Part Clipping in KSP2

[Superluminaut]

In KSP2 is there an option for part clipping, or a work around? Probably the old tiny truss gimmick.

I know it's very early access, but let's see what's out there.

 

Because someone will ask "why", I just want my rockets to look nice.

[pandaman]

4 hours ago, Superluminaut said:

In KSP2 is there an option for part clipping, or a work around? Probably the old tiny truss gimmick.

I know it's very early access, but let's see what's out there.

 

Because someone will ask "why", I just want my rockets to look nice.

Yes, you can use the 'repositioning' thingy to do that very easily.

[Superluminaut]

52 minutes ago, pandaman said:

Yes, you can use the 'repositioning' thingy to do that very easily.

What do you mean?

Do you mean the transformation tools?

Part clipping is attaching multiple parts to a single node.

[pandaman]

Yes the transformation tool.

 

2 minutes ago, Superluminaut said:

 

Part clipping is attaching multiple parts to a single node.

Well I never knew that, and never found it possible in KSP1 either.  Though I can't say I tried it properly.

I always thought it simply referred to placing parts slightly  or fully inside others.

[Periple]

7 minutes ago, pandaman said:

I always thought it simply referred to placing parts slightly  or fully inside others.

I thought that too! And that’s the word you generally use if two 3D models overlap, you say they clip into each other.

There are structural elements that you can use to attach more parts to a node, I haven’t tried all of them but some work, at least the surface attachment node. There’s a bug though that sometimes flips it’s orientation!

Edited March 5, 2023 by Periple

[Superluminaut]

10 minutes ago, pandaman said:

Well I never knew that, and never found it possible in KSP1 either.  Though I can't say I tried it properly.

 

3 minutes ago, Periple said:

I thought that too! And that’s the word you generally use if two 3D models overlap, you say they clip into each other.

In KSP1 pull up the cheats menu in the editor and it'll give you the option.

5 minutes ago, Periple said:

There are structural elements that you can use to attach more parts to a node, I haven’t tried all of them but some work, at least the surface attachment node. There’s a bug though that sometimes flips it’s orientation!

The engine plates?

I can't seem to figure them out. Some engines attach to them, some don't. And the symmetry tool has no effect on them for me.

Why didn't they just build the engine plate mechanic into fuel tanks.

[Periple]

No, the thing  that looks like a docking port. It surface attaches and provides a node. I’ve used that one but I expect there are others.

[Superluminaut]

If, in the editor, you select your root part and press ctrl+c, you can then paste the craft file code into an editor. I took a look at the code.

It may be possible to copy a surface attachment node into a part that doesn't have one, and make that it's attachment method.

This would free up the otherwise occupied node, allowing you to attach a "second" part to it.

However I haven't had the time to try it, if anyone want's to give it a shot please let us know if it works.

[K^2]

It's very easy to clip parts, but it also causes a lot of bad connections and Kraken visits. I would very strongly recommend avoiding part clipping for now for anything you plan to take further than low Kerbin orbit.

[Majorjim!]

Part clipping in KSP was basically merging two objects to make new shapes ect. This did include attaching more than one part to a single node (unlocked in the cheat menu) and also by the use of mods, no offset limits, allow surface attach ect. 

[Superluminaut]

13 hours ago, K^2 said:

It's very easy to clip parts, but it also causes a lot of bad connections and Kraken visits. I would very strongly recommend avoiding part clipping for now for anything you plan to take further than low Kerbin orbit.

How do you do it?

[Superluminaut]

13 hours ago, Superluminaut said:

If, in the editor, you select your root part and press ctrl+c, you can then paste the craft file code into an editor. I took a look at the code.

It may be possible to copy a surface attachment node into a part that doesn't have one, and make that it's attachment method.

This would free up the otherwise occupied node, allowing you to attach a "second" part to it.

However I haven't had the time to try it, if anyone want's to give it a shot please let us know if it works.

I played around with this. There seems to be no quick and dirty way to do it.

It looks like each part's nodes can only reference a connected node via a variable. So you can't reference multiple connecting nodes unless somehow you can assign a list to that variable using the craft file.

The nodes in the craft file must be referencing some definition in a part file somewhere, because you cannot define more nodes in the craft file. eg. top0, top1, top2

Surface attachment nodes appear to be identical, only they do not require a reference node on the root part, due to the lack of there being a corresponding node on the root part. This means you cannot add a surface attachment node to a part because, like a normal node, it is probably a reference to a definition somewhere.

[K^2]

3 hours ago, Superluminaut said:

How do you do it?

Mostly just with radial parts and moving, but I have definitely been able to assign multiple things to the same node, and now that you're talking about the file structure, maybe that's a bug, and maybe that's why the game doesn't like it? Like, if all the children you assigned to the same node still point to the "correct" parent, it might show up correctly in the editor, but only one of these gets a physics joint on craft spawn? I'll play around with that a bit more and see if I can find the craft where that's happening.