[0.16 ish] The Truss Pack - Rugged parts for any eventuality! *2.0 NEARING RELEASE!*

[Lazurkri]

*Sadface* I think this packs dead..... a pity, I was hoping I'd be using the parts for building Mun bases, but without being updated, I can't use the command pod....

[Kreuzung]

You can use old command pods, they hold no crew, but they have the advantage of working together with an unmanned crew tank.

I use that to send up unmanned stations then crew them with other ships.

[Sherbetlemons]

Well, I can see why you might have thought it was dead, but it isn't! progress has been slow, but it hasn't stopped. The pack is being worked on, but not quite at the pace it once was. At the moment I'm fiddling with the new model import method, through unity etc, which is where I'm getting caught up. But to prove I haven't been twiddling my thumbs, here's a render of the latest version of the basic 'Truss Link';

[Audiopulse]

Just rediscovered your pack and im very glad you didnt cancel it. Its looks are just perfect for space- and mun-stations. Keep it up!

[colmo]

Crew hatches and capacity should be near the top of your To Do list. This pack lends itself very well to EVA scenarios, so good idea to maximise that.

[Lazurkri]

Yay!!!!!! It's not dead, Yay!

[gabmaia]

Great to see this pack is being worked on! It's the best parts pack since NovaPunch (maybe even better!!)

And I have a suggestion!! Trussed cargo parts that open in two (e.g. The covers in Soyuz last stage)!! It would be great in conjunction with the RC mode to launch small crafts from huge stations!!

[Sherbetlemons]

*Googles 'Soyuz final stage'*

Hmmm, I was thinking of doing enclosed cargo bays, with opening doors, but they were going to be more like racks with covers... There will hopefully be cargo parts, for you to stash away your landers and whatnot.

As for hatch/airlock parts, I was going to do a hatch as a radial attachment; while the kerbals would be 'inside' the hatch part, I think it would look the best. Plus, you would have a lot more freedom with placement.

Thanks for the suggestions!

The airlocks will probably be the first thing I do after getting the basic bits of strut and such done. Also, as some of the new stock parts are a little bigger, I was thinking about doing a 3m diam truss set, to go with the 0.5m, 1m and 2m I'm redoing. Thoughts?

EDIT: forgot to say, I've got the unity importer figured out now, so I've got parts in game. Screens coming soon!

[Audiopulse]

Yeah. So. Ill just wait and sit here, staring at this screen until you upload those images.

dont get me waiting!

[Sherbetlemons]

Something's odd with the shaders, but there's two parts...

[Capt'n Skunky]

You might want to consider hoping in the KSP IRC channel. There's a lot of modders there and I'm sure one would be able to help you figure out that shader issue.

Cheers!

Capt'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[sal_vager]

Sherbertlemons, It's #kspofficial in case you don't know

[Sherbetlemons]

Thanks, I'll drop in sometime!

[Sherbetlemons]

Shader problem resolved (Thanks to DYJ, that Edge Split is some powerful JuJu!)

Still a few glitches, but I think from the narrow beams. Anyhoo, there's the three parts I've done so far.

[iffy]

Keep up the great work!

I use your parts in pretty much everything I build

[willow]

Iffy, you've got some sweet looking contraptions there!

[Sherbetlemons]

Those kerbals might be stuck on the dark side of the Mun, but they're well equipped! Especially like the larger rover. Looks... complicated :L

[gabmaia]

Awsome!!!!Where did you got the lights and round crew-tankish things? Plus where is the engine?

[iffy]

Thanks! You don't know the many hours, the failed launches, the unstable fifteenth stages, and all those poor kerbals of course...

The big rover is the MSSEV mk21. It used to have active suspension and stuff using the robotics plugin, 40 tons on landing! haha

but that mod doesn't work very well in 0.16 so many rebuilds later it looks that.

Here's an old 0.15 screen from back in the day:

The newer one ditched its landing stage- I think you can guess the rest of the landing maneuver (Hold W--->then jettison engines!)

It worked just as well as Curiosity so there.

If it's hard to see, the engines are the OMS ones from the tiberdyne pack. They're nice and sleek and low profile.

The little science rover landed like this if you're interested:

...Eh, it works.

Here it is taking it's first Munar regolith sample:

The lights are the AO or OA floodlights, do a search it should dig them up. I tweaked the CFG a bit (intensity/distance cut by half and made them zero mass to avoid lag.- recommended)

The windows I've attached for you guys- It really adds a homely feel.

They're a hack of the Bigtrak headlight, so many thanks to chickenplucker and tosh for the parts/plugin. The one I posted in that thread is crap and will lag you out if you have more than a few. They look much better now and they don't lag.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10129721/CP_Bigtrak_crew%20window.zip

Love this (semi)game.

Edited August 10, 2012 by iffy

[gabmaia]

Sir, I'll take my hat off for you, you are good....

[Sherbetlemons]

Wow, you've made me want to do some rover specific parts now XD

Although actually, I was going to do lander parts eventually, so a few bits of chassis shouldn't be a stretch...

I was going to get the core bit of the pack up first, and the release other things as peripheral packs (landers, rovers, cargo bays, habitat rings, what have you.).

The new 2m diameter module might require more... asymmetrical window placement.

Also, finished 0.5 to 1m adaptor peices, in both directions, and a 1m diameter link piece.

HOWEVER, I'm away for the next week, so I might be on here/the IRC, and I might get some of this done, but then again, I might not.

[Wjolcz]

I really like the pack. It looks very nice with The Deep Space Pack.

[Nori]

I LOVE this pack. The parts are totally awesome and I use your fuel tank over the stock one almost exclusively because the stock ones are so bad because of low strength. Plus your stuff looks great!

[Chromium]

Very nice models, well-suited to use with Orbital Construction. Great work!

[Sherbetlemons]

The orbital construction mod has been pretty useful in setting up shots like these;