Animated Lander Leg tutorial

[vegany]

here goes my first tutorial

accompanying Vid on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM1K7Y_eHgU&feature=plcp (you will need both)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM1K7Y_eHgU&feature=plcp

make shure you have blender and unity (think it works in maya to) for this tutorial,

A VERY BASIC ANIMATED LANDER LEG

Step 1 CUBE.

(using blender X,Z,Y)

in Blender go add - mesh - cube (make sure its x y z are 0 0 0)set Dimensions to X,1 Y,1 Z,5

go in to edit mode and move the cube Up untill the top face is above the pivot point,(shuld be Z,2.5) and along the Y axis (shuld be Y,-0.5)

you can use Translate - vector

Ctrl-A Apply LOC-ROT-SCALE.

Step 2 ANIMATING.

(make shure you only have 50 frames for this tutorial IF your folowing to the letter)

in Object mode insert keyframe Loc-Rot-Scale (skroll down Object Tools to keyframe and click insert) to frame 0,

go to frame 50 on the timeline,

rotate cube alond the X axis 150 degrees

Insert keyframe Loc-Rot-Scale again (frame 50)

TEST ANIMATION ie play, you want 24 frames a sec.

Export as .FBX to where ever you want.

Step 3 UNITY IMPORT.

(using unity x,y,z now)

Start a new project in unity and go assets-import package-costom package... direct to Parttools 0.16,

go assets-import new asset... direct to .FBX file you made in blender

select your leg in the Projects window and in the inspector Mesh set scale factor 1 in animations tick the Split Animation box and add a animation Split named Retract (Thanks Tiberion) start 1 end 50 wrap defalt loop NO,

Step 4 SET UP NODE COLLIDER AND MAKE READY FOR .MU EXPORT.

(make shure you dont have the blender camara/light if you do delete it from the Hierachy tab-leg)

Drag leg to Hierachy window click apply and double click leg in the Hierachy tab disable play automatically in Animation tab,

copy Cube rename the copy >node collider< (no ><) remove render and add component-physics-mesh collider make mesh convex and drag over cube to perent it,

(if you dont perent it dosent move with the animation).

Go Gameobject-Create empty and drag leg over the emty gameobject to perent

(make shure the gameobject is on X,0 Y,0 Z,0 befor perenting).

Go Component-KSP-part tools, with gameobject selected in Hierachy tab.

in Part Tools (Script) set file path like this >C:/blah/KSP/Parts/Myfirstanimatedlanderleg/< needs the (/) on the end or u get a .mu file called Myfirstanimatedlanderlegmodel.mu in (C:/blah/).

tick boxes for >Copy textures< and >Convert Textures<

(for tutorial i just added a random texture to leg)

click Write (not write all)

you now have a .mu file with an animated leg.

now the .cfg,

for this test just put the LandingLeg1-2 part.cfg in your legs file open with notepad and

change animationName = newlandingleg to animationName = Retract(Thanks Tiberion)

and under >General Parameters< change >name = [leg name]<

define node_attach like this >= 0.0, 0.0, -0.5, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0<

Launch KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM :operation MUN TOUCHDOWN

dedicated to the kerbal who died during testing & development RIP Melny Kerman (ran into a wall in exsitement)

(i used a clean ksp copy IE nothig but my leg and a command pod i made)

Thats all folks (NOT AMERICAN IM KENGLISH)

Thanks for reading

VEGANY

(cant re post without my consent thanks)

Edited August 30, 2012 by vegany
found BBcode

[vegany]

wow 100 views and no comment was it something i said.

lol meant to edit original post

Edited August 26, 2012 by vegany

[germalto]

could you perhaps convert this to a youtube video ?

[vegany]

hmm never used screen capture culd use some tips tried but CamStudio allways makes my vids wonky

[Echo 8 ÉRÀ]

At the very least, you could take screenshots at each step.

[TheCardinal]

When ik look at the posts in this thread, all are from persons who are quite new to the forum, quite willing to learn.

Well, here's someone who has tried several times to create a part and failed miserably every time to create a part accepted by KSP. I will try out your description tonight. It would be extremely helpfull if your description would be accompanied by a step by step YouTube movie.

In every case, thank you for the description. Who knows, i might even succesfully create my first part!

[vegany]

recording now

[vegany]

ok vids uploading check top for link

(edit)

ahh 40 min upload time,

time to play KSP

[TheCardinal]

And thanks for the video!

[vegany]

And thanks for the video!

NP did u manage to make a leg?

[TheCardinal]

NP did u manage to make a leg?

In spite of what i wanted, i haven't had the chance yet. But i certainly will try!!!

I've been wanting to create my own parts for as long as i play KSP. Plenty of idea's, just not the knowledge to bring them into practice. Hopefully with your description/video i will be able to do it. Your video does make it look ever so simple.

[vegany]

just to note most of the parts in my vid i made using wings 3D a easy to use modeling program that exports to .obj files i then import to blender and do the pivot points names ect...

[TheCardinal]

Thank you (for the third time in a row. I've just downloaded wings 3D. If it is easier then blender, i'll probably will be using that.

[vegany]

after a request i decided to post my rotating dish hear hope u like.

curently its a ASAS module.

dowload from

http://www.kerbal.net/mod.php?id=27

Edited September 15, 2012 by vegany
upload to kerbal.net

[TheCardinal]

after a request i decided to post my rotating dish hear hope u like.

curently its a ASAS module.

A picture says more than a thousand words, so here are two words: Thank you! and two pictures to show how great this rotating dish really is.

Two screenshots of the (equally great) DEMV with the rotating dish on top taken right after each other. The rotating dish really makes it 'alive'.

Edited September 14, 2012 by TheCardinal

[vegany]

thanks for the pics, love the cart going to download now.