[WIP] [RELEASED] ShadowWorks - Stockalike Space Launch System (SLS) & More

[TheShadow1138]

Another quick progress render:

The pod is pretty far along texture-wise. I still have to do the hatch and finish the heat shield and then the main pod should be finished. I'll then have to texture the parachute, cap and docking collar.

[_Augustus_]

Another quick progress render:

http://i.imgur.com/CoEKasJ.png

The pod is pretty far along texture-wise. I still have to do the hatch and finish the heat shield and then the main pod should be finished. I'll then have to texture the parachute, cap and docking collar.

Good job! Will it turn black as it loses ablator?

[TheShadow1138]

Good job! Will it turn black as it loses ablator?

I believe that it will. I will have to wait and see just how that turns out after I get it in the game. I've just considered the possibility that with the heat shield integrated into the pod it may very well cause the whole pod to turn black. If that appears to me to be undesirable upon testing, then I will make the heat shield a separate part.

[TheShadow1138]

The diffuse texturing of the Orion capsule is complete. All that is left is to texture the Launch Abort System, model the Solar Panels, then do the animations for the panels and the chutes.

Gallery of Renders:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[TheShadow1138]

Sorry for the lack of progress updates, I've been modeling the IVA and working on getting everything ready for Unity. I finally reached that point today with all the models complete and textured. It shouldn't be too much longer before I have the parts for the full Block I SLS in KSP. Once I have the parts fairly well balanced I will release the mod.

[Kartoffelkuchen]

Wow, your Orion looks really great!

[TheShadow1138]

Wow, your Orion looks really great!

Thanks. I was worried about it when I started on it, but I do think it turned out pretty good. It's giving me a couple of problems that I'm attempting to solve. in the export to .dae its triangulating and creating faces where there were none obscuring part of three of the four windows. I have a few ideas to try that I'm hoping will work.

[TheShadow1138]

Progress update: All of the Block I SLS parts and Orion components are officially in-game and working as intended in KSP 1.0.4. As it stands with no balance pass you can get to orbit, circularize, and possibly even transfer to the Mun without lighting the ICPS. So, at this point to call it overpowered would probably be a vast understatement. I'll start balancing the parts this week to make it more reasonable.

Screenshots

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Current SLS Part List:

* LAS (Launch Abort System) - Integrated Boost Protective Cover, engine effects

* NDS (NASA Docking System) Androgynous docking port - 0.9375m size, will dock with Tantares "apasSize1" APAS ports

* Orion CM Top cover - shell that covers the parachute, is a decoupler

* Orion Parachutes - the Orion's main chutes

* Orion Pod - working IVA, flag decal, emissive animation for windows (external, visual only not a functional light), integrated heat-shield

* Orion CM Decoupler

* Orion SM - integrated Service Propulsion System, and 4 rear-facing RCS thrusters

* Orion RCS Pod - combines the horizontal and vertical thrusters per side into one part (requires only 4x symmetry to reproduce the actual arrangement)

* Orion Solar Panels - Working deploy animation, and tracks the Sun as intended

* Orion SM Decoupler - attaches the Orion to the ICPS

* Orion SM Fairing - the three-part petal fairing covering the Orion SM, can be attached in 3x symmetry with some rotation

* ICPS - Fuel tank of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage

* RL10 - Engine of the ICPS

* ICPS Decoupler - Interstage between the ICPS and the Core Stage

* SLS Core Stage - Main 5m tank

* SLS Engine Mount - Thrust Structure of the Core Stage, supports 4x symmetry for the SSME

* 5-Segment SRB - self explanatory

When I release the mod it will of course include the Space Shuttle 5m External Tank, 4-Segment SRBs, Shuttle Engine Mount, and the SSMEs (which are also the main engines of the SLS).

[drtedastro]

Looks good. Downloading to test it now.

Keep it coming. Nice mod.

Cheers.

[TheShadow1138]

Looks good. Downloading to test it now.

Keep it coming. Nice mod.

Cheers.

Thanks. Just wanted to note that the test download only includes the Space Shuttle related parts, not the SLS.

[flamerboy67664]

Shadow, will you add the Advanced Boosters that will be used in Block II?

The one that looks like this:

Cheers, flamerboy67664/SpaceEagle

[TheShadow1138]

Shadow, will you add the Advanced Boosters that will be used in Block II?

The one that looks like this:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/SLSEVO.png

Cheers, flamerboy67664/SpaceEagle

I do currently plan to do the Advanced SRBs, and the proposed liquid-fueled boosters powered by the F-1B.

[Kibble]

Shadow, will you add the Advanced Boosters that will be used in Block II?

The one that looks like this:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/SLSEVO.png

Cheers, flamerboy67664/SpaceEagle

That's not what the advanced boosters will look like, its just a generic depiction from when the Advanced Boosters Competition was still (technically) on. The SRBs will be ATK's "Dark Knights" four-segment composite solid boosters of the same basic dimensions as the current five-seg SRBs. Most depictions show them with a tapered nose cone and unpainted dark-grey.

[TheShadow1138]

That's not what the advanced boosters will look like, its just a generic depiction from when the Advanced Boosters Competition was still (technically) on. The SRBs will be ATK's "Dark Knights" four-segment composite solid boosters of the same basic dimensions as the current five-seg SRBs. Most depictions show them with a tapered nose cone and unpainted dark-grey.

Thanks for the info on the boosters. I'll have to look into the "Dark Knight" boosters.

[drtedastro]

No problem, plenty to play with.

Again, thanks. Great looking work.

[flamerboy67664]

That's not what the advanced boosters will look like, its just a generic depiction from when the Advanced Boosters Competition was still (technically) on. The SRBs will be ATK's "Dark Knights" four-segment composite solid boosters of the same basic dimensions as the current five-seg SRBs. Most depictions show them with a tapered nose cone and unpainted dark-grey.

But I like the looks of that "Generic Booster" more than the Dark Knight's looks!

Cheers, flamerboy67664/SpaceEagle

[TheShadow1138]

I am proud to announce the first full release of ShadowWorks - Stockalike SLS and More! It is available on KerbalStuff, and also on CKAN I believe.

Release Thread: ShadowWorks - Stockalike SLS and More.

[drtedastro]

Excellent. I have certainly been using and enjoying your initial release.

Really nice parts, work great and fit into what I am looking for.

Thanks for all of your work.

Cheers.

[TheShadow1138]

Excellent. I have certainly been using and enjoying your initial release.

Really nice parts, work great and fit into what I am looking for.

Thanks for all of your work.

Cheers.

Many thanks. Hope you enjoy the Orion and SLS. More parts will be coming, the Exploration Upper Stage, and dove version of the Advanced SRBs and the F-1B powered liquid boosters for certain. I have a few others I'm contemplating.

[WolfMP]

Thanks so much for these parts, they're awesome!

Are the Shuttle OMS engines supposed to weigh the same as the SSME's? They're 3.25 each.

[Sgt.Shutesie]

Thanks so much for these parts, they're awesome!

Are the Shuttle OMS engines supposed to weigh the same as the SSME's? They're 3.25 each.

You might want to put this on the release thread, but maybe it's a weight balance thing?

[TheShadow1138]

Thanks so much for these parts, they're awesome!

Are the Shuttle OMS engines supposed to weigh the same as the SSME's? They're 3.25 each.

The OMS engines actually shouldn't have the same mass as the SSMEs, it's an unfortunate consequence of modifying the SSME config to make the OMS config and not changing the mass value. I'm glad you brought this to my attention so I can decrease their mass. Off-hand, this may improve the flight profile, or at least give me a reason to load monopropellant in the OMS pods.

If you have any other questions you can post in the release thread linked in my signature.

[Wavechaser]

The model ands textures look rough-ish. Is it supposed to look better under higher anti-aliasing? Or will there be a more detailed one later on?

[davidy12]

Thought about adding real plume support?

[TheShadow1138]

The model ands textures look rough-ish. Is it supposed to look better under higher anti-aliasing? Or will there be a more detailed one later on?

A lot of my screenshots are with low anti-aliasing and lower texture quality due to performance limitations of my current machine. I wasn't intending to make really detailed realistic-looking parts, if that is for what you are looking. I have just released an update in which many of the textures have been revamped, hopefully making them look more appealing and less dirty.

Thought about adding real plume support?

I have strongly considered it as I feel Real Plume is an excellent and realistic-looking mod. I just haven't really sat down and looked at everything that will need to be done.