General Question How to create a new spaceport ?

[cyril_13]

Hi all !

I'm doing a project with some friends of designing a new rocket (part of our studies)
The others are working on the rocket, and I'm trying to design a new spaceport.

I was wondering if it was possible and if so, how to do it (I couldn't find a tutorial or a message on that subject).
Do we need special toolkit ?

Thanks very much !

Cyril

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Mmm, well. It kind of depends on what you are wanting to launch and how you want to launch it.
There are a few pretty good looking spaceports available. And WideAwake, Jarvis, Overton, and ASVI are pretty capable spaceports. I think it'd take more work to get a good looking spaceport than it is for a rocket (could be just me though). A lot of thought has to go into it to get something believable. Take a look at those bases mentioned, then get creative.
You may need to make some custom meshes and textures (launch platform, tower etc) to get the "look" you want. WHAP (wehaveaproblem) made his hangars available for use, so no worries about that. Pretty much all you need is a modeling program, and some time. Look in the tutorial section, at the bottom is a section for developers.

 

[garyw]

As my own meshing skills are somewhere near awful I just took the existing bases and made changes to them. There is something quite satisfying to take someone's already awesome work and add your own customisations to it.

 

[cyril_13]

Hi Phantom,
thanks for your inputs !

In fact we're working on a study project, that is to create "the future of Ariane 5" using specifications given by our professor.

So we've already designed/dimmensionned a spaceport, depending on launch rates...
We have thought of the type of buildings, and even where to put them in French Guyana
(that's part of our prjects, it's a bit more than just rocket design)

Some guy's are working on the rocket itself, but now what we'd like to do is to have a good looking spaceport to present our project.

I'd like to do something like that http://www.orbiterfrancophone.com/?disp=addons&id=28 but using "our" view of what will be Ariane 6
Depending on the results, we expect to release the documents on the forum, but it has to look good first

Do you see what I mean ?

Thanks again for your help !!

 

[cyril_13]

Arf, i'm writing my first messages on the forum so I'm being moderated and my answers don't appear directly.. sorry for that.

We need to show buildings with an average good size, that's all.
As wof the textures, it's not really the most important.

the main thing being that we can show each building (replying to each functions of the ground segment)

 

[N_Molson]

This is certainly possible, assuming we're not speaking of an airbace, which is a different case (sorry).

Read the OrbiterSDK.pdf in the doc folder, it should give you the basics.

Then there are several generic shapes you can load on a surface base. Like the "Block" (you can define length, height, width & textures), a couple of hangars, runways... With those tools, some imagination and good textures you can already get a pretty nice result.

Now, if you want to build realistic launchpads, with service towers, bunkers, and this kind of facilities, it is a little more complex (but still very possible). Two big cases :

- You need only a fixed launchpad and tower, without animations. In that case, the best solution is probably to make your own meshes (like with Anim&tor + Urumpwe .msh exporter), and load them in the base file (see how it's done with default Atlantis launchpad).

- You want something more complex, with mobile service tower, retractable service arms, elevators, particle effects like cryogenic venting, a crawler, a Vehicle Assembly Building with openable doors, anything that "moves"... In that case, you need to define your launchpad (at least the moving parts) as a "Vessel" class, which support animations and the advanced functions that you are going to use. Basically are going to write a .dll so everything is possible, really.

 

[cyril_13]

Ok, I see... I think we'll go for the 1st option (fixed launch pad) and then mote to a mobile one if time allows it.

I cannot find the OrbiterSDK.pdf in the doc folder... (i've downloaded the 2010 version).. what does SDK stand for ?

 

[N_Molson]

Software Developpement Kit.

My mistake, its "OrbiterConfig.pdf", page 11.

 

[cyril_13]

Ok, got it.
p11 in is the planet section.. but i'll browse through the document.
Looks quite difficult to get in there

P.S : "kit" doesn't appear in the document.. should I download it to have the proper documentation maybe ?

Cheers !

 

[N_Molson]

No, the specific doc is there, in the "Planet" section, page 11 and following, there are maybe 10 pages about surface bases.

The SDK is installed automatically with Orbiter, so no worries about this.

If you want more precise help, there are well done tutorials on this forums.

The best way to start is probably to modify an existing base an see how it's done.

 

[cyril_13]

Great, thanks !
I'll try to have a look today

 

[n0mad23]

There's a few resources you might want to look at from the "Tutorial" section here as well.

"How to create surface bases" - [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2733"]http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2733[/ame]

"Surface base wizard 1.3.b" - [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2796"]http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2796[/ame]

"Surface Tile calculator v5.0a" - [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2752"]http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2752[/ame]

"How to make a building" - [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2731"]http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2731[/ame]

All these resources were made by ar81, and even though were made for Orbiter 2006 they should give you some information that'll be quite useful.

 

[Pipcard]

I'm doing a project with some friends of designing a new rocket (part of our studies)
The others are working on the rocket, and I'm trying to design a new spaceport.

In fact we're working on a study project, that is to create "the future of Ariane 5" using specifications given by our professor.

What kind of class has you designing rockets and what do you need to know to be in it? I want to be a rocket scientist someday. How do you design the shape of the rocket?

 

[cyril_13]

Well, the rocket is being designed on Catia. It's something like an 8ton GTO class (is it what you meant by class?)
At the time being, there are no options to include the rocket within the ground installations but I hope we'll have enough time for that.

So I cannot help you designing the rocket for Orbiter sorry.

 

[Wishbone]

Pipcard: http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/ There are other universities, of course.

 

[cyril_13]

What kind of class has you designing rockets and what do you need to know to be in it? I want to be a rocket scientist someday. How do you design the shape of the rocket?

Oh, sorry I just undestood your question

It's the space systems design course that has me doing this.
I'm in France so cannot help you much for the school

 

[Pipcard]

When I pick my university (I'm 15 right now), I want to pick one that has a course about spacecraft and rocket design.