[WIP][1.8.x] SSTULabs - Low Part Count Solutions (Orbiters, Landers, Lifters) - Dev Thread [11-18-18]

[CobaltWolf]

1 hour ago, tater said:

Wow, I just noticed something, @Shadowmage.

Look at the Apollo shadow on the VAB:

For a second I thought it was:

[tater]

It's easy to rig up a test in the VAB. I put a huge SSTU tank towards the back of the building since the light source is on the door side, then you can build in front of it and see what happens.

It's just the MFT A and B tanks as far as I can tell (I'm home waiting on a repair dude, so I can check).

EDIT: to be clear, I would not have reported this with 6.4x. I checked it in a clean SSTU build before posting.

Edited September 2, 2016 by tater

[RedParadize]

You might want to check without 6.4x. There is weird bug when near/far clip plane are to distanced. Its doubtful but possible.

[tater]

I tested in my pure SSTU/KER/KJR build, I had the Apollo craft file saved to both.

For the test rig, the huge tank at the back of the VAB was for the shadow to have someplace to land. 

[tater]

The shadows are not too small... the external PIPE shadows are too big? That or the pipe shadows are spot on, but the non-pipe areas of the MFT-A/B are thin.

That explains why it's not the whole tank, the changes are where the pipes are.

EDIT: within the VAB, they seem OK, it's gotta be an LOD issue for only the distant shadows, and the only real time to notice is around dawn when the VAB is there to have the shadow hit. I only notided it after posting my Apollo screenshot, which just happened to be at dawn, looking in the right direction.

Edited September 3, 2016 by tater

[StickyScissors]

Ehr, it would be cool if the RCS-4F-V thruster pod (and the other variants of it) used NTO and Aerozine50 like the RCS thrusters on the Apollo and Orion capsules use. My building of a custom service module is grinded to a halt because trying to dock with RCS that only works in one direction is kinda useless.

[tater]

You could patch in the PROPELLANT inside ModuleRCS for those parts to use Aerozine50 and NTO.

[StickyScissors]

I....added/changed some things that i thought would have worked but it didn't worked :I

Nevermind, i got it.

having "resourceFlowMode = NO_FLOW" means that fuel won't flow, even to parts connected directly to it. Lesson learned ^{until i forget it again}

Edited September 3, 2016 by StickyScissors

[AlimOncul]

18 hours ago, RedParadize said:

@AlimOncul This happened to me before. Look at Mechjeb DV panel and make sure your reference body is Kerbin. Also, make sure that Module manager and Mechjeb are up to date. If all this is ok and you still have the issue, Shadowmage will need your logs.

Everything is last version. I installed some mods from CKAN and added SSTU last. I got Kerbal Research and Development mod too(maybe this causes).

Here is a screenshot and which logs i need to post?

http://imgur.com/JewUO66

[Shadowmage]

6 hours ago, AlimOncul said:

Everything is last version. I installed some mods from CKAN and added SSTU last. I got Kerbal Research and Development mod too(maybe this causes).

Here is a screenshot and which logs i need to post?

http://imgur.com/JewUO66

SSTU modular parts and engines are incompatible with KR&D; or rather KR&D screws up most of the SSTU parts by manipulating things that it shouldn't.

You will need to drop one or the other of those mods.

[Shadowmage]

20 hours ago, tater said:

The shadows are not too small... the external PIPE shadows are too big? That or the pipe shadows are spot on, but the non-pipe areas of the MFT-A/B are thin.

That explains why it's not the whole tank, the changes are where the pipes are.

EDIT: within the VAB, they seem OK, it's gotta be an LOD issue for only the distant shadows, and the only real time to notice is around dawn when the VAB is there to have the shadow hit. I only notided it after posting my Apollo screenshot, which just happened to be at dawn, looking in the right direction.

Indeed, that is what I noticed too.  In the VAB shadows were fine, and when the sun got a bit higher they were fine as well (when the shadow was more on the pad).  The further away the shadow was though, the lower resolution it is rendered at, and apparently the piping is just enough to bump some tank sizes into rendering extra shadow 'blocks' at those low resolutions/large distances.

[tater]

Yeah, I'm sorry for the sort of red herring. I literally never noticed the issue until I posted that screenshot of my Apollo (33 parts, including 4 launch clamps, and 2 ISDCs, and knowing me I could have saved a couple!). In actual play, you'd likely never notice.

[Shadowmage]

16 hours ago, StickyScissors said:

Ehr, it would be cool if the RCS-4F-V thruster pod (and the other variants of it) used NTO and Aerozine50 like the RCS thrusters on the Apollo and Orion capsules use. My building of a custom service module is grinded to a halt because trying to dock with RCS that only works in one direction is kinda useless.

 

12 hours ago, tater said:

You could patch in the PROPELLANT inside ModuleRCS for those parts to use Aerozine50 and NTO.

I've been contemplating doing this, and likely will.  However I'm probably going to wait until KSP 1.2 for this change, as it is a craft-breaking change.

(Also been contemplating making it a 'modular' RCS block with switchable fuel types and models.... but have been unable to think of a way to get multiple ports onto a single part cleanly; would have? to be stack attached in order to work properly...)

On Thursday, September 01, 2016 at 5:28 PM, RedParadize said:

SSTU is not the only mod affected by this. Procedural tank had the same issue if I recall correctly, Personatly I don't realy care. On the other hand, crew capacity code is important, I don't want to be eable to carry crew around when deflated. Congrats and keep up the good work!

Question: If I want a longer SSTU-SC-BAY-MCB-A. Do I need to add new Assets or can I just repeat the same?

 

Are we gonna have a update tomorrow or later this weekend? I can't wait anymore. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

 

MCB-A -- if the longest one isn't long enough... no real way to solve that on your own.  You could setup new longer models by welding the existing ones together, but there will be 'end caps' in the middle of it.

In short -- each of the lengths are a separate model.  If you need a longer seamless/non-welded part... then it needs to have an entirely new model created (and model definition setup, and that data added to the actual part).

I might be willing to create a couple longer lengths, but would need a good use case for it.  What are you trying to mount that won't fit in the existing lengths, or can't split into multiple bays?

[JoseEduardo]

re: switchable fuel type in RCS; RF/RO does that  (it's part of the multiple engine configs module they have)

[StickyScissors]

would it be possible to create another Mm2 Clamp-O-Tron but instead of using the stock socking port, it would use the 1.25m port from SSTU?

[tater]

Seems like you might be able to make a patch that replaces the stock 2 (ugly) ports with the models from SSTU...

You need to add the "

MODEL
{
    model = SSTU/Assets/SC-GEN-DP-1P
    scale = 0.5, 0.5, 0.5
}

code in, right? to point at the better model?

Edited September 3, 2016 by tater

[StickyScissors]

2 minutes ago, tater said:

Seems like you might be able to make a patch that replaces the stock 2 (ugly) ports with the models from SSTU...

the lone ports themselves, sure, but it looks like the Mk2 clamp-o-tron will need a new model, because the port isn't swapable on it's own in the config from what i can tell.

[tater]

A bunch of the parts have odd craft type defaults in map view:

SC-A-SM: defaults to Ship vs Probe

SC-B-SM: defaults to Ship vs Probe

SC-C-SM: defaults to Ship vs Probe

SC-GEN-PPC: defaults to Ship vs Probe

SC-TANK-MUS-ST: defaults to Ship vs Probe

SC-TANK-MUS-CB: defaults to Ship vs Probe

I didn't check the station parts as they are still in flux. 

[Pappystein]

24 minutes ago, tater said:

Seems like you might be able to make a patch that replaces the stock 2 (ugly) ports with the models from SSTU...

You need to add the "

MODEL
{
    model = SSTU/Assets/SC-GEN-DP-1P
    scale = 0.5, 0.5, 0.5
}

code in, right? to point at the better model?

Now all we need is a 2.5m sized SSTU port

NO that is not a request for one.   I can make my Tinker toy ships work without it after the docking port "fun" is squared away (and I am relieved that Shadowmage has discovered the problem I have had isn't just me!,)  Besides, the SR Clampotron actually looks OK to me (Unlike the smaller siblings.)

Re the Mk2 Clampotron or the Shielded Clampotron. yes, they will need new models to have AWESOME docking ports like the SSTU parts pack.   However, for the Common Core pods, they have an awesome nosecone that works with both stock and SSTU docking ports to shield them until jettisoned.   Too bad they are an odd size and require adapters....

On an unrelated front has anyone tried CptKippard's universal docking ports with the SSTU ports?    I don't want to mess with my build until Shadowmage can solve the no dock-locked dock issue and while I really like the flexibility Universal Docking Ports gives....

---

---

[StickyScissors]

I guess while i'm thinking about Mk2 stuff, @Shadowmage, would it be possible/practical to SSTU-ify the Mk2 tanks and allow them to be stretched, scaled and such?

Assuming this happens it'll need to either stretch the stock texture (blegh) or maybe just use generic swapable white/gray/dark-gray/black textures, which could be recycled fairing textures.

[tater]

If you wanted to make your own spaceplane add-on, seems like you could have them stretch by segments, right? The stretches are discrete, so 1xmk2 hull, 2xmk2 hull, 3xmk2 hull, and so forth, right?

[StickyScissors]

Moar screenshots!

Tearing through the atmosphere to test gliding and control

-

...i still stuck at gliding, as is demonstrated by my ocean ditch due to overshooting KSC, and i'm...mild at controlling this thing, it likes to roll side to side violently because SAS over corrects :/

-

Testing a crew vessel concept around the Mun. Not sure if i'm gonna use it now that i have an SSTO that could take care of most of my crew tasks for LKO and, provided i get my self-sufficient fuel mining operation going, for free

-

Testing a new(er) iteration, now with an additional 2 engines on the service module(not seen), bringing the total up to 6. Going off to Minmus.

[RedParadize]

@Shadowmage Hello, I am diging into some of the new foctionality and I was wondering if there is a way with SSTUInflatable to allow deflation as well. Don't get me wrong I like the idea of not being eable to retract. But I might like to have the very small one capable of that. (And use your pluggin to tweak inflatable part form other mod)

[blowfish]

14 minutes ago, RedParadize said:

@Shadowmage Hello, I am diging into some of the new foctionality and I was wondering if there is a way with SSTUInflatable to allow deflation as well. Don't get me wrong I like the idea of not being eable to retract. But I might like to have the very small one capable of that. (And use your pluggin to tweak inflatable part form other mod)

How would you deflate something in space anyway?  In the atmosphere, you can deflate by "sucking" the air out, which creates a lower pressure inside than outside (thus causing it to collapse), but in space you can't do that because outside is always a vacuum.  You'd need some kind of rigid or tensile structure inside to actually get it to change shape, and even then it'd be really, really hard to get it back to its original shape.

Edited September 4, 2016 by blowfish

[RedParadize]

13 minutes ago, blowfish said:

How would you deflate something in space anyway?  In the atmosphere, you can deflate by "sucking" the air out, which creates a lower pressure inside than outside (thus causing it to collapse), but in space you can't do that because outside is always a vacuum.  You'd need some kind of rigid or tensile structure inside to actually get it to change shape, and even then it'd be really, really hard to get it back to its original shape.

You are absolutely right. It would have to be folded instand of deflated. I think it would be techinicly possible with SSTU-HAB-D. But in all honesty I would like to know that to get a non-SSTU land based inflatable to work with SSTU pluggin and it kinda need to be deflatable. Its not realy something Shadowmage should be concerned with but if its possible with the current code it would make my life easyer. 

So far it works just great btw... Was realy easy to convert to SSTU. One day I might have all my part SSTU powered!

Edited September 4, 2016 by RedParadize