Parts demo – Blender, GIMP, and Unity files [Dec 7, 2019]

[wasml]

In the interests of helping those new to creating parts (and I hope to learn something too) I've put together some “Demo Parts” projects. Each part is a separate project in a separate zip file containing the Blender, GIMP, Unity directories, and a GameData folder. The models and texturing are very basic as the point is to provide a example of part structure from Blender to “in game” (translation: the parts are functional but not pretty). The license is MIT and I'll be adding more parts - to the extent of my abilities/free time. I welcome feedback and hope to be able to improve the examples/correct any errors as time goes on/add more comments and notes.

Download here.

 

Part	Version	Comments
AirBrake	181.0
ControlSurface	181.0
Decoupler	181.0
DecouplerRadial	181.0
DockingPort	181.0
Door/Airlock	181.0	Renamed from "Door" to "Airlock"
Engine	181.0
Fairing	181.0	Truss still showing in thumbnail
Robotics	181.0	Added a hinge, piston and rotor
FuelTank	181.0	Really just a config file and putting a part through Unity but a good part to start with
Grappler	181.0
Intake	181.0
Radiator	181.0
Ladder	181.0
LandingLeg	WIP	Leaps into the air
LaunchClamp	181.0
Light	WIP	Working but emissives messed up
Parachute	181.0
Radiator	181.0
RCS	181.0
RetractingLandingGear	-
SolarPanel	181.0
Wheel	181.0
Wing	181.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by wasml
Update to 181 w/Unity 2019.2.2f1

[artwhaley]

I love this idea!   I'd considered something similar before...  and was thinking about a modmaking wiki where we'd try to get the community to maintain all of the current wisdom on a particular type of part on each page... and then maintain 'reference parts' like what you've done as well - so instead of sorting through 10 tutorials and having to ask 'what still works?' and 'what's best now?' you could have a single place that was always current.

I'd be happy to help out if you'd like?  I could contribute an engine and a docking port at some point?

Also - single most useful thing ever would be someone contributing landing gear and landing legs.  Those still confound me half the time after 2 years of modding.

I didn't see the Unity file in the release zip?  Was that intentional? 

[wasml]

Any help would be appreciated - whether advice on current parts or contributing parts.

I currently have a wing, door, non gimbaled engine, gimbaled engine, Fuel tank(yes - super simple but good starting place for anyone just starting), RCS, docking port, decoupler, parachute, intake, tracking and non-tracking solar panel, and an air brake. These were working last time I checked but that was in the KSP 1.2 time frame.

Not working parts are: lights (Just missing the emissive animation on the lens), Ladder (the part motors about the launch pad if a Kerbal climbs on???), Wheel(totally lost on this one), landing gear(same as wheel), launch tower, Fairing, Strut, Radial decoupler, and control surfaces(Had one working at one point but made an improvement and haven't been able to make it work again).

Not started parts Seperator and anything else not mentioned above.

If you do contribute parts I'll be happy to include them - If you want to contribute something I that's on the "working" list - don't hesitate - I've put minimal effort into the models and am not attached to them.

Unity file is included - it's the 3MB zip inside the zip (not sure why I did that...)

I like your wiki idea - would certainly be willing to donate anything from this you think you could use.

[Eskandare]

@wasml A really good demo to add is the how the wheel is supposed to be assembled. 

[blackheart612]

I've put up a basic guide on how to make landing gears:

If you're confused and want to make wheels, you'll get some info with making landing gears. I already made a test rover wheel from my knowledge of landing gears.

[wasml]

@Eskandare If I can get a wheel working I will certainly add it in - In fact I had been looking at blackheart612's deploying landing gear page and considering giving it a go.

[Eskandare]

15 hours ago, wasml said:

@Eskandare If I can get a wheel working I will certainly add it in - In fact I had been looking at blackheart612's deploying landing gear page and considering giving it a go.

I'm working on a semi-truck (articulated lorry) mod, off and on, in the same scale as @TiktaalikDreaming's Kerbin Rover. Wheels seem pretty intimidating.  

Edited February 10, 2018 by Eskandare

[TiktaalikDreaming]

5 hours ago, Eskandare said:

I'm working on a semi-truck (articulated lorry) mod, off and on, in the same scale as @TiktaalikDreaming's Kerbin Rover. Wheels seem pretty intimidating.  

Wheels are a pain to get working at times.  When they work nicely they're great.  I've done deployable landing legs, and I've done wheels, but every time I try deployable landing wheels, I run into trouble.   

[wasml]

Just tried - and eventually succeeded in getting a launch clamp working (thanks to a post by NecroBones) but I think this is near the extent of my Blender skills at the moment. I'll keep banging my head against the wheel until it gives in but it may be awhile. Only way to get better is to challenge yourself - right?

[wasml]

Just added a wing, intake and radial decoupler. Next up will be getting emissives working and finishing the lights and engines.

[wasml]

Added Control surface, Radial decoupler, Engine (Simple and Gimbaled), Grappler and updated Parachute (attach node was positioned and oriented wrong) and docking port - added info.

I've also uploaded the lights but they're not working properly - either the emissives work but the lights are on permanently or the emissives don't work and the lights toggle properly. If anyone can tell me what I'm doing wrong I would appreciate it.

Some of these are 140 and some still 131 but they've all appear to work in 140.

[wasml]

Added a wheel. After struggling with landing gear and then fairings and not getting anything usable the wheel went together surprisingly easy. Saw a new tutorial for landing gear by Eleusis La Arwall - I'll give it a shot as soon as I can find some time. As always if someone see anything that's not right or could be clearer please let me know.

[wasml]

Just saw the "This thread is quite old...". Just wanted to say that this isn't dead, I have a partial deployable wheel/landing gear in the works (Thanks for the tutorial blackheart612) and want to add a a deployable landing leg then update all to use the current Unity but RL is rather busy and it will be awhile before I get back to this - at least February.

[wasml]

Added a WIP landing leg - Doesn't leap off the ground but does extend the leg too far

Added a fairing and fairing with truss - truss still shows in thumbnail but otherwise works

Tweaked notes on many of the parts and made sure they all still work in 1.6.1

Lights are still messed up - I've tried everything I can think of but can't get both the light to toggle and the emissive to work at the same time - it's either one or the other.

[bd1323]

This is incredible, I'm just getting started on learning (and happened to already decide on the GIMP/Blender route!), and like you said, this is so much better to have on up to date reference vs. scrolling through old posts an trying to figure out what is working in the current revisions.  Thank you so much!

[wasml]

@bd1323 If you look through any of these and see something that isn't clear, seems wrong, has missing information or is broken (lights for example) and you have a fix please let me know - feedback's welcome. (and happy modding!)

[linuxgurugamer]

This is really great, but what I'm having trouble finding is an up-to-date tutorial on how to take a file from Blender to Unity to KSP .mu file

Any suggestions?

[wasml]

@linuxgurugamer I've been doing this off and on since... I don't remember when. I don't remember if I saw some instructions or pieced it together - though I don't think its changed much since I started playing with it (mid 2014?). This is a really good idea. I think I know what my next project is.

Note: I'm assuming this isn't for yourself - though maybe you've been working the code side and not the modeling side?

[linuxgurugamer]

2 hours ago, wasml said:

@linuxgurugamer I've been doing this off and on since... I don't remember when. I don't remember if I saw some instructions or pieced it together - though I don't think its changed much since I started playing with it (mid 2014?). This is a really good idea. I think I know what my next project is.

Note: I'm assuming this isn't for yourself - though maybe you've been working the code side and not the modeling side?

It actually is for myself.  Im trying to learn a little bit about modeling, but not that muc time to research stuff i dont  know

[liquidhype]

@linuxgurugamer What kind of parts are you looking to make? The export process itself is generally the same, but setting up the parts varies greatly depending on what part you are making. How to get a highly detailed engine with multiple meshes, gimbal and moving actuators using lookAt constrains with an emissive animation is a lot more complicated than a fuel tank with a collider and a couple of nodes.

I've been doing 3D modeling for years and have been making part mods for KSP for personal use for about 4 years now, so I could whip up an image-by-image tutorial for you. Just let me know what part(s) you wish to make and I'll see what I can do.

Edited April 15, 2019 by liquidhype
Forgot to tag

[linuxgurugamer]

45 minutes ago, liquidhype said:

@linuxgurugamer What kind of parts are you looking to make? The export process itself is generally the same, but setting up the parts varies greatly depending on what part you are making. How to get a highly detailed engine with multiple meshes, gimbal and moving actuators using lookAt constrains with an emissive animation is a lot more complicated than a fuel tank with a collider and a couple of nodes.

I've been doing 3D modeling for years and have been making part mods for KSP for personal use for about 4 years now, so I could whip up an image-by-image tutorial for you. Just let me know what part(s) you wish to make and I'll see what I can do.

It's in here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/peahg0u58ejm6fm/B9ShuttleWings-beta3.zip?dl=0

You will also need the B9PartModule mod for this.

The part I'm working on is the B9_Shuttle_TailWing.  When I load it into Blender, it looks like the parachute which goes out the back of the rudder is aligned on the Z axis (ie:  The whole assembly is 90 degrees off).  I suspect this is why the animation of the chute sometimes goes forward instead of backwards.  See this picture for an example, there are three identical rudders on this plane (as well as a tiny drogue chute near the front).  So my immediate goal is to get this fixed, secondary is to learn, if not by fixing this, then by starting to make parts.  I don't expect to become an expert, but want to at least get comfortable doing it:

[wasml]

@liquidhype If you post a tutorial I'd be interested in adding a linking to it.

[wasml]

Added fixed and deployable radiators and a robotic part based on the new piston. Will add the other three (Hinge, rotor and servo) later.

[wasml]

Added a hinge, piston and rotor to the robotic file. Found some interesting attributes for the rotor - you can use LF/O instead of EC and, while the attribute names don't suggest it would work, I had a rotor that worked on LF and IntakeAir! I'm not sure how the internal logic takes the LFPerKn and OxidizerPerKn and applies it to LF and IntakeAir but it spun up when I set it loose.

[wasml]

Rebuilt all working parts (Landing leg and lights still not working) with Unity 2019.2.2f1and verified they work plus some small tweaks to the notes.