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AlphaMensae

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  1. AlphaMensae
    Raptor engine on the static test stand
  2. AlphaMensae
    And now the Engine Test Stand is done! All three Test Stands are now on the AlphaDev branch. NOTE: As a test run, I moved the Hide_Parts.cfg patch into MLP's Category folder in GameData, so now all the parts are hidden from the Structural category (and searches too). Use the MLP CCK category tab or the MLP stock custom category (from the Advanced Mode) to see the parts. If you want the parts back in the Structural tab, just delete the Hide_Parts.cfg file (or just rename it a .txt file) in the ModularLaunchPads/Category folder. I've also removed the RO stuff from the basic rescale .cfg, and renamed it (and its folder in Extras) the Basic_Rescale_Patch.cfg. Another note, as v2.1 is still in the dev phase, I'm going to rework the General Service Towers to have a single-piece version, much like the Delta II and Atlas V ones. They will have a limited amount of height variants, and the top will be toggleable so additional modular sections can be added. Those will stay, but the tower base section will be removed. The two modular tower sections may be replaced with just a single part. As I've fully embraced all the advanced features of B9PS which I had previously been reluctant to use (to keep things simpler), I'm going to do this re-re-revision.
  3. AlphaMensae
    The reworked Tower Test Stand is done, and both it and the Cradle Test Stand are now on the AlphaDev branch. Most of the changes were "under the hood" in Unity, but hold-down bolts were added as an option, more tower heights added, and some minor mesh revisions to the tower truss were done. Working on the new Engine Test Stand now.
  4. AlphaMensae
    No, it doesn't. It's a separate plugin that allows decouplers to play an animation when staged.
  5. AlphaMensae
    You need Animated Decouplers installed (included in the download) to be able to stage the animated parts like the hold-downs.
  6. AlphaMensae
    The test stand was sort of a rush job, as it was made for RocketPCGaming (now Rocketology), who was then doing a full-blown BARIS career, and wanted something appropriate to do test fires with (a requirement with BARIS). I was never really happy with it, but it served the job. Now I took the opportunity to make a more proper cradle stand for SRBs and stages. i.e. things that contain fuel. The Engine stand will have on-board fuel capacity as well as the fuel generators, so you'll be able to stick an engine directly onto the mount plate and fire it. The tower stand won't change too much, it'll be more of a reworking of the .cfg to add the B9PS UI groups and stuff, but I'll add some vertical hold-down bolts. Oh, the tower being made toggleable off was a request from Tundra dev damonvv, who wanted the stand to resemble the Falcon 9 stands at McGregor. That means it can also be used as a launch stand.
  7. AlphaMensae
    There is a Hide_Parts patch in the Extras folder to hide the parts from the Structural category. Note that hiding them this way also hides them from searches. I might make them hidden as default, as now there is the CCK category which appears in the standard part picker's category list, as many people don't go beyond that into the Advanced mode or use searches.
  8. AlphaMensae
    Been busy with the splitting and rework of the small test stand, which will now be three different types. The now-named Cradle type turned into more of a partial revamp, as I decided to go furthur and make a set of different sized tank support rings, which reqired redoing the side supports....which ended up bascially rebuilding the whole thing in Unity. Anyways, the Cradle Stand is done! It retains the original TestStandSmall part name, so that's what the old stand will look like in current saves.
  9. AlphaMensae
    I meant extend the footings downward, so something would still be visually connected to the ground if the base was placed on the side of a hill. The ladders do have a short and tall setting; the railings would require a mesh modification to make toggleable. I have no idea if launch clamps can have their staging disabled.
  10. AlphaMensae
    The reworked Flat Launch Bases in v2.1 of Modular Launch Pads would work for that purpose. I just have to add a plug for the smallest square exhaust hole to provided a solid deck option, and long downward extensions to the footings to make them reach uneven terrain.
  11. AlphaMensae
    It looks like you also installed the Extras folder, as it has a very basic RO patch that makes everything bigger. Only the things inside the download's GameData folder are needed; the Extras are just completely optional things and only should be used if you really need them.
  12. AlphaMensae
    Revised the Delta II tower parts again, though only the single-piece tower and the modular core section got .mu updates. All are on the AlphaDev branch now. Single-piece tower now has 5 height variants in 2.5m increments, though they really are just extensions, with the main part of the tower being moved upward (no additional platforms and such details). The top plate can also now be turned off to allow additional sections to be added. The modular core section now has 4 height variants: 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m, all done with transform moving so the heights don't screw up the Engineer's Report.
  13. AlphaMensae
    One additional thing that got done now: the now-renamed Atlas V Service Mast parts got revised again. There was a small visual refresh, and both the single-piece mast and the tall (Core) modular section got multiple height variants added. The single-piece version goes from 25m to 45m in 4m increments, and the angled section can be turned off so additional sections can be added, or used as a straight-sided tower. The Core section has 4 height variants of 6m, 12m, 18m and 24m. All the revised parts are now on the AlphaDev branch.
  14. AlphaMensae
    Hi, and thanks! Both the Saturn and Shuttle towers are now in separate sections, with the old part names retained by just the tower core section. They have to be rebuilt with the new parts.
  15. AlphaMensae
    More pics., now with a full launch base and tower setup. Had to rebuild the SRBs as friznit's old craft file was messed up in v1.7.
  16. AlphaMensae
    The Titan III Mast is now on the AlphaDev branch Also uploaded was a craft file for the BDB v1.7 Titan IIIE with SAF fairing with a full v2.1 Titan III launch base and tower setup.
  17. AlphaMensae
    The Titan III and IV get their custom mast for the mobile launch platform:
  18. AlphaMensae
    Checking off the last things to do for v2.1: The Titan III/IV Mast, that auxiliary structure mounted on the mobile launch platorm, and positioned directly in front of the fixed service tower: The top section can be switched between the earlier solid style, the open-truss style shown here, and the truss with a small plate mounted on front used for some Titan IIIE launched and the Titan IV. Mast has multiple height variants to accomodate the tallest Titan IV variants...or whatever.
  19. AlphaMensae
    If you keep the CSM at 2.5m, then to keep the other stages at the same scale (64%) the S-IC and S-II need to be 6.4m, and the S-IVB 4.25m. 6.25 and 4.375m means three different scales being used, the same situation with the present default Saturn V. I would say the Saturn V is special enough that it deserves a unified scale and its own sizes. My Saturn Mobile Launcher (particularly the tower) in Modular Launch pads was designed around a full 64% scale Saturn V-Apollo.
  20. AlphaMensae
    Yep, these are simple launch rails. You need a real high TWR to use a short rocket on a long rail...like, model or sport rocket TWR...4 or 5 or even higher. Otherwise keep the rail short relative to the rocket. Solid engine rockets are best More complex rails would use actual attachable/jettisonable launch lugs, but those will come some time in the future, if they even would work.
  21. AlphaMensae
    I'm not making multiple sizes of the test stands, just one each. But the engine test stand will have a plate for mounting engines, and a built-in fuel supply to power it (no tank needed). The plate will have multiple size options. The cradle and tower types will be reworked from the existing Horizontal and Vertical ones.
  22. AlphaMensae
    I've went oveer this earlier, so here is a recap: If using Animated Attachment, then you have to reroot (or keep it the root) to to the launch stand or base in order for AA to work. But, you then have to reroot to something on the rocket for it to decouple. Blame KSP and surface decoupling wonkiness for that, though normally the root part is on something you're keeping and not getting rid of. The rails also use the standard ModuleDecouple for the srf node, rather than the ModuleAnchoredDecouple that the stock radial decouplers use After rerooting to the rocket for the first time, KSP will rotate it back to vertical. Just rotate it back by the the same amount; I use the A and D keys while still having the probe core or such on the rocket selected. I could add an attach node for the rocket, but AA does not work with node-attached things, so you'll have to manually rortate and reposition the rocket as if AA wasn't installed. For ease of animating and probably to ensure it rotates properly, the rails' hinges are located at X=0, Y=0, Z=0, i.e the origin. Also, all but the Miny size have asymmetrical cross-sections in the rails, so trying to make them rotatable around the vertical axis would be problematic.
  23. AlphaMensae
    Ok, I've wrapped up the whole v2.1 Launch Stands dev work and put a big update on the AlphaDev branch. Changes: The remaining color options in the Launch Stands texture series have been added at last, and all relevant parts updated to include them. The first three Mini Modular Towers have gotten 2 extra height variants, using the B9PS transform move feature, so what you see is indeed the actual height of the tower. The Pole-type mini modular tower's core section was reduced to 3m, with 6 and 9m being the other heights. The tower details were also reworked, now there is a choice between large and small widths, and 3 detail variants for each width. The Atlas Mini Modular Tower received two extra height variants. The two main sections of the Titan II Modular Tower have been reworked into the new system I'll be putting in place for the General Towers. There's now a plain Core section with 6m, 12m, 18m and 24m heights, but no platforms or other details. The old 3m Short section is now the Detail Section, and has three toggleable platforms (at different heights) that can be moved down 6m with their deploy limit sliders, and the structural detail pole that can be moved up 6m with its slider. The tower base and top sections remain unchanged. Other .cfg work, mainly some edting of the tags. With that done, this is the road map for the remaining v2.1 dev work: Add the Titan III Mast, which is not the same as the Atlas V version Split the existing Small Static Test Stand into separate Cradle and Tower versions, and add a specialized Engine Test version. Rework the other two types Rework the General Towers, mainly adding additional height variants to the Core Sections, and adding some structural detail options to the Detail Section. Rework the General Strongback Towers to add more height variants using the B9PS transform move feature and other optimization.
  24. AlphaMensae
    The remade Large General Service Tower and the side-style umbilical option for the General Swing Arms are my Delta IV tower parts. I do want to add a Delta IV launch clamp or stand, but I don't know when that will happen. The actual Delta IV Fixed Service Tower is more half-building/half-tower, and too specialized to make modular (unlike the Saturn and Delta towers and such, which are indentical truss sections stacked on top of each other). Maybe sometime in the future I'll rethink it.
  25. AlphaMensae
    New use for the Titan II as a ballistic....um, er.....sounding.....missile...yeah, that's right.
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