Mod VaporVent : tests to add new Parts, emitter particles problem

[stephm]

Hello !

a nice mod seen here, so I decided to make a custom model using the mod module, staying in the spirit of the mod.

but hey nothing is simple in modding, at the beginning I use blender to make the part, placing an empty of the name of emitter, result I almost a day to understand that it had to go through unity ...

after some research on the forum I find a page on the options of the KSP particle emitter, despite this it is not clear for me ...

the result .....

I can not redo the smoke of the mod, and I wanted to have a nice plume of smoke that stretches off, but no, it's my best result. The part has three selectionable size.

in the KSP Particle Emitter panel, what is the function of:

-Size Grow

option to locate at the very bottom

-Length Scale

-Velocity Scale

-and Max Size

If anyone has any information, that would be nice.

steph

[stephm]

hi !

Parts work with the vaporvent module, @linuxgurugamer If you are interested in including them in the vaporvent mod, keep me informed. there's just a place to put them in the folder parts of the mod.

I'm thinking of adding  exhaust pipe for ground Vehicle, on the other hand, they are likely to smoke continuously, everywhere.

@+

 

[linuxgurugamer]

Just now, stephm said:

hi !

Parts work with the vaporvent module, @linuxgurugamer If you are interested in including them in the vaporvent mod, keep me informed. there's just a place to put them in the folder parts of the mod.

I'm thinking of adding  exhaust pipe for ground Vehicle, on the other hand, they are likely to smoke continuously, everywhere.

@+

 

Sure, that would be great.  Send me a zip with the files

[stephm]

Super !! , I'll prepare the file for you. 

steph

[JadeOfMaar]

On 11/20/2020 at 3:05 PM, stephm said:

in the KSP Particle Emitter panel, what is the function of:

-Size Grow

option to locate at the very bottom

-Length Scale

-Velocity Scale

-and Max Size

If anyone has any information, that would be nice.

Size Grow is the plume's ability to change size during its lifetime. The higher the value, the faster it grows. It also accepts a negative value to make the particle contract or shrink (as far as -0.9999 but don't put -1 which will break the plume).

I don't use Length Scale or Velocity Scale but I do use Max Size which controls how large the particle can get. Raising this setting is important for particles used on engines that the player will want to zoom in on because they look good. If you don't raise this for such plumes then the particles will become small and unsatisfying when the player zooms in. I guess Length Scale or Velocity Scale therefore affect how the particle's length and speed change when the player zooms in.

A critical thing you'll want to do when you make your own particles is to add the checkbox to edit Gradient, and make a gradient curve (especially in the Alpha channel) so that your particles can visibly fade in and out over time.

Look at this Imgur album of particles I created for trench flames under a super heavy rocket and be inspired.

[stephm]

@JadeOfMaar thank for the info !!. I'm going to test that, and see if I can make my effects more realistic.

Edited November 27, 2020 by stephm

[stephm]

re .

well i'm very sceptical about the parameters and their understanding, there's something I probably misinterpret

I'm relying on this tutorial

my understanding of English is not good enough no doubt

i have this :

the size parameter setup to 0.1 and 5 :from what I understand it should start at 0.1 then increase to 5

but whatever I do it appear at the maxi from the start.

size has no effect in positive value, on the other hand works in negative value such as -0.5, the smoke reduces well in the end, but I never manage to get the result of a smoke plumes stretch at the end.

the smoke plume and always the same size from the beginning to the end. tested with other shape such as elispe and it's the same thing!

the unity particle panel should not be used it's only the settings of pluggins ksp right?

I don't understand...

steph.

[JadeOfMaar]

@stephm

• Material: Extremely important. Do not use additive/emissive/glow shaders for smoke. Those are used for fire/energy/plasma. For smoke and vapor plumes, use a shader that is not emissive. Unity is not working for me so I can't open it and list the exact ones for you to use. They probably have "Alpha" in them so look for non-emissive alpha shaders to use for your material.
• Simulate World Space: This makes particles respect their position in the world. This is how trailing plumes work but trailing plumes only look good at low speeds (under Mach 1). Only use this for custom smoke for engines in atmosphere. You won't enjoy using this on high speed or orbital engines. In most cases, untick this immediately.
• Size: When a particle spawns, it gets a random size value between the two numbers.
• Max Size only really needs to be turned up to 3. Beyond that, particles can get enormous which will punish the CPU.
• Energy: The lifetime of a particle. When a particle spawns, it gets a random value between the two numbers.
• Emission: The spawn rates. When particles spawn, the amount is random between the two numbers.
• Size Grow can be very subtle depending on how you set other parameters like the particle lifetime ( Energy ) and speed (Local Velocity + (Random Force)). If you set a very high Size Grow (like 10 or 20) and a low Energy you can get the effect of a vacuum engine with RealPlume.
• Local Velocity: only use this one. Don't use World Velocity or Random Velocity. They produce unwanted behavior where KSP is concerned.
• Force is self explanatory. Particles are pulled or pushed with a constant force and their path steadily bends while they exist and move.
• Random Force is where each particle is pulled with an amount of force between all zero and the numbers you set. It's good for wild plumes like a flamethrower or SRB.
• Random Rotation applies random rotation/orientation (not spin) each time a particle spawns. This is very good for smoke and fire plumes.
• Angular Velocity applies a uniform spin rate to particles as they spawn. This allows you to make whirlpool like plumes to a limited degree. You cannot make perfect particle whirlpools in KSP, however.
• Random Angular Velocity applies random spin rates (per particle) between 0 and the number you set. Use this to add a feeling of turbulent flow to your plume. This can be used with Angular Velocity and their combined effect is random addition or subtraction to each particle's spin rate.
• Animate Color: The most important property of a plume when you do this is the alpha curve. Alpha (in RGBA) is opacity. This needs to drop, not rise, as the particle goes on. The alpha value is shown as a very narrow white/black bar under the color bar in the gradient step. Pay very close attention to it.

[stephm]

hello !

@JadeOfMaar  ok, 

I'll read your explanations carefully, and copy some part of it on the computer, and try again a day of testing soon, I had paused and was moving on to something else in the meantime.

 I now have the method to bake textures in blender, and how generate a normal map always with bake method using a model low poly and high poly in blender of course.

On 11/28/2020 at 8:49 PM, JadeOfMaar said:

• Material: Extremely important. Do not use additive/emissive/glow shaders for smoke. Those are used for fire/energy/plasma. For smoke and vapor plumes, use a shader that is not emissive. Unity is not working for me so I can't open it and list the exact ones for you to use. They probably have "Alpha" in them so look for non-emissive alpha shaders to use for your material.
• Simulate World Space: This makes particles respect their position in the world. This is how trailing plumes work but trailing plumes only look good at low speeds (under Mach 1). Only use this for custom smoke for engines in atmosphere. You won't enjoy using this on high speed or orbital engines. In most cases, untick this immediately.
• Size: When a particle spawns, it gets a random size value between the two numbers.

• Material : i use the ksp/Particles/additive, ok it's for motor I'm going to try other things.
• Simulate World Space : from the beginning I have this setting enabled, I'll test without.
• Size : that's something I've misinterpreted from the beginning.

well thank you I'll study all this very carefully !!!

steph