Sauron's Capsule Project -- Meshes and Textures!

[Sauron]

I'm consistently irritated by the quality and lack of real choice in KSP capsules. As a passable texture artist, and a (somewhat) passable modeler I'm aiming to fix the problem myself. Ideally I'll be putting out pods that better match the 'state of the art' in stock as well as (later) texture packs to make them work with KW, which is sorely lacking in the pod department. I can't do Unity and don't have time to learn, so I would need some help there. IVA's are a low priority compared to everything else, but I suspect I'll struggle there as well. (I'll but up some cleaned up concepts later. My pencil drawings aren't worth showing just yet )

Goals:

First Priority:

-Low-profile (with minimal stuff sticking out from the cylinder) 1 and 2 kerbal 1.25m crew tanks.

-2 Crew Soyuz-type 1.25m capsule.

-Half-hitchhiker pod.

Second Priority:

-Improved 1 kerbal pod (I'm thinking of styling it after Copenhagen Suborbitals' capsule design. No. Not the cylinder )

-Improved 3 kerbal pod

-4 or 5 kerbal pod

-Revised full-length hitchhiker pod (without the ugly windows)

-Revised full-length science lab (without the ugly windows)

Third Priority:

-Improved 1, 2, and 3/4 kerbal lander cans

-Improved space station control pod/cupola

Lowest Priority:

-3.75m Capsule

-.6125m Copenhagen Suborbitals-style cylinder capsule

-Accessories for 3/4-5 kerbal pod and 1 kerbal pod (LES, nosecone SAS, RGU, heat shields, etc.)

-Reentry-optimized capsules with integrated RCS thrusters (this is a real longshot AFAIK)

-Super-Draco style rocket motors for landing.

-Variant 5 man pod with reduced crew capability and lab functionality

Pictures:

1 Kerbal Pod--Rough Texture

2 Kerbal Pods:

---

1 & 2 Kerbal 1.25m Pods

1 and 2 Kerbal 1.25m Hitchhiker-Style Cans

3 and 5 Kerbal 2.5m pods (based on Apollo and PPTS)

Edited April 6, 2014 by Sauron

[kiwiak]

Can you consider some capsules with large windows?

[blackheart612]

I like this one, I'd like to help if I can (in any way I can).... which means noob texturing/ideas D:

[wasmic]

Will there be a big glowy orange floating in it?

[Sauron]

Can you consider some capsules with large windows?

No. At least not initially anyway (my concepts are pretty well nailed down at this point). Also, a large part of my dislike for SQUAD's stock pods comes from excessively large windows Also, the goal is to make something that will work with stock and KW (with a reskin).

I like this one, I'd like to help if I can (in any way I can).... which means noob texturing/ideas D:

A second pair of hands with the texturing doesn't hurt. You do good work. Probably better than mine Also, I reckon we're on a similar page aesthetically, which is a plus.

[blackheart612]

I'd pull some strings on concepts when I got time

[nubcaker]

I vote for a stock-alike Soyuz vehicle!

[Moon Goddess]

OMG, I've actually spend time working on a stock-alike Soyuz. (I've seen porkwork's, the sizing feels off)

My problem, I'm a noob modeller who know's her way around Blender, I'm a decent Unity Girl, but I SUCK! at textures.

I'm also lookign for a Stock-alike ATV if anyone is interested in texturing that.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Moon Goddess

[Sauron]

Unity, you say? (Can you do the bits associated with setting up a capsule?)

I'm not planning on doing a direct replica of any one thing in particular--these pods are meant to stand on their own rather than limiting people to one particular visual style or way of doing things (something I really hate), but you should be able to make a 2-crew, 1.25m soyuz-like craft with what I'm aiming to put out initially.

For what it's worth, I use procedural fairings or KW/AEIS interstages to make ATV-type craft at the moment. That produces some pretty nice results.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Sauron

[Lack]

I'm up for helping with Unity, that's pretty straight forward stuff.

@Moon Goddess,

If you'd like, I can take a shot at the texturing.

[Sauron]

Rough concepts for the 1.25m 1 and 2 kerbal capsules and the 1 and 2 kerbal hitchhiker cans are now in the OP. Some points worth noting:

-These pods may have flat bottoms. I play with DR and would prefer to choose whether I have a heat shield or not . I may release my own heat shields later (again, a lower priority item)

-The 1 man pod may eventually have a matching escape tower, nose-cap, etc. but this is a rather low priority.

-These two pods (like the original MK1) will be off-black. The other capsules will all be stockalike-white.

-The 1 kerbal hitchhikers are messed up--the hatches ought to be about 50% smaller. Oops.

-Photobucket compresses the bejesus out of my pictures. Sorry

Edited February 28, 2014 by Sauron

[SuperWeegee4000]

Will the Soyuz pod have small landing engines?

[Sauron]

Not initially. But I'll add matching radial liquid engines for the Soyuz-style pod to my goal list. That way you can put them on the MK1 replacement as well. Flexibility is a virtue, and paint them white and you've got Dragon covered too!

I'm not going to do solid landing engines though--too hard to do well without integrating that plugin. And that's a bit much for me

[blackheart612]

I saw your Soyuz concept:

Take a look at this

Top is clamp-o-tron jr with parachutes shaping the top of the capsule

Bottom is a heatshield.

The parachutes can be RealChutes compatible and the Heatshield for DRE (as you have planned).

It matters not if the mods are there or not, these parts can be used.

Edit: I thought your airlock was a bit too small for kerbals to fit in if it was a 1.25m (Hence, I resized it there)

Edit2:

I'm not going to do solid landing engines though--too hard to do well without integrating that plugin. And that's a bit much for me

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/61294-WIP-XT-Landertron-Smart-Retrorockets-for-Landers-and-Spaceplanes-v0-06a-12-28

Edited February 28, 2014 by blackheart612

[Sauron]

First, excellent work!

The airlock as I put it actually tracks pretty closely with the MK1's, but my dimensions assume kerbals exit head or feet-first. I was working with a reference image alongside it for exactly that reason. And it is meant to be a pretty tight fit (we're channeling Mercury and Soyuz, 2 of the most uncomfortably small spacecraft ever built here )

While the particulars of the art bit are going to get clearer with the first draft models, I'll be sure to put up a more detailed view of the hatch to see if you have any further thoughts on it (the poor image quality is making things tricky to get across) since it's going to be an asset (or two) duplicated across all the models.

If we're talking about where you could help me most at the moment, my mental picture of the 3 and 5 man capsules isn't great yet. A second person looking at those designs would probably do them some good. I've basically settled on what I want to do with the 1 and 2 man pods at this point with mostly minor tweaks to be made.

On another note, consolidated docking ports/chutes aren't a bad idea

Edited February 28, 2014 by Sauron

[ddavis425]

This is neat, the KSP modding community is really lacking in capsule diversity so the more the merrier

[blackheart612]

I'll look at the 3/5 man capsules. I thought of mixing Orion/Dragon with PPTS. lol that's crazy

[Sauron]

Not that crazy. PPTS is one of the best looking capsules out there IMO.

General notes:

-I'm stuck on the windows for both of those two capsules at the moment. Thoughts there would help. Ideally no portholes or blocky stuff.

-Need a bit of color and extra writing on the white capsules, probably.

[Sauron]

Apologies for double posting. Did it for clarity's sake.

Here's a close-up of the hatch. Hopefully more legible.

[DisarmingBaton5]

I'm stuck on the windows for both of those two capsules at the moment. Thoughts there would help. Ideally no portholes or blocky stuff.

Perhaps think of what the interior would contain and where, and put a window in the appropriate place with the appropriate shape.

Also, have you thought about converting that 1-man hitchhiker into a command pod? An alternative for the bulky 1.25m lander-can would be nice.

[blackheart612]

Regarding the PTK NP (PPTS) / Dragon Rider Concept, I had an idea (still barely has any windows)

I failed so much on trying to have a capsule that can be both Dragon and PTK NP

Dragon Style:

PTK NP Style:

Gangnam Style:

[Sauron]

The color isn't doing it for me (won't match stock). From a game design perspective, I don't want separate SAS etc. It adds parts and produces stuff which can only be used with the capsule since one side isn't a standard width (if I was going to do a seperate instrument ring it'd go below the capsule where you have the RCS since that's a logical place and also 2.5m). I might create a version of the hatch with a window--that's a good idea. I'm personally a fan of apollo-style inset windows if we're talking stylistic stuff. Also, also my image editor doesn't have it for some inexplicable reason, but Helvetica is going to be the font of choice for all the detailing (like the Shuttle).

General notes and questions:

-I'm planning on making a variant 5 man pod with a required crew of 2 and a max capacity of 3 that also doubles as a science lab. That should fill a useful niche. And while it'll be a challenge, a good IVA to go along with it would make something like that incredible.

-Does anyone know if it would be possible to integrate realchutes into a pod but to be able to turn them 'on' or 'off' (so they are nonfuntional and reduce the pod's mass when 'off'')?

-I'm going to be doing dedicated lander cans in addition to the hitchhikers. In the meantime you would presumably be able to attach a probe core and use them as pods--thus why lander cans are lower-priority

Edited February 28, 2014 by Sauron

[blackheart612]

-Does anyone know if it would be possible to integrate realchutes into a pod but to be able to turn them 'on' or 'off' (so they are nonfuntional and reduce the pod's mass when 'off'')?

You mean ports without parachutes and ports with it?

Anyways, it was just an idea so you could do both a Dragon Rider looking Capsule and a PTK NP looking capsule in one go.

I didn't think of anything to put in there but batteries and SAS, RCS would do too, but your choice if you would implement it.

Also the color was eye-dropped directly from the bright part color of the Mk1-2 pod

The font was just something I could click on that would look neat.

Any help you would need?

[Sauron]

The concepts do help--second opinions are always good As the models start to appear, another texture artist will be very good.

Also, do you have any thoughts on lander cans and labs? Those are less set in stone at the moment.

[blackheart612]

Landers have very.... peculiar shapes. That's something to think about lol