[0.24] Gimbal Auto Trim 1.1 (Sept 2)

[sarbian]

This is a simple mod that add a "ModuleGimbalAutoTrim" that extend the default ModuleGimbal.

Any engine with this gimbal will have a new "Auto-Trim Gimbal" toggle. When activated on one or more engines they will orient themselves so the Direction of Thurst stay aligned with the Center of Mass.

Exemple with the KSO using 3 x LV-T45 as engines

It uses the same parameters than a ModuleGimbal with the added ( default values shown )

gimbalAutoTrim = false (initial state of the auto trim)

trimLimit = 45 (maximum angle allowed)

It does not trim non stock Gimbal like dtobi km_Gimbal (used in his Space Shuttle Engines, and the KSO) or HoneyFox TweakableGimbal. I'll look into making it work with theirs later, when I clean up the code a bit.

Download : GimbalAutoTrim-1.1.0.0.zip

Source : https://github.com/sarbian/GimbalAutoTrim/

License : Licence : Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You are free to package the DLL with your mods as long as it use the directory structure of my zip

and that you respect the licence (the Attribution part, so the *whole* licence).

You can convert all you default gimbal with a simple MM patch :

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleGimbal]]
{   
    @MODULE[ModuleGimbal]
    {
        @name = ModuleGimbalAutoTrim
    }
}

Edited September 2, 2014 by sarbian

[madmat]

This would have been awesome last night when 2 of my 3 engines ran out of oxidiser(fuel line fopar), leaving me with a totally unbalanced and slow ride home. DL'ing immediately. Thanks heaps

[Dust]

This. Is. Awesome!!!

Looking forward to it working with mod engines, especially KW.

[Zeroignite]

Does it adjust mid-flight to aid in asteroid wrangling?

[Superfluous J]

Very interesting, and I'm a bit surprised the game doesn't do this already. The whole point of gimbaling is to go the direction you want to go.

[sarbian]

Dust : it should work with most engine already. Just appli the MM patch at the end of the post. The default max trim range (45°) may look bad on some engine

Zeroignite : it's done in real time.

[Guest]

Can't wait to see this working with Dtobi's gimbals. Would really come in handy for the CSS. Right now, it does have some handling issues under load and just before MECO, that would mitigate those.

[The Destroyer]

Awesome! Shuttle time!

[Sokar408]

Definitely a most have, given everything works ofc I'll keep an eye on this (my shuttle dream is one step closer!)

[JimTheDog]

This has SO much potential. I have a little trouble if I mix engines (Mark 55 Radial Mount + LV-T45) on two deliberately misaligned side-by-side fuel pods, and crazy stuff like that, but if you can do something to combine all thrust vectors on a craft in proportion to engine strength, this will become absolutely AMAZING, Sarbian. As it is, I find this to be a great + interesting mod function for designs using one main engine (or a single engine cluster)!

[mwlue]

typical mis-use of the gimbal module make lulz

[Hellbrand]

"this end should point towards the ground if you want to go to space... If it starts pointing towards space you are having a bad problem and you will not go to space today"

Edited April 25, 2014 by Hellbrand

[sarbian]

Err, why did they do that

[Hellbrand]

All for the lulz as pointed out in the beginning of the post.

[sarbian]

This has SO much potential. I have a little trouble if I mix engines (Mark 55 Radial Mount + LV-T45) on two deliberately misaligned side-by-side fuel pods, and crazy stuff like that, but if you can do something to combine all thrust vectors on a craft in proportion to engine strength, this will become absolutely AMAZING, Sarbian. As it is, I find this to be a great + interesting mod function for designs using one main engine (or a single engine cluster)!

The way it's done it should work with engines of different strength. It actually uses the current thrust of the engines, so even engine with a slow ramp up should be handled right.

The current actual limitation of the way I did it is if you set the trimLimit to lower values for some engines. If the mod needs to trim the engines more than the lower limit then it won't try to compensate by triming the other engines more. It's doable but require a bit more work.

[Tidus Klein]

This will be a god send!

+rep.

[colmo]

Shuttles with stock engines - nice! I wonder how this plays with the mod that balances thrust from multiple engines to do the same thing? (Edit: there are at least two, by Davon and qfeys)

From a gameplay POV, making this an unlockable feature (say, by researching Advanced Aeronautics) would be very nice, and give a real incentive to unlock the aeronautical science nodes that currently don't have much going for them in Career mode.

Edited April 25, 2014 by colmo

[Eggman360]

Thanks Colmo for bringing this to my attention

This sounds like an incredible feature that will one day most likely be stock

Can I ask, is it a simple plugin that binds to all engines or does it work on a per part basis (I mean does it use MM and add modules to parts or does it work as a blanket plugin?)

This sounds fantastic

[sarbian]

It's per part since it's a PartModule. You have to use the MM sample I put in the first post to deploy it for all your engines.

For future version I'll most likely split it with a part less class that will do the math and partModule that will update the gimbals.

[Pondafarr]

Ok, so here is my question: I use the Guppy series of space tug, which usually have their engines mounted at a slight outward angle. This mod will auto gimbal the engine to thrust straight thru the COM, so I would still have sine losses, right?

Awesome mod Sarbian

[Kolago]

My Rockets with off centre mass go spinning rapidly if I enable the auto trim. Maybe I am to stupid for this mod.

[Guest]

I really wish it worked with Dtobi's gimbals. I would use it for the Component Space Shuttle, but Dtobi's gimbals are needed, too, because their range can be different on both axes, which is very important for the Shuttle.

[Pondafarr]

In order to simplify my life, is there a MM code that I can place in my config to automatically enable the gimbal function on applicable engines?

Autotrim = true or something? what would the proper format be?

[Paul Kingtiger]

In order to simplify my life, is there a MM code that I can place in my config to automatically enable the gimbal function on applicable engines?

Autotrim = true or something? what would the proper format be?

First post of this thread!

[Pondafarr]

FRAG NABBIT!

Sorry, missed the details in the awesomeness.

So is this the correct usage?

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleGimbal]]
{   
    @MODULE[ModuleGimbal]
    {
        @name = ModuleGimbalAutoTrim
        gimbalAutoTrim = true
        trimLimit = 45
    }
}

Edited April 27, 2014 by Pondafarr