Get a working Docking Bay on a model

Killer Wolf · Post by **Killer Wolf** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:26 pm

bah....that's making it sound to me (complete newb so mebbes it means nothing!) that the docking puters are looking for and lining up on the 0-0-0, though somewhere down the Z axis for the approach. since your coords are showing a large X value, i take it the dock's off at one side but the puters are looking for a generic position that was probbly coded for the stations :-/ which means mine might not work either. it's aligned X/Y = 0 but the Z is in the positive so it might crash into the back before the docking stuff triggers the "landed" state. must admit i always just use the shortcut version of the docking routine so i would've never noticed! thanks for that heads-up tho, worth adding that to my play-testing...

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:56 pm

@KW, it might not be as bad as it sounds because I did manage to manually dock at coords 496 -127 -753

Killer Wolf · Post by **Killer Wolf** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:25 pm

so manually it sounds like everythings hanging together, but the standard coding for the docking puters doesn't like anything but an originised bay. hmm....actually, did Griff or someone manage to get something sorted by placing a waypoint marker or such like at the front door of the bay? summat's twigging about that, i'll have a trawl tonight, because given the amount of complex builds that are starting to come along if the puter code is "wrong", it might need some clever bod to rewrite a version that *looks* for the dock rather that blithely assuming it's on the origin.

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:42 pm

Finally got it working, I used the subentity from the Behemoth which was <string>dock x y z 1 0 0 0</string> but it should of been <string>dock x y z 0 1 0 0</string>.

Don't really understand how the Behemoth works, when it's around the wrong way!

Thanks for the help KW and thanks for the "Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Starting this *@*#~&ing .oxp" Charlie

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:19 pm

Now which docking bay should I dock at?

Time to add flashing lights, texture detail and a few exhausts.

ramon · Post by **ramon** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:25 pm

very nice, glad you cracked it!

reills · Post by **reills** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:40 pm

In a word, GLORIOUS

reills · Post by **reills** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:41 pm

Will the docking computers behave like the proverbial donkey between two equal sized piles of hay?

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:00 pm

Thanks ramon and reills, perseverance pays off in the end.

The docking computer seems to go for the last subentity (left in the picture), but docks upside down for some reason. It could be worse, when the docking port was around the wrong way, it flew through the nose!

Killer Wolf · Post by **Killer Wolf** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:00 pm

damn!

glad you got it sorted

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:11 pm

Thanks KW, because it was all my stupid fault

, your project shouldn't have any problem with the docking ports.

ramon · Post by **ramon** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:21 am

CaptKev wrote:
...but docks upside down for some reason.

Just a thought, and you've probably already tried it, but rotate the model 180 degrees in Studio Max and then save it again, see if that works. I'm pretty sure Oolite records the x & y co-ordinates.

Killer Wolf · Post by **Killer Wolf** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:54 am

speaking of the dockbox, i created one in Milkshape, an open ended bock w/ the faces facing inwards. when i imported it into Ultimate Unwrap to set up a texture map it said "model has no UV information" or some such :-\ didn't have time to sort it out tho - does anyone know what it means? be a bit embarassing if i can produce a Vampire and frick up an open box! :-D

TGHC · Post by **TGHC** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:01 am

Great work Capn, can't wait to see this in a busy place with ships going in and out, just a thought, what happens when you select target and then Shift+C, is there a default entrance/one way system? Or for manual docking you are cleared for entry, and then go into the wrong docking bay, all sorts of OXP possibilities here. Instant fines, congestion charge, driving without due care and attention, community service etc etc.

CaptKev · Post by **CaptKev** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:02 am

@ramon, I was using the dock2-192x64x250.dat from the Behemoth, once I created my own box everything seemed to sort itself out. But unfortunately while doing more testing I found that only the last docking subentity works! So I'll have to park a Cobra in the first bay with some red lights warning that it's being used.

@KW, I got this message as well, I just unwrapped the model and saved it, which seemed to work.

@TGHC, Thanks, this was the direction I wanted to take the OXP but due to the reasons above, unfortunately there's just one docking bay!