OHM HTV-X 1.2

[diogom]

diogom submitted a new addon:

HTV-X - Simple implementation of the new JAXA HTV-X

Simple implementation of the new JAXA HTV-X, deployable solar panels [K], working navigation lights [L], grapple point for the SSRMS. The CBM port acts as a docking port.

Includes scenarios with Better ISS by Max-Q, that's the only dependency. No launch scenarios, as an H3 addon does not exist yet.

Built for O2024

Read more about this addon...

 

[barrygolden]

can you do this for 2016

 

[francisdrake]

This is a very cool addon!
The gold and silver foil textures are the best I've ever seen in Orbiter!
Maybe you could disclose how you made them, how specular and normal maps were created.

I flew a docking approach to the stock ISS and realized, the cockpit view is aft (opposite to the docking port).
Really? Ok, spaceflight is hard, but soo hard?

Anyway, it is fun to fly and really good looking.
Appreciate all the time you have invested in creating the model and textures for it!

 

[diogom]

can you do this for 2016

From what I can tell, it should be working in 2016 actually. I did find something with the solar panels animation though not being as consistent as I thought, in both Orbiter versions, I think I have the why but don't quite understand it yet and want to see if it's not another fluke before putting up a patch or something.

Maybe you could disclose how you made them, how specular and normal maps were created.

Much appreciated, actually have you to thank there for both Freepik and NormalMap-Online. I just ended up finding a silver version that seemed ok and used Paint.NET to gold it up. The duller gold on the middle section and panels was another from Freepik slightly tweaked in Paint.NET. Then just generated the normal with low strength, the cube visualiser thingy was helpful in knowing if I needed to flip the height map, and that was that. Rest is just D3D9 settings, tried to balance Smoothness and Metalness, they're both just a bit over half. In real photos it can be quite a mirror in some conditions, but too much metalness just ends up looking too dark even in sunlight, there might be something I've missed though, specular settings maybe.

I flew a docking approach to the stock ISS and realized, the cockpit view is aft (opposite to the docking port).

Oh, good point actually. So HTV-X is kinda backwards in that regard, with what is considered "forward". If you use the SSRMS to berth it, it doesn't matter much, but I guess it is a bit awkward if used as an active dock. I could throw in a docking camera mode to flip it, just with the caveat most RCS will be reversed. I hear HTV-X2 will have a forward facing docking port, so that was probably a reason why they made it that way.

 

[francisdrake]

I could throw in a docking camera mode to flip it,

I think, that would be a good solution.
Some vessels use the 'E' Key to switch between forward and aft view.

With the inversed RCS we can probably live.

 

[cybro]

Good one and it just happens to be docked at ISS right now... They have 7 parked at the moment... Maybe they will go for the record and get 8 after MS-28 launches tomorrow... (https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-visiting-vehicles/)

 

[diogom]

diogom updated HTV-X with a new update entry:

1.1

• Solars animation fix
• Small UI update
• Added internal camera direction toggle

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[diogom]

Attached here a compile in O2016, since there was nothing to change.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Nice ship. Docking cam appreciated.

Is there a fix for the crazy RCS? I'm getting plumes larger than the ISS? I've seen this with other addons, I think O24 updates the particle effects differently?

 

[diogom]

Nice ship. Docking cam appreciated.

Is there a fix for the crazy RCS? I'm getting plumes larger than the ISS? I've seen this with other addons, I think O24 updates the particle effects differently?

Think it might just be my questionable choices, at least compared to 2016 it seems mostly the same here. I've been on the fence between particle streams and a 2D texture for a while, both have their points but not been fully happy with either yet (mostly just ported these over from Soyuz and adjusted slightly). When you can see these things in IRL docking video they go on quite a bit, but I also appreciate that camera contrast and all that comes into play. Ideally the particle stream would fade out a bit more, as it is maybe it could indeed use a trim.

Somewhat related, an interesting tidbit from documentation I went through is apparently they had to redesign the solar panels structure when NASA data suggested thruster plumes from other visiting vehicles might cause issues with them.

 

[Buck Rogers]

I've been on the fence between particle streams and a 2D texture for a while, both have their points but not been fully happy with either yet

Know what you mean.
Maybe it's my settings, but this is what I get (at x1)

 

[diogom]

Know what you mean.
Maybe it's my settings, but this is what I get (at x1)
View attachment 45908

Oof, ok that's weird. This is what I see:


Not sure if any settings affect this kind of thing, this is 2024 mostly out of the box anyway. Dunno if fps would, through the timestep length, since time acceleration does mess with the streams, I think I'm locked at 60 fps.

 

[francisdrake]

On the long RCS plumes:
Reduce the lifetime in the particle definition. Usually a few 0.x sec are sufficient.
The length will still vary with fps and time acceleration settings.
______
Also, do not use the exhaust velocity as v0 of the stream.
While this would be theoretically correct, it is not rendered well.
I use only values of around 30 - 40 m/s.
Maybe you can try some different values, but not as high as the ISP value.

 

[diogom]

On the long RCS plumes:
Reduce the lifetime in the particle definition. Usually a few 0.x sec are sufficient.
The length will still vary with fps and time acceleration settings.
______
Also, do not use the exhaust velocity as v0 of the stream.
While this would be theoretically correct, it is not rendered well.
I use only values of around 30 - 40 m/s.
Maybe you can try some different values, but not as high as the ISP value.

Thanks, I'll play around with it. Bit of a downside to this though, if it can vary so much user to user, at least a solid texture is consistent.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Not sure if any settings affect this kind of thing, this is 2024 mostly out of the box anyway. Dunno if fps would, through the timestep length, since time acceleration does mess with the streams, I think I'm locked at 60 fps.

Thanks, I'll play around with it. Bit of a downside to this though, if it can vary so much user to user, at least a solid texture is consistent.

Also using a pretty clean O24 install It's very fps dependent (and time x), but it's still too much at 80 fps.
Solid textures have there downsides too. Exhaust textures in general could do with an overhaul for a next update.
I've just checked Vesselfamily M Proton frigat in O24, it also uses particles and seems to work well independant of fps.

 

[francisdrake]

Maybe compare the exhausts to the CrewDragon RCS exhausts, both in Orbiter and real footage.
In Orbiter a combination of static flames and particle exhausts is used to simulate the exhausts.
Thrusters Firing in space by SpaceX's CRS 25 Dragon

 

[Starbuck312]

Attached here a compile in O2016, since there was nothing to change.

Hi,
I'm using this on Orbiter 2016 and with Donamy & Thornton's ISS, and currently have it docked in the position of the current ISS layout. However, whether I have it docked or attached, it seems to be 180 degs. round the wrong way on it's main axis! I just added it in within the scenario file rather than than trying to get it to the ISS in the active scenario itself (yet):


HTV-X1:HTVX\HTVX
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -4767029.531 -4847184.484 223717.667
RVEL -5155.9108 4945.0840 -2735.7890
AROT 92.641 -44.494 109.114
VROT 0.0646 0.0000 -0.0000
AFCMODE 7
PRPLEVEL 0:0.750000
DOCKINFO 0:2,Harmony
NAVFREQ 0 0
ANIM 2 1.000000
END

Were as the current layout from NASA shows:


I previously read that you had to berth it...?
Could someone help me with spinning it around please? (as I'm doing a scenario with the detailed SSV to the ISS and dock in-place of CRS-33)
Also, there doesn't seem to be any additional boxes on the base of it? Am I missing bits...?

Otherwise, it's a lovely detailed model that fits right in with the rest...Well done!

Starbuck

 

[diogom]

Hi,
I'm using this on Orbiter 2016 and with Donamy & Thornton's ISS, and currently have it docked in the position of the current ISS layout. However, whether I have it docked or attached, it seems to be 180 degs. round the wrong way on it's main axis! I just added it in within the scenario file rather than than trying to get it to the ISS in the active scenario itself (yet):


HTV-X1:HTVX\HTVX
STATUS Orbiting Earth
RPOS -4767029.531 -4847184.484 223717.667
RVEL -5155.9108 4945.0840 -2735.7890
AROT 92.641 -44.494 109.114
VROT 0.0646 0.0000 -0.0000
AFCMODE 7
PRPLEVEL 0:0.750000
DOCKINFO 0:2,Harmony
NAVFREQ 0 0
ANIM 2 1.000000
END

Were as the current layout from NASA shows:


I previously read that you had to berth it...?
Could someone help me with spinning it around please? (as I'm doing a scenario with the detailed SSV to the ISS and dock in-place of CRS-33)
Also, there doesn't seem to be any additional boxes on the base of it? Am I missing bits...?

Otherwise, it's a lovely detailed model that fits right in with the rest...Well done!

Starbuck

Hi Starbuck, thanks for the feedback

Yeah regarding the rotation, I set this up for the other ISS addon, where it is rotated correctly when docked, and didn't really test with this addon. Unfortunately, as is, the orientation is hardcoded, so either one or the other will be "wrong". I could look into making that a configurable option on the .cfg, though I think it will always have to be tailored for one or the other at one time. By the way, does it otherwise dock fine? I remember Thorton's ISS having a neat attachment system for the CBM ports & co, but I only really configured attachment points for the (nonexistant) rocket and the Canadarm, the actual PCBM port is a docking port.

As for the unpressurised cargo, for some reason pretty much every render of the mission out there shows a different configuration than flown, including JAXA's current website and the HTV-X1 press kit. As flown on HTV-X1, there's only the DELIGHT and i-SEEP experiments, with two sun shields and the protective frame:

 

[barrygolden]

hey there Super job looks and flys great in 2016 thanks a bunch
any words on the launch vehicle

 

[Starbuck312]

By the way, does it otherwise dock fine? I remember Thorton's ISS having a neat attachment system for the CBM ports & co, but I only really configured attachment points for the (nonexistant) rocket and the Canadarm, the actual PCBM port is a docking port.

Hi,
Some closer inspection and differences between docked and attached to Donamy & Thorton's ISS:

Docked:

Offset to Harmony is good for the main body parts, but around the dock you see interference:

Maybe from slightly different Harmony modules...?

Attached:

It attaches perpendicular to the station and massive interference of the bodies. I would just like to learn how to possibly correct it so I can dock an SSV to the IDA-2 in front of it without any interferences (Take the old bird to the old nest).

Regards
Starbuck