[1.4.3] ImprovedHeatShields (DRE Lite): Running out of ablator matters

[ringerc]

Early experiments in lifting pods: https://imgur.com/gallery/trBLIAq

Edited July 4, 2018 by ringerc
imgur link issues

[steve_v]

@ringerc: Poking to see if you are still alive/awake. This mod is excellent, please continue to do excellent things.

[zer0Kerbal]

  

  Greetings.

I have asked for permission from @ringerc to update / continue / adopt / release this wonderful mod.

Hopefully I hear back from @ringerc with an answer; however in the case I don't hear back, then I intend to respectfully proceed with the adoption as soon as the end of March 2020, as permitted by the individual licenses of this mod. I will provide recognition of original authors/maintainers; and I will gladly step aside should @ringerc ever want to continue this mod.

Concerning Spacedock am asking to be added to the Authors so I can update / release. If this is not possible, kindly delete so as to prevent confusion.

• Spacedock: https://spacedock.info/mod/1889

Thank you kindly in advance!

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ImprovedHeatShields (DRE Lite):

https://github.com/ringerc/KSP-DRE-Lite

https://spacedock.info/mod/1889

Edited March 17, 2020 by zer0Kerbal

[Nightside]

Cool, this looks like a great project.

[zer0Kerbal]

4 hours ago, Nightside said:

Cool, this looks like a great project.

I agree - am concerned that it just isn't deadly enough.

 

[zer0Kerbal]

On 3/17/2020 at 6:58 AM, zer0Kerbal said:

  

  Greetings.

I have asked for permission from @ringerc to update / continue / adopt / release this wonderful mod.

Hopefully I hear back from @ringerc with an answer; however in the case I don't hear back, then I intend to respectfully proceed with the adoption as soon as the end of March 2020, as permitted by the individual licenses of this mod. I will provide recognition of original authors/maintainers; and I will gladly step aside should @ringerc ever want to continue this mod.

Concerning Spacedock am asking to be added to the Authors so I can update / release. If this is not possible, kindly delete so as to prevent confusion.

• Spacedock: https://spacedock.info/mod/1889

Thank you kindly in advance!

---

ImprovedHeatShields (DRE Lite):

https://github.com/ringerc/KSP-DRE-Lite

https://spacedock.info/mod/1889

@ringerc has graciously agreed to let me continue this mod, has also added me to the spacedock authors for this mod.

 

more when there is more to say.

[ringerc]

@zer0Kerbal has expressed interest in adopting this, since I don't have time for it. I've made them a SpaceDock author.

I'll copy the notes I made in a PM here, in case others are interested.

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The main issue I ran into with this mod btw was that KSP doesn't have a sensible way to achieve a sensible CoM offset. Its physics start getting seriously wacky. Lets just say I couldn't copy the Apollo data I studied verbatim .

Balancing it so that the module itself had a reasonable offset for aerodynamic flight wasn't easy without tending to tumble, especially since it also needs to naturally re-orient into a blunt-end-first re-entry position for uncontrolled/ballistic re-entry.

But then keeping flight characteristics reasonably consistent with an attached heat shield wasn't simple at all due to KSP's faked up funky physics. With a strong enough CoM and CoL offset to allow the command module itself to retain desired flight characteristics I found that heat shields tended to enter a wild flipping fall where they spun increasingly rapidly in an absurdly unrealistic way. Or they'd slice through the air sideways like some kind of super-aerofoil and fly absurd distances in wild curves. I was never quite satisfied with the outcomes there. I suspect a workaround might involve some combination of changing the shield-to-capsule mass ratio, or using C# to dynamically change parameters based on whether there's an attached heatshield.

I also found that the thruster positions are part of the actual model, not the part definition. So while you can try to add built-in RCS to modules, they won't work unless the original model has RCS placed in its metadata. I know enough 3D modelling for basic 3D printing use (openscad) but have no idea how to model parts for KSP let alone edit existing models, so that meant I couldn't add the built-in RCS I wanted for the basic capsules. I wish Squad would add that.

I had intended to explore advanced tweakables to see if I could add x/y/z CoM offset controls to some parts, with some kind of nonlinear price and extra mass cost scaling added to discourage abuse. But never had time, though it'd be fun to to. Ideally I'd like to model a new adjustible mass slider part that has an imaginary internal ballast it can slide in 1 or 2 axes, so you can use it instead of RCS for flight control and to adjust mass as fuel is depleted. Or clone and repurpose something like a SAS module or fuel tank model for the job. That would go fantastically with the new robotics controller system too, since you could set it to slowly adjust the offset during ascent, write basic autopilot guidance descent commands, etc.

If I had time to learn more of the semi-documented internal APIs exposed to mods in KSP I'd probably be able to achieve more of this, but it's just not going to happen this century.

[Gfurst]

Hey folks, so I too am a bit unhappy with the way stock handles some things, I wanted to ask any news about this mod still working/being worked on?

Have anyone trying fiddling the stock physics to adjust parameters, like shield ablation rate I think it must be related to the part module setup, while convection and heat creation seems to be a physics global, however nothing so obvious as what changes reflect what yet, and I'm reluctant to go in blind tweaking these. Also seems like Realheat is some versions too old already, not sure if it can be used nowadays.