Delta-V calculator

[Altaïr]

Here is a simple, yet very useful mod, the ΔV calculator.

This mod adds your ΔV stat to your flight information panel:

How does it work?

It simply calculates the ΔV available to your rocket based on all the engines that are currently turned on. Basically, it shows how much ΔV you would get by letting the rocket burning its fuel without touching anything else. It means that for example your ΔV will change if you turn on another engine, or if you trigger a separator (because it alleviates your rocket).
It is compatible with many situations:

• can deal with multiple stages working together (typically a first stage flanked by boosters), it also takes into account the fact that some stages may run out of fuel before others.
• works accurately with angled engines
• compatible with boosters (if you have a custom parts pack adding them)
• works with ion engines

Known limitations:

• doesn't take RCS into account (you generally don't add them for ΔV...)

Wait, what is "ΔV" to begin with?

"ΔV" is to be pronounced "delta-V". "Δ" is a greek letter that is commonly used in physics to express a difference. In this case, it means "velocity difference". That's an abstract rocket resource that tells you by how much you can make vary your rocket speed.

For example, if your rocket runs at 1000 m/s and you accelerate until you reach 1100 m/s, then you have spent 100 m/s of ΔV.

How do I install it?

1. Open your mod folder (from the game, go into the mod loader menu, then click "Open Mod folder")
2. Download DeltaV_Calculator.dll
3. Drop it into your mod folder
4. Restart your game and activate the mod (make sure UI Tools is activated, otherwise the mod won't show up)

This is what the mod looks like in your mod loader menu:

Enjoy

Note: this mod is compatible with Vanilla Upgrade (it also adds additional data to the flight information panel)

Source code available here.

 

[Orion]

Perfection.

 

[Orion]

It works with extreme values too...

Lol

 

[Prox_xima]

It works with extreme values too...
View attachment 110593
Lol

Now that is a beautiful detail. That's a great use, too, for quickly verifying the potential of rockets with engines from your upcoming interstellar pack

 

[Orion]

Now that is a beautiful detail. That's a great use, too, for quickly verifying the potential of rockets with engines from your upcoming interstellar pack

Yeah, it meshes well with VanillaUpgrades for the unit change, I wasn't expecting that.

 

[Altaïr]

It works with extreme values too...
View attachment 110593
Lol

Oh, cool! I didn't test that, I'm glad to see it works.

I wasn't expecting that.

Me neither. That's the magic of patching I guess

 

[Power9Legend]

brilliant

 

[Lemniscate Biscuit]

Here is a simple, yet very useful mod, the ΔV calculator.

This mod adds your ΔV stat to your flight information panel:
View attachment 110471

How does it work?

It simply calculates the ΔV available to your rocket based on all the engines that are currently turned on. Basically, it shows how much ΔV you would get by letting the rocket burning its fuel without touching anything else. It means that for example your ΔV will change if you turn on another engine, or if you trigger a separator (because it alleviates your rocket).
It is compatible with many situations:

• can deal with multiple stages working together (typically a first stage flanked by boosters), it also takes into account the fact that some stages may run out of fuel before others.
• works accurately with angled engines
• compatible with boosters (if you have a custom parts pack adding them)
• works with ion engines

Known limitations:

• Untested with custom engines using an alternative fuel source
• doesn't take RCS into account (you generally don't add them for ΔV...)

Wait, what is "ΔV" to begin with?

"ΔV" is to be pronounced "delta-V". "Δ" is a greek letter that is commonly used in physics to express a difference. In this case, it means "velocity difference". That's an abstract rocket resource that tells you by how much you can make vary your rocket speed.

For example, if your rocket runs at 1000 m/s and you accelerate until you reach 1100 m/s, then you have spent 100 m/s of ΔV.

How do I install it?

1. Open your mod folder (from the game, go into the mod loader menu, then click "Open Mod folder")
2. Download DeltaV_Calculator.dll
3. Drop it into your mod folder
4. Restart your game and activate the mod (make sure UI Tools is activated, otherwise the mod won't show up)

This is what the mod looks like in your mod loader menu:
View attachment 110472

Enjoy

Note: this mod is compatible with Vanilla Upgrade (it also adds additional data to the flight information panel)

This is great!

 

[Altaïr]

This is great!

Thanks!

 

[NeptuneSky]

Wow, I never expected to see this one made. Using enabled engines instead of trying to manually figure out stages is a clever solution to an otherwise annoying problem, although it still leaves a very complicated area to improve on the table. Regardless, looking great and will be installing.

 

[Altaïr]

Wow, I never expected to see this one made. Using enabled engines instead of trying to manually figure out stages is a clever solution to an otherwise annoying problem, although it still leaves a very complicated area to improve on the table. Regardless, looking great and will be installing.

Coming from you that's truly a compliment

I agree that one could expect more from this (taking stages into account), but I guess it's the most that's realistically feasible. SFS offers way more freedom than other space games in terms of rocket construction, so it's potentially very hard to understand how the rocket will be used. Anyway, there are things that are hard (if not impossible) to anticipate, like fuel transfer, asparagus staging and so on, so I accept the fact that the mod would have limits anyway

 

[NeptuneSky]

Coming from you that's truly a compliment

I agree that one could expect more from this (taking stages into account), but I guess it's the most that's realistically feasible. SFS offers way more freedom than other space games in terms of rocket construction, so it's potentially very hard to understand how the rocket will be used. Anyway, there are things that are hard (if not impossible) to anticipate, like fuel transfer, asparagus staging and so on, so I accept the fact that the mod would have limits anyway

For sure, I honestly never expect an attempt to do it that way to be very accurate unless you're building something "traditional". This method provides more accurate results anyways with the only drawback being you can't see it preflight.

I have been considering remaking the build screen dV calculator that VU used to have but instead calculate it based on selected parts, i.e. manually select the entire stage and it'll spit out a number, then you can add another stage and it omits the parts you selected for previous stages.

 

[NeptuneSky]

Yeah, it meshes well with VanillaUpgrades for the unit change, I wasn't expecting that.

Vanilla Upgrades patches the vanilla conversion for units, any mod that doesnt use its own separate unit conversion method should work with it.

 

[Altaïr]

Update to V1.1.2

The mod wasn't working with electric engines (only custom engines using the electricity parts pack are concerned), the new version fixes that.
If you have the mod already installed you have nothing to do, the update is automatic

 

[RealEmerald]

The one piece of information Ive been needing is a Delta V readout, amazing :3