Pteron Micro Shuttle and rescue vehicle Beta download available(9/9/2014)

[hieywiey]

I think the Pteron needs a little more lift and an integrated antenna.

[drtedastro]

I have gone back through the posts, and if i am understanding correctly.....

This currently does not work 'correct' with NEAR?

Does anyone have a Real Fuels and or a Deadly Reentry config for this yet???

Lots of fun, lots to learn with it....

[Fladder]

So I've been trying to install Blender and the addon to import *.mu files but unsuccesfull in installing the addon for some reason. So I can't check the models for a solution to getting it to work in FAR, but editing just the cfg files isn't cutting it. Sorry that I can't be of any more help.

@Drtedastro: you are correct, as for deadly reentry, have you allready tried it just as it is?

[drtedastro]

Yes, I have disabled NEAR and testing. For some reason coming in very heavy / biased to the starboard side.?? Need to apply full roll to left to counteract.. And as I am not as good as Bill, I keep turning into a meteor....

Splat.

Anything i am missing, ???

Thanks for info.

[Fladder]

Sounds like NEAR is still active. I just tried it with only deadly reentry and it flies fine (for a brick)

[Sage Sagan]

Okay, the docking port is staying at the back. It was designed from the outset to have it at the back. I like the idea of a custom white docking port with built in lights (for docking in the dark) though and a launch adaptor would be groovy.

I will get to work sketching the parts...also I remember thinking that the place anywhere AIES engines would work great in the wing roots. The stock 0-10 R.C.S motors work like a charm but motors in the wing roots would look better. Does anyone know if carmics is still around? A simple re texture of the place anywhere engines solves one issue.

Someone asked about a 4 kerbal shuttle, I have another design running laps round my head ( got up at 3.00am to sketch it) but it is much smaller than the Pteron.....

[blackheart612]

Okay, the docking port is staying at the back. It was designed from the outset to have it at the back. I like the idea of a custom white docking port with built in lights (for docking in the dark) though and a launch adaptor would be groovy.

I will get to work sketching the parts...also I remember thinking that the place anywhere AIES engines would work great in the wing roots. The stock 0-10 R.C.S motors work like a charm but motors in the wing roots would look better. Does anyone know if carmics is still around? A simple re texture of the place anywhere engines solves one issue.

Someone asked about a 4 kerbal shuttle, I have another design running laps round my head ( got up at 3.00am to sketch it) but it is much smaller than the Pteron.....

I do believe carmics is a little bit hard to contact since the place he is in is a little bit hard to connect to the internet. Making custom engines are doable too if you have the sketch.

[montyben101]

That makes no sense? If this shuttle can only carry two kerbs (even though im sure it could carry three) how could a smaller one carry four??

[Sage Sagan]

It won't,it will carry one very brave kerbal. I was being oblique, there is already an incredible shuttle (KSO system) for carrying multiple kerbals. I like working in the nano end of the scale.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Sage Sagan

[montyben101]

Im sure you can fit 3 kerbals in the pteron, if you EVA it almost looks like you could fit 4!

(The KSO is alright but the cargo bays are ridiculously small.)

[passinglurker]

Okay, the docking port is staying at the back. It was designed from the outset to have it at the back. I like the idea of a custom white docking port with built in lights (for docking in the dark) though and a launch adaptor would be groovy.

I will get to work sketching the parts...also I remember thinking that the place anywhere AIES engines would work great in the wing roots. The stock 0-10 R.C.S motors work like a charm but motors in the wing roots would look better. Does anyone know if carmics is still around? A simple re texture of the place anywhere engines solves one issue.

Someone asked about a 4 kerbal shuttle, I have another design running laps round my head ( got up at 3.00am to sketch it) but it is much smaller than the Pteron.....

RLA stock alike has some straight pointing place anywhere monoprop engines

[Sage Sagan]

RLA stock alike has some straight pointing place anywhere monoprop engines

I will try the RLA and AIES engines and see if either work/look good.

- - - Updated - - -

Yah but all the fuel has to go somewhere, maybe 3 could fit if they take no lunch or beverages with them.

[montyben101]

Hmm ill have a look into it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok here we go:

Using my amazing editing skills i have made this! XD

(dont know why first one is wonky

Since the shuttle will probably be attached to a station it shouldn't need to much life support or food/drink.

Edited September 6, 2014 by montyben101

[Sage Sagan]

Okay 3 will fit, there will be room for 3 cans of coke and some crisps...still the I.V.A and a door are probably most pressing..especially the door. Tried both engine sets, the AIES work best although they are tough to place right due to the wing model. Will post screen shots and docking collar sketches shortly

Edited September 6, 2014 by Sage Sagan

[Platipucat]

I belive 2 kerbals is more realistic

here is pic of a real life craft:http://xcor.com/images/vehicles/lynx/13-03-16_lynx-cutaway_v02a-public-1200x.jpg

the fuel need more space....

[montyben101]

Thats an entirely different vehicle, plus there is no where else you could put the fuel since there needs to be space behind them so they can get out the docking port. Three kerbs would be more convenient

[qnistNAMEERF]

I did a quick test for an integrated docking port and it works!

I added an extra cube to a model in blender and animated it to move and rotate from pointing straight up at the front of the model to pointing straight back at the bottom of the model.

Took it into Unity, created two empty game objects - dockingNode and controlNode. Placed dockingNode at the docking port location with blue axis pointing out towards space. Placed controlNode at the location of the animated cube with green axis pointing towards space(parallel to the ship's axis of travel). Parented controlNode to the cube and took the MeshRenderer off the cube to make it invisible. Exported to KSP.

Added to .cfg file

MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleDockingNode
        deployAnimationController = 1
        nodeType = size1
        nodeTransformName = dockingNode
    controlTransformName = controlNode


    }


    MODULE
    {
        name = FSanimateGeneric
        animationName = change
        startEventGUIName = control from docking port
        endEventGUIName = normal axis control
        toggleActionName = toggle control axis

    }

Tossed the thing on the launchpad. I had to click 'control from here' once to make control start following the pod's controlNode, but after that running the animation smoothly moved the control axis around exactly as expected! The only little annoyance was that both the command pod and the docking module add a 'control from here' button to the context menu of the pod... so there are two of those... but they seem to function identically - doesn't matter which one you click.

So an integrated docking port with no additional part should be perfectly possible. Maybe someone else knows a trick to remove one of the 'control from here' buttons... or to make it automatically 'control from here' so you don't have to click one of those buttons to make it start following the transform?

I made a quick video that walks through what I did in blender, unity, and ksp to demonstrate the steps if someone wants to add it to the Pteron model. (edit - in the video I added the mesh rendered BACK to the cube so that you could see it move in KSP.)

That's really clever, artwhaley.

I like the idea of an integrated docking port for this shuttle. Less parts the better. This design would lead me to believe it was built-in to begin with anyway.

[Sage Sagan]

Hello all, had a few ideas for the docking port. I am not keen to add an integrated docking port as I am wary of limiting usefulness for the sake of 1 part,I would rather have a separate port which has lights and maybe an integrated RPM camera model.

Secondly this approach means that the existing model can stay as is which surely has to be a massive time-saver on the long road to a full release. The design I sketched could also address the slight edge which can be seen in the screenie below,the lower flared edge of the docking port sketch would use the existing heat tile texture thus neatly finishing the fuselage. I have also indicated a possible door location.Note right O.M.S motor in wing root

Here is the sketch of the docking port and the "Hydra" Hydra-zine(mono) fueled O.M.S, once again those with a keen artistic sensibility may wish to look through their fingers

The Hydra will surface mount for optimum wing root positioning in the style of the AEIS motor shown in my motor homage shot

.

That's all for now.

P.S. Thanks for all the positive feed-back, it really makes all the work that has gone into this by all concerned worthwhile

P.P.S i meant o post an example of what i meant by Sumghai style

Edited September 6, 2014 by Sage Sagan

[sp1989]

Hello all, had a few ideas for the docking port. I am not keen to add an integrated docking port as I am wary of limiting usefulness for the sake of 1 part,I would rather have a separate port which has lights and maybe an integrated RPM camera model.

Secondly this approach means that the existing model can stay as is which surely has to be a massive time-saver on the long road to a full release. The design I sketched could also address the slight edge which can be seen in the screenie below,the lower flared edge of the docking port sketch would use the existing heat tile texture thus neatly finishing the fuselage. I have also indicated a possible door location.Note right O.M.S motor in wing root

http://i.imgur.com/zKIMJQq.jpg?2

Here is the sketch of the docking port and the "Hydra" Hydra-zine(mono) fueled O.M.S, once again those with a keen artistic sensibility may wish to look through their fingers

The Hydra will surface mount for optimum wing root positioning in the style of the AEIS motor shown in my motor homage shot

.

That's all for now.

P.S. Thanks for all the positive feed-back, it really makes all the work that has gone into this by all concerned worthwhile

P.P.S i meant o post an example of what i meant by Sumghai style

Wonderful! Now I am very excited just please make sure it works with the standard docking port. Otherwise I will have to add a new docking module to my stations. Also I think three kerbals is best. It makes it much useful and realistic for station work.

[Sage Sagan]

Yup it will be same size as standard docking port

[sp1989]

Yup it will be same size as standard docking port

Beautiful then get started!!

[Odyssey]

Just took my first flight. Very nice build. I'm much more of an engineer than I pilot and even I managed to bring the thing down in one (okay 2) piece (s).

I'm gonna look at some mission architecture with this little guy. I'll be keeping an eye out.

[passinglurker]

I'm fine with just 2 kerbals but won't complain if it carries 3. as a crew ferry it just needs to have more than one

Hello all, had a few ideas for the docking port. I am not keen to add an integrated docking port as I am wary of limiting usefulness for the sake of 1 part.

how would an integrated docking port limit usefulness? nothing stops you from attaching things to the shuttle in the same way you can't accidentally stage a docking port like you could with a decoupler and if you accidentally decoupled you could just re dock. and as for letting the model stay as it is I have one word "welding". come to think of it could we get those engines incorporated into the wings part themselves (again using welding to avoid diving back into blender)? the wings are already very vehicle specific so I don't see anything wrong with going full swiss army knife with them

[Odyssey]

I'm sure this idea has already occurred to many of you, but I decided to play around with scale and settings. I just changed a couple of things and here's what I got.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

It's by no means original, nor is it fully developed (I need to tweak a lot), but I thought it'd be fun to see a different scale.

I tried to get a KSO in the shot, but when I tried to start my game with that mod, it kept breaking (I think from just being so big).

It seems to work fine with the bigger docking ring and I've made mine carry 4 kerbals.

For what it's worth, I called it the Orca.

Anyways, just in case anyone wanted to take a look.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Odyssey

[blackheart612]

Hello all, had a few ideas for the docking port. I am not keen to add an integrated docking port as I am wary of limiting usefulness for the sake of 1 part,I would rather have a separate port which has lights and maybe an integrated RPM camera model.

Secondly this approach means that the existing model can stay as is which surely has to be a massive time-saver on the long road to a full release. The design I sketched could also address the slight edge which can be seen in the screenie below,the lower flared edge of the docking port sketch would use the existing heat tile texture thus neatly finishing the fuselage. I have also indicated a possible door location.Note right O.M.S motor in wing root

http://i.imgur.com/zKIMJQq.jpg?2

Here is the sketch of the docking port and the "Hydra" Hydra-zine(mono) fueled O.M.S, once again those with a keen artistic sensibility may wish to look through their fingers

The Hydra will surface mount for optimum wing root positioning in the style of the AEIS motor shown in my motor homage shot

.

That's all for now.

P.S. Thanks for all the positive feed-back, it really makes all the work that has gone into this by all concerned worthwhile

P.P.S i meant o post an example of what i meant by Sumghai style

Understood I will get to it as soon as possible. By the way, You really want that huge back part on Hydra Engine?

Here's an Upper Stage Engine from Aerojet Kerbodyne (which is based on Shuttle OMS)

And are you not including a custom adapter?