KSA's Part & Art Development Thread

Thought it would be a good idea to start a thread containing all the in-progress progression and WIP content I post to Discord. As the forums are a little more grounded and persistent compared to an endless scrolling list of short-form content; it might make for a better place to discuss ideas and the development of the game's parts, art style, scope etc as it happens. When things are resolved enough I'll post em as their own threads as usual :)

I'll kick things off with the first look of our initial docking port part - an androgynous system designed to be both passive and active inspired by the APAS75 port created collaboratively by the Soviet Union and the USA. This was to help facilitate docking between a Soyuz and an Apollo CSM, and represented one of the first instances of a universal design that the Cold-warring nations worked together on. It sits a bit ahead on the timeline of the OG Apollo docking parts (as they were probe and drogue systems) but is probably more appropriate for straightforward craft-to-craft attachment this early in dev. We might branch backwards to more complicated passive\active systems as time goes on.

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Excellent work as always! I want to wiggle the flaps.

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Is that a modeled thread?

Thought it would be a good idea to start a thread containing all the in-progress progression and WIP content I post to Discord. As the forums are a little more grounded and persistent compared to an endless scrolling list of short-form content; it might make for a better place to discuss ideas and the development of the game's parts, art style, scope etc as it happens. When things are resolved enough I'll post em as their own threads as usual :)
This is also great to hear. A little more forum action sounds fantastic. Thanks!
 
Excellent work as always! I want to wiggle the flaps.

View attachment 1388
Is that a modeled thread?


This is also great to hear. A little more forum action sounds fantastic. Thanks!
If they wiggle you've broken them :P

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They're essentially a fused metal latch that interlocks with another port using the petals as fingers, and the hooks on the inside of the petals as clasps. Suspended on those actuators, once contact has been made the mechanism pulls itself (and the other craft) inwards and the radial latches on the inside of the port connect and close the seal. The little thread you brought up is a bumper that sits between the moving petal latch assembly and the solid main structure of the part :)

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Lil pile of batteries :)

Not 100% happy with how to approach the solar PBR textures, or the truss holding it up. Ideally the truss systems will be housed in the structural atlas (alongside all the other structural pieces) and referenced in to any part that needs it. Will give it another approach when we get to the big stuff 🐱

Catte for scale, Hunter should be able to waddle around with the smallest one in his arms, wouldn't trust him with it though

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Looking good! Seeing the one shiny little solar panel has me very interesting in seeing some big space station sized ones in the future.
Will give it another approach when we get to the big stuff

Big stuff! Big stuff! Big stuff!
 
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Looking good! Seeing the one shiny little solar panel has me very interesting in seeing some big space station sized ones in the future.


Big stuff! Big stuff! Big stuff!
Yeah we need to work out an animation system first before we can unfurl large panels. Ideally that'll go hand-in-hand with the docking port elements, the landing legs deploying, SM doors, all sorts.

Not even sure it's PBR materials make sense at this stage; they're assigned as metallic in my viewport to get that effect; but should really be dielectric glass. Will see how the game interprets it
 
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