How can I attach an object to a control surface

[Guest]

Greetings, I need to control something with the joystick, with continuous control. The only thing I can think of is attaching something to a stock control surface. I have done it, but when the control surface moves, to oblect attached stays stationary, floating in mid air, when the surface is fully deflected for example. There must be some kind of "SYNCHRONIZE ORIENTATION" that had been disable or needs to be enabled in the CFG file of the control curface. Any info is greatly appreciated!

[Themohawkninja]

It's probably more of a bug than anything else that you pulled it off. You cannot place an object on a control surface and have the object move with the surface.

[Guest]

What modifaction would allow this capability?

[Guest]

Ok I found this at the end of the Small Control surface stock CFG:

MODULE

{

name = FARControllableSurface

MAC = 0.46

e = 0.9

maxdeflect = 20

nonSideAttach = 1

b_2 = 0.83

TaperRatio = 1

}

I am wondering is this code could be attached to my own part, and it would then be a control surface. Thoughts?

Edited August 2, 2013 by Guest

[Kerbal01]

That's not stock, that's from Ferram Aerospace Research(FAR)

[Themohawkninja]

Ok I found this at the end of the Small Control surface stock CFG:

MODULE

{

name = FARControllableSurface

MAC = 0.46

e = 0.9

maxdeflect = 20

nonSideAttach = 1

b_2 = 0.83

TaperRatio = 1

}

I am wondering is this code could be attached to my own part, and it would then be a control surface. Thoughts?

You'd have to use the code from the part.cfg file and even then, I've tried making the giga solar panel into a wing, and it didn't really work so I think that it's more complicated than just copy and paste.

[Devo]

Greetings, I need to control something with the joystick, with continuous control. The only thing I can think of is attaching something to a stock control surface. I have done it, but when the control surface moves, to oblect attached stays stationary, floating in mid air, when the surface is fully deflected for example. There must be some kind of "SYNCHRONIZE ORIENTATION" that had been disable or needs to be enabled in the CFG file of the control curface. Any info is greatly appreciated!

You can do this with Infernal Robotics, check the link in my sig.

Convex colliders are not animated with other objects unless there is code telling them to, it's been a problem of mine for a long time. I noticed it the first time I used bobcats DEMVmk5.. nothing I attached to the windscreen would stay there when I opened it, it just floats in mid air. So the alternative is to use damned robotics connectors attach things to so you get a good join.

[Guest]

DarthVader - I am myself mystified by your comment but I find it highly intriguing. I have not installed FAR. What am I missing? Help?

Here is the entire CFG file:

PART

{

// --- general parameters ---

name = smallCtrlSrf

module = ControlSurface

author = Chad Jenkins

// --- asset parameters ---

mesh = model.mu

scale = 0.1

// --- editor parameters ---

cost = 500

category = Aero

subcategory = 0

title = Small Control Surface

manufacturer = C7 Aerospace

description = Feel the need to attach an elevator, rudder or elivon to just about any darn surface you can get your mitts on? Well this part is for you. Made of mostly new factory parts. Warranty void if exposed to vacuum.

// attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision

attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0

// --- node definitions ---

// definition format is Position X, Position Y, Position Z, Up X, Up Y, Up Z

node_attach = 0.0, 1.2435, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0

// --- standard part parameters ---

mass = 0.006

dragModelType = override

maximum_drag = 0.02

minimum_drag = 0.02

angularDrag = 3

crashTolerance = 12

breakingForce = 50

breakingTorque = 50

maxTemp = 3400

explosionPotential = 0.1

// --- winglet parameters ---

// dragCoeff will override the maximum_drag value

dragCoeff = 0.55

deflectionLiftCoeff = 0.11

ctrlSurfaceRange = 20

ctrlSurfaceArea = 0.95

MODULE

{

name = FARControllableSurface

MAC = 0.46

e = 0.9

maxdeflect = 20

nonSideAttach = 1

b_2 = 0.83

TaperRatio = 1

}

}

Themohawkninja - I like your idea I think the answer will stem from that line of thinking.

[Kerbal01]

The module says FARControllableSurface. I'd assume that's from FAR. I don't know why but its just a hunch.

[Guest]

Devo thank you very much for responding. I am familiar with the old Damned Robotics, but I do not remember an actuator that responded to the joystick. Have they added that? I am making an all moving horizontal stabilizer.

[Guest]

name = smallCtrlSrf

module = ControlSurface

author = Chad Jenkins

what about the

module = ControlSurface

?

[Brenok]

The Wiki has a page about cfg files:

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CFG_File_Documentation#Parts

The module is the "category" of the part. In this case, it's a control surface (aileron etc)

[Guest]

I am messing with a copied Mark 2 Procedural Wing CFG. I did change the category to ControlSurface and for WHATEVER reason I changer the FAR language in brackets at the very end to the language from the "stock" control surface I have. No new Procedural Wing is appearing in the browser. I did do a reload.

[Guest]

wait a minute CFG file saved as text KSP not reading it...

[Guest]

Didn't work. Looks like DYJ is working on a Procedural Wing control surface so - since I can't learn this I may have to wait.

[Guest]

How does Unity part conversion process make a new part a control surface - or is it all hidden black magic

[Guest]

Well at some point a person must resign themselves to common sense I suppose. I have for the time being abandoned the idea of an all moving one piece stabilizer for this craft. I have taken out the DR hinge here, and just attached the symmetric pWings to the vertical stabilizer. I will down scale a "Standard Control Surface" till it fits on back perfectly, one per side, then I will tweak it's CFG lift and deflection lift. DYJ is reportedly working on a pWing that will be a control surface, so this solution will have to do for the meantime, but at least there is hope.

It was cool having it on a hinge, and seing it move, and that is more realistic looking. The hinge itself introduced issues though. One really should not need two trims. The stab trim KSP provides should be sufficient.

But aesthetically, I really hate this work around. The 104 never had elevators.

Edited August 3, 2013 by Guest

[softweir]

BTW, a lot of mod makers add FAR config lines to their parts so they work well with FAR. Stock parts don't need this, because FAR supplies values for them from its own data files, but there is no way FAR can do that for mod parts! (If a mod part doesn't have FAR config data then FAR has to guess and can get it very wrong. If a player uses such a part the they often have to experiment to add FAR values to the relevant mod parts.)

KSP ignores any config entries it doesn't understand, so parts with FAR entries in them work perfectly well without FAR!

[Guest]

Something happenned to my stock parts CFG files when some addon was added. Those lines were added I mean.

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses. I have learned a lot this last week. I didn't even have the context to understand some of the responses but I am learning. Thanks again. My workaround was to abandon the flying one piece horizontal stabilizer. It is fixed, with a single stock small control surface, but a copy that I have increased the lift of. It is embedded in the pWing and almost invisible. Having the single control surface, vs. two eliminated kerbal's ability to send different controls to the left and right side. That was causing some issues with de-stabilizing the aircraft.