[PLUGIN, PARTS 14.0+] MultiJointPart Framework 0.4.1

[Alexander.O]

Will you marry me?

[SmiteZero]

Thank-you! Utoob users are jerks!

[pina_coladas]

Both parts are greyed out and their descriptions say they are not available in this version of KSP. I\'m running 0.14.1 of course. Other plugins are working atm.

e: Oh I\'ve got it; your zip archive has a folder named Plugin instead of Plugins. Moved the file to the proper folder and everything\'s fine.

[NovaSilisko]

Well, with this new update to the first post you have proved your superiority

[Lord Strange]

Well, with this new update to the first post you have proved your superiority

Fight back! We need competition and collaboration by our best modders and coders! It may be you have a better implementation of even one part of this functionality?

[semininja]

Now all we need is for someone to code extendable parts and we can have every type of lander leg!

[Blinkin]

He already made a new type lander leg.

[semininja]

I know, I meant a telescoping lander leg, like the \'lander peg\' from CaptainSlug\'s Assorted Hardware could be.

[Blinkin]

Oooh that would be nice!

[rkman]

legs.... walkers.

[okbillybunnyface]

legs.... walkers.

We can make an AT-ST or an AT-AT O_O

[semininja]

If I might make two minor requests, could you name the \Plugin\ folder \Plugins\ instead, and put the Blender stuff in with the source code? It makes for easier extraction for lazy people like me

[trbinsc]

Do you think you could set a toggle key in the cfg instead of relying on the lander leg key?

[togfox]

Fight back!

lol - yeah Nova. Raise the bar and be even more awesome. 8)

@OP: Nice job!

[sarkun]

Progress update:

Well, I\'ve fixed the the individual time setting per part.

I\'ve also worked on persistance and so far produced two versions of the plugin:

1) one that is persistent but will glitch the hell out of the vab if symmetry is applied to the part

2) and one that seems ok in all accounts, but somehows prevents the loading of the crew for the vessel, and worse, staging sequence.

generally - the collider-less solar panels work very good. The lander legs... not so much.

Fight back! We need competition and collaboration by our best modders and coders! It may be you have a better implementation of even one part of this functionality?

No! Go Away! These are miiiine! Miiiiiine! My preciousssssss...

If I might make two minor requests, could you name the \Plugin\ folder \Plugins\ instead, and put the Blender stuff in with the source code? It makes for easier extraction for lazy people like me

Plugin -> Plugins, got it. I\'m not sure what is the official forum standard for plugin release is?

Do you think you could set a toggle key in the cfg instead of relying on the lander leg key?

Will happen.

Now all we need is for someone to code extendable parts and we can have every type of lander leg!

Applying movement transformation is probably even easier than rotations. I\'d try that, but I\'ve got only so little time...

[semininja]

Plugin -> Plugins, got it. I\'m not sure what is the official forum standard for plugin release is?

I don\'t think there\'s an official standard for folder structure, but I put up this suggestion.

[CAPFlyer]

Actually, there is an official file structure - the one in the game. The game looks for plugins in the 'Plugins' folder. Thus, if you\'re going to have a folder that you put your plugins into, it should be named 'Plugins' just as if you put all your parts in a folder, it should be named 'Parts'. When you release an addon, you use the file structure the same as it is in the game for the game files. Any additional files (documentation, sources, etc) are the only thing that any 'community' would need to agree on if there was a decision to do so.

[sarkun]

Aaaand Update!

Fixed the code that allows different time fore each arm. Parts are now persistent - they should resume deployed, if they were left deployed. Renamed the folder to Plugins, fixed a typo in the config files (its CollidersPresenceS - double l - now).

Also added different deployment methods - you can set it to deploy as landing gear (parts will assume the landing gear icon too!), set it to deploy on activate or specify a separate key to deploy/retract the part. You may of course combine any of those options.

Next - multiple rotation axes

Note - if you open the debug console in the VAB you\'ll notice the parts scream bloody murder and report all sorts of problems when they get copied by symmetry. Apparently they are created differently (I see you, onCopy method!) when symmetrified. You may ignore that - parts are recreated on flight scene correctly.

[sarkun]

Someone mentioned extending lander legs. Meh, that\'s boring. How about legs that have some parts extending while other parts rotate? And you can set the rotation/extension of each part separately? Well, I thought it might be a cool idea:

http://youtu.be/KU098J0qWVg

So... yes. That works. Also - I can now assign different rotation axis to any rotating part via cfg file. And also parts adjust their drag when deploying/retracting, so you can create solar panels that will not survive reentry and must be folded during ascent. Pretty cool

I\'ve gotta clean up the code a little, and the cfg file has undergone severe changes so I\'ll do a release when I get things organized again.

I\'m hitting the limitations of the current cfg parser right now, so I\'m thinking about what should I do next... my own parser, or \'Active\' parts - I thought about solar panels that try to orient themselves towards the sun automatically, or an antenna that rotates to point at KSC... or other vessels.

[madmat]

Now that\'s just SEXY!!I\'ll be downloading these when they\'re ready.

[dantheman]

VERY nice. I am currently making a communications satellite network with your solar panels. Eventually I am going to have to model up a communications dish that is deployable with this.

[rillz]

great work so far, i cant wait to see how this all cam be implemented in future versions of ksp. On another note wouldn\'t it be easier to adapt the parachute code for a solar sail rather than attempting it through translation/rotation? nd one other ? what do you think of c# as opposed to c++ i haven\'t tried anything in it yet?

[sarkun]

great work so far, i cant wait to see how this all cam be implemented in future versions of ksp. On another note wouldn\'t it be easier to adapt the parachute code for a solar sail rather than attempting it through translation/rotation? nd one other ? what do you think of c# as opposed to c++ i haven\'t tried anything in it yet?

Parachutes have the annoying code that makes them move in respect to velocity vector, disappear when crafts stop etc etc. All in all, I found it easier to do it from ground up.

C#... I\'ve been writing code in it for less than a week so I\'m not really qualified to answer that. There are some cool features, some annoying ones (WHY THE HELL IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FIELD AND PROPERTY?! Why so limited preprocessor?) - generally it doesn\'t look like I\'ll be liking it very much - it\'s too much like Java, I\'m more C / Obj-C kind of guy.

EDIT:

Update! Download in the first post.

Major changes: multiple rotation axes support, moving (ie, not rotating but translating) arms possible, drag adjustment for deployed/retracted state, cleaner code (no more errors in VAB). I\'ve also redid the solar panels models in the parts - there are now 3 separate (3, 6, 9 pack) with much nicer textures and slightly better model.

[Rocketscienist]

It is really cool !!

Near Features maybe:

Energy producing Panels

Round Solar Panels

extractable Antennas

...

[semininja]

Is there a reason the Blender files are in with the pack release, rather than with the source?