5 way symmetry

[Warzouz]

• Is there a way to do some 5 way symmetry ? I have a hard time doing it manually in the VAB.
• Other question : when you do, let's say, a 6 way symmetry and you want to add stuff only on 4 of the 6 parts. Is there a way to do it with 2 way symmetry (which is hard to do clean stuff with)

Any Stock solution ? Any moded solution ?

[sgt_flyer]

This still works for 5-sided stock symmetry (just tested)

can work for other 'symmetries' too. (managed to get x7, x9 x10 too)

 

for modded, editor extensions should be able to help you  [Moderator removed defunct website link]

on final note, for your 6 sided symmetry problem, there's a way - you can place the parts using 2 way symmetry, in 'snap' mode (key 'C' by default) so the angle around the vessel is correct. then switch to the translation tool, select one of your symmetric parts, and go into 'absolute reference' (key 'F' by default' and use 'snap' mode (still key 'C') - when you translate parts around in absolute snap mode, each 'snap' position will be the same) (and you can also use it for the other 2x symmetry parts - so all your parts are just at the same height)  (note, the same works with the rotation tool, if you want to make sure one part is vertical on angled wings for example :))

 

you can also break 'active' symmetry too - use the 'root' tool to select your root as one of the symmetric parts, then switch back to your original root part. all the previously 'symmetric' parts are still in the same place, but no longer linked by symmetry.

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by James Kerman
link removed

[Snark]

30 minutes ago, Warzouz said:

• Is there a way to do some 5 way symmetry ? I have a hard time doing it manually in the VAB.

Yeah, 5-way's gonna be tough.  Even with a mod, it's going to cause friction with the rest of the VAB's functionality.  The problem is that 5-way symmetry requires using angles of 72 degrees, and 72 isn't an integer multiple of the 5-degree steps that VAB snap is designed for.  So this would mess up the placement of everything else, including absolute snap.  I suppose a mod that adds 5-way symmetry could also change the snap interval to 2 degrees if it wanted to... but then that would mess up everything that doesn't use 5-way.

I've occasionally thought about 5-way myself, but I've never been able to come up with a use case that's compelling enough to want to do anything with it.  It's a prime number, so you can't asparagus it or do anything with subsets of it; you have to do the whole group or nothing.  If you have fuel or other heavy resource stored there, you can't transfer fuel around without doing it to all at once.  It's a big enough number that there's not a lot of difference between having 5 of something and having 6, so one might as well do 6.

34 minutes ago, Warzouz said:

• Other question : when you do, let's say, a 6 way symmetry and you want to add stuff only on 4 of the 6 parts. Is there a way to do it with 2 way symmetry (which is hard to do clean stuff with)

So there are a few options, depending on what you're going for.

One is to just build a thing on 2-way, then copy it once, add stuff to the copy, then copy the copy.  There, you have stuff on 4 of the 6.

Another way (which works well for stack-mounted things, not so well for radial):  if the stuff you want to add to 4-of-the-6 is stack-mounted above or below the radial parts, just build it on one of them, then copy the assembly manually to three other stacks.

Or if you're running KIS/KAS, you could just build it 6-way and then send out an engineer with a drill and manually disassemble two of them. 

[fourfa]

If you install Editor Extensions, you may wonder how you ever got along without it. I often use 5x symmetry for aerospike engine clusters...

[Norcalplanner]

On 1/12/2016 at 9:38 AM, fourfa said:

If you install Editor Extensions, you may wonder how you ever got along without it. I often use 5x symmetry for aerospike engine clusters...

I second this. Editor Extensions is your solution for any odd number of radial parts. I remember launching a 3.75m center stack with 9 or 10 Kickbacks around it back in 0.90. Good times.

[Teilnehmer]

On 12.01.2016 at 9:11 PM, Snark said:

I suppose a mod that adds 5-way symmetry could also change the snap interval to 2 degrees if it wanted to... but then that would mess up everything that doesn't use 5-way.

The Editor Extensions mod allows you arbitrary snap angles. You can, say, set up 30° and 24° snappings and switch between them using the C key.

However, it’s a rare case when you actually need that — only if you place something asymmetrically. Symmetric parts can easily be added to your 5 boosters and between them (180° angle).

Edited January 14, 2016 by Teilnehmer

[StarManta]

On January 12, 2016 at 9:34 AM, Warzouz said:

• Other question : when you do, let's say, a 6 way symmetry and you want to add stuff only on 4 of the 6 parts. Is there a way to do it with 2 way symmetry (which is hard to do clean stuff with)

 

What you can do is take advantage of Z/X and toggle 3-way symmetry.

1) with 2-way sym, place your first part

2) Turn on 3-way sym, line up your second part. You can line up one of your 3-way copies to be pixel-perfectly aligned with one of your original parts.

3) Use Z/X to change back to 2-way sym, and click to place the part.

I use this all the time for asparagus staging.