Docking ports and 'control from here'

[artwhaley]

I'm trying to make two parts that each have an inline docking port on their side, in addition to top and bottom attach points. One of the parts is a fuel tank... the other is a command pod.

I've tried out the fuel tank... adding a dockingNode to the part in Unity with the blue axis pointing out towards space from the docking port, and adding

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleDockingNode
	nodeType = size0	
	controlTransformName = dockingNode
}

to the .cfg file. The docking port works... but right clicking and selecting 'control from here' doesn't reorient the navball or the linear rcs controls to match up to the port. Is there an extra step for this I'm missing?

And... to make matters even more complicated... I want to do this with a command pod next - adding an integrated inline docking port that ISN'T along with the main control axis of the ship. Is there any way for one part to have the option to control from two different orientations?

Thanks in advance!

Art

[NathanKell]

Does control from here work correctly for the stock linear port?

[artwhaley]

Good question. I just checked it on the same install I'm using for development - yes the stock inline docking port does work correctly.

[NathanKell]

Well, that's good; I was worried it was using the part transform...

[artwhaley]

I finally got this working and wanted to post the details back here in case anyone else comes along with the same problem!

I took a look at the code for the inline docking port in Spaceplane Plus and saw that there were two nodes - nodeTransformName , and controlTransformName - being defined.

So I created another empty game object in unity at the same location as my docking port node and did some tinkering. I don't pretend to know why the stock lateral docking port only needs one node in the cfg file to work correctly, but what I did to get mine working right is :

1. created a node named dockingNode located on the surface of my docking port , in the exact center of the ring, with the blue+ axis (in unity) pointed out in the direction that a docking ship would be.

2. created a node named controlNode in the exact same spot but with the green+ axis pointing out towards the docking ship (parallel to the blue+ axis of the docking Node).

3. put the following in my .cfg file:

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleDockingNode
	nodeType = size0	
	nodeTransformName = dockingNode
	controlTransformName = controlNode


}

And now it just works!

[NathanKell]

Ah, nice to know! You should write a mini-tutorial and get it added to the Compilation of Modding info, since that seems like the kind of obscure info that should be preserved.

[CaptainKipard]

@artwhaley

If you wrote a little tutorial showing where this transform is necessary, and where it's not, that would be greatly appreciated.

[artwhaley]

I finally got around to making it into a step-by-step little tutorial! Thanks for the suggestion guys!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/94742-Control-From-Here-MiniTutorial-on-making-a-docking-po?p=1437791#post1437791