtEpoch = (number here) epoch = (number here) } And now updating the scaledspace. Step 4: ScaledSpace update ScaledVersion { type = Atmospheric fadeStart = 0 fadeEnd = 0 Material { texture = (filepath to your planet's color.[fileformat] file) normals = (filepath to your planet's normal.[fileformat] file) shininess = (surface shininess in ScaledSpace) specular = 0.0,0.0,0.0,1.0 rimPower = (number here, provides an atmospheric glow) rimBlend = (number here, 'blends' the atmospheric glow) Gradient { 0.0 = (atmosphere color on one side of the planet) 0.5 = (atmosphere color on the other side of the planet) 1.0 = 0.0196,0.0196,0.0196,1.0 } } } Then the last step is specifying the atmosphere. Step 5: Atmospheres Atmosphere { ambientColor = (color code here, crafts entering the atmosphere will be tinted slightly with the color specified here) lightColor = (atmosphere color, insert color code) enabled = true (important) oxygen = ('true' allows the use of air-breathing engines, 'false' disallows the use of air-breathing engines) altitude = (Max. atmosphere altitude. Kerbin = 70000m, Laythe is 50000m, Eve is ~90000m) pressureCurve (tells Kopernicus the pressure at each given altitude. These example curves have been borrowed from KopernicusExamples by KillAshley) { key = 0 1722.525 -3.68761403636364E-02 -3.68761403636364E-02 key = 13750 1215.4779 -2.89618181818182E-02 -2.89618181818182E-02 key = 27500 926.0747733 -1.70812909090909E-02 -1.70812909090909E-02 key = 41250 745.7422867 -1.22066367272727E-02 -1.22066367272727E-02 key = 55000 590.39232 -1.03885874909091E-02 -1.03885874909091E-02 key = 68750 460.0561533 -8.63595672727273E-03 -8.63595672727273E-03 key = 82500 352.9034533 -7.05044647272727E-03 -7.05044647272727E-03 key = 96250 266.1688867 -5.6660456E-03 -5.6660456E-03 key = 110000 197.0872333 -4.48274916363636E-03 -4.48274916363636E-03 key = 123750 142.8932733 -3.50056581818182E-03 -3.50056581818182E-03 key = 137500 100.8216733 -2.71949803636364E-03 -2.71949803636364E-03 key = 151250 68.1071 -2.13953963636364E-03 -2.13953963636364E-03 key = 165000 41.98433333 -1.65774109090909E-03 -1.65774109090909E-03 key = 178750 22.51922 -1.00126501090909E-03 -1.00126501090909E-03 key = 192500 14.44954667 -4.06759432727273E-04 -4.06759432727273E-04 key = 206250 11.33333333 -2.27824727272727E-04 -2.27824727272727E-04 key = 220000 8.184366667 -2.25669374545455E-04 -2.25669374545455E-04 key = 233750 5.127426667 -2.06283192727273E-04 -2.06283192727273E-04 key = 247500 2.51158 -1.61502101818182E-04 -1.61502101818182E-04 key = 261250 0.68612 -9.13301818181818E-05 -9.13301818181818E-05 key = 275000 0 -4.98996363636364E-05 -4.98996363636364E-05 } temperatureCurve (tells Kopernicus the temperature at each specified altitude) { key = 0 141.67 -0.002333333455 -0.002333333455 key = 33000 104.4583677 -0.0003304941091 -0.0003294753455 key = 57750 104.4583677 0.0003294753455 0.0003294753455 key = 85250 131.0381051 0.0001800779636 0.0001800779636 key = 154000 131.0381051 -0.0002483375636 -0.0002483375636 key = 220000 90.44359713 -0.0003304941091 -0.0003304941091 key = 247500 90.44359713 0.0001722816364 0.0001722816364 key = 275000 111.2241191 0.0002525833091 0.0002525833091 key = 343750 0 -0.0001634942182 -0.0001634942182 } } And done! Make sure everything is closed off the way it should, and that all given parameters (Orbit, ScaledVersion, Properties and Atmosphere) are located directly in the 'Body' tab. For those of you who are uncertain if they filled everything in correctly, I have uploaded a config file for a gas giant here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3at9y9cxqfyeeu0/Gas%20Giant%20Config.cfg?dl=0 All you have to do is punch in your values. I can't make it much easier than this, people!

In that case I honestly do not know why it won't load. Ask it on the Kopernicus thread, they may be able to help you further, sorry.

Nope, it isn't. With every version of Kopernicus it gets better and better thanks to the hard work of @Thomas P., therefor the older the version of Kopernicus the more bugs it usually has. It looks good, but make sure it's grayscale, you can do this by opening it in GIMP then going to image->mode, it should say Grayscale and not RGB. I also see that it's a SpaceEngine texture. Be cautious that you don't use too much S.E. textures, because packs that use many S.E. textures are usually disliked.

You can create a procedural planet in Kopernicus then export the textures for ScaledSpace using Kittopia.

Found a few issues: Copied from Quatos' orbit properties: 'color = 0.81960784313,1,0.39215686274' As you can see, you only specify three colors, but you are missing the alpha. Try this: 'color = 0.81960784313,1,0.39215686274,1.0' As for the moon, Taka, are you sure it's referenceBody, Jaann, exists? Furthermore, there is a typo in the mod VertexHeightMap: you wrote 'scaleDeformityByRatius' while it should be 'scaleDeformityByRadius' Also, your planets are quite large (insanely large), are you making them for RSS scale or something?

I never said that you had to move to the main Kopernicus thread, I only said that you should ask there in case I cannot find the problem. I've found two things: - First of all, either my tablet errored, or you specified the scienceValues twice, which isn't good. - Secondly, I'm no master at log file reading, but Kopernicus seems to have a hard time with your heightmap. If I may ask: - In what format did you save it? - Are you sure it's in grayscale? Kopernicus keeps repeating 'grayscale' over and over again, as if it is there where it bugs. Also, you really should remove the flightGlobalsIndex. I have plans for writing both, but due to a busy personal life and some personal projects that had to be finished, I haven't had the time to write those. The guide I will write next is 'special planets', which focuses on gaseous planets and stars. Problem is, I've been struggling with making a star myself, but who knows, I recently made a new config but have not tried it in game. As for the problems you have, could you show me the configs? I have a theory, but I cannot be sure.

I'm here, where's the fire?! All kidding aside, I've browsed through your config, but I didn't see any cause of the issue. I would recommend removing the flightGlobalsIndex as well as specifying a cacheFile filepath (For example, 'MyPack/Cache/Kryo.bin') Then try it again. If it still does not work, I'm afraid I can't help you more. However, in that case, try to ask for assistance at the official Kopernicus thread, I'm sure that people like @Thomas P., @KillAshley and @Sigma88 are more than happy to lend a hand. What helps in case of troubleshooting is the Kopernicus log file. Go to your KSP directory, and DON'T go into the 'GameData' folder. Instead, go to the 'logs' folder. In there, find the logfile that has the same name of your planet. In there, Kopernicus records it's actions from the moment it notices your planet's config file. If there's a problem, Kopernicus will note it there and if the problem is too severe, abort loading the planet. EDIT: WAIT, WAIT! I GOT IT! Check the mod VertexHeightMap, are you sure that one is correct? Because you don't seem to specify a heightmap. ANOTHER EDIT Check your atmosphere settings. The lightColor and ambientColor are WAY too high, those aren't measured on a scale of 0-255 but on a scale of 0-1, and even then I usually don't use values that are exceptionally high. AND ANOTHER EDIT You also do not specify the rimBlend under the Atmosphere settings. I recommend setting it to 3.