[1.0.x] [V1.9f] Kerbal Foundries wheels, anti-grav repulsors and tracks

[Horus]

Horus, I can't replicate that. Which set of tracks are you using?

I can replicate it with any tracks set.

UPD: the reason for this is still the same - initial part orientation.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Horus

[Gaalidas]

Heck, I'd use that track too. I was always annoyed at how LLL parts were supposed to go well with the track, but none of the tracks seemed to fit the parts well, just sorta-okay.

Ha! I'm right there with you, buddy! In fact, the approach I'm taking is building the most ridiculously oversized SSTO concievable (already did a stupidly huge one with the S. S. MOTHER OF GOD! using B9 5.0 HX parts) and since there's really no viable landing gear solution for something so gargantuan, I'm going with a massive array of repulsors. I will definitely post if I'm successful.

I must say, even without a picture, I really love that name for a craft. It just fits so well with those HX parts.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Gaalidas

[oniontrain]

I voted for tracks, mainly because I used the old ones a lot. The little triangle ones and the tall medium sized ones especially. I just really like tracks.

If you're looking for some more off the wall ideas, check this out

[QuantumX]

as you asked, i voted for tracks because they are cool, but more so because they are far more stable and functional in low gravity.

If i had a second vote i would have asked for rover bodies because they is zero dedicated rover bodies in any part packs, except for thinng like trucks etc.. which is not kerbaltastic in my view.

[Robotengineer]

I voted for something completely different. I don't have anything in mind. I just hope its awesome

[Gaalidas]

I voted for tracks, mainly because I used the old ones a lot. The little triangle ones and the tall medium sized ones especially. I just really like tracks.

If you're looking for some more off the wall ideas, check this out

I got rather hooked on the videos that it suggested I watch after that one too. they've got a hub-less wheel for a bicycle, several variations on the screw-wheel, and a sweet form of snowmobile that's basically a track with a set of handle-bars on the back. I didn't watch all of them, but I saw a few pictures of a motorcycle with only one wheel on the bottom and a prototype hover-board. why have I never seen this stuff before? Has nothing to do with having my nose stuck to a KSP monitor. Gotta be something else, surely.

[jonrd463]

I must say, even without a picture, I really love that name for a craft. It just fits so well with those HX parts.

I'm trying to come up with a name for whatever beast I whip up with the HX4 parts. So far, I'm torn between the S.S. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! and S.S. SWEET MERCIFUL CHRIST!

[lo-fi]

Thanks guys. Really busy IRL and a bit under the weather this week, so not getting much done. There is some good news, though. I've heard back from the RBI crew, they're trying to hunt down the smaller track models for me. Fingers crossed

That screw drive goes right on the idea shortlist! Was one of the best Scrapheap Challenges ever when they made a marine version, I was gutted they broke it in the race. The best thing is, I believe the track plugin can run the screw drive with hardly any modification! Going to be brilliant fun setting that up.

Any other whacky suggestions?

Mentioning snowmobil, maybe a little track unit designed to be centre mounted might be cool.

[Damaske]

Mentioning snowmobil, maybe a little track unit designed to be center mounted might be cool.

Oh boy! I can already picture a track unit that is center mounted, Maybe make it in such a way that the upper part is a box like shape and the track moves out of the bottom and the attachment node is on the center of the case that holds the track and drive unit.

Also I have been experimenting with the anti-grav repulsors and have one heck of a monster. I am working out the little bugs here and there, But Its base as a modded 36X1 LLL Hull piece that I made. It uses 24 seperate pads in groups of four on each corner and then the middle. I am having troubles with slowing down such a MASSIVE craft. Its around 120 tons full loaded, and uses RCS for some steering when the B.Dynamics - Vectoring engines are not pushing the craft forward, and uses 6 KAS wrenches with anchors. However I may have to find something else as I had an anchor bounce into an Engine and destroy it about 100km away and it took me an hour to get out there and land. So I am going to find out how to make the engines KAS attachable and send a repair craft out the to get a Kerbal to replace the missing engine.

[lo-fi]

That sounds amazing! Looking forward to some pictures of that beast too.

That's kind of what I had in mind for the uni-track. There was also a really cool bending uni-track bike thing I saw ages ago. It steered by having the flexible track actually bend left and right, which I always thought was pretty cool.

I hope Squad fix the bug with skinned meshes which makes the editor preview icon tiny if they're used in a part (tracks are animated this way). Starting to annoy me that all the tracks appear blank!

[lascupa0788]

The Screws sound fun, but you know what would be great? Two things, actually. The first would be a single-track with sidemounted wheels module, similar to the OTL Vezdekhod's system. The central track is for speed and the wheels turning; the turning circle would be pretty bad, but it's still a very neat thing. The other, if it's possible within the code, would be a track which can be switched via action group or what have you into wheels. An OTL example would be the Soviet Christie suspension, which allowed one to

remove the tracks and use the vehicle on the road as if it were a car.

[lo-fi]

I don't think the first is feasible without major code re-write, though you could probably recreate with parts anyway. The removable track would not be impossible, though. I've been playing around with dynamic parts, primarily to enable asymmetry in parts, but the concept works very well and can be extended to lots of things. I'm working on some armoured sides for the tracks that you'll be able to switch on and off in the SPH. Just a silly detail really, but I thought it would be a nice touch.

Anyway, I got bored and dragged myself out of bed. Using my mirror and track modules, I created this as a proof of concept:

Note that the screws are a mirror image of one-another across the lateral plane. Not something that's usually possible I used my mirror plugin:

Parts have to be specially constructed (it will do nothing unless they are), but it's not hard to set up, very effective and enables much more freedom of design.

[ZodiusInfuser]

I don't think the first is feasible without major code re-write, though you could probably recreate with parts anyway. The removable track would not be impossible, though. I've been playing around with dynamic parts, primarily to enable asymmetry in parts, but the concept works very well and can be extended to lots of things. I'm working on some armoured sides for the tracks that you'll be able to switch on and off in the SPH. Just a silly detail really, but I thought it would be a nice touch.

Anyway, I got bored and dragged myself out of bed. Using my mirror and track modules, I created this as a proof of concept:

http://youtu.be/ITGIEKhVIo0

Note that the screws are a mirror image of one-another across the lateral plane. Not something that's usually possible I used my mirror plugin:

Parts have to be specially constructed (it will do nothing unless they are), but it's not hard to set up, very effective and enables much more freedom of design.

Does this mean I can start playing around with my mecanum wheel concept, or is extra control still needed for omni-directional movement?

[lo-fi]

I had a weather eye on that while I was making this, its not a million miles away. I cant make the stock wheel module play nicely with the mirror, but a re-hash of the track code will easily drive a wheel and works fine with the mirror plugin. I'll strip out the code that drives the track texture rotation and issue a plugin when I get a few minutes, but as you've guessed, it will still need some work to drive the wheelcollider rotations for sideways movement and steering. That being said, I think I know how to do it.

Foldatrons looking great, by the way

Edited August 28, 2014 by lo-fi

[Gaalidas]

I can't believe you already got a demo for a screw-thingie. Okay, that just sounds wrong...

Looks awesome though...

Okay, now everything I say sounds horribly wrong... I'm just going to stop now.

[Gaalidas]

Also I have been experimenting with the anti-grav repulsors and have one heck of a monster. I am working out the little bugs here and there, But Its base as a modded 36X1 LLL Hull piece that I made. It uses 24 seperate pads in groups of four on each corner and then the middle. I am having troubles with slowing down such a MASSIVE craft. Its around 120 tons full loaded, and uses RCS for some steering when the B.Dynamics - Vectoring engines are not pushing the craft forward, and uses 6 KAS wrenches with anchors. However I may have to find something else as I had an anchor bounce into an Engine and destroy it about 100km away and it took me an hour to get out there and land. So I am going to find out how to make the engines KAS attachable and send a repair craft out the to get a Kerbal to replace the missing engine.

That anchor problem is something I predicted a while back. I figured it would either snap back at you or it would rip part of your craft off along with the winch. Either way, though, it would stop you pretty well, and quite permanently.

[lo-fi]

I can't believe you already got a demo for a screw-thingie. Okay, that just sounds wrong...

Looks awesome though...

Okay, now everything I say sounds horribly wrong... I'm just going to stop now.

Haha. Well, I had a pretty good idea how to do it before I even fired up the pc. I had to add a few lines to the track code and I've had the mirror stuff working for some time. Now its just a case of finishing the model really, though I also need to add rolling resistance as a final touch.

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

Cant wait to get my hands on the mirror stuff, got at least half a dozens little projects that have been missing just that very thing.. Could the screws be made to work on water? That'd be a great alternative propulsion method for big stuff.

As i've already expressed a preference for wheels you'll not be suprised that I've only just really given the tracks a good going over, I have to say that a real good simulation of a rubber track, my only reservation is that they seem a bit dead, rather like dozer (rough ride)rather than snowcat( smooth ride ) which of course was the benefit of the christie suspension mentioned earlier in the thread. , I see you're still tweaking the spring rates and damping , give the smaller ones a bit more suspension than the big ones if you can , real nice work as usual.

Cheers

Spanner

Edited August 28, 2014 by SpannerMonkey(smce)

[Horus]

Those screws are ker***ing awesome!!! Do they have a floating possibility with propelling torque in water? ) Yes, I'm all into moving on/over/in water ) The "rover" with these screws would be just perfect for Laythe.

[lo-fi]

Thanks:) I'll get you the mirror plugin once I've got the finer points nailed, spanner. Doesn't work with most stock modules, sadly, but my alternatives are pretty much ready.

I had a play about in the water last night and found the stock buoyancy stuff is totally inadequate. I think I can tweak the repulsor dynamic collider plugin to get this working, though. Would be a shame not to have them working on water.

[Horus]

Here's for inspiration )

[Haifi]

Haha, look at these... Kind of - tracks with float-bodies. Impressive what ppl can come up with if you put them into rough terrain.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Haifi

[Gaalidas]

That's just funky...

And yet... highly effective.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Gaalidas

[JDCollie]

Hooooly crap. I am hugely impressed with the performance of these tracks man. Way better than the originals. Excellent job!

[Kenobi McCormick]

Neat! Tracks! I love me a good tracked vehicle.

In regards to the poll, here's what I want to see:

More tracks. In lots of variants. Im' thinking:

Slow, high traction, suspensionless units ala bulldozers. No real weight limit but they're scarcely able to outrun continental drift.

Medium capacity, Medium speed, suspended. Think M4 Sherman or Panzer IV tracks. Good for light-ish kethane rovers and the like. Good and mobile, one pair can support up to 30 tons or so.

Heavy, medium speed, suspended: Think Tiger, Panzer V, IS-2, KV-2. Still tank tracks, bit slower that hte above set but a pair can handle up to 60 tons just fine.

Light, high speed, Suspended. Think M3/5 Stuart tracks. Weight limit of about 10 tons or so but they'll rip along at almost freeway speeds.

Heavy, high Speed, Suspended: Cheat part. Tracks off a modern MBT(M1A2 Abrams, Leo2A6, Challenger II, JGSDF Type 10, Russian T-90, etc). 60 ton weight limit, blisteringly fast. Overpowered cheat part that people can use for screwing around and making tank replicas. Also, I suppose, if you want your kethane refinery to get a speeding ticket.

Feather-duty, Suspended: Think the sort of thing you'd put on a racing quadbike-turned-tracked-vehicle. Weight limit of, say, 2-3 tons, but fast. Could be used for half tracks as well.

Extreme Duty: NASA CRawler Transporter tracks, basically. Not sure what use these would be, or even how you'd get the bloody things off world, but hey.