KerbinSide Contributions Corner

[AlphaAsh]

Since I forgot to reserve the second post in the KerbinSide thread, I'm creating this thread to post submission guidelines to link to and to allow discussion of contributions to KerbinSide without cluttering up the release thread.

[AlphaAsh]

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

OPTIMISATION

Try to have no more than 8 materials in a model.

All meshes that share a material should be one mesh as much as is sensible. There's lots of ways to make this happen, including scripts you can attach and run in Unity. I paid $5 for one. Optimising a model in your modelling package before-hand is still advised. And even with scripts it still takes a lot of time to properly optimise a complex model. Be careful of over-optimisation - you may b0rk your meshes and colliders. Back-up before any optimisation. "Measure twice, cut once." Check the integrity of your model. Roll back if you b0rk it.

MERGING MODELS IN A UNITY SCENE

This is fiddly because of the lack of flat terrain on Kerbin but it is a really good way of creating a 'base' with more than one model. It will also make optimising even more effective. Try as much as possible to merge models into a single Unity scene. Flick back and forth between using KerbTown in KSP and Unity. Create some single material low-poly 'foundations' to mount your models on to help with merging into terrain.

TEXTURING

Unlike with part models, you don't need to use UV maps for 'statics'. You can if you want to. You can use texture atlases if you want to. The more materials you have the more likely you'll want to use a UV map or atlas. You can, however, use a single texture per material.

You do, however, want to try and re-use the textures I've already used in Kerbin-Side. I'll happy accept up to three new textures with each submission. There's no limit on how many UV maps and atlases I'll accept, as long as there's an actual benefit to them over individual material textures used in Kerbin-Side. If you use texture atlases, try sharing them over all your models as much as possible.

UV maps and texture atlases can be up to 1024x1024. Individual material textures shouldn't really be more than 128x128 unless they have a lot of important detail on them. Then 256x256 is fine. Just don't have too many of these. One 512x512 texture per model is a good limit.

I am currently switching over a lot of the textures used in Kerbin-Side to more 'Squad/Stock' -alike looking textures. Like what you see at KSC. http://www.kashcorp.co.uk/KSCTextures.zip

They're 'screenshot rips' so you can improve on them if you wish. Just share if you do

COLLIDERS AND TESTING

Get your models to a stage where you can actually place them in your game with KerbTown and test them. Make sure there are no graphical issues, that your geometry is sound and stable and very importantly, your colliders ALL WORK. Long edges will result in holes in the colliders. Cut the model up more. Open geometry colliders (flat ones with only two dimensions) will rarely work correctly. Close your geometry. That usually means nearly 4x more polys in your model where your faces have to be given a 'depth' but that's not such an issue with performance as you'd think.

SUBMISSION FORMAT

Include the following in a zip in a folder structure mirroring that of your development environment:

• Unity Scene.
  
• Materials.
  
• Textures. Yes, even if they're already in KerbinSide (which most of them should be).
  
• The model, preferably in FBX format.
  
• KerbTown set-up. So 'deliver' your work as an mu, with textures and a KerbTown cfg with a SINGLE instance of where you'd like your model to be on Kerbin. No off-planet stuff thanks. This is Kerbin-Side.
  
• Anything else I forgot in this list that you know I need.
  

Zips please. None of this fangled 7zzzzz or RAR! stuff, thanks. Host somewhere private, PM me a link and say something nice about me. Okay, that second part's optional.

And virus scan it your end before you upload it. I'll do the same my end.

Edited August 11, 2014 by AlphaAsh

[JaffaFediration]

wow, this place i quiet

- - - Updated - - -

You better bake the link bigger cause I know that there are people who would have the skills to help.

[Jaffa Cookie]

I'd like to help and can but i'm confused.

[Gaalidas]

Wow, this is an old thread that's found its way back to the surface.

[JaffaFediration]

I return with experience and understanding of how to make mods. But could you please make some sort of video guide on how to make statics for Kerbin Side?

[kangaroojoey]

so I understand pretty much everthing else but how do you create spawn points for launch pads in unity and how do you put the models on the planet?

 

[Vanamonde]

This is a very old thread, @kangaroojoey, and unlikely to receive an answer. I suggest you make a thread of your own for this question.