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

[Nightside]

1 hour ago, tater said:

Russian lunar lander concept. 

That ladder is great.

[Shadowmage]

Updated release(s) are available:

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases/tag/0.7.39.146

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases/tag/PBR-0.1.0.4

See the links for change-logs and downloads.  WARNING -- the MHS part has new geometry with this release, which may impact existing designs using that part.  Should be relatively minor, but thought I would mention it.

[RedParadize]

New shader are awesome! And since there is new user looking at SSTU I trough about sharing my new project. I think its a good showcase of SSTU unique functionality. Before doing the showcase, keep in mind that I have my own 6.4x scale balance config wish is very easy to do with SSTU. So my DV and cost might be a bit weird for stock user.

This is my 10t 40k. No nice name yet, it just mean 10t to LEO at 40 000 credit. The full cost is 67 000 credits but the main stage is reused, saving me 26k. Basically, its a bit of a up side down staging. The main advantage of this setup is that it concentrate all engine into a single stage. The only thing that is staged is solid rocket, tanks and fairing.

Spoiler

At the bottom is main stage with the only fuel engine. It will do the full trip to space and land back near KSC.  It has a RS-25, MUS tank with Oxidizer with its Integrated RCS, Un-cryogenised LH2 tanks, and on top, a up side down MUS with cryogenised LH2 and Integrated RCS. To save weight, the Un-cryogenised LH2 is used on the ascend and the cryogenised for the landing. At the bottom there is the landing legs and fins. Placing them at the bottom make them generate more lift during reentry and remove the need for wings.

In the middle is the cargo bay, a up side down IPA petal adapter. Why up side down? because that way the base is jettisoned with the top fuel tank, wish is staged upward and left using the powerful ISDC rocket decoupler. ( the small striped extrusion seen in the middle) The small red fuel tank is used as a bridge for the external pipe that carry the fuel to the main stage.

 

 

 

 

[Temeter]

Neat design! I'd wish we could recolor those sepratron-decoupler engines.

[Jimbodiah]

@RedParadize   I see you still place mechjeb units. If you add the sstu probe core under that docking port, you can do away with the mechjeb case.

[Shadowmage]

38 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

Not exactly intuitive

Heh, thats like the understatement of the year.  I think it took me three good attempts at learning Blender before I started making any headway.  The first two times I ended up walking away and finding other means to do what I was looking for (MC models, architectural design).

Now, after I finally got used to Blender... I'm trying to learn SP where they've switched up all the mouse controls.  So every time I swap between KSP/Blender/GIMP/SubstancePainter/UnityEditor, I have to spend ~5mins re-adjusting to the mouse control scheme. (soon I'll likely customize the controls on some of those to make them more consistent)

[RedParadize]

7 minutes ago, Temeter said:

Neat design! I'd wish we could recolor those sepratron-decoupler engines.

You can still recolor the ring, as I did. The idea behind the design is: Something like the shuttle, but without crew and wings. It worked well, at start I had the playload on top and top fuel tank in a radial arrangement. But it generated too much drag. So I placed it on top, I would never had been able to do that in stock. The funny part is that ISDC sepratron-decoupler is strong enough to stage without shutting down the main engine!
 

1 minute ago, Jimbodiah said:

@RedParadize   I see you still place mechjeb units. If you add the sstu probe core under that docking port, you can do away with the mechjeb case.

In fact, I do have a sstu probe core installed. Did you add mechjeb to the probe core yourself?

[Shadowmage]

12 minutes ago, Temeter said:

Neat design! I'd wish we could recolor those sepratron-decoupler engines.

Please post up an issue ticket and I can likely get it included for the next release.  Little bit of code + some minor texture work.

[Jimbodiah]

3 minutes ago, RedParadize said:

In fact, I do have a sstu probe core installed. Did you add mechjeb to the probe core yourself?

I think SSTU does this in the MJ.cfg patch that comes with it. I've not used those mechjeb cases since 1.0.5     I use the add mechjeb to all patch, so every probecore automatically has mechjeb; so much easier.

[vossiewulf]

3 hours ago, Shadowmage said:

Still not entirely happy with it, likely going to adjust the honeycomb mesh a bit to be a bit darker.  Apparently SP decided it wanted to keep reverting the colors on me every time I was updating the material out of SD.

Need some roughness and value noise on the honeycomb, what bothers me again is the consistency, not the color. Color could be a tad darker in baseline though. The fill is making you happy since you have nice variation already. From what I've seen in that most recent video however, I'd make it a bit redder still.

 

[RedParadize]

@Shadowmage I feel that Soyuz texture could be improved quite allot with the new PBR option. Would you consider improving its normal map a bit? (some more detail like the periscope would also be welcome.) I know you have allot on the plate. All things take times, and I am equally interested on the new stuff you will come with. Whatever you chose will make me happy.

[Jimbodiah]

haha, that periscope was there originally but it was dropped in a later release

 

NOOOOO, I overwrote my color presets and have no backup..... * shoots self* 

 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Jimbodiah

[vossiewulf]

39 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

NOOOOO, I overwrote my color presets and have no backup..... * shoots self* 

Ouch.

The up side is the new ones will take 1/4th the time and be better than the first set. Keep that in mind at least while the teeth are being ground down. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by vossiewulf

[RaiderMan]

I dont suppose I could ask for, and receive, a list of parts needed to assemble the space launch system and the orion csm?

[tater]

13 minutes ago, RaiderMan said:

I dont suppose I could ask for, and receive, a list of parts needed to assemble the space launch system and the orion csm?

Look at the sig 2 posts above yours^^^^

 

[RaiderMan]

I want to build it, not fly a prebuilt. I get better results building it myself.

[tater]

1 minute ago, RaiderMan said:

I want to build it, not fly a prebuilt. I get better results building it myself.

You ask for a list of parts, and I give you the entire list of parts as a craft file.

You can then alter them to suit as needed.

How hard is it? Orion, and SM, LAS on top. separator. An upper stage on top of that (look for the US tank). Separator, main tank, RS-25 engines (pick number and mount required). make SRB, and attach it with SSTU separators. Done. 12 parts.

[RaiderMan]

well, sometimes prebuilt inherit quirks from older config files..I'll try them as is and if needs be swap a few parts out to 'refresh' the config associations. sound good?

[tater]

Craft files will have things like fairing diameters screwed up between versions (they'll end up at default, I think). Also engines can get odd spacings (say the 5 in a Saturn 5). Those  can be fixed in the right clicks.

The heights of the tanks might need tweaking as well. Unlike stock versions, there's no terrible clipping required, and like I said, almost no parts, we're talking 12 parts.

[Nightside]

@RaiderMan, SSTU adds a lot, and it can be hard to track down all the bits and pieces. Fortunately SSTU parts have an extremely well organized naming system, however, you will need to install Malah's QuickSearch modlet in order to take full advantage of this (the stock search system seems to show me everything except what I'm looking for). 

Once you have QuickSearch, type "SSTU" in the search bar and only SSTU parts will show up. Now type "SC-C" and the Orion-style parts will show up. 

SC-B gets you Apollo-alike stuff, SC-A gets you the soyuz parts, etc...

The rest of just come down to a tanks and SRBs and tweaking the tank sizes, fuel types, etc to get what you want.

[RedParadize]

@RaiderMan Its not that complicated, but on many aspect it is a new philosophy. Just play with it, over time it will become natural.  Most of the fun come from the time you discover new possibilities SSTU will offer quite allot of that.

[vossiewulf]

4 minutes ago, Nightside said:

@RaiderMan, SSTU adds a lot, and it can be hard to track down all the bits and pieces. Fortunately SSTU parts have an extremely well organized naming system, however, you will need to install Malah's QuickSearch modlet in order to take full advantage of this (the stock search system seems to show me everything except what I'm looking for). 

Once you have QuickSearch, type "SSTU" in the search bar and only SSTU parts will show up. Now type "SC-C" and the Orion-style parts will show up. 

SC-B gets you Apollo-alike stuff, SC-A gets you the soyuz parts, etc...

The rest of just come down to a tanks and SRBs and tweaking the tank sizes, fuel types, etc to get what you want.

I think in editor advanced mode you can just sort by manufacturer. I have the editor filter extensions installed too so I'm not completely sure, but I think sorting by manufacturer is there by default in the advanced mode. I recommend the filter extensions also, although they're not perfect they help a bunch. 

[Jimbodiah]

[RaiderMan]

2 hours ago, tater said:

Craft files will have things like fairing diameters screwed up between versions (they'll end up at default, I think). Also engines can get odd spacings (say the 5 in a Saturn 5). Those  can be fixed in the right clicks.

The heights of the tanks might need tweaking as well. Unlike stock versions, there's no terrible clipping required, and like I said, almost no parts, we're talking 12 parts.

Ok...both the eft-1 and sls stacks perform amazingly, even in a mid launch abort. Concern retracted.

[Jimbodiah]

And I haven't even updated them to the latest version.