Project Interplanetary modular spacecraft

[vchamp]

If nobody minds installing additional software, I would recommend using Tortoise SVN and a free hosting service like assembla.com for better files management and changes tracking. Very easy and convenient.

 

[jedidia]

Things are going smoothly so far, not much unexpected trouble, let's hope it stays that way. Since no graphic designer called in, I have to do the panels myself, which is taking me a bit of coding time, but I think it's worth it.

I was faced with two basic choyces, either make a fancy panel design and also lay hands on the menus vChamp coded to make them fit the bill, or rather try to take his menu design and design a panel around it that looks good, but doesn't make the menus feel out of place. I decided for the second, and thought a retro aproach might work best with the menus, Nostromo/Darkstar general 60's style panels are the main inspiration. Here's a shot of fully working the engineering panel, I hope I'll get around to it to make it look a bit more fancy (some glowing lights etc) but this seems like a good start.

Haven't found out yet how to get the thing to scale to screen resolution, and still fighting with placing the MFD buttons on the pilot panel, but it's comming along.

Also, we're probably going to get into a crunch with modelling. Scruce is currently the only dedicated modeler, Hlcnyag donated a few meshes and I have the one or other usable thing lying around on my disk, but one more modeler really wouldn't hurt the project (or a texturer, if someone is specifically into that).

The config files are getting written, large parts of SBB4 and voyagers modules are done, looks like this is going to work...

 

[jangofett287]

Just drop me a PM when its time for me to start breaking things

 

[jedidia]

Oh, you can start alright. The CTD at loadup is fixed, and the first config files are out, so now I want to know what else is broken in the code so I can fix it...

 

[Capt_hensley]

The core package will need a few modules of itself, especially drives, as there are no drives anywhere in station building packages, so we have to do those ourselves.

I'll donate my VASiMR Drive mesh from My Mars-1 ship. It's just the 3DS Max mesh though. I haven't found any time to do anything else with it.

It looks similar to these because I used them as reference to create my own mesh.
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2185"]VASIMR[/ame]
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3212"]USS Bekuo VASIMR v.1.01[/ame]

There are several reference images found in the Popular Science Magazine article, and in Google images that I used as well.
http://www.popsci.com/military-avia...-rockets-could-make-pit-stops-mars-and-beyond

You might look at this as well
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3038"]dockable VASIMR[/ame]

Let me know if your interested..., Image attached 16:22 CST

 

[jedidia]

Thanks a lot, but it's a bit too integrated (we'll have propellant tanks seperately). I already have a textured VASIMR thruster (that actually loks pretty similar), so the VASIMR is covered.

 

[PeterRoss]

One of the most wanted Orbiter addons, at least for me. I can help with configs. My favs are Greg Burch's modules, but I can do anything, just give me instructions. I like Kulch's Mir-2 modules too, but I'm afraid these are too advanced (suntracking, HUD text) to be integrated just like that.
Could you add some advanced autopilots with same functions as regular ones but capable to work with accelerated time and to save/load stats for each vessel? Analog of AbsoluteKillrot would be good too. I think these would be good for any interplanetary vessel as much as orbital station.

---------- Post added at 18:57 ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 ----------

Will your system be able to merge attached modules as well, like Greg Burch's RMS or cargo containers or spotlights and stuff?

 

[jedidia]

I like Kulch's Mir-2 modules too, but I'm afraid these are too advanced (suntracking, HUD text) to be integrated just like that.

That depends... If they are spacecraft3, they can be integrated at least on a basic level (deploy animation for most modules, sun-tracking for solar panels is also supported by IMS). Of course, specific HUD information or complex animations like RMS etc. are not supported by IMS, but there's always universal RMS which will work just fine. If they are spacecraft3 and you're interested in making configs for them, you got yourself a job. If they're DLL (as I assume, this is Kulch we're talking about after all), they could *theoretically* still be ported, but you don't have the animation data exposed, so you'd have to figure that out only based on the mesh and what you see from the original animation. A rather difficult task.

Will your system be able to merge attached modules as well, like Greg Burch's RMS or cargo containers or spotlights and stuff?

as I said, RMS is out of the question, it's too complex to throw in there, and universal rms makes the value of the effort dubious. Cargo Containers are no trouble at all, as long as they have a config written. You won't be able to detach them after merging, though. There's not really a payload system, and I am not sure at all if there will be time to make one, although that might be moving up the priority list as there might be trouble with universal cargo deck (shifting CG).

Spotlights... never thought about it. THere were no lights in Orbiter when this code was written. It would be possible to put them in, sure, but it'll be rather low on the priority list and I doubt I will get around to them.

Could you add some advanced autopilots with same functions as regular ones but capable to work with accelerated time and to save/load stats for each vessel? Analog of AbsoluteKillrot would be good too. I think these would be good for any interplanetary vessel as much as orbital station.

I'm afraid not, as I'm trying to keep the feature list limited to the essentials to ensure release. Over-ambition is what kept this thing from being released the last time we tried. All these autopilots are available from MFDs, though, and I'm planning to have four MFDs in the panel, so you should be able to run everything you need...

I could think about Absolute Killrot, though. I already have the Code from orbiter galaxy, so that would be a non-issue to put in.

 

[PeterRoss]

Well, this is Kulch we're talking about indeed, so it's DLL of course. So my orbital station will still consist of a number of vessels instead of just one; I'm OK with it as far as the number is no more than a dozen or so.
By mentioning spotlights I meant [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5182"]Spotlight 2[/ame] This is vessel with child attachment point and with no docking ports. I'm using these things to illuminate construction docks area. And it's DLL-based with controlled animation and its own parameters, so it's a no go too. Well, we don't need to integrate it really, but what about attachment points? No payload system means that merging vessels' attachment points will not be inherited by a resulting one, right? OK, we could use UCD here (as I do with my station already). I've made some tests and I don't see any parent vessel COG shifting when using UCD, there's just overall mass increase.

My offer about configs still in force. I could be a tester as well, I have plenty of testing material, quite complex too.

 

[jedidia]

I've made some tests and I don't see any parent vessel COG shifting when using UCD, there's just overall mass increase.

Ah no, it's the other way around. UCD can't cope with vessels that shift their center of gravity. Which IMS does when you integrate a module. UCD should still work if it is attached to a finished IMS vessel, since there's no cog shifting going on anymore, but it's rather untested.

No payload system means that merging vessels' attachment points will not be inherited by a resulting one, right?

Only IMS specific attachment points get inherited to prevent a vessel from getting clustered with a thousand nonsensical attachment points. You'll get it once you play a bit around with it...

My offer about configs still in force. I could be a tester as well, I have plenty of testing material, quite complex too.

...Which in this case, you will get plenty of opportunity to do over the next two months. You'll get an invite to the development group where you'll find manuals on how to do stuff and the current project status. Should I write you up as config writer, or tester, or both?

 

[VictaGhraccus]

I can write config files, and I have a lot of free time. Sign me up.

 

[PeterRoss]

...Which in this case, you will get plenty of opportunity to do over the next two months. You'll get an invite to the development group where you'll find manuals on how to do stuff and the current project status. Should I write you up as config writer, or tester, or both?

Don't want to take too much responsibility at once: write me as a config writer but keep in mind that I will test anything I can.
As for now I'll take SBB2006 since noone interested in it. I'll take a look for some Descartes modules as well, I guess they are scale-compatible with SBB2006.

 

[jedidia]

Good news everyone, we've passed the point of no return. Most of the configs have been written, and the porting from Orbiter 2006 to Orbiter 2010 is done. In essence this means that this definitaley will get released, but we'll use the remaining time for testing, bug-hunting and a few additional features, whatever I'll manage to put in! And we'll also need the remaining time for modelling, of course. With Scruce being the only modeler, this is where we'll be most pressed.

I can write config files, and I have a lot of free time. Sign me up.

I am sorry, because of some ill wind of fate your post completely slipped by me until now!

It looks like we're pretty set up with config writers, though (indeed we're almost done with the configs). An additional tester wouldn't hurt in the comming weeks, though, if you're still interested.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

I'll be taking it for a spin tomorrow with the manual beside me. Wish me luck!
Oh, and ... Never hurts to be sure!

 

[Lydia]

i would be a tester as i love to test and break things but all places are taken

 

[jedidia]

As most of the testers seem to be rather inactive (known phenomenon in development as long as you don't pay people, I'm afraid), I think another one won't hurt. You're on!

 

[mojoey]

I wanna test it! gimme the keys and I might return it in a safe condition

 

[IronRain]

And I'm always available too if you need one

 

[jedidia]

I'll remember you when we'll be going through release candidates, or earlier if it should become neccessary :hello:

Now, what we'd really need is another modeller...

 

[Izack]

If anyone wants to do configs for Piper's modules, I'm certain you can do them faster than me. :facepalm: