Open Source Construction Techniques for Craft Aesthetics

[veltro]

https://yadi.sk/d/YrsIjTE4gxrhW

[Rath]

http://www.radikall.com/images/2015/05/30/qOtCh.png

http://www.radikall.com/images/2015/05/30/DrM42.png

http://www.radikall.com/images/2015/05/30/8L1RD.png

https://yadi.sk/d/YrsIjTE4gxrhW

fairins as really pointy nosecone ?

[SHiftER2O]

fairins as really pointy nosecone ?

Speaking of nosecones...

Alternative nosecone designs!

And body fuselage techniques !

Combine everything, and you can come up with... this!

Note to SHiftER; Now... to make it fly.

[Zucal]

Using cubic struts and circular intakes, you can make inflatable habitats with real-looking folds.

[clivman]

Using cubic struts and circular intakes, you can make inflatable habitats with real-looking folds.

http://i.imgur.com/lHGThJd.png

Do you know any way to make one that's a bit lighter on part count?

[Pixel of Life]

If you have Tweakscale installed, you can make a really cool looking intake by clipping a scaled-down Shock Cone Intake inside a Circular Intake (looks especially nice with the new Circular Intake model that has the vanes inside):

This was made with a 0.625m Shock Cone, but a slightly larger one might make it look even better.

[inigma]

I am happy to report that KSP 1.0.4 eliminates the need to craft-file edit SRB fuel amounts. In fact, with 1.0.4, SRBs need to be thrust limited to prevent boosting you to pieces! The new STS 7E has been edited back to using stock SRB fuel amounts. She's "pure" stock now.

[Columbia]

I am happy to report that KSP 1.0.4 eliminates the need to craft-file edit SRB fuel amounts. In fact, with 1.0.4, SRBs need to be thrust limited to prevent boosting you to pieces! The new STS 7E has been edited back to using stock SRB fuel amounts. She's "pure" stock now.

I'm sorry for the reaction gif, but I feel this is relevant:

Yay! Congrats for making it work!

​I can die in peace now.

[Yukon0009]

Alright, here's a new one.

For shrouded engines that work with minimal parts, turn an engine upside down so the shroud appears, use rotation gizmo to flip it back the right way up, then offset it so that it is at the bottom of the fuel tank.

[Goddess Bhavani]

I had this tiny little ship that is crammed so full of equipment it will be impossible to mount the usual quartet of RCS thruster blocks to have full RCS authority. Neither would it be feasible to pockmark the craft full of holes for the single port RCS thrusters.

With a bit of fiddling around I just slapped a place-anywhere RCS port on top of a 4-way standard thruster and viola, stock 5-Way RCS Thrusters!

Javascript is disabled. View full album

The final 3 images in the album depict a set of 4x 5-way thruster units providing full RCS control authority for a micro-shuttle.

[Frank_G]

I use this 5-way RCS block technique mostly on spaceplanes as it allows to place RCS on the wingtips only. And it looks good too.

[Majorjim!]

I use this 5-way RCS block technique mostly on spaceplanes as it allows to place RCS on the wingtips only. And it looks good too.

Yup! Just make sure they are placed close to the COM or docking is a nightmare!

[GusTurbo]

The small radiator panels seem to have great aesthetic potential. Anyone else use them for fairings or for "greebling"?

[Goddess Bhavani]

In addition the radiator panels can be used as hardpoints for mounting things on them. Once I get to making bigger ships I should be able to exploit that.

[GusTurbo]

Example:

[Zucal]

The small radiator panels seem to have great aesthetic potential. Anyone else use them for fairings or for "greebling"?

I do use them a fair bit! Example:

[Majorjim!]

Example:

http://i.imgur.com/jhvyzHV.jpg

Yup, we proposed this on release but I have never seen them made into a fairing. It looks great man. Seperates ok?

[GusTurbo]

Yup, we proposed this on release but I have never seen them made into a fairing. It looks great man. Seperates ok?

Thanks!

Seems to work just fine!

Edited July 17, 2015 by GusTurbo

[Yukon0009]

What's the part count on that?

[GusTurbo]

Total is 422. The fairings added about 80-90 parts, but u think it's a small price to pay. There's also some superfluous struts I can get rid of

[Majorjim!]

Total is 422. The fairings added about 80-90 parts, but u think it's a small price to pay. There's also some superfluous struts I can get rid of

Hell yeah, anything to not have to use the disgusting stock 'fairings'. Ingenuity for the WIN!

[LABHOUSE]

Using cubic struts and circular intakes, you can make inflatable habitats with real-looking folds.

http://i.imgur.com/lHGThJd.png

Can it inflate, or is it just made to look inflated?

Edited July 18, 2015 by LABHOUSE

[V8jester]

Really Great stuff on this thread. I started a similar one, but mine was a bit more mod intensive. My hat is off to you guys that figured out ways to make the stock parts look so much better!

Well my little tid bit is a rotary bomb rack using IR RKE Kanadarm and BD Armory.

The skewer is assembled from the front of the plane to the back. You attach a controlled Rotatron from IR Rework aimed toward the rear of the plane first with a tube from RKE Kanadarm. Then at the opposite end attach an uncontrolled Rotatron again pointed toward the rear of the plane. And some structural piece like a beam, RKE Spacer or what not. Attach that beam with two struts to the rest of the plane (you will probably be part clipping these struts in place). The skewer is now functional. To have 6 preset slots for identical munitions. Attach a bomb to a bomb support from BD Armory. Then attach that to the skewer in the slot facing out of the bomb bay (straight down) with radial symmetry turned on, as well as the angle snap tool turned on. For a simple press and hold to turn that's it.

To setup 6 individual presets for the skewer with a symmetrical payload of bombs, so you can assign an action group for "next preset" and "previous preset"

Build the above structure, then in the presets for the controlled Rotatron, assign your first preset on the 'Controlled" Rotatron at the front, to -180 fallowed by presets at 60 degree intervals like -180, -120, -60, 0, 60, 120, 180

This will give you 6 bomb drop presets.

If you want a variety of payloads with again 6 slots.

You need to build the skewer with the presets setup and then put the bomb payloads in one slot at a time. And install the payloads in a first in, first out sequence.

So build a bomb on a bomb support. Then install each of them in there drop location (straight down). Once you are satisfied with its location advance the Rotatron in 60 degree intervals to the next presets one at a time and repeat until the skewer is full.

And remember the first bomb you install will be the first bomb in the weapon manager to select and fire.

Mods

BD Armory http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...v-Thread-May-8

RKE Kanadarm http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/112881

Infernal Robotics http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...obotics-0-21-2

IR Rework http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/65365

[Majorjim!]

Hi all,

I don't think I have seen anyone post this before so I may be the first.

I really love discovering new tricks in KSP and get a warm fuzzy feeling when people use them! I hope this

can help a few builders as well.

Right, so we all know the stock fairings are horrid to work with. It can be a real pain to end them where you want. I discovered that you can actually close the fairing onto an unattached part!

Make sure the part is very close to inline with the fairing or it wont work. Here is a pic for reference:

I'm certain new and advanced builders will find this useful.

Cheers!!

MJ

Edited August 3, 2015 by Majorjim

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Hi all,

I don't think I have seen anyone post this before so I may be the first.

[...]

Wooaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Must try that!!!