Problem Model Direction or Thrust Direction

[DarkEnergy]

I am making my first addon for Orbiter after playing it for a long while. I was able to set everything and get the model into the simulator. I just have one problem that I can't find a solution for. I can't find a way to set the direction of the thrust. I can set which way the visual thrust is, but not the actual thrust itself; only the strength and amount of it.

Do I have to orient my model along a certain axis in the 3d modeler, or is there a variable I'm missing? Here is my model config right now (I'm using vinka's spacecraft.dll):

[CONFIG]
MESHNAME="SpaceShipTest"
SIZE=15.1
CAMERA=(0,1.467,6.782)
EMPTY_MASS=18000
FUEL_MASS=16000
MAIN_THRUST=2.16e5
ATTITUDE_THRUST=5000
ISP=50000
PMI=(7.40,95.00,94.89)
CW_Z_POS=0.8
CW_Z_NEG=0.8
CW_X=0.8
CW_Y=0.8
CROSS_SECTION=(78.55,174.29,180.08)
PITCH_MOMENT_SCALE=0.00001
BANK_MOMENT_SCALE=0.00002
ROT_DRAG=(1.5,1.5,1.5)

[EX_MAIN_0]
OFF=(15.1,0,0)
DIR=(1,0,0)
LENGTH=10
WIDTH=1

 

[MJR]

What is your thrust direction now? What do you want to set it as? Change the DIR to (0,0,1) If it is a rocket. I don't know what ship you have so I am confused.

 

[DarkEnergy]

Well my ship right now is on the z axis, so I guess a side of it. It is more of a interplanetary ship, but since it is my first, it has one rocket engine and can be compared to a rocket.

The problem is not the actual visual of the thrust, it is it's direction itself. Like if I turn prograde, the side of my ship points prograde, not the front. When I use thrust it visually isn't pointing in the right direction but still goes in the prograde direction.

Sorry if that is confusing. Thanks for the fast reply.

 

[MJR]

What 3d modeler are you using? I think I know how to fix this. Orient your craft pointing upwards so when you view it to the left it is pointing up. Export it as a mesh and keep it like that. Don't use the Ship edit if you want to engine to have a horizontal thrust.

 

[DarkEnergy]

I'm using Anim8or right now, though I wish to use Blender in the future since I have some experience with it. I'll try what you said in a little bit. Don't you have to use shipedit? That's what my tutorial said to do.

 

[MJR]

If you are making a rocket then the thrust has to make it propel upward. It can't go side to side. Now if you want to have a rocket that has a rocket to the side or back like the DG, then do not rotate it because it will be facing up and the engine will push it sideways. Can you put a picture of the rocket on here?

 

[DarkEnergy]

Rotating it upwards worked perfectly! Now, one last question, does every ship that gets it's thrust from the back have to face upwards?

Thanks for the quick and useful help!!

 

[MJR]

No problem. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. About your question, the answer is yes. If you do not do that then the ship will not take off vertically and its axes will be wrong.

 

[Quick_Nick]

Rotating it upwards worked perfectly! Now, one last question, does every ship that gets it's thrust from the back have to face upwards?

Thanks for the quick and useful help!!

Not exactly. spacecraft.dll includes a couple of examples of vehicles that take-off vertically and land horizontally, and also includes documentation.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

In Spacecraft3.dll, the thrust directions are set meaning mains will always thrust in the +Z direction. Hovers +Y and likewise, the attitude thrusters are set as thrusting in all directions one meter from the ship's center. Programming a ship and creating a .dll however allows you to specify thrusters that act specifically where you place the thrusters, then tell Orbiter which commands activate the thrusters.

 

[DarkEnergy]

Quick_Nick:
I meant facing upwards in the 3d modeler, not in the actual Orbiter program.

Zatnikitelman:
I may eventually make my own dlls, but for now it's a little too complicated for my first one. Wouldn't having the attitude thrusters only 1 meter away from the center make it really hard to turn large ships using Spacecraft3?

 

[MJR]

Put the attitude thruster usually close to the front.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

That's why in Spacecraft3 you might have to specify say 1000 Newtons of thrust to get the same turning effect as a thruster in the proper location which might only be 15 Newtons of thrust. There's probably some mathematical way of figuring it out, I just don't know it yet.