[PLUGIN, PART, 0.17] Bigtrak KSP Edition v.30 Liltrak

[colmo]

If converting the Bigtrak to a Command Module, would changing the mass to 1.8 from 0.8 improve handling, to make up for the missing pod mass?

[6677]

Here you go.

Included the original sources (its only actually 1 line of cart.cs that was changed) and the dll itself.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6524693/Cart_Command_Pod.zip

I figured instead of overwriting the existing cart plugin a user may have a plugin that sits along side would be better. Instead of using Module = Cart change Cart to CommandCart in the .cfg and that cart will become a selectable command pod while still functioning as a cart.

Screens of cfg edit applied to bigtrak (cfg attached to post rather than dropboxed):

[6677]

If converting the Bigtrak to a Command Module, would changing the mass to 1.8 from 0.8 improve handling, to make up for the missing pod mass?

quite possibly. CHickenplucker can of course play with the mass and see for himself.

Chickenplucker: Feel free to use that if you want.

[chickenplucker]

Thanks 6677 I\'ll see about sneaking that in for the next update, I cant wait for this crazy week to end so I can set down and play with that.

For anyone who is interested in seeing how these parts work and are setup in blender here ya go:

www.rustedjunk.com/crap/bigtrack_sources.zip

Included are:

The Bigtrak

Roveringame_1_75.blend - the blender file (the 1_75 is just a note to my self on part scaling)

Good example of how multiple wheeled vehicles model hierarchy is setup and for how lights are handled.

kspbigtrack.psd - the Photoshop text file containing all the layers that make up the 512x512 texture. If you have Photoshop use it to change the background layer to modify your Bigtraks color. Delete the layer with the logos, modify stuff, go crazy

kspbigtrak.ai - the Adobe Illustrator file that contains all the vector art that makes up the bits of the psd.

The Push Blade

blade.blend - is the blender file. Good example of how the hierarchy is setup for using the landing leg module, and the types of rotation that make a part move from point to point.

The Kiwi Bike

kerb.blend - Blender file for Evel, never know when you may need a Kerbal model for a project

Bikeingame_1_75.blend - Blender file for the bike, good for seeing how suspension levers are setup inside the Cart Plugin.

evilkerbinal.ai and evilkernerbal.psd are the Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop files for Evel\'s textures.

Have fun with those, feel free to release anything that\'s based from the models. Just include my name somewhere is all that I ask

[zYnthethicz]

I\'ll see about sneaking that in for the next update...

update

What more will there be?

[chickenplucker]

There will be a quad and trike version of the Kiwi bike that are both currently half finished, and I would like to start going back to work on more Bigtrak focused stuff. But who knows what will end up in it. I was thinking about making a very fast landing leg based planked hinge thingy that you could attach to the top of the Bigtrak to toss your poor EVA Kerbals about with

[colmo]

I would like to start going back to work on more Bigtrak focused stuff.

A cargo bay with working doors to transport the Bigtrak that can be attached to planes, helicopters and rockets would be most excellent...

[6677]

A cargo bay with working doors to transport the Bigtrak that can be attached to planes, helicopters and rockets would be most excellent...

It would but it would also be quite big, cargo bay mods haven\'t gone too well so far either, no doubt there will eventually be a vanilla implementation though.

[G Addict]

How come cargo bays haven\'t worked? Surely a box with a node for the cuttlefish decoupler on the bottom and one for a landing gear powered door would work? I suppose it\'s not that simple, if it\'s never worked before?

[rkman]

For anyone who is interested in seeing how these parts work and are setup in blender here ya go:

www.rustedjunk.com/crap/bigtrack_sources.zip

Have fun with those, feel free to release anything that\'s based from the models. Just include my name somewhere is all that I ask

Thank you very much.

[6677]

How come cargo bays haven\'t worked? Surely a box with a node for the cuttlefish decoupler on the bottom and one for a landing gear powered door would work? I suppose it\'s not that simple, if it\'s never worked before?

Collision meshes. Unity only supports convex collision meshes (imaging taking an object, any object, and then sticking it inside a balloon, the balloon wont stretch into any holes on the object, in this case our cargo bay). There is a workaround in unity which is to use 3 or 4 convex collision meshes and attach them together but KSP doesnt support this yet. A workaround could well be a multiple part cargo bay though (ie, adaptor plates front and rear, floor plate, side plates and then the doors on the roof being landing gear).

[Kreuzung]

Multiple colliders are allowed in KSP, take carts, gear and solar panels, they have colliders for wheels and moving parts too.

[Blinkin]

Wasn\'t C7 working on cargo bays?

Edit: found it:

[Fortunateson1969]

Okay, I know there\'s been a push towards turning the BigTrak itself into a command pod for reasons (good ones) but I wish to turn my mk1 pod into a bigtrak only pod. IE I want to fix the problem it has with it being oriented up all the time, making the bigtrak impossible to navigate when on the ground/on top of a rocket/plane.

Any suggestions as to what I should do to the part.cfg file to do that? Take a look at my craft to get the idea for what I\'m going for here.

(READ: I wish to use mechjeb with my plane, because it\'s a bit finicky and like to use the surf function as an autopilot. I wish to use JumpTrakOne as a mothership for the wee fellow, locate a Munolith, then jump off the plane and land near it, and do my little \'speriments.)

PS: I love this thing. It\'s big, it\'s fast, and it does stuff. It takes like 10 meters of runway to take off, but is a lag hog-unless i can use the AP.

[6677]

no idea what problem your on about, the bigtrak has a low CoG, sure you haven\'t just got SAS turned on...

[Fortunateson1969]

no idea what problem your on about, the bigtrak has a low CoG, sure you haven\'t just got SAS turned on...

The Command Capsule is oriented upwards in the BigTrak, meaning that it\'s not pointed foreward. I would like to modify the parameters of the Mk1 Capsule to make it so that it points foreward so I can use MechJeb and such with the capsule.

I suppose that means I won\'t be able to land it anymore though...hm.

[rkman]

I\'ve been fooling around with the Bigtrack blender files that were released, and ended up with a thing with wheels that\'s moar bigger than anything with wheels seen in KSP until now.

I did manage to break the stop lights though, and haven\'t been able to fix it.

[TheCardinal]

I\'ve been fooling around with the Bigtrack blender files that were released, and ended up with a thing with wheels that\'s moar bigger than anything with wheels seen in KSP until now.

I did manage to break the stop lights though, and haven\'t been able to fix it.

Thanks! I like it!

[rkman]

You\'re welcome.

It\'s not pretty but it\'s supposed to be functional, a more stable platform for cranes and cargo and stuff.

Btw it has compensationLowGee=0 and compensationSpeed=0. You might want to change that, i have not tested it in low gravity.

[TheCardinal]

I\'ve been fooling around with the Bigtrack blender files that were released, and ended up with a thing with wheels that\'s moar bigger than anything with wheels seen in KSP until now.

I did manage to break the stop lights though, and haven\'t been able to fix it.

BWAHAHAHAHA! Finally my plans of domination of Kerbin can be made reality! Thanks to you (and myself) i can place rockets on the bottom of the ocean on a mobile launcher! Domination at last!

Seriously, you have made mobile launchers possible!

The truck is very stable, but the driving isn\'t straight. At higher speeds the truck tends to left (when moving forward), at low speeds it tends to the right. Some carts have a low friction, yours has a rather high friction because the truck slows down considerably. Small disadvantages compared to the gain of a large and stable moving \'platform\'.

Just to prove it is possible, i placed a mobile launcher and two 8 wheeled trucks at 250 meters below the surface of the sea. I launched the rocket from there and put it in a stable 120 km orbit around Kerbin.

[chickenplucker]

Awesome rkman, nice work!

The brake lights can be rather touchy to get working the green axis arrow needs to be pointed to the rear of the cart or else they won\'t function. Blender seems rather picky about rotating meshes at times so it can be a pain to get it pointed the right direction. I think I spent 2 hours monkeying around with it one night before it started working.

[rkman]

i placed a mobile launcher and two 8 wheeled trucks at 250 meters below the surface of the sea.

Interesting. I tested it in water only to the point where it got its feet wet, at which point it got stuck and i gave up. Apparently it keeps enough contact with the ground under water if it\'s carrying much mass, i\'ll have to try that. Actually crashing into the water definately makes it blow up.

The brake lights can be rather touchy to get working the green axis arrow needs to be pointed to the rear of the cart or else they won\'t function.

I fixed it.

There\'s a typo in the Cart Modelling Guidelines and in the supplied Bigtrack blender file: the stoplight mesh model should not be named 'light-stop' but 'light_stop'.

I messed up some other things but i might release an improved version in the near future.

[TheCardinal]

Interesting. I tested it in water only to the point where it got its feet wet, at which point it got stuck and i gave up. Apparently it keeps enough contact with the ground under water if it\'s carrying much mass, i\'ll have to try that. Actually crashing into the water definately makes it blow up.

...

I messed up some other things but i might release an improved version in the near future.

Yes, you need a lot of mass. I have made some testweights ranging from 1 KMU to 500 KMU.

The truck needs about 200 KMU to stay under.

[Pentigan]

I\'ve been having a problem with a lot of mods, some parts work but others are greyed out in the construction menu.

I\'m not sure if KSP requires a 'mod-enabler' or anything but it\'s weird that some parts don\'t work but others do.

[chickenplucker]

If anything is greyed out make sure that you put the plugins in the correct location. They belong in the KSP_win\Plugins directory