is a animation required for parachutes...

[Helix935]

...to work properly

this is my question as i am trying to make a part that deploys a parachute as seen here

this is troubling me because i can't seem to get my part's parachute to work and i am wondering if this is due to the lack of animations currently found in my part or is it something else.

if someone can please tell me if this is true or not please inform me below

[sumghai]

Parachutes in KSP consist of a single model file with the following component meshes:

- A "base", which serves as the container there the parachute would come out of

- A "cap", which gets blown away when the parachute is deployed

- The parachute canopy itself, with its origin located at the point where the parachute riser would be attached to the base

To answer your original question, two animations are required:

- In your 3D modelling editor, the parachute canopy mesh is scaled down to 0.01 times its fully deployed size, so that it is hidden inside the base and cap meshes

- The first animation, representing partial deployment, stretches the Z-scale of the canopy to 1 and the X & Y-scales to 0.2

- The second animation, representing fully deployment, stretches the X & Y-scales to 1

In your particular case, your survival pack model would serve as the "base", so you would then need to add a canopy and a cap mesh to your model.

Once you have the model and animations done, you can reference them in your CFG file using the following PartModule:

MODULE
{
      name = ModuleParachute
    invertCanopy = true
    autoCutSpeed = 0.5
    capName = cap
    canopyName = canopy
    semiDeployedAnimation = semiDeployLarge
    fullyDeployedAnimation = fullyDeployLarge
    stowedDrag = 0.22
    semiDeployedDrag = 1
    fullyDeployedDrag = 500
    minAirPressureToOpen = 0.01
    deployAltitude = 500
    deploymentSpeed = 1
    semiDeploymentSpeed = 1    
}

[Helix935]

would it be possible to modify the cfg so as to remove the need for the animations while at the same time i can deploy the parachute because i don't know how to animate yet

[sumghai]

would it be possible to modify the cfg so as to remove the need for the animations while at the same time i can deploy the parachute because i don't know how to animate yet

ModuleParachute requires animations, so no.

[Helix935]

oh dang well i might as well do what you did Sumghai by having a drogue and a normal parachute for mine like you did SDHI by having two different cases on the side of the rucksack

Edit: can you also show a link to a single or number of tutorials for animations please

Edited November 11, 2013 by Helix935

[Robotengineer]

Sorry to necro this thread, but is there a tutorial for making parachutes?

[PolecatEZ]

Its basically all in the second post here, there isn't much else to it. To get any more basic would be to do a general Unity tutorial or a general animation export/import tutorial. Did you have a specific question?

[Robotengineer]

Sort of. IS there a way to use the stock parachute canopy instead of making a new one?

[PolecatEZ]

Canopies are easy:

- Make a sphere, 5m radius, about 16 sides should do it.

- Chop off the bottom.

- Cut out a hole in the top.

- Duplicate the whole thing.

- On the duplicate, flip normals, scale it down barely a hair.

- Link the vertices along the bottom lip.

- Select every 2nd vertex along the bottom lip, pull it down about half a meter.

- Make cylinder, 6 sides, .02m radius, from 5m to 8m long. Color it black from your texture. Duplicate it for every vertex you pulled down.

- Connect them to the chute, bringing them to a point somewhere below the chute.

- Color the parachute inside and out. You can make stripes or checker patterns as you like easily from the way the faces are cut.

- Profit.

If you know what you're doing, this whole project takes about 15 minutes tops, especially if you know how to mirror.

Edited May 17, 2014 by PolecatEZ