[Omniscaper]

Are all the dockees, forced to have the same orientation as the dock?

I'm attempting to have fighters docked to a friegter but I'm having difficulty having the fighters face dwnward. They keep matching the freighter's heading. Their roll orientation is correct, its just their heading.

I'm attempting to change the dock point's orientation in 3dsmax now and I'm crossing fingers. Can anyone help?

[StratComm]

You'll notice that all dockpoints in FS have two points associated with them; one is the dockpoint itself, while the other is an orientation point.  When two ships dock, their dockpoints converge to the same location and the docker orients itself so that the line from the first dockpoint to the second matches a similar line on the dockee.

[Omniscaper]

Yes, thats right... but that doesn't seem to affect the heading though. Like I said, the roll orientation is correct, but the heading can't seem to be changed. The only solution I can think of is to have the freighter's default orientation to be set at a 90 degree angle. That would make the freighter loo silly, if I wanted it to move.  I'll keep experimenting.

How does the dock points and orientation work?

[Goober5000]

The orientation is calculated from the dock point.  The object faces along the line drawn from point 2 to point 1 on the tip of the dockpoint.

This is unchanged from retail behavior, so I'm splitting the thread.

[Omniscaper]

Talk and written language suck. Visual communication... ahhhh.\

I am after Perpendicular  docking.




BUT I KEEP GETTING THIS:




Even when I change the orientation of the Freighter to its side, the docked ships keep facing the freighter's heading.
Like i said before, the "roll" orientation is correct. Its the heading that I can't get right.

From all my failed attempts I'm starting to wonder if the freighter's pivot point has something to do with the heading with docking points.

Can some attempt to do what I'm trying to do successfully? I want to know what I'm doing wrong here.

[karajorma]

You have your dockpoints like this on the big arrow

Code: [Select]


------------------------------------

        x x              o o              

------------------------------------

     Ship 1          Ship 2

When they should be like this

------------------------------------

        x               o              
        x               o
------------------------------------


Move the second normal for each dockpoint so that it is below (or above depending on how you set the dockpoints on the fighters) the other one and everything should work).

With dockpoints the first normal tells you where to dock. The second tells you where to face.

[Omniscaper]

Now r u talking docking points? I've already tried a "-1" on the Y axis of the docking point normal. The normal points straight down. All that does is kill my "roll" orientation. The fighter still faces the same direction as the freighter.


PCS's docking tab has no option for a 2nd normal. Am I missing something here?

Are you talking paths now?

[karajorma]

Each Dock consists of two points 1m apart each with it's own normal. It sounds like you've only got one point (although I'm surprised that it works like that).

[Omniscaper]

Cool!!! Thanks a LOT!!!

I guess, Styxx's sample model for his 3dsmax pluggin, failed to mention the need for a SECOND docking point.

BLARG...   6 hours of wasted time. I need food now.

[Nuke]

you see your stacking them, they should be on the same plane of dock, one in fromt of the other. if the docs on the top of the ship and you have a dock point at 0'5'5, the other point should be at 0'5'4 or 0'5'6, not 0'6'5. dockpoints control oreintation, paths control aproach vector.

[Omniscaper]

Ok, I've downloaded a 1/27 build. Got all the rientation corrected now. I just got one problem... the freighter which the fighters are docked to twitches like a modman. Its moving all over the place. MOI is set correctly as well as mass. I fredded it to "play dead" yet the moment the mission loads up it starts twitching. Its as if id didn't like the fighters docked to it. Its class is designated as "capital"

Anyone run into this problem?

[Solatar]

I've had that happen with a couple Fenris class cruisers docked to two Hermes escape pods. Happened like...once or twice and never did it again.

[StratComm]

My guess is it's the fighters, not the freighter, that are causing the problem.  Instruct them to "play dead" and make absolutely sure none of them have or can accept any orders.

[karajorma]

Just a hunch but try docking fighters that aren't in a wing and see what happens.

[Omniscaper]

Wouldn't that make it difficult to Fred a mission? It would be nice to start the mission off with the fighters docked, and then do their thing. I'll try it.

What is the most stable build that includes the multiple docking?

[StratComm]

I've done it with fighters in a wing and had no problems.  But then the first thing I did was tell the fighters to play dead, so that would be the first thing I'd try.

[karajorma]

Yeah that could cause trouble too. Probably a better idea you're right. It was just that the description reminded me of a FA mission where freighters in a wing were causing something similar.

[Goober5000]

Ugh.  Docking every ship in a wing to the same ship might cause problems.  Seems to me I tried a simple solution but never went back to check if it would work.

Like karajorma said, try docking ships that aren't in a wing and see what happens.

Now that I think of it, however, multiple ship docking isn't working 100% for initially docked ships yet.  I still have to finish that up.  It's more or less on hold until we get FRED fixed.

[StratComm]

Goober, I have tested docking ships in wings.  That screenshot you chose as runner-up had three wings in it; one Ursa in a wing by itself docked to the bottom of the transport, two Hercules fighters in a wing, and three Lokis in a third wing.  I had them all ordered to play dead, and the transport ordered to dock with them.  Worked fine.  Now I never actually tried it in a mission with hostiles, or giving them orders, but they didn't complain at all to be there.

[Goober5000]

Okay, maybe my fix did work then.  Just nobody try initially-docking more than one ship until I get that fixed.