Dock two planes in the hanger

[flagsfly]

I'm currently trying to make a two stage ship. The first stage is an atmospheric plane, which would carry the actual spaceship up to the edge of the atmosphere, like SpaceShipOne.

I've tried a lot of methods short of just strutting the two together and sticking separation boosters to tear them apart, but I can't figure out how to use docking ports to join the two ships together so I can just release it at altitude.

I've been able to join two docking ports together, using the ALT key, but I have not been able to attach the second docking port to a fuselage piece. I'm not sure what I'm missing.

Edited April 17, 2015 by flagsfly

[panzer1b]

i would make both separately and then create a subassembly from the plane and attach it to the larger vessel. if you do not want the 2 to come together after detachment, a decoupler is better as its easier to work with (radial decoupler will work nicely here). If you want to reatach them, just use a docking port on both, and connect them.

Ive actually made a few craft of this sort (with 2 craft that launch together then separate, so if you are still having trouble (and i can actually find one of these as theyre old, .23 days) then ill be glad to upload it for u to look at.

[flagsfly]

i would make both separately and then create a subassembly from the plane and attach it to the larger vessel. if you do not want the 2 to come together after detachment, a decoupler is better as its easier to work with (radial decoupler will work nicely here). If you want to reatach them, just use a docking port on both, and connect them.

Ive actually made a few craft of this sort (with 2 craft that launch together then separate, so if you are still having trouble (and i can actually find one of these as theyre old, .23 days) then ill be glad to upload it for u to look at.

I couldn't get the decoupler to work too.

What works:

Hooking up that decoupler/docking port to i.e. the top of a command module/anything with the green ball thing(not sure of the name)

What doesn't work:

Hooking up the decoupler/docking port to a fuselage piece. For instance, I can usually stick a decoupler/docking port in the middle of the fuselage on the side. Cannot do that when I'm trying to stick the fuselage to the docking port after I connect the two docking ports.

Not sure if I was being clear or not.

I'll try the subassembly idea tomorrow.

[Alshain]

Perfectly clear. You can only attach a sub-assembly to another assembly from the root part because that is all you can grab it by, the root part is often the cockpit because it is the first part placed. Fortunately you can use the Root editor gizmo to change the root to the fuselage you want to attach from and then grab it by the fuselage instead of the cockpit.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Alshain

[flagsfly]

Perfectly clear. You can only attach a sub-assembly to another assembly from the root part because that is all you can grab it by, the root part is often the cockpit because it is the first part placed. Fortunately you can use the Root editor gizmo to change the root to the fuselage you want to attach from and then grab it by the fuselage instead of the cockpit.

This is what I want to make happen...isn't working so well right now.

[Vector-5]

I suggest you change the view to a bottom up perspective (looking at the bottom of the aircraft). Try to attach it that way.

-Vec

[Alshain]

No, you can't do it that way. Specifically, you can only attach a radial part to a non-radial part. You can not attach a non-radial part to a radial part. A docking port is radial, a fuselage is not. So you can attach a docking port to a fuselage but not vice versa.

Step 1: Build plane, add 1 docking port. Use the Root tool to set that docking port as the root.

Step 2: Grab the docking port, which should get the whole plane, and create a sub assembly from it.

Step 3: Create a new craft. Add your fuselage and a docking port.

Step 4: Grab the sub assembly and mate it to the docking port

Alternatively you can build both planes completely separate and add them together later using the same method. However, this may be difficult to get your CoM/CoL in just the right place.

Tada! Easy as incredibly complicated pie.

And after separation, well one of them is probably going to die.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Alshain

[flagsfly]

No, you can't do it that way. Specifically, you can only attach a radial part to a non-radial part. You can not attach a non-radial part to a radial part. A docking port is radial, a fuselage is not. So you can attach a docking port to a fuselage but not vice versa.

Step 1: Build plane, add 1 docking port. Use the Root tool to set that docking port as the root.

http://i.imgur.com/6WoUvBT.jpg

Step 2: Grab the docking port, which should get the whole plane, and create a sub assembly from it.

http://i.imgur.com/IWzg3ag.jpg

Step 3: Create a new craft. Add your fuselage and a docking port.

http://i.imgur.com/d82CjKV.jpg

Step 4: Grab the sub assembly and mate it to the docking port

http://i.imgur.com/LpobxI1.jpg

Alternatively you can build both planes completely separate and add them together later using the same method. However, this may be difficult to get your CoM/CoL in just the right place.

http://i.imgur.com/b8Ds4ab.jpg

Tada! Easy as incredibly complicated pie.

http://i.imgur.com/hgNbASv.jpg

And after separation, well one of them is probably going to die.

http://i.imgur.com/fE78ZEK.jpg

Thanks so much! I figured it was something like that but I couldn't figure out how to get around it since people have been doing stuff like this. I'll download the MOD and see where this takes me!

[Alshain]

Thanks so much! I figured it was something like that but I couldn't figure out how to get around it since people have been doing stuff like this. I'll download the MOD and see where this takes me!

There was no mod used. I mean, I had mods installed in the screenshots, but everything I did can be done in stock.

[Claw]

Alshain is right, it's the way you build the two craft and then switch the root part to the docking port on the child craft. It might not be intuitive to read about, but follow his steps. No mods required.

Alternatvely, you can also surface attach parts to the docking port, then use the rotate and offset gizmos to make the fuselage part line up correctly.

Cheers,

-Claw

[flagsfly]

You can switch root with stock? I thought you needed the root editor for that? <-This is probably a stupid question lol

[Alshain]

You can switch root with stock? I thought you needed the root editor for that? <-This is probably a stupid question lol

Not stupid at all, it was only added in 0.90 using the Gizmos. It isn't surprising a lot of people haven't found it yet. Look at the screenshots, the 4 icons next to the parts list are the new Gizmos. The last one (which looks like a "Z") is the Root Gizmo. Click that, then click any part (which does nothing at all for some reason, hopefully this will be fixed in 1.0) then click the docking port. That will reset the root.

[cosimas]

Not me. Now I just Wash and Go.

[Alshain]

One other thing. If you don't ever plan to dock them again..., radial decouplers work the same way.