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AlphaMensae

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Everything posted by AlphaMensae

  1. AlphaMensae
    You're welcome! New version 1.3.6 with the revised square insert is now up on Spacedock!
  2. AlphaMensae
    @ZobrAA Whoops! Thanks, I keep forgettting to change things in the dev folder files before zipping them up. Got it fixed. The bottom-mount arm is placed so the vertical pin at top goes on the bottom of a first/core stage/tank/engine mount/engine plate, like this: It was designed for rockets like this, and indeed many rockets use something like it. I changed its part title to say "Bottom-Mount" instead of "General" to reflect this. There already is a long-arm hold down type; an even longer one would require a whole new part. It'll be something I can add in for v2.0, probably a mesh-switching one with different arm length options.
  3. AlphaMensae
    @ZobrAA I have the new insert ready for separate download from my Dropbox if you don't want to wait for the official update release. Put the .mu file into ModularLaunchPads/3D_Assets; overwrite the old one Put the .cfg file into ModularLaunchPads/Saturn_Pad/Base_Parts; overwrite the old one.
  4. AlphaMensae
    Funny enough, when I added the 3x120 configuration, I had also thought about a 6x60 version...but decided not to, as I felt that the 3-way version was sufficient for the Delta II and other rockets with multiple small SRBs or side boosters, using the new bottom-mount hold-down arm (which was inspired by the Delta II's and Titan II's hold-downs). However, I see I was in error, and can rather easily make a 6-way version. I'll have it up on Wednesday, as part of yet another MLP v1.3 update. Will use the existing v1.3 square insert. Incidentally, that's the Saturn V tail service mast you're using, and was not actually a hold-down or clamp.
  5. AlphaMensae
    Progress on the RSS: Payload changeout room is mostly modeled aside from some details, next up is the massive surrounding framework of struts and beams
  6. AlphaMensae
    Yep, that would be more work, and then you'd have an elevated track...not what I want either. No, the only real alternative, and for which I'll be making the outer support have a mesh-switchable height, is to use this Kerbal Konstructs LC 39B recreation being made by @damonvv :
  7. AlphaMensae
    Progress on the RSS has been slow, due to having to work 4 days this week (Friday off, woo!), but I have managed to plot out the general dimension limits and complete the mount and hinge assembly: Beyond the hinge and mount, there isn't much to the RSS other than an early version of the payload changeout room opening, and some placeholder objects for the outer support, put in temporarily for planning purposes. A design decision I've made was to have the outer support rest on the ground when the RSS is in the rolled-back position; this makes the support clip through the pad and be partially hidden when closed. Since I don't want the RSS to be suspended in mid-air, and the open position is the one most used, I went with clipping through the pad. The RSS is extremely complex, and no way will I include every detail or try for near faithfulness to the real one. What I'm going to do is turn this: Into something like this: (That's a Revell model kit, btw)
  8. AlphaMensae
    I haven't used VesselMover, but I don't see why it would not work with the pads. They are parts after all, and act like other parts.
  9. AlphaMensae
    Ok, posted another minor update of v1.3, this one is v1.3.5: Changelog: Created new custom tech tree nodes for the Saturn and Soyuz pads. They are located to the left of the start node and are all independent of each other. Revised all Saturn pad parts that use Animated Decouplers by adding a size 0 attach node that is setup to decouple. Nothing can be attached to this node. I was alerted to an issue with the Saturn pad parts that use Animated Decouplers (hold down arm, tail service masts and the swing arms), they were throwing null ref error messages. Turns out that Animated Decouplers (or KSP) didn't like them not actually having a decouple node set up in the .cfg. So I added a size 0 top node to the parts, and made that the decouple node (mothing can be attached to this node). Now, no more null ref spam. I also added the new tech tree nodes for the Saturn and Soyuz pad parts (the Russian Launch Stand remains in the start), and put the associated parts in them. These nodes are located to the left of the start node, and are all independent of each other. Oh yes, made new subassemblies for the pads and Russian stand.
  10. AlphaMensae
    I would just do the Wenchang pad and tower, it'd be far easier and usable with a wide variety of rocket types. The launcher base would just be a switchable color option for the large general pad (could be two sizes of general pad bases), and the tower would be an additional add-on part. The general pads will use the existing (and any future) hold-down arms, with the bottom-mount one best for the Chinese-style four side boosters.
  11. AlphaMensae
    Looking great @damonvv! To clarify something, that's a dev build of the shuttle pad that I'm currently working on, and is not in the current release of Modular Launch Pads
  12. AlphaMensae
    @Deltac Thanks! Looks that big one is kind of distinctive after all.... It's sufficiently different (is that a round base the rocket sits on?) that it would probablt require a whole separate pad. And yeah, with those lower swinging structures (side booster access) it'd be for rockets with 4 stubby side boosters like the Chinese use. But those structures would be separate parts, and thus optional, leaving just the tower. I would need to video of it in action first. The other tower, yep, quite doable as a tower option. Are those swing arms? Side-mounted straight ones too.
  13. AlphaMensae
    It's partly due to what @CobaltWolf said, but also due to that there isn't anything really distinctive or significant about the Chinese pads to make a separate one. However, I could make a representative Chinese service/umbilical tower option for the new general-type pad base I'll be making. This will be a smaller, lower-height alternative to the Saturn V's mobile launcher base, and will be a launch clamp-type base and not free-standing. It will be the default base for all sorts of add-on towers from various smaller rocket types: Falcon 9/FH, Atlas V, Delta II, Delta IV, Titan II/III/IV and more.
  14. AlphaMensae
    @linuxgurugamer Ok, here are the revised tower bases with a 120m elevator position, on my Dropbox. Merge or copy the contents (just two .mu files) from the .zip's 3D_Assets folder to the 3D_Assets folder in Modular Launch Pads. The two .cfg files can go in the Saturn tower folder. They won't overwrite the existing bases, but will be new parts, identified with "*Rev*" in the part title.
  15. AlphaMensae
    @linuxgurugamer Ah, I know why you said you only had 60m as the max elevator height--that's the square tower base you're using...forgot I made the angled and square bases have different elevator positions. The square base was intended for shorter and narrower rockets, with the angled base for the Saturn V and like-types. I suppose I could make them the same. I'll have an updated file up soon.
  16. AlphaMensae
    The v2.0 parts are available now as an alpha dev build on my Dropbox, the link was posted a few posts up. They're not polished, still a bit rough and subject to further changes, but do work. Right click on them, they make much more use of mesh switching.
  17. AlphaMensae
    @linuxgurugamer I can easily add another, higher elevator max height position. Currently 80m is the highest option, how higher do you need it? And yes, in order to reduce the number of colliders on the Saturn tower, the floors in the regular tower sections do not have colliders in them. The crew access tower section has the working floor, place it where needed. I have had thought about making all the floors in the tower sections fully usable, but the number of colliders it would require, not only for the floors but also to allow a gap in one of the sides, would be very high, potentially causing lag problems when the launcher base is decoupled (even if they are all just box colliders). So instead I restricted the usable floor to a special tower section. Also, the v2.0 Saturn tower base has two independent elevators.
  18. AlphaMensae
    Finished the intertank access arm, used by pad techs to connect the hydrogen vent arm to the intertank's hydrogen outlet, as well as for general access to the intertank. The arm is accessible by Kerbals from the FSS (via a crew access tower section rotated 90 degrees) all the way to the end, with working walkway and railings. New launch demo with the new intertank and hydrogen vent arms: And with that, I have started work on the RSS. Just doing the inittial planning and blocking-out of the hinge and payload changeout room opening right now.
  19. AlphaMensae
    Ok, a dev build of the new Saturn and Shuttle pad parts is available on my DropBox. This is not an official release, it's an alpha build (heh ) of the current v2.0 parts. There's going to be rough edges, but they work. It requires B9PartSwitch and Animated Decouplers from the existing version of Modular Launch Pads, but don't put the AlphaDev folder in the existing ModularLaunchPads folder, as this is a standalone build; the parts will co-exist with the current MLP parts. Included is a craft file for the Cormorant Aeronology shuttle on the pad with all parts.
  20. AlphaMensae
    Yep, the RSS will next after all the FSS arms are done. And you won't have to wait for the fully complete shuttle pad, I'll have a new dev build of it (along with the new Saturn pad parts) on my Dropbox soon. And it will include this newly-added part: the hydrogen vent arm. The intertank access arm is next, basically it's a big swing arm that simply allows pad workers to connect the vent arm to the outlet on the ET's intertank.
  21. AlphaMensae
    Already done!
  22. AlphaMensae
    Shuttle beanie cap is done! Next is the intertank access arm structure and gaseous hydrogen vent arm.
  23. AlphaMensae
    @pTrevTrevs Oh, indeed, that Proton-type pad would be for much later. I also just decided that after the shuttle pad, next will be the much-delayed American Launch Stand (counterpart to the Russian one, i.e. a launch clamp pad). I had started on it a while ago, but it soon morphed into a rather complex launch pad instead. That will now become the Small Saturn Pad (it was inspired by the LC-34/37 pads for the Saturn I/IB), and I'll go back to the original idea of a simple Redstone/Jupiter/Scout-type ring stand. It will have some switchable options of course. The manned Atlas and Gemini pads will be part of the Small General Launch Pad options, basically the crew elevators and towers being add-ons for it.
  24. AlphaMensae
    Ok, after only now realizing that my shuttle pad's orientation, while true to the real one, results in the shuttle stack having to do a 180-degree roll in order to head due east. That is not good. So I made a new default configuration that has the launch platform rotated 90 degrees, so the FSS sits on the stock pad (right in the crawlerway); now only a 90-degree roll is needed: The original configuration is still available, via switcher options in the launch platform (FSS attach node height) and the FSS base (height variant). Note that the original configuration can be rotated 180 degrees to eliminate the roll maneuver entirely. Very nice, but I don't adopt things from other mods, plus it's too hyper-detailed compared with mine, which aren't meant to be 100% faithful detailed replicas. Now, I could make something like the Proton pad, generalized with switchable options to make it work with a wider range of rockets, to be a companion to the R-7 type Russian launch stand in MLP.
  25. AlphaMensae
    Had to renake the FSS tower into seprate modular parts, much like the Saturn tower, as it caused a ~2 second lag when the spacebar was pressed for liftoff. Too many colliders in a single part, as confirmed when I removed the tower and there was no lag at liftoff. New modular tower works great: (And I forgot the lightning mast...derp!)
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