B9 5.0 pre-release (with download)

[K3-Chris]

Way too cool!

Just so you know, you can use JSITransparentPod PartModule from the RPM plugin to make internals viewable from outside through windows.

It's cool, but it also murders your FPS, IVAs especially with MFDs etc are pretty intense already and the exterior especially on craft with a lot of parts are also pretty intense, showing both at the same time makes the game a slideshow on my pretty beefy gaming rig, it's a cool idea but it needs some tweaking before it could ever be viable, I might include an alternate configuration file that enables it and does so on the right surfaces etc but I won't make it the default until the performance issues are fixed (which I doubt they ever will because they're kinda endemic to KSP/unity as a whole). Same reason a 20+ kerbal part with an IVA with them all visible is a bad idea, for some reason each kerbal knocks down your FPS a fair bit, even if you're not looking at them, the game doesn't have proper culling

dreadicon: Errm, we are working on a new B9 version, I'm doing the IVA stuff and making new/updated cockpit exteriors for 5.0 Tav is doing the part balancing, merging multiple parts into one part with tweakables to pick which fuel etc and bac9 is doing what he does best:

Edited August 6, 2014 by K3|Chris

[Neutrinovore]

Nice pic!

Hopefully we'll get B9 5.0 BEFORE we get KSP 0.25.

[S1000RRHP4]

It's cool, but it also murders your FPS, IVAs especially with MFDs etc are pretty intense already and the exterior especially on craft with a lot of parts are also pretty intense, showing both at the same time makes the game a slideshow on my pretty beefy gaming rig, it's a cool idea but it needs some tweaking before it could ever be viable, I might include an alternate configuration file that enables it and does so on the right surfaces etc but I won't make it the default until the performance issues are fixed (which I doubt they ever will because they're kinda endemic to KSP/unity as a whole). Same reason a 20+ kerbal part with an IVA with them all visible is a bad idea, for some reason each kerbal knocks down your FPS a fair bit, even if you're not looking at them, the game doesn't have proper culling

dreadicon: Errm, we are working on a new B9 version, I'm doing the IVA stuff and making new/updated cockpit exteriors for 5.0 Tav is doing the part balancing, merging multiple parts into one part with tweakables to pick which fuel etc and bac9 is doing what he does best:

https://i.imgur.com/D5N5JI5.png

http://37.media.tumblr.com/60a742fdfe121b6c515e9ea1fa67f3ed/tumblr_mqejun5hlM1rqfhi2o1_400.gif

[K3-Chris]

Working on some props for the B9 IVAs, based on RPM plugin using the ASET/ALCOR ones for reference, idea is to make a whole suite of props that all share common design and color schemes to make IVAs less of a grab-bag of random elements

Made my own version of the ASET fuel gauge:

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That is the fuel one, but the same texture and model can be used for a very long list of things just changing the variable names and shifting the texture of the fuel label to another set of coordinates.

Not that happy with the percentage display, the font doesn't fit, but sadly using this draw method you can't change the font, if you want a custom font you need to go full on RPM display (you can make an RPM display that size with no buttons to page between them etc and it defaults to on etc) but it uses a lot more resources than the current way I do it.

The "FUEL" label blinks red when you're out (config was slightly out in those pictures, started blinking at 10%) bar turns red at 10%

Considering using that orange hue (or something close to it) as the mainstay B9 IVA color, main thing that bugged me about the stock and RPM/ASET props is that the color schemes are all over the place, I want the B9 props to have a much more cohesive design, as if the cockpits were made by one company re-using components and making an overall visual style inside.

My version of the stock/RPM "squarebuttons" that control gear, lights, rcs and sas, I added brakes and figured I might as well label them for ease of use:

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They light up and depress when active (using a smooth 0.5s animation), go gray again and come back out when inactive, I really like em because they're both functional and a nice indicator at the same time.

All the buttons share a common model and textures, texture of the label is just shifted like a spite texture of old, the different colors are all set in the config files.

I and Bac9 weren't a huge fan of the "stock" JSI MFD's texture, so Bac9 made his own and I implemented it:

The "pages" of the MFDs are unmodified for now except for "B9 AeroSpace" being added to the starting page, might change in the future but the RPM documentation/configuration is properly tricky.

Oh and I finally read up on the toggle-able lights in RPM:

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Complete with linked external emissive animation and external toggle toggling the internal lights as well, using an ASET switch for now, I'll make my own lightswitches ofc.

Also this thing:

You might mistake that for 3 stock props inside a WIP untextured cowling thing, and you'd be partially right, it's actually one prop that contains copies of stock props (still work), I'll re-style the stock props and make the box they're inside fit the overall B9 visual style, I'll bevel the edges and give it a proper texture etc.

I'll make 2 versions, one vertical like that one, one horizontal.

Oh and ofc my animated joystick and pedals (Using FireSpitter, sliced out B9 IVA assets):

(Disregard old props, braking animation corrected to make the front go down instead of the back, pivot point and stalk moved back).

Props I haven't started on yet but also want to include are:

Action groups: Will be fairly close to the aset/alcor ones but visually fit with b9 better.

Light switches: I don't want them to look like the action group ones like in aset, I want them to be unique so you don't confuse them.

Staging switch: Don't have a good picture in my head what it would look like yet.

HUDs: Both various animated props that lets you toggle a HUD on/off and make it slide/swivel/swing out of the way and the actual displayed HUD, not a fan of the "stock" RPM one.

Abort button: I want a big abort button with some kind of safety like the aset one you need to click a covering cage on before you can use it, but again more "B9".

Edited August 6, 2014 by K3|Chris

[Alewx]

dreadicon: Errm, we are working on a new B9 version, I'm doing the IVA stuff and making new/updated cockpit exteriors for 5.0 Tav is doing the part balancing, merging multiple parts into one part with tweakables to pick which fuel etc and bac9 is doing what he does best:

https://i.imgur.com/D5N5JI5.png

That looks extremly cool, but what the hell is it?!

Nice pic!

Hopefully we'll get B9 5.0 BEFORE we get KSP 0.25.

I hope not! 0.24 feel like a good start of the funding feature, but incomplete in the range of the economy.

[K3-Chris]

That looks extremly cool, but what the hell is it?!

It's a spaceship/colony/outpost showcasing some of the new HX parts:

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4-8m~ diameter parts.

[S1000RRHP4]

OMG!!!!!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG:cool: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

it's beautiful, my ship will be so much better with that new version:cool:

Thank you, sorry for asking so fast but when do you think it will be release?

[wasmic]

It's a spaceship/colony/outpost showcasing some of the new HX parts:

http://imgur.com/a/eMiQf

4-8m~ diameter parts.

Eight meters in diameter? That's big enough to hold a 0.64 scale Saturn V!

[K3-Chris]

Hard to say, shouldn't be too far off now, our list of blocking issues is getting shorter, but all 3 of us don't have a lot of free time currently, you know how it is, summer, vacations, social obligations etc, and it takes deceptively much time to make this stuff actually.

[Sufficient Anonymity]

Dammit, I need to wake up more/have another coffee. First thing I did with the picture of the colony ship was to try panning about to get a better look at the parts.

@K3|Chris - loving how unified the HL IVA is starting to look - guessing that's not the final location of the indicator pannel though?

[K3-Chris]

Not sure, thinking of ditching the indicator panel altogether, those square buttons do most of the job it does currently, only missing ascent/decent, HighG and Heat (does that even work?) might make props to show those in some fashion, not keeping the stock indicator panel either way, and I'll obviously replace those ASET gauges with my own version, and the bar above the MFDs will have 3 on either side, fuel, monoprop and charge. And I'll obviously replace the ASET light switch and action group buttons with my own. Also re-skinning the analog gauges and throttle.

[DaveStrider]

are those hollow parts intended to be used as cargo bays or as an internal area for kerbals to eva in?

[K3-Chris]

are those hollow parts intended to be used as cargo bays or as an internal area for kerbals to eva in?

Both, also mooring/docking places for large spaceships and spaceplanes

Making progress on that b9 styled analog gauge set:

Altimeter on the left is my WIP texture (mostly the back parts of the dials that need work), radar alt and vertical speed to go, notice how the radar alt texture has the specular map of the vertical speed one? XD Squad has gone goofed.

Pretty happy with the altimeter texture and main body texture, altimeter has baked AO maps into the specular map. The main box needs some more details, any ideas? I'm thinking some grill like holes in the triangular parts between the dials, or lights/buttons or something.

Obligatory before and after picture:

[falken]

Fantastic.

[Sufficient Anonymity]

Pretty happy with the altimeter texture and main body texture, altimeter has baked AO maps into the specular map. The main box needs some more details, any ideas? I'm thinking some grill like holes in the triangular parts between the dials, or lights/buttons or something.

I'd be inclined to keep it fairly simple. I a quick Google image search of some cockpits, and this image of 777 matched up with the aesthetic you seem to be going for. There aren't that many buttons associated with the analogue instruments.

One little motif to use from the image above though might be having a knob or button associated with the bottom left of each of those dials (so about half seven on a clock).

Crude mockup below...

[CattyNebulart]

Yay reading this thread and seeing progress on my favorite mod... so happy to see a B9 update in the works and the new IVA's are great.

[Alewx]

It's a spaceship/colony/outpost showcasing some of the new HX parts:

http://imgur.com/a/eMiQf

4-8m~ diameter parts.

My only thought on that: OMG that is so extreme.

Then reading the text: OMG that is sooo massive

The pics remind me somehow a little of the fuztek parts, not in style but in the way how modular it looks like.

A requirement for some in orbit construction with these parts, would be multiport docking.

[Sufficient Anonymity]

...requirement for some in orbit construction with these parts, would be multiport docking.

I think I recall Bac9 (months ago) saying something about an HX sized port.

EDIT: @K3|Chris - returning to the indicator panel discussion - it seems the heat light should do something - this is knocking about in the prop's .cfg...

		}
		// Heat
		VARIABLESET
		{
			coloredObject = indicator10
			passiveColor = 0,0,0,255
			activeColor = 255,0,0,255
			variableName = PODTEMPERATURE
			scale = 0,1700
			threshold = 0.85,1.1
			flashingDelay = 0.3
		}

...with PODTEMPERATURE being the following (from the wiki on the RPM git repository):

PODTEMPERATURE -- The temperature of the exterior of the pod in some arbitrary units. Units become less arbitrary when using Deadly Reentry.

Given that temperatures are so meaningless unless the user is running DRE, and that all the information displayed on the panel is also visible elsewhere, bar high G,ascent/descent (though arguably that is in the form of vertical speed on other displays) and temperature, I'd be inclined to drop the indicator panel, and see if you can squeeze an acceleration indicator into the HUD.

Edited August 6, 2014 by SufficientAnonymity
About that heat indicator light...

[K3-Chris]

Good suggestion on the analog gauges SufficientAnonymity

Some new pictures:

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Still only the altimeter with a new texture, but it now also has an emissive, makes it visible even in the dark (using the finest radium), starting on the other 2 now. That's the vertical version of the prop, they share textures to be easier on your RAM.

Some ASET props in those pictures I'll re-make in a b9 style, the action group buttons to the sides, light switch, throttle, thrust and stage gauges (just swap variables on the fuel one) and the 3 gauges on the dash are the same fuel one, will be fuel, oxi and monoprop later, the model behind them hasn't been adjusted yet either (clips through).

I'm considering adding ascent/descent light to the analog gauge set next to the vertical speed gauge, it kinda fits there because it tells you in a color spectrum what the analog dial tells you in angle, could put high g there as well, not sure heat fits, MECO and TWR lights could be down near the throttle (MECO (Main Engine CutOff) could be a button that does what X does, kill the engines).

Considering making my own version of the stock atmosphere gauge, compass, navball and throttle as well.

Edited August 7, 2014 by K3|Chris

[Percebob]

I very much approve of this, and also just realized that the FOV in this thing is really good.

[K3-Chris]

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Tada, full set of custom textures done, now to add ascent/desent light (colors like the indicator one to denote your direction) and I think a blinking light on the radar alt dial (on the face of it, under the radar alt text) that blinks bellow 500m with a low beep each time it blinks.

[falken]

Wow, that is very legible. Would be nice to see that in the Squad IVAs.

[Hellbrand]

FOR POSTERITY i must bump this.

[nli2work]

sweet sweet sanity destroying IVA!

[RussianIvan]

overhead panel will not be?