[Plugin] 747-Style Landing Gear (Advanced Animatronic Landing Gear plugin)

[OrbitusII]

Once again, I'm here with plugin stuff! May I present the Advanced Animatronic Landing Gear!

The Idea

-Because of the issues preventing my Tweakable Wheels mod from expanding into support for Firespitter and Stock landing gear (specifically steering), I decided to start work on my own Landing Gear module capable of recreating the incredible rear landing gear of the Boeing 747.

-I also wanted a landing gear module that was easy to set up in Unity, making it easier for people to develop parts that look awesome and function just as well.

-And finally, I wanted a landing gear module that is expansion-friendly, allowing for plugins like Tweakable Wheels to come in and improve the functionality.

Project Status

Development Halted

The plugin is usable in KSP, but due to a MASSIVE, unexpected bug, there is no more work that can be done until the issue is resolved.

Status Update Videos

Proof of Concept

Gear Deploy/Retract Completion

Rewrite, Prototype Gear Preview

When will this be released?

No idea, unless we can figure out the huge underlying issues with WheelColliders on the runway, it's likely that AALG will never be released.

What Features Will be Included?

The whole feature set remains to be decided, but what I plan to implement are as follows:

-Animated Landing Gear Suspension (like a 747's)

-Modder-friendly configuration. That means a set of part tools for use in Unity to not only accelerate setup, but also virtually eliminate config file writing!

-Tweakables for Braking and Steering, like those seen in Tweakable Wheels

-Expansion friendliness, allowing for plugins like Tweakable Wheels that improve functionality

Contributors

OrbitusII - Plugin Author and Head Developer

Capt. Kipard - Prototype Landing Gear Model

lo-fi - Code Consultant

How Can I Help?

If you're familiar with writing plugins for KSP, configuring parts, or even good at testing for bugs, I need your help! Due to a HUGE bug caused by the landing gear interacting with the runway and launchpad at KSC, wherein the wheels get rooted to their positions on the runway, the plugin cannot be fully released. Both lo-fi and myself have done some pretty intense testing and neither of us have been able to figure out what's causing the bug.

If you want to check it out, download the files here and be sure to report anything you may discover here on this thread!

Feedback

Feedback is always welcome! Post your criticisms, feature requests, and any questions you have!

<OLD> Proof of Concept Package (For Unity3D)

Edited August 10, 2014 by OrbitusII
Updated Status, Publicized Source

[MaverickSawyer]

I'm going to watch this with great interest. If this works out the way you plan, it'll be a massive leap forwards.

[OrbitusII]

I'm going to watch this with great interest. If this works out the way you plan, it'll be a massive leap forwards.

Thanks! Good to have some support this early!

I'll be developing it on my stream some more tonight at twitch.tv/orbitusii of course. Hopefully we'll get some more of the necessary functions done before turning it into a KSP plugin.

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

Very interested in seeing how this goes, always looking for new wheel control modules to play with and use in my many experimental vehicles and suspension setups , there can never be too many, good luck making a unity reality a KSP one.

[CaptainKipard]

Have you thought about animating the axle beam when the gear is being retracted? This would be perfect for my mod, but I would need some way of determining the position of the wheels so they fit properly in the gear bay.

edit

Also there's a growing number of different animation plugins on these forums. Maybe it's a good idea to merge them all into one.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[OrbitusII]

Have you thought about animating the axle beam when the gear is being retracted? This would be perfect for my mod, but I would need some way of determining the position of the wheels so they fit properly in the gear bay.

Actually, yes! Something like that would be easy to implement and set up, just bundle it with the retract/deploy animation. (Although it may play out differently in the end)

Edit:

Also there's a growing number of different animation plugins on these forums. Maybe it's a good idea to merge them all into one.

I agree that there are a lot of animation modules, but each one brings different things to the table and so I kinda like having the variety. We'll see how things play out in the future I suppose.

Edited August 6, 2014 by OrbitusII

[Voculus]

This is going to be great!

[CaptainKipard]

Actually, yes! Something like that would be easy to implement and set up, just bundle it with the retract/deploy animation. (Although it may play out differently in the end)

Maybe have a simple setting that tells the plugin the angle of the axle beam object to move towards when the gear is retracting, and the speed or time needed for the axle beam to move.

[Wanderfound]

Very keen to see this; the stock gear is inadequate for large cargo planes. A larger and stronger set of gear would be very useful.

[OrbitusII]

Maybe have a simple setting that tells the plugin the angle of the axle beam object to move towards when the gear is retracting, and the speed or time needed for the axle beam to move.

Sure! I was thinking that animations would provide more control but it would likely end up being more problematic than helpful.

[admiral9347]

always wanted a mod based on these very good looking landing gear. great work!

[OrbitusII]

Developing more stuff tonight (Link). Should get deploying/retracting done!

[CaptainKipard]

I don't know if you're still seeing this, but I don't have a twitch account and I need to tell you that you should speak more. I have no idea what's going on in that stream.

[OrbitusII]

I don't know if you're still seeing this, but I don't have a twitch account and I need to tell you that you should speak more. I have no idea what's going on in that stream.

Ah, sorry about that. I'm not totally used to talking a lot on stream so I talk when I try to explain what I do. Oh, the curses of being an introvert...

Anyways, got landing gear deployment pretty much done! Still gotta get your bit of feedback done, Capt, but that'll be easy stuff to do. I'll highlight and upload the stream to Youtube tomorrow.

Edited August 6, 2014 by OrbitusII

[CaptainKipard]

I saw someone recommending in the chat that you create models for your plugin before coding, and your OP says you'll need some models. Would you like me to create a test model for you?

[OrbitusII]

I saw someone recommending in the chat that you create models for your plugin before coding, and your OP says you'll need some models. Would you like me to create a test model for you?

Sure! I'll send you a PM with the design constraints when I get the chance today.

[nli2work]

what aspects does the plugin add to stock Wheel module? The "weight" effect of the wheels "drooping" toward the ground? the offset WheelCollider? Super cool looking plugin!

[OrbitusII]

what aspects does the plugin add to stock Wheel module? The "weight" effect of the wheels "drooping" toward the ground? the offset WheelCollider? Super cool looking plugin!

This isn't so much an expansion if the stock landing gear as it is a complete rewrite, but it adds support for more complicated gear "physics," i.e. animated gear compression. That's a good way of looking at it though.

Edit: one thing I am planning on doing vastly differently from stock gear is reducing the spring constant. Stock gear (and firespitter) are effectively rated for 100+ ton crafts, since if you look at them when landing there is virtually no compression. IRL, the purpose of landing gear is to soften landings and support the craft when it is on the ground. If the gear don't compress at all, the full force of the landing impact is transmitted to the hull, potentially damaging critical structural components.

Edited August 6, 2014 by OrbitusII

[nli2work]

This isn't so much an expansion if the stock landing gear as it is a complete rewrite, but it adds support for more complicated gear "physics," i.e. animated gear compression. That's a good way of looking at it though.

so stock Wheel Module doesn't allow offset Wheel collider? center of Wheel Collider must be at same position as Wheel mesh it spins?

[OrbitusII]

so stock Wheel Module doesn't allow offset Wheel collider? center of Wheel Collider must be at same position as Wheel mesh it spins?

Oh, you mean the visual mesh offset from the wheelcollider's center. The meshes are already offset vertically, this just adds the ability to make the gear appear to operate in more complex ways, like how the 747's rear gear pivot.

[Gaalidas]

I could see this being useful even in non-wheeled landing supports if the surface touching the ground can support the craft when the craft is not matching the angle of the ground. This could help in creating landing systems that can support a craft that wishes to remain level on a non-level surface, such as the crafts that we use to create off-world bases where flat-landscape is hard to find, especially when you don't know what the final size of your base is going to be when completed.

But... I'm probably explaining my vision really poorly and I tend to expand on my vision while I type. Because of this, my idea has changed drastically during the few seconds I took to type this up. That's the price of having such a strangely wired brain.

I suppose this all depends on whether this is just an expansion of the animation, or if the plan is for the wheels to match the angle of the surface they are resting on no matter what angle the craft is set at (within reason of course).

[OrbitusII]

I could see this being useful even in non-wheeled landing supports if the surface touching the ground can support the craft when the craft is not matching the angle of the ground. This could help in creating landing systems that can support a craft that wishes to remain level on a non-level surface, such as the crafts that we use to create off-world bases where flat-landscape is hard to find, especially when you don't know what the final size of your base is going to be when completed.

But... I'm probably explaining my vision really poorly and I tend to expand on my vision while I type. Because of this, my idea has changed drastically during the few seconds I took to type this up. That's the price of having such a strangely wired brain.

I suppose this all depends on whether this is just an expansion of the animation, or if the plan is for the wheels to match the angle of the surface they are resting on no matter what angle the craft is set at (within reason of course).

I think I understand what you mean... This might be good for a base-leveling system to make things face straight up even when the ground doesn't.

While that would be cool, and I'll consider it for later, such functionality is unfortunately out of the scope of AALG at this time since it's focusing on aircraft landing gear and not base construction. Don't worry, I'll keep this in mind for when I do expand into that area.

[CaptainKipard]

Edit: one thing I am planning on doing vastly differently from stock gear is reducing the spring constant.

Why are you making it a constant? Shouldn't it be a variable for modders?

[OrbitusII]

Why are you making it a constant? Shouldn't it be a variable for modders?

All the spring constant is is the amount of force stored in a spring when it is stretched or compressed. If the spring constant is higher, it takes more force to stretch or compress the spring. In Unity, the spring constant for a wheel collider is stored in the "SuspensionSpring" variable, so it can be changed to be higher or lower depending on the needs of that collider.

In the case of the stock landing gear, their spring constant is so high that the landing gear don't compress enough to be useful as shock absorbers. All I'll be doing is keeping that value lower on the 747 landing gear so that the gear compress and absorb some of the impact. It will still be a variable that can be set when configuring the gear in Unity though.

Edited August 7, 2014 by OrbitusII

[OrbitusII]

Update:

Finally got the highlight from a couple days ago uploaded to Youtube, here it is!

I've got some work to do in terms of reworking some of how the visual suspension operates. After my trouble setting up Capt. Kipard's prototype gear I realized that how I'm handling bogie position is not quite right and needs to be fixed. Working on it right now to fix that issue.