Project Space Shuttle Vessel

[GLS]

Just finished work in the NLG, and as the MLG was finished last week, I'm now done* with the underside of the vehicle!
Aft compartment, OMS pods and vertical tails are next.




*) except for the body flap, ET centerline latches, fwd ET attachment and chin panel

 

[GLS]

Today is the 1 year anniversary of Space Shuttle Vessel!!! ?

The 1.0 release is still a few months away, but I can now see light at the end of the tunnel! This past year I've done tons of work: from adding a couple of new features, to laying out things for further features in the future, correcting small (and some big) issues and errors, but the bulk of the time has been spent working the main mesh.
In the last month I finished the main corrections to the landing gears, got much of the aft compartment done, body flap tweaks and I'm now finishing the vertical tail and its variants.

Next on the list are the OMS pods and, if that goes well, by next month I'll then move to the final section of the vehicle: the forward fuselage. That should take a month (experience tells me it will be more ), after which I'll need to hammer the "external" VC mesh into a not-so-wrong shape, so it doesn't look bad when looking into the windows (the VCs will be worked on at a later date).
So by May I expect to start working the textures... no clue how long that will take, but that is the last big item on the list before releasing a version.

 

[GLS]

Continuing with the anniversaries: 60 years since Vostok(-1) was launched and, more related to SSV, 40 years STS-1 was launched!
As a sort of commemoration of these anniversaries, and also a sign that things are moving along, here is the first look at the current state of things as viewed from a STS-1 launch:

I'm not showing the forward fuselage on purpose as that is not done yet (it looks scary ), but behind that it's all finished with the exception of a few details and the RCS. Yes, it looks weird with no textures and the materials all messed up, but the work now is all about putting the vertices in the right places.

In the last month I finished the vertical tails and work in the OMS pods progressed better than expected, even though it was slower than I predicted. Anyway, that ended major work in the aft-end of the model, so I'm currently working in the forward fuselage, which is also moving along well.

 

[GLS]

... and today I have to post an image of the landing.

 

[GLS]

Time for the quick monthly update!
Currently at revision 796, and work on the forward fuselage continues... at a slower pace than I expected, but it's progressing. General layout is mostly complete, and all the holes are defined, with the exception of the windows and RCS.
I'm currently working the last of the windows, plus the "sledgehammer" work on the external vc, so it connects properly with the windows and fuselage (and I'll probably need to do some quick corrections to the main vc as well).
Of what remains, the RCS are probably the toughest nut to crack: I still have to figure out how much detail is actually needed before I start making things.

 

[GLS]

Time for the monthly update! (it's even Tuesday ?)
So, the modelling part of the mesh is done! There are still a few modelling details to work before the texture work can begin, but the first big hump on the road is now well behind.

Also worked the MCA side of the Star Tracker doors, Air Data Probes and ET Umbilical doors (already with centerline latch). The Vent Doors, being fully commanded from the GPCs, require (GPC) software work in addition to the mechanical side, and that would likely take a few weeks so it will have to wait (the same goes for the GPC commands for the ET Umbilical doors).
Also corrected tons of scenario parameter names and did small changes elsewhere in the code to move things forward.

Back to the main task, I've already started with the material work, and then comes the last big item on the list: textures, which will require lots of learning.


Here is a look at the complete mesh as it currently stands:

 

[Sbb1413]

I almost forgot the development of SSV, which will be both a more realistic version of STS-2016 and a more reliable version of SSU. Good luck GLS. ?

I would like to curate a list of Space Shuttle add-ons in Orbiter 2010 and 2016.

 

[GLS]

Time for the monthly update!
Hmmm, not the best of months to be honest... basically found out that I was doing things wrong in blender* and it was causing some vertices to "drift", so I had to re-check most of the model... ? ?
The good news is that most of this is now done, and is being done as part of the final "normals check" run before UV mapping begins. This also allowed me to fine-tune a couple of parts, so it wasn't a total loss of time.
To de-saturate from 3D work, I also did some code and file cleanup and reorganization, and fixed a couple of code bugs.
Added the GPC MEMORY display, so I can see the contents of the COMPOOL array. Once it was done, I realized this was something I should have done long before, as it helps a lot in debugging.






*) merging groups that have transformations (location, rotation or scale) leads to imprecisions in the computations (floating-point numbers aren't perfect), so the lesson is to apply the transformation ASAP, and also, use "split" instead of "separate" to separate triangles

 

[GLS]

Extra update!
99% of the "vertex drifting" is corrected, and only a few vertices remain to be worked.
UV mapping has (finally) started, the landing gear is done and I'm currently mapping the RMS. I'll probably give priority to work in the PLB so I can gain experience with its more simple shapes before mapping the fuselage, with all its curved surfaces. Lot's of re-organization of the texture files will also be needed.
On the code department, I've been doing some thinking about how to allow SM OPS 2 side-by-side with GNC, to unlock the GPC interface with RMS, PLBD, payload latches, etc. My initial plan was to add the displays and sw modules and "assume" G2 = S2, and release this in a 1.x release as it wouldn't break compatibility. But this solution would involve lots of switching between 201 and 202, and so I kept thinking about this while I worked the meshes. After I added the GPC MEMORY display a few weeks ago I had the idea of adding a second GPC to run the SM stuff, while keeping the existing GPC for GNC. Last night and today I gave this a go and it seems to work! Not being implemented like the real thing, it's probably still classified as a hack, but less so than the previous solution, and with the OPS 0 there shouldn't be a performance hit during launch and landing. This is still too green to say if it still fits in a minor version or it has to wait for the 2.0 release, but it is forward motion.

 

[GLS]

Update time!
Currently working uv mapping and materials on the Ku-band antenna. Work on the RMS, OMS engines, ADPs, RSB actuators and all PLB lights is now behind. The STs are putting up a fight, but it should get done soon.
The ET seems good to go, as I've now finished the mission configuration parameters and added the "scorched textures". Only have to figure out how to handle the D3D9 textures. SRBs will soon follow.
Also worked a few small details in the code ans sometime in the near future I'll run a "joint SSV-Orbiter" debug session to find the source of some issues, and then fix them.

 

[GLS]

Another month, another update!

I'm currently spending way too much time on the texture of the longeron bridge fittings, but I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel: just finished one, and the other 12 are maybe 70% done.

Also did lots of file sorting, finished the Ku-band antenna, touched up materials, did the RMS and OBSS alignment markings, final corrections to the DFI pallet and tons of small corrections and improvements all over the project.

 

[GLS]

Another month of work has passed! Currently working the last details of the PLB wire trays. Next on the list are the PLB ring frames and longerons, and then the PLB blankets and stuff. That should conclude the work on the bottom-half of the PLB, leaving the top-half: doors, latches, seals and radiators.



As shown in the image, work on the bridge fittings is now complete, as well as the payload latches and guides.
In SSV, payloads will be placed in the PLB according with the PLIDs of the payload trunnions. The PLIDs are perfectly located, so no fiddling with coordinates. The Mission Editor app will allow for payload selection, which PLIDs it uses and their details, and then in the simulation the latches and attachments will appear exactly where they should be. Also, they will be wired to panel A6U as desired.
PLIDs of payloads are available in mission payload diagrams, or they can be inferred from (good) photos. I think I added enough detail to the bridge fittings to allow for direct comparison, thus making it easier to get the PLIDs from photos.

 

[DaveS]

GLS: If you're working on the PDRS or more specifically the RMS, this is a sequence you don't want to miss, STS-2 RMS S/N 201 End Effector testing in the RMS Lab of the VAB. It shows the entire grapple sequence from capture to to rigidizing. Something I found surprising is that the entire EE moves forward during the rigidizing part.

 

[GLS]

onthly pdate! (no, not a typo, just my keyboard dying... ? ? ? )
Progress has slowed down a bit due to the failure of several keys. Still completed the wire tray and all 34730593 blankets in the PLB. Also did a basic radiator uv mapping, which is good enough for now so the rest will be done later.
Now working the interior of the PLBDs, and after that only "small parts" remain inside the PLB.

GLS: If you're working on the PDRS or more specifically the RMS, this is a sequence you don't want to miss, STS-2 RMS S/N 201 End Effector testing in the RMS Lab of the VAB. It shows the entire grapple sequence from capture to to rigidizing. Something I found surprising is that the entire EE moves forward during the rigidizing part.

On the RMS, pretty much no (functional) code has been changed, even though I have tons of plans to move code around, so more can be added (both code and mesh). First on the list is a root-level change to remove the "jitter" in the end effector, and associated attachment point drift. It's easy, but I've decided to only do it after v1.0 so this isn't delayed even more.

 

[n72.75]

You can become the Georges Perec of the letter 'm'.

 

[WolfAngriff]

I have the ref !

Hm... OK, i'm french...

 

[GLS]

You can become the Georges Perec of the letter 'm'.

m, u, h are wonky, left shift, f1 and f2 are dead (needed in Orbiter) and then 8 and 9, also dead, which just happen to be ( and ), those unimportant chars in coding.

 

[n72.75]

m, u, h are wonky, left shift, f1 and f2 are dead (needed in Orbiter) and then 8 and 9, also dead, which just happen to be ( and ), those unimportant chars in coding.

As long as you're just writing octal numbers you're okay, but otherwise that sounds like a pain.

 

[GLS]

Monthly update!
I now have a new computer, but I'm still setting things up, so development still continues in the old one.
The PLBDs should be done, with the exception of mapping the latches and seals.
Finished most of the payload panels in the PLB, along with the EDO and ExtAL/ODS panels. I'm now working on mapping the filters, slidewires, ring frames, etc.



After several months ago adding an easy way to have custom textures for the ET, I finally did the same for the SRBs and added a couple more "official" texture options. There are still some missing, but for now there should be plenty of choice.

 

[GLS]

Another month, another update!

Almost out of things to work in the PLB for this release (there are more things in the pipeline for future releases). The major item left there are the PLB bulkheads and texture perspective, but I'm not going to invest too much time on this as it can easely be improved later.
Took the holidays, and a functional keyboard, to fix a number of small issues that I had identified over the last few months, which include: adding the RHC trim switches, and hopefully improving joystick support, reduced the number of vessel configuration files by reling more on the mission file, the launch pads and the CT got a bit better, plus a few other items. Also decided to press ahead with new math in the RMS, and it is an improvement in stability! Time and further use will tell if it is all good, but it is already good enough to be used.
To play with the RMS I finally updated what for months was a very simple and ugly PFTA, into this (the sunset effect is not mine ):

It's not 100% complete, and the GFs and scuff plates are not to spec with what flew, but they are the GFs from the OBSS and the "standard" scuff plates, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. It would be interesting in the future to add the other GFs and the target for the keel camera and make it as it would have been for STS-11.

The next (and last) big item is the uv mapping of the outside... I'm a little nervous about it as the large, continuous, rounded surfaces will not be easy to unwrap properly. The body flap should be easy though...