Idea Mercury and Gemini add-on improvements

[Urwumpe]

I'm surprised that my old Atlas pad is still being used...

Well, isn't that a big honor?

(But I think a small upgrade of the meshes would be nice now)

 

[Brad]

Well, isn't that a big honor?

(But I think a small upgrade of the meshes would be nice now)

Yea, sure, when are you going to do it?!

 

[Urwumpe]

Yea, sure, when are you going to do it?!

Just give me enough photos and drawings and don't tempt me to use Blender. :lol:

BTW:

[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=1191"]Launch Complex 14[/ame]

 

[Brad]

Well I was tempted to do it...but I see someone has already done it.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yeah, but I would have to check if it is possible to animate it as well, as demanded in the thread.

 

[kino_astroboy]

I'm working on some texture repaints for Mercury. The Atlas rocket is looking good, and the Mercury capsule is somewhat more detailed. I can post a beta version of the updated textures on this thread if someone is interested.

Very nice 4throck! Love the Mercury capsule! I would be interested if you post it in this thread.

 

[4throck]

Here's a zip with all the textures I'm using. Some of them don't work out that well at this stage, so please back up the original versions. Please copy/move the the appropriate folder. Any comments / suggestions / help is welcome.

As for the launch pad, yes, I was using a version of Canaveral 1962 base with the old towers repeated for each pad. If I have the time I might update the high detail version with further texturing and by moving the big tower away along the tracks for a more accurate launch situation.

But for now I'm concentrating on textures for the existing add-on and not in creating new ones. I have made some advances on the Gemini VC capsule interior and rockets, but I'd like to release some sort of "mercury update" before going into that.

 

[4throck]

Some screen shots of further enhancements to the Redstone textures. The resolution is now 512x2048 and the basic details are ready (bolts, metal plaques, etc). The launch pads were also updated to match the red of the photos. I'm using a version of Earth1962 edited to show all the detailed Canaveral pads at the same time (as you can see on the last image).



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8ZTGehN-2...mtkJkLzOKg/s1600-h/09.04.21+23-49-57+MR-3.jpg

 

[kino_astroboy]

Two problems I found in the updated textures:

1. The MR-4 through MA-9 capsules have no window visible.

2. The "crack" in Liberty Bell 7 is kind of stretched.


Fortunately, replacing merc_Crack.dds and merc_Glass.dds with the original textures helped solve the problems.

(Just letting you know so you can add it to your updated textures.)

With only these minor problems, I still love the amazing texture improvements though. Looking forward to Gemini! :speakcool:

 

[4throck]

Thanks for your input. Yes, I warned that "Some of them don't work out that well at this stage, so please back up the original versions."! The capsule work was made last year, then I moved on to other things and now I'm more active and trying to get it all together and eventually release repaint. Probably the rockets will be ready sooner than the capsule. I'll keep posting any progress and new files on this topic.

 

[startrekmaniac]

Two things if an new addon is going to be made, than I have two suggestions.

1. We need working cockpits, with all the buttons and knobs. I know that we hade that for the last Mercury addon. But not for Gemini.

2. For John Glen's flight we need the heat shield problem.

 

[kino_astroboy]

2. For John Glen's flight we need the heat shield problem.

I think it could be "simulated" with FAILURE_MODE 5.

 

[insane_alien]

once i've finished off this year at uni(and finished with the celebrations) i'm thinking of making some models of the enviromental control system(namely the temperature part which isn't simulated) and maybe have alook at the other aspects of the flight systems. I had a class this year on process control nad i've done a number of classes involving thermodynamics and heat transfer before. it shouldn't be too difficult. the only question is, do i go the whole hog and simulate radiative heating from the sun?

although i have to admit, my programming skills are not up to scratchi may have to pass it along to an addon developer to get it coded into the vessel. from the programming i do know, it shouldn't be too difficult to put the mathematical model into the module(or whatever it is) just a subroutine or two. most of the tricky work will be in finding out the specs of the heat exchanger to a good enough degree to get an accurate simulation.

If i'm successful, i may be willing to construct enviromental and electrical models of other spacecraft/space stations for you developers as well.

 

[kino_astroboy]

once i've finished off this year at uni(and finished with the celebrations) i'm thinking of making some models of the enviromental control system(namely the temperature part which isn't simulated) and maybe have alook at the other aspects of the flight systems. I had a class this year on process control nad i've done a number of classes involving thermodynamics and heat transfer before. it shouldn't be too difficult. the only question is, do i go the whole hog and simulate radiative heating from the sun?

although i have to admit, my programming skills are not up to scratchi may have to pass it along to an addon developer to get it coded into the vessel. from the programming i do know, it shouldn't be too difficult to put the mathematical model into the module(or whatever it is) just a subroutine or two. most of the tricky work will be in finding out the specs of the heat exchanger to a good enough degree to get an accurate simulation.

If i'm successful, i may be willing to construct enviromental and electrical models of other spacecraft/space stations for you developers as well.

That is great news! Will the Mercury capsule environmental control system model be like DanSteph's awesome DGIV?

 

[insane_alien]

well, its going to be able to do everything the enviromental control system in the mercury capsule could do. so, probably not. there won't be any little computer displaying all the values and stuff. infact, it'll probably be pretty damn boring compared to the DGIV.

from what i've read, the enviromental control system in mercury is pretty simple. not much is alterable and its simply a 'keep astronaut alive till landing and be damned with comfort' system.

this doesn't mean i wouldn't be up for modeling more complex/modern/ludicrous/futuristic systems. my primary goal is always going to be realism though.

of course, this all depends upon me finding a programmer to work with that can put the equations i come up with into the existing source code. and of course that means i need to actually construct the models first. i should be able to start working on this stuff around the 14th of May maybe come up with some preliminary models by the 18th and have a nearly finished system of equations by the 20th. although don't take those estimates as set in stone. i'll be on holiday after a pretty stressful year so i mght not work on it as often as i intend to.

after i have the models its all going to depend on finding someone who can slot it into the source. i had a glimpse at the source for project mercury, looked like gibberish to me so i'm going to go ahead and assume that i am NOT going to be able to put the model in myself but i SHOULD be able to put it in a format so it isn't too difficult for someone who knows the programming language to slot it in. this should also be applicable to any other projects i work on in future.

 

[kino_astroboy]

Some very good ideas:

1. Providing extra scenarios in Mercury and Gemini, such as Ham's flight and Freedom 7-II. For Gemini, missions 9a, 11, 12, and Atlas-Agena launches.

2. Fixed retro time for MA-9 and MA-10.

(Faith 7's retro time is about 8 hrs but while in real life the mission lasted for a day.)

(Freedom 7-II's retro time is about 4 hrs but while in real life the mission would have lasted 3 days.)

3. Implementation of the experiments in MA-7 and MA-9. These include the beacon and the balloon.

 

[Lunar_Lander]

I also remember, that it was planned to model the different interiors for the different mission capsules, such as adding the balloon and beacon release switches. But I like the screenshots of the improved Redstone very much!

The Wikipedia article about MA-6 has the following picture from Celestia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Mercury_Friendship7_Bassett_Celestia.jpg
Would it be possible to have a "normal" version of the capsule and an optional "high poly" one as this? That would be cool !

Temperature definately should go in, and maybe battery depletion too. In the case of MA-8 and MA-9, I believe they also enlarged the RCS fuel tank to some extent. I would also like to see other experiments implemented, such as the IR photography and SSTV camera of Cooper (but I understand that it would be difficult).

 

[insane_alien]

I can work on a more realistic electrical power system as well. but i'm going to do the completely unimplemented temperature stuff first.

 

[Lunar_Lander]

Sounds good !

A thing I forgot (which maybe could be done later): Cooper's capsule had the periscope replaced with some other visor system, as the periscope had proven to be too tedious to work with.

 

[insane_alien]

that'll have to be someone elses department. i can do the systems simulation but not much else i'm afraid. mainly due to my lack of programming ability. best i can do is make some scripts to process large amounts of data.