What is the effect of scale factor in a part config?

[Ledenko]

Hi guys and gals, I'm making a module with a separate part that's both a parachute and a docking port. I'm not sure why exactly, but the parachute/dock part had scale set to 0.1, so "scale = 0.1"

I've always noticed the part tends to wiggle around when it bumps into something, so on a whim, I changed the scale to 1 and here are the results of a simple test:

Scenario: deploy the craft upside down and do a roll

Scale = 1

Scale = 0.1

The parachute part does not at any point break off, it just wiggles around madly and the command module part actually started doing a little orbit around it.

I was under the impression scale only influences the scale reference for use by nodes, CoMoffsets and other things that are set with coordinates. Any idea why this is happening?

[SkyHook]

Always leave the scale at one. If you want to change the scale of the part, add the line:

rescaleFactor = x

Where "x" is the new scale of the part. For example:

rescaleFactor = 0.5 would reduce the size of the part by half.

Hope this helps!

[Ledenko]

It doesn't explain what Scale factor does nor why you should or shouldn't use it. For example, 44 stock Squad parts have a scale value that's not 1, usually 0.1

[NathanKell]

It scales the positions in the cfg but doesn't touch the mesh and its transforms.

Since physics depends on having joints near the end of the collision mesh, when you move the node away you get weirdness.

[Ledenko]

With a scale factor of 0.1, I had to increase the node coordinate tenfold, so it was in the same place in the end. Visually, it attaches the same that way, except it's completely unstable.