All newbie modders plz read. Planning a beginners tutorial on graphical assets.

[CaptainKipard]

Since there's no up-to-date textual tutorial that covers the basics of graphical assets (Parts, textures, shaders, configs, etc) and no one has stepped up yet, I'm going to make one.

What do people want covered in it? Experienced modders also suggest things please. No programming.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[Starman4308]

Speaking from very recent experience:

Config files, and other file I/O.

Events, and generally how to get your stuff to trigger when you want it.

Finding other classes and files (I refuse to believe that having a static reference to an instance of yourself is the best way to do this).

Potentially also useful: licensing, how to deal with other peoples' licenses, and the art of finding solutions in open-source code.

[CaptainKipard]

Oook, I should clarify. This wont be covering programming. Only assets.

[artwhaley]

I'd start with something simple - a fuel tank probably, or a decoupler and walk from start to finish on it. Covering:

Setting up a blender scene for KSP - deleting cameras and lights - and what units and origins are going to mean when you get into the game.

Standard part sizes and side counts

Modelling a low poly mesh collider (with an aside that demonstrates how to use primitive colliders instead, and a little discussion of when you need a mesh collider)

Moving the item to Unity (I'd suggest doing it as a .blend file directly... I still use .fbx, but there's no reason to do it... it's just what half of my files are already done in... because that's what the old tutorials said to do... so I keep doing it. But cover import options - scale, calculate normals, set animation rig to none or legacy, as appropriate.

Putting your object into a Unity Scene - what the origin means to you here, etc.

Setting up attachment nodes in Unity!

Getting your model out with part tools.

Basic config file using a model tag, attachment nodes, basic config parameters and at least one resource or module.

In game testing - definitely mention how to reload the database without restarting Unity!

As an aside... instead of creating tutorial threads... and then replacing them as the game changes or info gets better and constantly having to update a thread to point to dozens of other threads... should we be switching to a WIKI format for tutorials? That way you wouldn't have to do all of this on your own- you could create an outline and others can add bits of their expertise where it makes sense, or expand on your ideas on another page, etc. It's easy to link from your tutorial to the relevant video tutorials... and out to more detail about each concept.. And then the community could just keep updating the info as things change? It doesn't rely on an original author to keep updating a post.

It seems we could use the http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/ , as it already has some outdated modding stuff... or we could start a kerbal developers wiki. Either way- centralization of information might be a good idea. And the forums aren't completely ideal for that... searching and organizing isn't perfect... and the KSP forums have some history of losing old stuff...

[CaptainKipard]

should we be switching to a WIKI format for tutorials? .... And then the community could just keep updating the info as things change?

It sounds reasonable but the community has not updated the main tutorial for years. The wiki tends to rot for some reason. I'm just going with the flow.

[artwhaley]

I guess I've always felt like the official wiki wasn't my place to edit or create new pages. I know that's the very idea of a wiki, but it just feels like the official place where squad ought to be providing information. I don't feel like a stakesholder in it... and maybe the rest of the community doesn't either?

I'll start a thread asking if people would use a development wiki. If nobody has a good reason not to, I'll fire one up tomorrow and post the details back here!

[CaptainKipard]

Maybe post a poll first asking why no one uses it. You might be wasting time and effort with your wiki.

[Jovzin]

Hello,

Good idea but, do something harder not just fuel tank turorial. For example Airlock/hatch , wheel, aileron, engine. Sorry but tutorials for fuel tanks, I can find on youtube or here in Add - development thread. It is just create a cylinder in your favourite 3d program, do some smooth and extrude and UV mapping and hurray you have a fuel tank. I think we need some tutorial where you need to put those layers and tags in Unity.

Just my 2 cents.

[Nertea]

The most common questions on the forum seem to be Unity-related. An up to date tutorial with information about how to download and set up Unity for KSP modding would be good, I think. It's really not that hard and people seem to assume it's hellish due to the lack of well-organized information.

[lo-fi]

I'm happy to do a video that shadows your text version?

I'd definitely cover:

Unity: which version and why.

How projects and scenes work.

Part tools install and config.. this causes a lot of confusion, when it's as simple as dragging and dropping the .23 version in.

GameObjects: creation, orientation and adding components.

Importing 3d models: scale, orientation and position in the scene.

KSP sharers: choosing the correct one, assigning maps and applying to the model.

How to set up layers and tags.

Colliders: how to add and appropriate use! Their relationship to how the object interracts with other parts and the UI.

How to use blank gameobjects in the scene to help with node configuration.

Saving the scene and organising assets.

Prefab: what it means and what it means to break it.

Writing out your part.

Probably a whole bunch of other stuff, but that seems to be what most people get stuck on. If you want to cover animation too, maybe a cargo bay would be a good candidate? I'm in two minds as to whether that's maybe a step too far for a single tutorial, though.

[wasmic]

Unity. Definitely Unity. I have been completely unable to figure that thing out...

[MainSailor]

I'd actually be very interested in this.

As a graphic designer, I have no problems making textures. I re-skinned all of my KW tanks in the .22 days before they changed under the .25 release. But I've never made any of my own models and I'd have no way of knowing how to apply textures to new models.

From a complete newb's perspective, I can only echo what others have stated, Unity is still a big mystery to me, and I haven't yet had the patience to learn Blender (or learn why I should use another program to build objects.)

[GusTurbo]

This is a great idea. Something that would be helpful to me would be an explanation of standard KSP part sizes and how to set up the model to fit them.

Edited December 1, 2014 by GusTurbo

[madlemur]

I agree with one of the previous posters, start with something a bit more complex than a simple fuel tank. Not horrific, but maybe an airlock and/or ladder. Save animations and such for later tutorials (although I'm keen to get a clear, concise tutorial on creating KSP-compatible animations, including animated collision meshes).

Unless you want to break it into smaller chunks... Initial tutorial on setting up Unity for KSP, with some general notes on what to be looking for in a modelling package (exporting to a compatible format, etc), Modelling 101, wherein a fuel tank is built, which would include some very basic UV-mapping notes, and an introduction to the parts configuration file. From there, you have several topics to hit: optimizing UV mapping (texture atlas, etc.), normal maps (or even just non-texture maps, if you want to include AO maps), mesh reuse (have a part with a bunch of identical dongles? model one dongle, then copy it after it's mapped/textured), animation (at least in Unity, if not in Blender), stupid collision mesh tricks (well, understanding what and when it's used, and how to go about creating a VAB/SPH part grab collider vs an in-game physics collider mesh), grokking the part configuration file, etc., etc...

[comham]

Texturing tips would be much appreciated, I know it's a bit on the "creative skills" side.

[nli2work]

let me play the foil here. All the information necessary to make parts for KSP are covered in good detail by the video tutorials. It takes a few hours to sit through all of them, and yes they can be kinda boring, but everything you need to start is there, emphasis on "start". There is not really a lack of information, but knowing where to look and what questions to ask; and beyond that, experience that can only be gained after making many many different parts. Tutorials for texture, modeling, Unity, are strictly speaking outside of the scope of KSP modding.

Edited December 1, 2014 by nli2work

[madlemur]

let me play the foil here. All the information necessary to make parts for KSP are covered in good detail by the video tutorials. It takes a few hours to sit through all of them, and yes they can be kinda boring, but everything you need to start is there, emphasis on "start". There is not really a lack of information, but knowing where to look and what questions to ask; and beyond that, simple experience from making many many parts. Tutorials for texture, modeling, Unity, are strictly speaking outside of the scope of KSP modding.

While strictly correct, I think that misses the intended target of the KSP player who wants the thrill of seeing something they have created in their game. Well, I'm assuming the intended target audience is the casual modder AKA, KSP player who wants to "do moar" than just play.

If it's kept reasonably current, it will be a great help. I've tried to find tutorials, and easily half of them are .18 or earlier (at least it seemed that way), and at least half the remaining tutorials were targeting Blender as the game engine, and I was unsure how much of the information they provided would even make the .blend->.mu export, much less be functional in KSP.

The Unity tutorials were even worse (as far as being presented as tutorials for creating Unity games, vs. using Unity as middle-ware [i.e., not trying to leverage every standard package Unity ships with]). Even if the tutorial was some basic information and a link or two to more in-depth treatments, that would be helpful.

Or perhaps an "upgrade guide" or "trail guide" for the other tutorials, so I know that if I'm watching Unity videos, I can ignore X, Y, and Z, and be aware that T, V and Q need a slightly different treatment when prepping for KSP export, etc., etc. It's not unique to this community, but there's often a feeling that "it's obvious" what needs to be ignored/translated/reconfigured between older tutorials and the current state of affairs. For new modders, it's not obvious, and the trial and error of figuring that out is discouraging, and trying to sift through the huge number of threads for those gotchas can be very painful and off-putting. Especially for the ADHD crowd (myself included)...

Edited December 1, 2014 by madlemur
Formatting, additional thoughts

[CaptainKipard]

let me play the foil here. All the information necessary to make parts for KSP are covered in good detail by the video tutorials. It takes a few hours to sit through all of them, and yes they can be kinda boring, but everything you need to start is there, emphasis on "start". There is not really a lack of information, but knowing where to look and what questions to ask; and beyond that, experience from making many many parts.

I understand. Here's my thinking:

As a tutorial user: video and text tutorials serve a different purpose for me. I tend to watch or listen to video tutorials to quickly get a rough idea of how to do things, but I hate rewinding and skipping through a video

I tend to look for text tutorials when I need something explained in depth, or when I need specific information that I can just search for.

I think video tutorials tend to be good when short, and text tutorials are best when long, as long as they're well organised.

Tutorials for texture, modeling, Unity, are strictly speaking outside of the scope of KSP modding.

As someone who was new once: I just wanted to make a part. I was impatient and many people are. There was no single place that would teach me to make something from start to finish.

I knew there would be a lot more to learn later. I think complete newbies need and want to complete one part at least, before delving into the mass of links my other thread.

I'm happy to do a video that shadows your text version?

This actually would be perfect. Let's plan the whole thing together. Coordinate, synergise.

edit:

Some Japanese stealth going on.

[Akira_R]

As i am a total newb when it comes to modeling this would be wonderful, and I really think a wiki devoted to modding would be great, a place that collects info on basic cfg editing and parameters, modeling, various plugins like FireSpitter, and what they do, etc. I posted in artwhaley's thread on the subject and it would be really cool to see that happen.

Over the last 2-3 years of playing KSP I have made the transition from casual player just trying to get something on the mun, to heavily modding my game, to now modding my mods, editing resources and part modules to get things like USI, KSP-I, NF, and EPL to all play nice with each other and be balanced in a way that fits my desired play style, and messing with cfgs and part welding to make my own variations of parts.

I have now reached a point where I would like a part that has a certain visual style or fits a certain niche that i am unable to find in any of the mod packs I can find and I would like to be able to make it myself and maybe be able to start giving back to the awesome KSP community; I now know how to set up the cfg but I have never in my life done any kind of modeling, don't know the first thing about blender or unity or any of that stuff.

So having a tutorial that is really geared toward the total newb like me would be very nice, something that just shows the very basic steps from how to set up one of these programs to make models for ksp through to actually getting just a fuel tank in game would be great; and having a video that shadows the text would be very very nice as well.

If this was done in conjunction with the aforementioned proposed modding wiki there could be a series from the basic "this is how to make a fuel tank", to adding in animations, effects, how to make wheels and landing gear, etc. With the massive amount of talent already present in the modding community i think a very diverse wiki that could cater to both the needs of the beginner(in the form of tutorials) and the experienced modder(detailed documentation of current part modules and their attributes, and ones added by plugins such as FireSpitter, FAR, DRE etc.) could be created if the community could come together and add to it.

[nli2work]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the asset pipeline is largely unchanged. Just because the game is updated doesn't mean the tutorials are out of date. 85% of the old tutorials are still applicable today. TT's IVA tutorial is where I learned building IVAs, in 0.23.5, and that tutorial from 0.17? I was waiting for a new Open Parts thread, then got impatient and made Kerdoz instead. There as been what, 3, updates to PartTools? over a 15, 16 game updates?

Here's something that might be worth trying... KSPTV stream sessions dedicated to modding? I know Lo-Fi has done a couple before. but maybe something semi-regular covering different types of parts?

Edited December 1, 2014 by nli2work

[Starbuckminsterfullerton]

I think a video from start to finish modeling something more complex but common like an engine would be greatly appreciated. Simple things like tanks have been done, even if it was awhile ago, but there is very little covering the entire life cycle of anything more sophisticated.

Also some beginner texturing information might be welcome, I haven't seen anything covering the creation of a texture that doesn't have obvious seams/aligns to the model etc.

[lo-fi]

let me play the foil here. All the information necessary to make parts for KSP are covered in good detail by the video tutorials. It takes a few hours to sit through all of them, and yes they can be kinda boring, but everything you need to start is there, emphasis on "start". There is not really a lack of information, but knowing where to look and what questions to ask; and beyond that, experience that can only be gained after making many many different parts. Tutorials for texture, modeling, Unity, are strictly speaking outside of the scope of KSP modding.

I absolutely agree, though I think there is room for something concise. It did take me a while to ferret out enough info to get get going, and was eventually Tiberion's YouTube that sent me on the way. An extended version that covers part tools install, a few more Unity basics and runs through the process in a similar fashion, along with a text version ought to be valuable, I think. Pointers for further reading along the way are a great idea!

While strictly correct, I think that misses the intended target of the KSP player who wants the thrill of seeing something they have created in their game. Well, I'm assuming the intended target audience is the casual modder AKA, KSP player who wants to "do moar" than just play.

If it's kept reasonably current, it will be a great help. I've tried to find tutorials, and easily half of them are .18 or earlier (at least it seemed that way), and at least half the remaining tutorials were targeting Blender as the game engine, and I was unsure how much of the information they provided would even make the .blend->.mu export, much less be functional in KSP.

The Unity tutorials were even worse (as far as being presented as tutorials for creating Unity games, vs. using Unity as middle-ware [i.e., not trying to leverage every standard package Unity ships with]). Even if the tutorial was some basic information and a link or two to more in-depth treatments, that would be helpful.

Or perhaps an "upgrade guide" or "trail guide" for the other tutorials, so I know that if I'm watching Unity videos, I can ignore X, Y, and Z, and be aware that T, V and Q need a slightly different treatment when prepping for KSP export, etc., etc. It's not unique to this community, but there's often a feeling that "it's obvious" what needs to be ignored/translated/reconfigured between older tutorials and the current state of affairs. For new modders, it's not obvious, and the trial and error of figuring that out is discouraging, and trying to sift through the huge number of threads for those gotchas can be very painful and off-putting. Especially for the ADHD crowd (myself included)...

Along with the aforemention YouTube, it was the Unity docs and excellent video tutorials that filled in the gaps for me. I reckon it took me about two hours to get a working part (fuel tank, as it happens) in-game from stone cold, never having touched Unity before. I'll be honest, I'm a bit surprised to learn how many people are struggling, and the thread activity seems to suggest there is a demand for a sort of 'quick start' guide.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the asset pipeline is largely unchanged. Just because the game is updated doesn't mean the tutorials are out of date. I'd say 85% of the tutorials from 0.18 are still applicable today. There as been what, 3, updates to PartTools? over a 15, 16 game updates?

Here's something that might be better than a tutorial... KSPTV stream sessions dedicated to modding?

Yes, you're absolutely right. And the workflow is likely to stay unchanged, I suspect. Actually not a bad reason to set something fresh up

I'm more than happy to stream my crazy work for an evening every couple of weeks or something. I thought about suggesting it, but I wasn't sure if there would be much demand without a specific focus.

@Cpt. Kipard: I clearly missed the quote button, and I'm too lazy to rectify, but I'm more than happy to collaborate on the doc with you, and will follow up with a YouTube.

[MainSailor]

I tend to look for text tutorials when I need something explained in depth, or when I need specific information that I can just search for.

I think video tutorials tend to be good when short, and text tutorials are best when long, as long as they're well organised.

This.

When I was learning some of the data management/scripting features in InDesign, the Lynda.com videos were invaluable for learning the core features and the general workflow. However, I hated having to pause the video, find the right toolbar, then get my data in the right place to continue.

Having a bulleted list was helpful because I could continually reference at my own pace.

For learning KSP-specific modeling, even something as simple as a flowchart or pipeline graphic would be better than the hours of tutorial videos. And having already used Kipard's texturing tutorials means I'm already familiar with the semantics involved.

[madlemur]

Along with the aforemention YouTube, it was the Unity docs and excellent video tutorials that filled in the gaps for me. I reckon it took me about two hours to get a working part (fuel tank, as it happens) in-game from stone cold, never having touched Unity before. I'll be honest, I'm a bit surprised to learn how many people are struggling, and the thread activity seems to suggest there is a demand for a sort of 'quick start' guide.

For me, it's a matter of time and focus. I tap a few minutes here and there while at work to read up on things, and when I'm at home, I usually don't have dedicated "me" time (we've had to institute a no-electronics bathroom rule), so it's tough to spend a lot of dedicated time watching videos.

I'm more than happy to stream my crazy work for an evening every couple of weeks or something. I thought about suggesting it, but I wasn't sure if there would be much demand without a specific focus.

"Modeling and Asset Management" is a perfectly specific focus...

[lo-fi]

I hear ya. I'm all set up for Twitch streaming, so watch out a thread with details.

Sounds like a written piece, with a video to back it up is a good way to get. The "do I really have to pause and rewind this this again" drives me nuts too, but at the same time, sometimes a video paints a thousand screenshots (literally - see what I did there? ) when it comes to "well great, but I can't even find that £$&*&(%&^%* menu".