Bored 3D Modeler looking for a challenge..

[nyrath]

Well right, my physical dissertation was just to get a general idea (even for myself) of just how powerful this is. But I'll be honest, I think its better to have a "spiked" nuclear engine (burning liquid/oxidizer + a bit of magic from a third fuel) which provides a much higher dV but at much more doable levels.

Oh and, by the way, thanks for your website, you just showed me an array of propulsion methods that I can think about and dissect using my vast knowledge of physics. Mmmm, I'm never really bored, especially when mind boggling stuff like this comes into my path.

You are welcome! I'm glad you found my propulsion list useful.

Spiked? Do you mean LOX-augmented Nuclear Thermal Rocket (LANTR)? Yes, another way for a rocket engine to trade Isp for Thrust. Comes in real handy for a host of applications.

I decided to fool around with Blender to see what sort of Orion mesh I could make with minimal polygons. It was annoying because Blender wanted to create faces that were 4 vertex n-gons instead of 3 vertex triangles. Just for fun I might try taking it into Unity and see how far I get. I'm a total noob at this.

[DaRocketCat]

You said you wanted to make an all in one capsule (RCS, chutes, decoupler...), so why not model it after SpaceX's dragon capsule!

[Cryocasm]

You said you wanted to make an all in one capsule (RCS, chutes, decoupler...), so why not model it after SpaceX's dragon capsule!

Dragon has been done, but I have some plans for a line of capsules.

You are welcome! I'm glad you found my propulsion list useful.

Spiked? Do you mean LOX-augmented Nuclear Thermal Rocket (LANTR)? Yes, another way for a rocket engine to trade Isp for Thrust. Comes in real handy for a host of applications.

I decided to fool around with Blender to see what sort of Orion mesh I could make with minimal polygons. It was annoying because Blender wanted to create faces that were 4 vertex n-gons instead of 3 vertex triangles. Just for fun I might try taking it into Unity and see how far I get. I'm a total noob at this.

In Blender you model with quads by default, save for cylinder caps. All you need to do is ctrl+f and select "Quads to Tris". It has its own hotkey but I forgot it, so this method is just as valid. Thats what I usually do, as Unity only likes tris, I just model with the quads and then I Quad -> Tri that stuff.

By spiked I actually meant a NucleoEnergeticCompound, basically an ionic structure consisting of a fissile atom and oxygen, for maximum effect.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Cryocasm

[nyrath]

In Blender you model with quads by default, save for cylinder caps. All you need to do is ctrl+f and select "Quads to Tris". It has its own hotkey but I forgot it, so this method is just as valid. Thats what I usually do, as Unity only likes tris, I just model with the quads and then I Quad -> Tri that stuff.

{ smacks forehead } D'oh! Now that you remind me, I knew that years ago, but promptly forgot it. Since Blender doesn't really care, I never used that function.

[DYJ]

Unity automatically triangulates meshes, so doing that in blender is pointless. Keeping it as quads/N-gons just makes everythinge easier to work with, and recent version even show you how many tris you would end up with in the top center.

[Cryocasm]

Unity automatically triangulates meshes, so doing that in blender is pointless. Keeping it as quads/N-gons just makes everythinge easier to work with, and recent version even show you how many tris you would end up with in the top center.

Thats nice to know...brb dling.

[DaRocketCat]

So..who wants to be my texture slave?

*cricket* *cricket*

[ialdabaoth]

You are welcome! I'm glad you found my propulsion list useful.

Spiked? Do you mean LOX-augmented Nuclear Thermal Rocket (LANTR)? Yes, another way for a rocket engine to trade Isp for Thrust. Comes in real handy for a host of applications.

I decided to fool around with Blender to see what sort of Orion mesh I could make with minimal polygons. It was annoying because Blender wanted to create faces that were 4 vertex n-gons instead of 3 vertex triangles. Just for fun I might try taking it into Unity and see how far I get. I'm a total noob at this.

Sweet... make the shock plate animate over 1.0s and give to me, and I will build a plugin to make it work.

[nyrath]

Sweet... make the shock plate animate over 1.0s and give to me, and I will build a plugin to make it work.

Well, that might take a while. I have not learned how to use Unity yet, that is where one creates animations, right.

[hoojiwana]

You can create the animation itself in Blender and then export using FBX (with include animation ticked). After that it's the more complicated matter of getting it to animate when a shaped charge explosion hits it. Something a plugin could do though.

[ialdabaoth]

I can make the plugin happen.

[nyrath]

You can create the animation itself in Blender and then export using FBX (with include animation ticked).

I'll see what I can do.

[bs1110101]

Sweet... make the shock plate animate over 1.0s and give to me, and I will build a plugin to make it work.

i think i could make it work without a plugin, but i have no idea how i could sync it with the animation

[DYJ]

There is no reason to use the .fbx exporter in blender either, the unity editor swallows .blend files natively.

[Cryocasm]

There is no reason to use the .fbx exporter in blender either, the unity editor swallows .blend files natively.

Well it just keeps getting better and better with Unity and Blender. They're even free!

Sweet... make the shock plate animate over 1.0s and give to me, and I will build a plugin to make it work.

Now that the Orion is in this high demand, I will begin testing my modeling skills pertaining to this. However...once the aerodynamic model is updated, how will the plate be launched, considering not even KW Rocketry or NovaPunch feature 10 meter fairings. It appears to me that it is time to make an even larger fairing. I had this plan in my head for a massive conical fairing, basically the power of the Saturn V compacted into a 10 meter tall stage upon which sits the payload masked in a pointy cone fairing. Its perfect!

I hope that the Pusher Plate gets some form of emmisive mapping, to make it rly cool.

I hope you can work properly with it though, the model .dae will have submodels plate (which includes the main piston fairing), anchor (the piston counterfairing and mechanics + gantries). I'll mess with animations, but its possible that you may end up doing that with the C#.

[nyrath]

I'm still learning how to do this

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459802/in/photostream

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459836/in/photostream

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459892/in/photostream

I've made it a one second stroke cycle, with the plate slowing down the higher it gets.

I've initially made the pictured model with the same diameter as the standard engine, because I was not sure of the dangers of changing it. In the original Orion study, they were looking at pusher plate 10 meters in diameter. This is only for the plate, the fuel drum and shock absorbers can be contained in a smaller diameter.

Is there a tutorial for emmisive mapping?

I was looking at the stock gimbaled engine, and noticed the two parts plus the anchor. I do currently have the mesh in two submodels, not sure where to put the anchor.

[Cryocasm]

I'm still learning how to do this

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459802/in/photostream

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459836/in/photostream

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nyrath/8719459892/in/photostream

I've made it a one second stroke cycle, with the plate slowing down the higher it gets.

I've initially made the pictured model with the same diameter as the standard engine, because I was not sure of the dangers of changing it. In the original Orion study, they were looking at pusher plate 10 meters in diameter. This is only for the plate, the fuel drum and shock absorbers can be contained in a smaller diameter.

Is there a tutorial for emmisive mapping?

I was looking at the stock gimbaled engine, and noticed the two parts plus the anchor. I do currently have the mesh in two submodels, not sure where to put the anchor.

The anchor is the "solid" part, that is it isn't animated. Therefore the anchor should be the upper half/the half which attaches to the rest of the space craft.

[Model A]

+1 for the solar sails, I've always wanted a solar sail-ship:)

[hoojiwana]

Is there a tutorial for emmisive mapping?

There's an emissive tutorial you can use here.

I'm pretty sure you can just attach the animation you create to any module you wish, as long as you call the correct name inside the module itself.

[nyrath]

There's an emissive tutorial you can use here.

I'm pretty sure you can just attach the animation you create to any module you wish, as long as you call the correct name inside the module itself.

Thanks!

I've made an emission map in Photoshop, I've downloaded and installed Unity + Parts Tools plug-in, and I'm starting at square one learning Unity.

[nyrath]

I have my Blender model in Unity, along with the emission map. Unfortunately I'm having trouble getting the animation attached to the pivot part. And when I export it, the model.mu file is ony 91 bytes, which means I'm doing something seriously wrong. I'm still plugging away.

[nyrath]

Sweet... make the shock plate animate over 1.0s and give to me, and I will build a plugin to make it work.

OK, ialdabaoth, I think I have the part with the animation for you. At this point all I know is that it will animate in Unity, and the part will appear in the Vertical Assembly Building, where it can be attached to a stack. That's all.

How can I get it to you?

[BananaDealer]

Can a bright monkey maybe craft me a model for the Wraith MkII engine in my parts package?

I "want" it to look something derived from the Pratt & Whitney F119 (found on the F-22 Raptor), but anything cool would do.

If possible, can said bright monkey also make a model for the MkI variant? This one resembling the P&W F100.

[Cryocasm]

Right, so. The current state of things:

I've decided to restructure my work, and in my first addon pack, there will be a focus on "sets" of KSC to LKO systems. The requests here will be labeled as "misc.", which adds ominously to the pack in one way or another.

The Orion is a bit tricky and special, however it will remain as its own entity and I'll get around to it eventually.

Right now I'm devising several several systems, which base on Asparagus Staging (aerodynamic, look at the Soyuz Rocket, which uses the strap on boosters as parallel engines) and on putting more boom the closer to the bottom you get (Solid Fuel powered first stages with the Orbital Achievement Stage being the last stage before the payload).

I've also thought up and written some notes on the new Life Support stuff coming soon (version 0.20 ?), this includes Greenhouses, as a water-consuming food and oxygen producing orbital module, both as Kerbol-Powered or as Light-Powered variants (which needs a bit more energy..). I'm still thinking of a logical way of reclaiming the most resources possible (waste management-water recovery, CO2 -> Oxygen via Activated Carbon/Plants, Hydrogen Scrubbers (so you only need to take Oxygen with you), etc).

Greenhouses will most likely form the basis for all manned interplanetary missions and bases, as its too expensive/toll taking on the player to constantly launch resupply rockets that arrive 3 months later anyway.

What I'm working on currently is the Soyuz-Style stuff, in 1 meter and 2 meter variants (attachment surfaces).

[Cryocasm]

Can a bright monkey maybe craft me a model for the Wraith MkII engine in my parts package?

I "want" it to look something derived from the Pratt & Whitney F119 (found on the F-22 Raptor), but anything cool would do.

If possible, can said bright monkey also make a model for the MkI variant? This one resembling the P&W F100.

I'll take it with a cool casing and such? I've been feeling the need for atmospheric engines to be radially mounted to ascent stages.