Sketchup to KSP

[strykersm]

Hey guys! Scince the original Sketchup -> KSP post was closed I will try to reopen it again here. This time please either coment on the topic or DON'T , so others (like me) who are having difficulty with this can get actual help.
My process is not working very well.
Im using Sketchup with the metric scale and exporting .dae to Blender, then i texture in blender and export that .dae again into Unity, the catch is that the scale is never the same the moment I place it in Blender.
My cockpit exterior is okay sometimes and sometimes is huge. Same for the IVA which i can never get in the right place for some reason.
Can you help me with the process Sketchup->Blender->Unity? (Scaling is the #1 problem).
If possible with pictures/videos and simple explanations, easy to understand. -Cheers! :)

[blackheart612]

1 meter in sketchup is 1 meter in blender, which is the same in Unity (not sure but that's what I remember) and 1 meter in KSP as well. 1.25m in sketchup thus means 1.25m in KSP. Don't build using huge meters or the models is gonna get big. Model using KSP meters (1.25m, 2.5m, 3.75m etc). I use the same process as you but you can save the .blend and import it in unity which automatically updates your Unity when you edit something in your .blend.

What my tip is to use the model info and set the unit's accuracy to maybe 0.000 or close, depends on you so you can have more freedom in building with snapping. You can also use mm (which I do most of the time) and just guesstimate it in meters.

So if you are building in sketchup, it's 1:1 to KSP even with blender + unity. If you are making an IVA for a 1.25m cockpit, you should build something not greater than 1.25m in sketchup itself

[strykersm]

Here's my new working method an example of a mk1 part: 

1-In sketchup make a 3m long cylinder with 1m radius and then export in .3ds file to blender.

2-UV map it in blender and make model ajustments if necessary, Texture with GIMP and animate the bones if necessary.

3-Export from blender to .fbx into Unity and make magic!  Note: rescale factor is 0.627

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2016 by strykersm

[Dr_Goddard]

In general the modding community is FULL of misleading and vague, or even incorrect descriptions/tutorials of how to make a part.
So many misleading ideas, I really struggled with this seeming "Black Magic" until I took the time to construct a step-by-step method that is simple as pie.

UV mapping in Sketchup is simpler than Blender. You can export directly from Sketchup to Unity.
I made/re-made all the parts for kOS this way.
In Sketchup set your template to use Meters.

Construct your model around the 0,0,0 point in Sketchup world, orient the model as you want it to appear in the KSP editor.
Remember, a Kerbal is about .75M tall, and rockets are .625m, 1.25m, etc in size, so make your parts accordingly. http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Radial_size
There is a tape measure and a dimensioning tool in Sketchup to help with this.
Finally, Sketchup sets the ORIGIN of the objects you are creating based on where they are located in the Sketchup world. To change the object origin later in Unity is a bit of a p.i.t.a. so make sure the center of the object is located at 0,0,0 coordinate before exporting.

Export 3D model as FBX and apply these settings:

In Unity, make sure your transform scale factor setting is 1 when you import.
Turn generate colliders on.

click apply in the inspector window.

Once the part is imported, move it to position.
With the part selected move it to position 0,0,0 and apply.
Under Mesh Collider click convex and apply. 

There are dozens of sketchup texture tutorials on youtube.

Couldn't be simpler.

In Unity, I generally strip all the grouping away and create a new empty game object to contain my meshes, then I rename the meshes to be more descriptive. You do this just like you would rename a file, right click and rename. 
 

I won't discuss Parttools here, except to say that it is butt simple as well, and people have made it overly complicated too.
You will need to make a CFG file for your part though, and here is a good reference.
http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CFG_File_Documentation

Good Luck!

BTW. If you prefer to use Blender to apply UVs then that is good too. All the info I gave is still good. I just find it easier to do a two step approach.
Some people may prefer to use other software... that does not make it better. The BEST software is always the one you understand and are comfortable with.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Dr_Goddard
1. fixed craft size reference 2. made point about object origin