Volume of a particular vessel

[Sorabh]

Is there any way to calculate the volume of Vessels in KSP? If I could do it, I could build submarines easily, with stock parts....

[Dark Lion]

Accurately? No, probably not. Mathematically? Sure. Assuming you know the appropriate formulae. Have I done this? Nope. Definitely too lazy for all that math to give me no more than close approximations. The water is a lie! Displacement isn't a factor in KSP so there's definitely no easy way, but I'm sure a savvy (more willing) mathematician could find those approximate values by starting with the mass and dimensions of each part used on your craft, define their independent volumes and total them up for the whole thing.

I'm very curious how knowing your craft volume makes it easier to build submersibles in KSP though. I'm not certain it's even relevant unless displacement is a thing. It seems very much tied to a predetermined "bouyancy factor" for each part instead. For instance: why do wheels which have no internal pressure float? Just how dense is Kerbin's water if something strong enough to hold up serious weight on land isn't going straight to the bottom?

I hope it really is easier... I might not avoid the water as much.

[Serenity]

A post that might help a bit:

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by Boyster

[ArmoredLipid]

You want a submarine/ship? Try holding tanks, I hear they work well.

[putnamto]

wait, you cant just put a mammoth upside down on top of your rocket? lol

[ARS]

You can't build submarine simply by knowing part's volume. There's no water displacement in KSP, and KSP's water is ridiculously dense. Instead, if you want to make a submarine, then you have to overcome bouyancy factor. Each part in KSP have their own buoyancy factor. So far, the easiest method to build submarine in stock play is by using ore tanks. If you fill ore tanks, it'll have negative buoyancy, which makes the tank (and anything attached to it sinks). Balancing the amount of ore in ore tanks to find neutral buoyancy allows you to build a submarine, with jet engine as propulsion. Bigger ship need more ore tanks to make it sink