LF suggestions/help on new plane part concept

[Avalon877]

Hello all! Im new here on the forums, but I have been playing KSP on and of since the first releases. I'm not particulary good at the game but I enjoy it! Nice to meet you all!

I'm enjoying building space planes allot lately, and I try to come up with some cool designs. After playing around and combining parts I came up with an idea for mk2A parts (or something). I realy like the MK2, but would also like to go bigger, but dont like the MK3 shapes too much. So i took out the wacom and made some concept sketches of a larger MK2-like plane. Here's what I came up with for now:

I'm happy with the cockpit so far. I think this could go somewhere but I need some help! I'm a professional 3d animator, modeler, texturer, but it would be nice to have some tech realism suggestions while making it look as stock-alike as much as possible. Also I'm new to modding KSP, so I have no clue yet on how to make all parts work. Perhaps Someone (more expirienced) on this forum would like to give me a hand and join me making these awesome plane parts!

Edited September 3, 2017 by Avalon877
image link broken

[HorizonFulcrum]

Not a designer myself by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps making a multi-perspective drawing would help modelers? Like a top down, side on, and front on? Really cool idea though, love the drawings.

[Avalon877]

7 hours ago, HorizonFulcrum said:

Not a designer myself by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps making a multi-perspective drawing would help modelers? Like a top down, side on, and front on? Really cool idea though, love the drawings.

Thank you! I will certainly make more drawings soon but i have no trouble with modeling and texturing the parts. It's getting them ingame and getting them to work where I'm lost.

[NSEP]

The "stockalike" feel is mainly in the texturing. The greyish white tint, combined with some "burn" marks makes the texturing feel stockalike, an example here:

[Avalon877]

34 minutes ago, NSEP said:

The "stockalike" feel is mainly in the texturing. The greyish white tint, combined with some "burn" marks makes the texturing feel stockalike, an example here:

Yes! Realy love that style!

[HorizonFulcrum]

The sizing of your Mk2A parts remind me of the old B9 space plane parts, plus a name such as Mk2/3 would be cool too.

Also, the scaling of the Mk2A [Mk2/3] parts look like they could be a tri-adapter to stock 1.25m parts, like the fuselage could fit 3 engines at the end there, much like the space shuttle, but more streamlined.

Edited June 25, 2017 by HorizonFulcrum
I forgot something...

[Avalon877]

I have some spare time today, so I decided to make a mockup in 3d for the cockpit. This is a very rough wip, but so far it reminds me a little of the Thunderbird 2.

 

Edited September 3, 2017 by Avalon877
broken link

[Mecripp]

Looks like this mod pretty much so far

 

[Avalon877]

5 minutes ago, MeCripp said:

Looks like this mod pretty much so far

 

Ah yes your right, but isnt the Mark IV very huge? I'd like the parts to be smaller.

[Mecripp]

1 hour ago, Avalon877 said:

Ah yes your right, but isnt the Mark IV very huge? I'd like the parts to be smaller.

Yes it's pretty big you said small like the MK2 parts ?

[Avalon877]

4 minutes ago, MeCripp said:

Yes it's pretty big you said small like the MK2 parts ?

More like MK2+ 

[monstah]

16 hours ago, Avalon877 said:

Hello all! Im new here on the forums, but I have been playing KSP on and of since the first releases. 

...

Also I'm new to modding KSP, so I have no clue yet on how to make all parts work. Perhaps Someone (more expirienced) on this forum would like to give me a hand and join me making these awesome plane parts!

Hi, and welcome! Glad to have people joining in wanting to contribute!

if your parts are just tanks, engines, pods, and other parts with funcitionality that already exists in the game, then it's very easy. Parts have a .cfg file that is just a very human-readable collection of parameters, like the file name of the mesh, and game stuff like mass, amount of resources, etc. You can copy the file of an existing Mk2 part and start modifying, for example. 

[HorizonFulcrum]

8 hours ago, Avalon877 said:

I have some spare time today, so I decided to make a mockup in 3d for the cockpit. This is a very rough wip, but so far it reminds me a little of the Thunderbird 2.

 

Could you put up the models and pictures up somewhere, then everyone who wanted could cooperate?
 

[Avalon877]

1 hour ago, HorizonFulcrum said:

Could you put up the models and pictures up somewhere, then everyone who wanted could cooperate?
 

Will do that soon! Let me wrap up some more of this cockpit model so that I can set the style. By the way, this thing started to look way to much like a human nose, so I made some changes. Update is on it's way!

Edited June 25, 2017 by Avalon877
typo's

[artwhaley]

There's also this in the same size range... 

 

Which is, in no way, telling you not to build yours.. as you have a more sci-fi aesthetic going - but it might give you some tips on what you're searching for specifically - guesses on where to start with 'balance.'  

[Avalon877]

31 minutes ago, artwhaley said:

There's also this in the same size range... 

Yes thats sort of what i'm going for! That is the size I like, but as you said I'd like to give it a little of sci-fi, not too much. It would be perfect if it looks like a followup of the MK1 and MK2 system. There is a huge size difference between sizes, so it's nice to fit this inbetween. One other thing that stands out a bit to me, is how MK1 and MK2 look like they are from the same series, while the MK3 suddely differs in style. Wich is fine, but I realy like the MK1 and 2 style.

When I'm done texturing I want it to be so stock-alike, that it looks like it's original stock.

 

Other question, I see allot of people talking about licencing, is this something I should look at?

[Urses]

As i look on your main body i realy will see some reverse Deltawings on it.

Fine piece of art!

And welcome to the forums and have a nice stay.

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

Edited June 26, 2017 by Urses

[HorizonFulcrum]

If you need, I'll be happy at trying my hand at interiors.

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

Hi, just a quick two cents, don't forget when you are modelling that sometime in the near future you will have to make colliders for your parts,  the current cockpit shape means that you will need to make 3 colliders, as a convex collider applied in unity  would effectively lose the part of the hull in front of the intakes, and anything attached in that area would appear to be detached from the surface.

  As i see it now you have a single large collider for the main hull back to the core part of the  rear bulkhead and then two smaller ones for the inlet areas back to the remaining sections of  bulkhead. 

If the how to eludes you do drop me a pm and i can run through the whole process of making it work in game

But more or less like this, each colour being a separate collider

Spoiler

 

Edited June 26, 2017 by SpannerMonkey(smce)

[Avalon877]

10 hours ago, HorizonFulcrum said:

If you need, I'll be happy at trying my hand at interiors.

As soon as I finish the rough version and definitive window layout I would love to see what you'd make!

 

12 hours ago, Urses said:

As i look on your main body i realy will see some reverse Deltawings on it.

Fine piece of art!

And welcome to the forums and have a nice stay.

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

Thanks for the great words! 

 

10 hours ago, SpannerMonkey(smce) said:

Hi, just a quick two cents, don't forget when you are modelling that sometime in the near future you will have to make colliders for your parts,  the current cockpit shape means that you will need to make 3 colliders, as a convex collider applied in unity  would effectively lose the part of the hull in front of the intakes, and anything attached in that area would appear to be detached from the surface.

Thank you for the headsup, I think I understand what you mean. Havent done anything in Unity yet, I have a unopened book laying around here that I never got to, so if it doesn't make scence your help would be greatly apreciated! 

Edited June 26, 2017 by Avalon877
typo

[wasml]

If your going to get into modding an old but still useful thread -

Some of the material is out dated (wheels in particular)  but much is still useful.

As for license you will need to specify a license (and release source code if you do a plugin) if you have a release page here on the forms (forum rules) - there's a thread that discusses the various licenses but I've lost the link (anyone?)

 

[TheRagingIrishman]

@wasml

[Avalon877]

Allright, update time! It is slowly evolving away from the first sketh. Thanks everyone for the helpfull links!

Edited September 3, 2017 by Avalon877
link broken

[TheKurgan]

Have you tried OPT? the smaller Juno and Stail parts would be to your liking I think... but keep going!! we all like new stuff

Edited June 27, 2017 by TheKurgan

[Urses]

6 hours ago, Avalon877 said:

Allright, update time! It is slowly evolving away from the first sketh. Thanks everyone for the helpfull links!

For your parts Collection it would be helpful to go and take a look at MK2 Extension and MKIV addons.

You will get a idea which parts are must haves to build a Part package?

The Cocpit looks realy interesting. And one option would be a switchable option for the Meshs? 

1. Like now (loocks realy nice!)

2. Free colliders for personally decidebale intakes.

3. Something like a open mouth intake on belly side?

My 2 pence for brainstorming

Funny Kabooms 

Urses