Multiport docking

[SmarterThanMe]

Any thoughts on multiport docking? Googling reveals a tutorial that got lost in the forum apocalypse.

What I'm thinking is a port that looks like this:

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I'm hoping that worked...

Essentially, one Clamp-o-Tron in the middle and 4 Clamp-o-Tron Junior's North South East and West.

I've seen someone do this before (somewhere, can't remember), but I don't know how they got the Juniors up to the same height.

Any thoughts? Or should I go with a simpler design?

[ROFLCopter64bit]

I've seen that design before. The easiest way I would do is use a tri-coupler and put a docking port on each one of them.

[SmarterThanMe]

I've used tricouplers before... Never really been happy with the way they look on my station...

Anyone know where I've seen the design above before?

[ROFLCopter64bit]

I have. I think it was Scott Manley. The tricouplers look quite good if you are using the 2.5m (or is it 2m? too tired) sized parts.

[Temstar]

This?

You need Subassembly Saver / Loader to build this kind of custom part.

[ROFLCopter64bit]

He means a normal port in the middle, and 4 jr. ports surrounding it.

[SmarterThanMe]

That looks good, actually.. I'll play around with that approach now. Thanks!

But, yeah. I swear by all the gods that I saw the design I've got in my head. Just... Where?

[ROFLCopter64bit]

But, yeah. I swear by all the gods that I saw the design I've got in my head. Just... Where?

I've seen it too. But I can't remember where, but my brain keeps reverting to Scott for this stuff.

[SmarterThanMe]

Took a quick look through Scott's channel and couldn't find anything.

I know I wouldn't have seen it there. I listen to Scott on the drive home from work. I don't actually take my eyes off the road, I swear, officer...

[ROFLCopter64bit]

I don't actually take my eyes off the road, I swear, officer...

Listening to his videos only helps me with the physics part of everything. Anyway, you could try and replicate it using 4-symmitry and part clipping and it wouldn't matter where they are as they are evenly spaced Create a base design for docking things for each class (like rocket classes, alpha, beta, whatever you call it) and then make different changes. Of course every new class would be changed, and that would also mean that alpha docks aren't compatible with beta docks. But anyway, figure out a way that works, and have a good time doing so.

[SmarterThanMe]

OK.. Sort of worked. I think I need to tweak it a little as not all the Juniors locked properly.

[capi3101]

Related question: if you ever wanted to get something like that undocked, would you have to select all five ports individually? Can you even undock something like that? I've got a multi-part ship in mind instead of a space-station but I want to apply the same general principle, five ports in an x-shape.

[SmarterThanMe]

My playing around with it so far suggests that it's impossible to undock. Maybe with an action group? Will try that in my next test.

If you were going to create a multipart ship, I'd suggest decouplers below the docking assembly.

It does seem pretty solid though. Haven't built a station with it yet, but I'm not expecting there to be as much wobble.

[Temstar]

It's pretty uneasy to undock, you just go to each docking port and undock them in turn. Once the last port is undocked the two crafts separate. Docking ports that are undocked but brushing against each other do not automatically attempt to dock again because they're in this "undocked" state rather than "ready to dock" state. To reset docking ports to the ready state you either have to back the two craft away past a certain distance or go to tracking station and come back.

[RoboRay]

I really don't see a point to multiport docking anymore, as there are better solutions available. Quantum Struts (use the Strut Guns if you prefer a gray metal look) do a better job of making the structure rigid, and the Lazor Docking Cam has a rotation indicator that makes it trivial to achieve perfect alignment when docking.

This structure doesn't wobble at all and everything is rotationally aligned to 90 degree increments, using those two mods:

Considering lag from physics calculations is the primary limiter on the size of a space station, artificially inflating the part count with multiple docking ports and the hardware to support them just doesn't make sense to me.

Edited April 22, 2013 by RoboRay

[capi3101]

I haven't gone mucking around with mods yet; multiple ports are still necessary for folks who're playing the vanilla game.