mecripp/dockrotate

Kerbal Space Program lightweight robotics with docking ports

DockRotate

Needing deployable arms for antennas on your satellites?

Wanting to try VTOL vehicles with moving engines?

Tired of misaligned solar panel trusses on your space stations?

This plugin can help you.

Docked port pairs can rotate via right-click menu or action groups. ( * ) They can rotate to snap for perfect alignment. And if you want to uninstall the module, you won't lose any ship, because there's no new parts involved. Your station parts will stay aligned, and your satellite arms will stay deployed.

If the rotation step is set to 0, the rotation will be continuous. You can stop it with the "Stop Rotation" right-click menu entry, the "Stop Rotation" action, or Alt-B.

Rotation will malfunction if parts on opposite sides of the rotating joint are connected by struts.

Autostruts are removed during motion, and restored after.

If advanced tweakables are enabled, you can access to the experimental smart autostruts. If the "Smart Autostruts" flag is enabled only the autostruts that cross the rotating joint are removed. This can misbehave with crossing struts, use with caution and quicksave before!

Forum page: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/170484-dockrotate-rotation-control-on-docking-ports/

( * ) Should work with any port based on ModuleDockingNode.

( ** ) DockRotate can be compatible with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement. KJR configuration must be updated.

NodeRotate

This module can be used to turn any connection node of any physically significant part into a rotating joint.

NodeRotate is intended for modders who want to create new rotating parts. There's an example NodeRotate.cfg file in the distribution, see there for details.

Forum user Psycho_zs contributed a few motor parts. You can find them in VAB/SPH in the Utility section.