[WIP]D12 Aerotech - A B9 Aerospace Expansion (Beta1)

[PolecatEZ]

Beta Release candidate 1 - D12 Aerotech!

The D12 Aerotech Expansion for B9

Without further ado, included are:

* 6 basic wing sizes (covers 3 rectangular and 4 delta shapes) - 6 Alternate models for each

* Swept wing with 7 alternate models and larger "swept" wing set for more fun.

* Full set of configurable canards and winglets (2 catalog parts).

* 3 basic control surface sizes with 9 Alternate models for each.

* 8 New Cockpits, 2 sets of custom internals. All have internals and are functional. Some have alternate model meshes. Includes 0.625m escape pod.

* Folding wing set with 3 alternates.

* Two Swing Wing sets - X-02 and F-14 version.

* Intakes in B9 style to replace stock intakes, along with Mk1 Bicoupler intake with alternate meshes, lateral mount resize for F15 style

* B52/58 Style Engine

* 4 Rotor types - Dual Rotor, Heavy Lifter, Futuristic Buzzer, and Whispercraft

* Fully configurable Turbo-prop engine

* B9 Quality replacements for Stock Mk2 parts

* 1.25m x 1m Fuel tank with alternate models, 1.25 x 2m cargo bay.

* Flotation system (single catalog part)

* Drop Tanks in 2 sizes with alternate shapes (fuel configurations coming soon).

* Stock nosecones, small adapter, and tail replacements with 7-10 alternate models each.

* Missile Construction System - Single missile with 6000 combinations (requires Romfarer.dll - sold separately).

* FAR friendly on select parts (FAR sold separately).

All this for about 15 MB in RAM load and HD space, and a net 15 catalog entries (if you knock out Squad replacements).

You must have: The very latest Firespitter plugin release (included under license) and, of course, B9 Aerospace installed.

DOWNLOAD

Note: I will be updating this download periodically until B9's next version release, then it will go to Curse. Report all bugs and suggestions in this thread. If you don't like something, explain a bit and suggest alternatives. As always, RTFM (included) before reporting a bug or "feature."

Still to come:

1. VTOL converting Jet Engine and Prop

2. Firespitter procedural rotors and propeller integration.

3. Configurable fuels in various things.

4. Full Skillful integration.

5. Landing gear gaps will be filled.

Released under the same license as B9 Aerospace. -NC SA- All texturing is adapted from Bac9's B9 Aerospace pack. All meshes loosely adapted from the same. Special thank you to Snjo and his continuing work on Firespitter, without which this wouldn't be possible.

Edited June 1, 2014 by PolecatEZ

[Mekan1k]

Keep the texture levels down, and we will do just fine...

I love the designs!

[Justin Kerbice]

Looks good, and as you said yourself, be careful on memory usage, but I see you have already work on this . I know it's early then, having more chopper parts + make them easy to control (the choppers) and better balanced than firespitter ones would be great. As for now, they are not the best thing to fly with in KSP.

For the wings, could it be possible to have bigger/wider wing without procedural thing ? Cause "stacking" stock wing connectors together makes bird likes wings .

[NQMT]

Never thought a mod expansion could make me squeal like a happy little pig.

When this is released, I swear this'll be the most popular thing on the forums.

This is exciting.

[Bartybum]

This is perfect! So much variation in similar parts

[Lack]

Very nice, I take it you got the texture swapping to work then, did you end up having to use FS for that in the end?

Also, for everyone talking about memory usage:

This is an expansion pack for the awesomeness that is B9. All textures are recycled, existing B9 users will get a ton of new toys (focusing on helicopters for now) for about 3-4mb more.

Polecat's referencing the existing textures, as I understand it, same trick I've been using for SXT and a few others have done.

[lttito]

Outstanding work! Can wait to grab it as soon as it's released!

[Neutrinovore]

Okay, holy...

Wow. Just... Wow.

This mod just zoomed straight to the top of my 'must have ASAP' list! Seriously, I NEED these parts!!

Totally blown away by the fantastic design of the cockpits and the rotors, especially that 'shoutycraft' one, lol! This pack might actually get me interested in building helicopters.

To be clear, I'm not referring to the B9 textures, although that aspect is certainly a huge improvement over Squad's (and Firespitter's, honestly) weird cartoony look. No, I mean the design, the shape of the new parts is just fantastic! It's like you reached into my head, I've been begging (silently, because the 'Addon request thread has... issues) for cockpits just like these for months! Ehh, I'll try to stop using exclamation points, but it won't be easy, lol.

Really looking forward to this mod, Polecat. I'll be checking in HOURLY, if not more frequently, to see if it's available for download yet.

Kudos, and bravo!

[Darren9]

Yes, it looks great. Can't wait to get hold of it!

[Tex_NL]

I have to agree with what already has been said: Looks awesome, can't wait.

Though I do have one question. You talk about part replacements. Do you plan to actually replace (out with the old, in with the new) the originals or will you offer then side by side with the original (keep both new and old)?

[Talisar]

Looks great! I'll be following this one with interest!

[Grijze Pilion]

*Happy dance*

More B9?! Didn't know you people could, like, read minds (please don't)

Some of the meshes look slightly wonky though - but keep up the good work!

[PolecatEZ]

Very nice, I take it you got the texture swapping to work then, did you end up having to use FS for that in the end?

Also, for everyone talking about memory usage:

Polecat's referencing the existing textures, as I understand it, same trick I've been using for SXT and a few others have done.

Yep, finally got it to work. It was frustrating because I remember doing it a long time ago for consolidating the Squad internals into a single folder (and chopping out about 2/3 the memory hit...may do that again). The trick is the ordering. I went back through and realized everywhere it worked was because I put the textures that I wanted to use somehow in alphabetical order first, either by folder or naming convention, so when it processed the config the texture it wanted was already in memory. To make sure, I made an "Xpansion" folder inside the B9_Aerospace folder to place everything (loads after all else in B9), and all is smooth. You don't even need the dummy files. The system also doesn't deal well with texture names with "_" in them, but B9 only has 2 or 3 of those and I can use FS to get around that.

Though I do have one question. You talk about part replacements. Do you plan to actually replace (out with the old, in with the new) the originals or will you offer then side by side with the original (keep both new and old)?

There will be a specific sub-folder for all Squad replacements, and I'll have 2 separate downloads for that. The Knockout version will replace, the Supplement version will just add to.

For the wings, could it be possible to have bigger/wider wing without procedural thing ? Cause "stacking" stock wing connectors together makes bird likes wings .

I'll include a 3x3 structural wing per your request, as I had it made but the new joint strengthening made it mostly unnecessary. I kept the bigger wings at perfect 1.5m x 3m incremental scale (with only squared-off bounding boxes right inside the flat parts) so you can puzzle piece them together into any shape you want and they should still look ok. These aren't simple resizes, I actually went back in Blender for them. They may be a little off if you load them as a replacement into an existing save game, but the aircraft will still function, you'll just need to adjust them a little in the VAB.

Some of the meshes look slightly wonky though - but keep up the good work!

Two reasons, when I placed them in 2D to take pictures, they may get warped a little strangely by Blender. Also, some of them are just early models that were made when I had never touched a 3D modeling program before. I actually don't expect people to use every model, just keep the ones that appeal to you and delete the others. I tried to make a part for every niche I could think without over-spamming (I have a lot of failures and stuff that just didn't fit in my unity folders), but everyone has different ideas of what niches need filled.

[Helix935]

for the lack of a better word...

Wow

[TK421d]

O.o nice

while you're at it, want to know what would make me love you long time? fairings and decouplers for the S2 and H2 bodies...

[Mekan1k]

The shoutycraft Rotorwing system... I look forward to seeing how that works.

[Hellbrand]

I have a feeling you should make the mk.1 cockpit nose longer and more pointed .. it seems a little too blunt as it is now >_>

[KvickFlygarn87]

Looks neat, really B9-ish! Maybe have a whack at redistributing B9 with this? It is under CC, so you are free do redistribute it if you give credits and say what you've changed. Moar infoz here.

[OrbitusII]

A beautiful expansion for B9 Aerospace? Oh boy!

Seriously, these parts look amazing so I'll be sure to reinstall B9 when I get around to it. I've been kinda dissatisfied with the stock part looks (esp. the planes) so these replacements are going right into my game folders.

Will you be working on ModuleManager configs to make installation easy? I'm not too concerned with my abilities, but a simple MM config to switch out models would be very convenient. And heck, I have free time so I could put that file together for ya! (Although I should probably be working on Tweakable Wheels... )

[daxter]

Looking really good, can't wait! Thank you for making quite a few B9 fans real happy

A quick suggestion: consider doing replacements for the stock inline and shielded docking ports, maybe? I'm having daydreams of the B9 Mk2 nosecone opening to reveal a docking port...

Also, a MK2 to S2 adapter would be quite useful...

[PolecatEZ]

Looking really good, can't wait! Thank you for making quite a few B9 fans real happy

A quick suggestion: consider doing replacements for the stock inline and shielded docking ports, maybe? I'm having daydreams of the B9 Mk2 nosecone opening to reveal a docking port...

Also, a MK2 to S2 adapter would be quite useful...

I started experiments with docking ports already. The stock shielded one will get an extender of 2-3 meters and will be surface mounted...still probably squared though. The stock inline I've already almost completed, there will be a 2m 1.25 cargo bay with the first release, and I'm putting together the animation for a 1.5m long inline docking port based on that. I may also make a 3rd one with the nosecone idea, maybe flip the entire top of the cone down...or spread it like a giant claw.

I'll throw that other one on the list of adapters. Adapters are easy to make and look good, they're just very tedious work.

***general update***

I've finally muscled my way through all stock wings and ailerons, and I'm fairly happy with the results. I'll definitely revisit them later and retexture, but for now they look decent. The whole system builds like a giant puzzle, and after much cursing at Unity, the ailerons and canards actually rotate correctly in all situations.

Next steps are to re-export all the rotors/engines, odds and ends, and the cockpits that don't require custom internals (about half) and do an alpha release hopefully in the next 5-6 hours. 2 versions are planned:

Squad Knockout - Replaces select stock parts, and adds additional non-stock parts.

Supplemental - Adds different versions of stock parts to the catalog (doesn't replace anything) and adds additional non-stock parts.

The only requirements will be the original B9 download, module manager, and you should probably update your FireSpitter plugin. Some engine sounds are borrowed from Firespitter for now, so if you have full Firespitter installed you'll get everything sounding good, if not some parts will be silent. I have basic sound files for what I want, I just need to find a good sound editor to trim down the files before I include them.

There's no need to re-release B9 or include any actual files from B9 on my part. This is meant as an expansion, so when B9 is updated everything should work just fine.

[SpaceK531]

The 3D work looks great, but it looks like you have too many faces assigned to the same smoothing group, making those weird diagonal dark and light areas. Every face should have a smoothing group different from the adjacent ones, but curved faces should have the same smoothing group. It really goes a long way to make models look pretty!

[PolecatEZ]

I knew that was an issue, I just had no idea exactly how to call it so trying to look up how to fix it was fail. But now I know. You are now also responsible for a release delay while I apply this to some models

[SpaceK531]

That may be, but I think everyone can agree that it will be worth the wait.

[louiz347]

Hey man, your parts are amazing. I'm very excited for them, specially for the rotors!

Is there a chance that you can release a standalone version of it? Because I would like to use them, but I don't use B9, and I think that more people are in my situation.

You know, I used B9 a lot and will probably will use it again, but I would rather not have to install it just to use your parts.

But you know, just saying. Appreciate your work no matter what!