Random Part reconfigs to create new wonders.

[Warro]

@ColdJ In the model hierarchy LR is the main rover body, without all the small bits like mirrors, tubes, radiator and such. They are in the LR-Bits object, which is the only one with emissive texture. I haven't seen any signs of animation at all, at least what blender counts as animation. Maybe something was not interpreted right by importer plugin, but it gives no error. I'm not a guru in this modelling stuff, just trial and error for some time+some google-fu
About colours - I'm impressed by explorer styled wheels, not sure how authentic they are, but look cool. Camo is ok too, but silver is a no-go for me, but that is me. And please, stop calling khaki(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaki) as kaki, that souds like childish name of excrements in russian.

[ColdJ]

Ahh, a spelling problem, no worries, will rename it Sand, hopefully that doesn't sound bad in Russian. It appears the creator forgot to set the animation up right when they made it. No sweat as your fix does the trick, I just renamed the animation toggles to Park, as in park lights, to tell the difference. Both are defaulted to the Light key and come on and off together if you don't toggle in UI. I don't care if the wheels are real world faithful as long as I like the look of them, with so many to choose from you just pick what you want. I hate the so called Pink Panther, it looks like canned salmon, would happily get rid of it myself. The IVA  config set up like this fits nicely but I have to look to see if I can shift the props to look right. It always takes me ages as offset is not set out like node positions, there is a binary for forward or back I always forget and all the keys can change based on who made the prop to start with. But without changes, in the internal config just do this.

    MODEL

    {

        model = KerbinRover/Parts/RoverInside/NewModel
        scale = 1.3, 1.3, 1.3
    }

 

[Warro]

5 minutes ago, ColdJ said:

Ahh, a spelling problem, no worries, will rename it Sand, hopefully that doesn't sound bad in Russian. It appears the creator forgot to set the animation up right when they made it. No sweat as your fix does the trick, I just renamed the animation toggles to Park, as in park lights, to tell the difference. Both are defaulted to the Light key and come on and off together if you don't toggle in UI. I don't care if the wheels are real world faithful as long as I like the look of them, with so many to choose from you just pick what you want. I hate the so called Pink Panther, it looks like canned salmon, would happily get rid of it myself. The IVA  config set up like this fits nicely but I have to look to see if I can shift the props to look right. It always takes me ages as offset is not set out like node positions, there is a binary for forward or back I always forget and all the keys can change based on who made the prop to start with. But without changes, in the internal config just do this.

    MODEL

    {

        model = KerbinRover/Parts/RoverInside/NewModel
        scale = 1.3, 1.3, 1.3
    }

 

Sand is ok, no mess with any russian word. About props I wonder if that is possible to define the places for them in the model itself, there was that technique for attachment nodes, instead defining all numbers creator can just specify empty named transform(coordinates) in the model and then just refer it in the cfg, so any recise leaves the nodes in correct positions. Too bad I don't remember syntax nor where was the topic with tutorial.

[ColdJ]

That would be up to a creator. All the ones I have dealt with have the Kerbal position at fixed points that move with the resize, floating props on the other hand, stay at their original positions and have to be shifted to fit the resized internal in a way that looks natural. Adapting the internal model from NMB's Viper cockpit to look ok in the Space 1999 Eagle took me a long time.

[ColdJ]

[ColdJ]

Starting to think it should have been part configs and textures. I finished all the wheel and spare wheel texture and part configs, Starting an alternate Bull bar and roof rack. Looking to create a spare wheel that you put on the hood that has adjustable offset , because everything you put on this model raises the COM. Been trying it out in 1.12.0 and so far seems fine. Going to add modules for science and inventory to make it a nice explore and research vessel. Going to change the Jerry can to the fuel tanks category. They come in Sand,Petrol,Diesel,Traditional and Water colours. Should I add the ability to fill with  things other than liquid fuel for those who like food and drink survivability ?

Also don't yet understand how the Kerbal in the field construction works yet as when I hit I to bring it up nothing happens.

Probably should be testing Underwater lite out in 1.12.0 and doing an update that includes the new nacelles. Had a research ship I was completing have a part connected to wrong part meltdown at 1 point and it put me off it for a while.

Had fun making my Avatar more KSP and just for fun created a KASA mission flag.

[ColdJ]

Had given the various rover parts the ability to be cargo parts for 1.12.0 but then found that reattaching seems to be fundamentally broken for wheels. With the rover wheels it somehow distorts the mesh. With stock it seems to take the suspension away. So taken that back out. Fuel cans seem to be able to welded back on no problem

[Warro]

2 hours ago, ColdJ said:

Had given the various rover parts the ability to be cargo parts for 1.12.0 but then found that reattaching seems to be fundamentally broken for wheels. With the rover wheels it somehow distorts the mesh. With stock it seems to take the suspension away. So taken that back out. Fuel cans seem to be able to welded back on no problem

Warning -all the text in this post is IMHO.
I found stock construction useful when adding science equipment to exploration rover in early game (all parts over 30 parts limit go to start uncounted inside inventories) - flat surface,  many little surface attachable thing that go in batch. In this case stock wins from KIS, but when I try to build first career outpost (Pathfinder and buffalo details) KIS way of construction totally overwhelm stock - node selector, ability to move not single parts, but "subassemblies". The disadvantage of KIS is lag after any action (maybe that's only in my game). But stock construction and parts like buffalo chassis parts (6 and more nodes) is a no-go. And for wheels assemblies which in most designs require offsets, and benefits from symmetry, I see no use in EVA-construction at all. I don't know if it's possible in KSP/Unity to make spare wheels attachable to suspension parts and then works like single construction, but only then I think there is niche for EVA-construction - change spare wheels, not the suspension.

[ColdJ]

7 hours ago, Warro said:

change spare wheels, not the suspension.

I only tried them out to see if it was an option for people playing the new game. Clearly not at the moment. @Warro You would have to create modular components and even then I don't if it would work, you also would have to make sure the skin of the wheel had a clear indication of which side is up. You could sort of do it with the wheels from the Space 1999 three parts pack. What we have used in this thread as AquaCat wheels, as they look like just wheels. Use a small I beam or similar as pretend suspension and attach them to the ends.

[ColdJ]

I have spoken to TiktaalikDreaming and he is ok with me putting up the rover as a redux on spacedock, so as soon as I have the last bits of config done I will popit  up there.

[ColdJ]

Ok. Finally got the IVA how I want. The spare wheels now have an extra purpose to be a COM offset that is calibrated to the vehicle and adjustable. The engine is now a true hybrid, it no longer uses a converter but rather a mini turbine that turns an alternator to charge the battery for the electric drive train. Increase the the turbine throttle and no more dead silent vehicle, rather you get a reasonable rumbling engine sound. Just got to do some photo editing and a write up and then it is going on Spacedock.

[Caerfinon]

2 hours ago, ColdJ said:

then it is going on Spacedock

positively giddy with antici --------------- pation.

[ColdJ]

I am borrowing a computer to right this. My main hard drive seems to have failed and with it all my work over the last year. I have not been able to retrieve anything as yet. I will most likely be a while before I can come back. Hope you are all alright yourselves. Take care.

[Warro]

59 minutes ago, ColdJ said:

I am borrowing a computer to right this. My main hard drive seems to have failed and with it all my work over the last year. I have not been able to retrieve anything as yet. I will most likely be a while before I can come back. Hope you are all alright yourselves. Take care.

Sad news Hope it's false alarm about data and you will be able to recover your files.

[Caerfinon]

2 hours ago, ColdJ said:

Hope you are all alright yourselves. Take care.

godspeed on the recovery of your work. Let us know if there is anything we can do.

[ColdJ]

Ok writing (not righting) I lost everything fo the last 2 years. Way before KSP was in my life. I am going to have dowwnload everyhing from scratch including my own mod. The only custom craft I will have will be through downloading what I have put up on kerbal X, pics from what I have put up here. I had just done all the work on the Kerbin Rover except for photos and write up for Spacedock. Going to have to start from scratch, all the Space1999 work gone. All editing software. etc . Will be swearing to myself alot for a while. Hope you all are smarter than me and have backed up all your work. Peace out brothers.

[Caerfinon]

5 minutes ago, ColdJ said:

Peace out brothers.

UGH! I hope you are able to recover. Your stuff is awesome.
I've had that happen a couple of times. I now keep all my work in both GitHub repositories and on OneDrive.... and because I'm data paranoid I back the crown jewels up to a removable 2TB drive.

[ColdJ]

What feels like 100 gb later and yet still not as many mods as before, everything with a back up copy, still got paint.net to get and whatever my hex editor was called, not to mention going back over my threads to find configs I have left so I don't have to re think them up. Man I wish I had put up the internal for the Rover config, that is going to take a while to do again. On I plod.

[ColdJ]

Now to read through every thread I have been on. Feel like I am walking on eggshells with the rebuild, keep waiting for the backup drive to crash too. Remembering to copy to the external regularly. I just got 3 instances of KSP up. 1.10.1 , 1.11.2 and 1.12.1  Downloading my own mod and installing it was surreal. The winner of Author of the most mods I have downloaded from is @linuxgurugamer At least 3 of which take up less than a megabyte. He rocks and makes KSP life so much better. Ok, here I go down the rabbit hole.

[ColdJ]

If you have the Eagle Platform Config, it appears to have a missing bracket at the end. Just add it back in and it should be right.

[ColdJ]

As the man reading the international phone book said. "That is the first page of the A's done.

[ColdJ]

Apart from giving wheels sound this has the potential for making submarine sounds, creaks, moans, bubble sounds etc.

 

[ColdJ]

@Caerfinon@Astrion@Dientus@Warro@OrdinaryKerman

I managed to Steve Austin the apparently Logically damaged hard drive and the Kerbin Rover mod is now on Spacedock.

Hi. my mod of the Kerbin Rover originally released by Tiktaalik Dreaming is now live on Spacedock. I hope you might enjoy it.

https://spacedock.info/mod/2804/Kerbin Rover Redux?ga=<Game+3102+'Kerbal+Space+Program'>

https://imgur.com/6XrFAn9

[Caerfinon]

Just now, ColdJ said:

is now live on Spacedock.

giddy as a school-kerbal me!

[ColdJ]

@Caerfinon discovered that the AquaCat wheels stopped functioning properly in 1.12.1

Here is the new config. Tested in 1.12.1 and 1.11.2

Spoiler

 

PART
{
    // --- general parameters ---
    name = AquacatWheel12
    module = Part
    author = MajorTom, ColdJ

    // --- asset parameters ---
    MODEL
    {
        model = MT-Eagle/Parts/Rover/buggywheel
    }
    scale = 1
    rescaleFactor = 1.2

    // --- node definitions: Position X, Position Y, Position Z, Up X, Up Y, Up Z
    node_stack_wheel = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0

    // --- editor parameters ---
    TechRequired  = fieldScience
    entryCost = 5000
    cost = 500
    category = Ground
    subcategory = 0
    title = AquaCat Wheel Large 12
    manufacturer = Alpha Engineering and CJ Marine
    description = Aquacat multipurpose wheel. The land, the ocean or the Mun, we got you covered.

    // attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision
    attachRules = 1,0,1,1,0

    // --- standard part parameters ---
    mass = 0.0005
    CoMOffset = 0.0, 0.0, 0.1
    dragModelType = default
    maximum_drag = 0.3
    minimum_drag = 0.2
    angularDrag = 1
    crashTolerance = 10000
    breakingForce = 2072
    breakingTorque = 2072
    maxTemp = 2000
    bulkheadProfiles = size1, srf
    tags = rover moonbuggy buggy eagle transporter moonbase alpha major tom

    // internals, resources, effects, modules
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleWheelBase
        
        wheelColliderTransformName = wheelCollider        
        wheelTransformName = wheelPivot
        
        // setting this to true will override the radius and center parameters
        FitWheelColliderToMesh = False        
        radius = 0.22    //0.32
        center = 0, 0, 0
        mass = 0.040
        groundHeightOffset = -0.4
                
        TooltipTitle = Moonbuggy Wheel
        TooltipPrimaryField = Motorized
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleWheelSuspension
        baseModuleIndex = 0
        suspensionTransformName = suspensionPivot
        
        suspensionDistance = 0.1
        targetPosition = 0.01            
        springRatio = 14
        damperRatio = 2
    }    
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleWheelSteering
        baseModuleIndex = 0    
        caliperTransformName = steeringPivot
        autoSteeringAdjust = true        
        steeringResponse = 1    //0.5 //2
        steeringRange = 25
        steeringCurve
        {
            key = 0 20
            key = 20 20
        }
        steeringMaxAngleCurve
        {
            key = 0 1 0 0
            key = 3 1 0.0001624425 0.0001624425
            key = 7.5 0.33 -0.05674612 -0.05674612
            key = 20 0.12 -0.003158088 -0.003158088
            key = 30 0.1 -0.002872917 -0.002872917
        }
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleWheelMotor
        baseModuleIndex = 0
        
        wheelSpeedMax = 20
        driveResponse = 10
        
        torqueCurve
        {
            key = 0 1.0 0 0
            key = 5 0.5 0 0
            key = 10 0.25 0 0
            key = 20 0 0 0
        }
        RESOURCE
        {
            name = ElectricCharge
            rate = 3.5
        }        
        idleDrain = 0.0
    }    
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleWheelBrakes
        baseModuleIndex = 0
        
        maxBrakeTorque = 3
            brakeResponse = 1 //2
    }
}

 

 

Created an LFO version of the new multiconfig Squad RCS Block for a forum member.

Create a new text file in this pathway  GameData\Squad\Parts\Utility\rcsBlockRV-105_v2\    called RhinoRCS.cfg  , copy paste and save

 

Spoiler

PART
{
    name = RhinoBlock
    module = Part
    author = Squad, ColdJ
    mesh = rcsBlock105.mu
    scale = 0.1
    node_attach = -0.07, 0, 0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0
    TechRequired = advFlightControl
    entryCost = 1200
    cost = 45
    category = Control
    subcategory = 0
    title = Rhino RCS Thruster Block
    manufacturer = #autoLOC_501631 //#autoLOC_501631 = STEADLER Engineering Corps
    description = Sometimes your rockets are so big you need to pummel them into submission. The Rhino is for just such times.
    attachRules = 0,1,0,0,0
    mass = 0.10
    dragModelType = default
    crashTolerance = 15
    breakingForce = 50
    breakingTorque = 50
    maxTemp = 2000 // = 1500
    PhysicsSignificance = 1
    bulkheadProfiles = srf
    fuelCrossFeed = True
    tags = #autoLOC_500941 //#autoLOC_500941 = cluster control dock maneuver manoeuvre react rendezvous rotate stab steer translate
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModulePartVariants
        baseVariant = Angled
        VARIANT
        {
            name = Angled
            displayName = #autoLOC_8014157 //#autoLOC_8014157 = Angled 4-horn
            themeName = White
            primaryColor = #ffffff
            mass = 0
            cost = 0
            GAMEOBJECTS
            {
                Angled = true
                Orthogonal = false
            }
        }
        VARIANT
        {
            name = 5Horn
            displayName = #autoLOC_8014156 //#autoLOC_8014156 = Orthogonal 5-horn
            themeName = White
            primaryColor = #ffffff
            mass = 0.01
            cost = 7
            GAMEOBJECTS
            {
                Angled = false
                Orthogonal = true
                thruster1 = true
                thruster2 = true
                thruster3 = true
                thruster4 = true
                thruster5 = true
            }
        }
        VARIANT
        {
            name = 4Horn
            displayName = #autoLOC_8014155 //#autoLOC_8014155 = Orthogonal 4-horn
            themeName = White
            primaryColor = #ffffff
            mass = 0
            cost = 0
            GAMEOBJECTS
            {
                Angled = false
                Orthogonal = true
                thruster1 = true
                thruster2 = true
                thruster3 = true
                thruster4 = true
                thruster5 = false
            }
        }
        VARIANT
        {
            name = 3Horn
            displayName = #autoLOC_8014154 //#autoLOC_8014154 = Orthogonal 3-horn
            themeName = White
            primaryColor = #ffffff
            mass = -0.01
            cost = -8
            GAMEOBJECTS
            {
                Angled = false
                Orthogonal = true
                thruster1 = false
                thruster2 = false
                thruster3 = true
                thruster4 = true
                thruster5 = true
            }
        }
        VARIANT
        {
            name = 2Horn
            displayName = #autoLOC_8014153 //#autoLOC_8014153 = Orthogonal 2-horn
            themeName = White
            primaryColor = #ffffff
            mass = -0.02
            cost = -15
            GAMEOBJECTS
            {
                Angled = false
                Orthogonal = true
                thruster1 = false
                thruster2 = false
                thruster3 = true
                thruster4 = true
                thruster5 = false
            }
        }
        
    }
    EFFECTS
    {
        running
        {
            AUDIO_MULTI_POOL
            {
                channel = Ship
                transformName = RCSjet
                clip = sound_rocket_mini
                volume = 0.0 0.0
                volume = 0.1 0.0
                volume = 0.5 0.05
                volume = 1.0 0.5
                pitch = 0.0 0.5
                pitch = 1.0 1.0
                loop = true
            }
            MODEL_MULTI_PARTICLE
            {
                modelName = Squad/FX/Monoprop_medium
                transformName = RCSjet
                emission = 0.0 0.0
                emission = 0.1 0.0
                emission = 1.0 1.0
                speed = 0.0 0.8
                speed = 1.0 1.0
                localRotation = -90, 0, 0
            }
        }        
    }
    
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleRCSFX
        stagingEnabled = False
        thrusterTransformName = RCSthruster
        thrusterPower = 12
        resourceName = LiquidFuel
        resourceFlowMode = STAGE_PRIORITY_FLOW
        runningEffectName = running
        PROPELLANT
        {
            name = LiquidFuel
            ratio = 0.9
            DrawGauge = True
            resourceFlowMode = STAGE_PRIORITY_FLOW
        }
        PROPELLANT
        {
            name = Oxidizer
            ratio = 1.1
            resourceFlowMode = STAGE_PRIORITY_FLOW
        }
        atmosphereCurve
        {
            key = 0 260
            key = 1 140
            key = 4 0.001
        }
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = FXModuleAnimateRCS
        animationName = RCSGlow
        responseSpeed = 0.01    
        thrustForceMult = 2    
    }    
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleCargoPart
        packedVolume = 40
    }
}