[1.3.1] Ferram Aerospace Research: v0.15.9.1 "Liepmann" 4/2/18

[GamingStudioX]

Hi, can I know how to hide the toolbar and the flight assistance GUI? I don't need it right now.

[Drew Kerman]

note: I just realized that for the Swept Wing, I used the surface area measurement provided to me by Blender, which gives the surface area of the part, which is not in the shape of a trapezoid. So the ctrlSurfFrac value is definitely off there, but that part isn't used in this design. All other parts are regular trapezoids and so the surface area of the part model should be accurate of how FAR would see the airfoil.

I'm beginning to think I was wrong here. If I measure the surface area of the actual wing model and then determine the ctrlSurfFrac, when FAR does its own calculation of the wing shape (in the form of the trapezoid) then the percentage value of the control surface will scale it up accordingly? Or should I be using the trapezoidal shape to get the surface area?

[softweir]

Hi, can I know how to hide the toolbar and the flight assistance GUI? I don't need it right now.

Click on the FAR button to hide its GUIs. Check the buttonbar thread for how to hide that.

[Drew Kerman]

update - new values calculated and suggested changes made. She flies! I will update the wiki tomorrow with the Blender2.7 tutorial

Edit: Well, Mario Kart 8 night got cancelled due to sicknesses amongst friends (*sob*) so I actually had time to get this banged out tonight.

Deriving FAR values for a wing using Blender 2.7

Thanks to everyone who helped me out, and I'm really glad I got to contribute in some way to this great mod.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Gaiiden

[thunderstar]

is the righ click on parts info, like drag doesn't appear anymore or i have installed it wrong? because i remember it had that feature before

[NathanKell]

In Space Center, click on the FAR icon in the toolbar (add to visible buttons if not present) to get settings.

[combat squirrel]

So, I am an 'advanced' Kerbal player, played it a good couple of years but everytime I have sampled F.A.R... ALL my rockets ALWAYS flipped end over end at around ~22-26km, no matter what design, even using rockets others had made with FAR in mind.

Because of this I always played the game without it because it was infuriating. but i am determined now to use it, as proper aerodynamics sounds ace..................so anyone, why the hell can NO rocket launch with FAR without it flipping out? (I used to let the rocket just spin until it stabilized again but I lost so much DV it was pointless)

[NathanKell]

1. Turn off SAS

2. pitch to 80 degrees when velocity reaches 100m/s

3. See what happens, staging when necessary.

4. When out of atmosphere, orient as appropriate.

If your rocket is not statically stable you'll have to make it so. Make sure, for all stages, wet and dry CoM is in front of the aerodynamic center (blue cross).

[AndreyATGB]

Pics, are you starting gravity turn at 100m/s like you should? Do you have control surfaces on the bottom? Heavy drag in front?

[BudgetHedgehog]

And make sure your TWR doesn't go above 1.5 or so (lower at launch, like 1.2 or so) under 30km.

[sirkut]

And use fins. They help.

[Drew Kerman]

now that I've gotten wings out of the way, is there anything that needs to be done for fuselage parts? For example:

PART
{
    name = CplaneFuse4m
    module = Part
    author = CoffeeSE

    MODEL
    {
        model = CoffeeIndustries/Parts/Structural/CplaneSys/p1_CplaneFuseN
    }
    scale = 1
    rescaleFactor = 1.118

    node_stack_top = 0.0, 2.237118, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0
    node_stack_bottom = 0.0, -2.237118, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0
    //node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, -1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0

    TechRequired = heavyAerodynamics
    entryCost = 11200
    cost = 4800
    category = Utility
    subcategory = 0
    title = CI-130 4m Cargo Fuselage
    manufacturer = Coffee Industries
    description = Hollowed out fuselage to store stuff in.

    attachRules = 1,1,1,1,0

    mass = 1.25
    dragModelType = default
    maximum_drag = 0.2
    minimum_drag = 0.3
    angularDrag = 2
    crashTolerance = 50
    breakingForce = 100
    breakingTorque = 100
    maxTemp = 2900
    fuelCrossFeed = True

    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleLight
        lightName = pLight1
        //lightName = pLight2
        //lightName = pLight3
        //lightName = pLight4
        useAnimationDim = false
        lightBrightenSpeed = 1.5
        lightDimSpeed = 1.5
        //animationName = LightAnimation
        resourceAmount = 0.002
        useResources = true
    }
}

[Starwaster]

And remember: What do we say to the god of Unplanned Disassemblies?

[somnambulist]

And remember: What do we say to the god of Unplanned Disassemblies?

More rivets for the rivet god?

[Drew Kerman]

more struts

[taniwha]

Edit: Well, Mario Kart 8 night got cancelled due to sicknesses amongst friends (*sob*) so I actually had time to get this banged out tonight.

Deriving FAR values for a wing using Blender 2.7

Thanks to everyone who helped me out, and I'm really glad I got to contribute in some way to this great mod.

Shame about your game night, but nice writeup. One little thing that can help (especially if the part loads in a really weird place): numpad-. (ie, the dot on the number-pad) will center the view on the active part, which the importer sets to be the root object of the model. Another option is to press alt-g to clear the root object's position and bring the whole lot to the world origin (this works because all of the mesh objects are children of the root object (an empty)).

Also, rx90 (or rx-90) to rotate +/- 90 degrees on the x axis (much nicer when you need to do a lot of rotation).

[Taverius]

now that I've gotten wings out of the way, is there anything that needs to be done for fuselage parts?

So long as they're a 'Part' with no aerodynamic PartModules attached, all you need to do is make sure the nodes are the right size, as FAR uses node size to approximate the extra drag of an exposed node.

[adesw]

I've finally got used to designing planes and rockets that work well with FAR, but I have a problem with the mod. It works one or two times, then when I load KSP it doesnt show up on the toolbar and it is clear from how ships handle that it is using the stock physics. Reinstalling the game fixes it for another play or two, but then the same problem happens.

Any ideas?

[Jobin]

Wow, after using this mod for over a year, I finally took senior design where I made a waypoint following autopilot for a small UAV (without having taken Stability & Control of Aircraft yet). I just now realized that you have a built in derivative calculator and basic sim capability. After toying with building a shuttle with no success, I finally found the design aid and was able to get it working in two minutes. I feel really stupid right now.

[Assassin_55]

Can you make thermals in the Mod? It would be awesome.

[Drew Kerman]

wind (with atmospheric layers) would be awesome too - although I think environmental effects like these ferram may consider outside the scope of the mod

Shame about your game night, but nice writeup. One little thing that can help (especially if the part loads in a really weird place): numpad-. (ie, the dot on the number-pad) will center the view on the active part, which the importer sets to be the root object of the model. Another option is to press alt-g to clear the root object's position and bring the whole lot to the world origin (this works because all of the mesh objects are children of the root object (an empty)).

Also, rx90 (or rx-90) to rotate +/- 90 degrees on the x axis (much nicer when you need to do a lot of rotation).

Thanks! I will update the article with these tips. I didn't spend a lot of time figuring out hotkeys. Maybe tx for translate? I will play around a bit more...

So long as they're a 'Part' with no aerodynamic PartModules attached, all you need to do is make sure the nodes are the right size, as FAR uses node size to approximate the extra drag of an exposed node.

No idea what node size requirements would be. Is there a good reference anywhere you can link me to?

Edited June 1, 2014 by Gaiiden

[NathanKell]

Take the diameter of the connection point (if the node is at the end of a fuselage piece, that'd be the diameter of the fuselage...) and divide it by 1.25. Round normally, with the exception that any diameter < 0.8m or so should be size 0.

In the part.cfg entry for that node, note the numbers. If there are seven numbers, set the seventh to what you calculated. If there are 6, add a comma and what you calculated at the end (now there are 7).

You may find it easier to do ingame. Attach the part to one end of a cylindrical stretchy tank or procedural part tank. Size the tank to match the part. Then check the diameter of the tank.

[Vaporized Steel]

Hello.

I have a question.

I've been getting into building spaceshuttles lately. I already use FAR. I have a very specific problem with my shuttle. While the shuttle is launched by the ET tank/Booster the control surfaces on the shuttle are actually active during the ascend. And under SAS and/or A.S.S. the shuttle is causing slight rolls and banks. Basically the control surfaces on the shuttle are trying to follow the A.S.S/Autopilot or hold direction with SAS while it's carried by a oversized elephant resulting in tendancies to bank or roll.

Through testing I removed the control surfaces from the shuttle (just for testing) and the rolling/yawing stopped while ascending from the launch pad. I immediately went on the internet to find out how to solve this and actually found someone saying that the FAR mod has a option to temporarily disable control surfaces and reactivate them again.

But I can't find a option, action group for Ferram Aerospace or anywhere in the VAB to do this. Is this possible with FAR?

If yes, then how?

If not, any recommendations?

[Taverius]

No idea what node size requirements would be. Is there a good reference anywhere you can link me to?

See Nathan's post. For very irregular cross-sections, its sometimes easier to import the .mu and measure the mesh area, then get the diameter of an equivalent area circle.

[taniwha]

Thanks! I will update the article with these tips. I didn't spend a lot of time figuring out hotkeys. Maybe tx for translate? I will play around a bit more...

r for rotate, s for scale, g for grab (translate), t toggles the tool panel, n toggles the properties panel, x deletes. That's most of the interesting hot-keys for object mode (and they'll take you a long way in edit mode).