Buoyant Parts

Buoyant parts are those who float in a non-solid substance, be it air, water, Mercury, magma or Neon Gas. In Homebrew, these buoyant parts are split into two different types: those that are buoyant in air, and those that are buoyant in water. Each has their own characteristics that set them apart from others.

Pontoon

Pontoons are the basic means of keeping boats afloat. They usually contain air or some type of lightweight foam to keep them lighter than water, and allow the boat to float on top of water. In addition to their contents, their shape also helps to stabilize the boat while driving forward.

Statistics

• Each pontoon is capable of lifting up to roughly 918.5kg when fully submerged.
• Pontoons generate 18,472N of lift when they're acting as wings.

Adjustable Pontoon

The adjustable pontoon is a flotation device used on boats and aquatic planes. It can be rescaled from 30/30/30cm, to 1200/1200/1200 cm. Meaning they can either be very small, or extremely large.

Statistics

• Flotation force - The adjustable pontoon calculates pontoon floatation as (volume * 1000 * 9.81N = Newtons of lift force). Note that "volume" in this case refers to cubic meters of the pontoon itself. This means it can float up to 1000kg per cubic meter of volume, since Gravity cancels out the 9.81 factor.
• Mass - The pontoon's mass is simply calculated as (volume * 5kg = mass). Once again, volume is in cubic meters.

Notes

• It should be noted that the adjustable pontoons are extremely buoyant for their size and weight. So be careful in using them when you have lightweight vehicles.
• Note that the yellow number in the builder does not represent how much weight the pontoon can lift in water, but rather, how much lift it generates when the pontoon is acting as a wing.

Blimp

Blimps are large vehicles with a large container of gas that is lighter than air. Most commonly this gas is Helium or Hydrogen. Most modern blimps are filled with Helium, although some famous examples of blimps, most prominently the Hindenburg, were instead filled with Hydrogen, an extremely flammable gas. In Homebrew, the blimp is merely the container for this lighter-than-air gas, and has no flammable or explosive properties. It is up to the player to make the rest of the vehicle.

Inputs

• Lift Factor - Determines how much force the blimp will output, based on a decimal input between 0 and 1.

Properties

• Lift Force Factor - A number between 0 and 1 that determines how powerful the blimp's force output will be when fully activated.

Outputs

• Thrust - An amount of kinetic force that allows a vehicle to move, measured in Newtons.

notes

• The force will always thrust the vehicle upward and against gravity, regardless of the blimp's or vehicle's orientation.
• Requires a logic input to provide lift.
• Force is applied directly at the center of the blimp. Not at the CoG or CoL.

Statistics

• Mass - 300kg
• Force - 95509.26N (multiplied by Lift Force Factor and input)
• Lift - 428,638N

Hot Air Balloon

Hot Air Balloons are some of the earliest means of lifting humans into the air. They operate by burning an open flame which heats up the air. That hot air travels up into the balloon, since it is lighter than cold air, and lifts the balloon off the ground.

Inputs

• Fuel - Connects engines and thrusters to fuel tanks.
• Burn Input - Ignites the flame and heats up the balloon, causing it to rise. Values between 0 and 1 change the speed that the balloon will burn fuel.
• Release Air - Releases some of the hot air in the balloon, causing the temperature to go down, as well as reduce thrust. Values between 0 and 1 change the speed that the balloon will release air.

Properties

• Power Factor - Multiplies the thrust output by whatever number is assigned here. However, also consumes more fuel in the process. The value cannot exceed 3 though.
• Max Temperature - The maximum temperature allowable for the balloon, in Celsius. Minimum setting is 15, and maximum is 120.

Outputs

• Current Temperature - Outputs the current temperature of the balloon in Celsius.
• Thrust - An amount of kinetic force that allows a vehicle to move, measured in Newtons.

Notes

• The force will always thrust the vehicle upward and against gravity, regardless of the balloon or vehicle's orientation.
• Force is applied directly at the center of the balloon. Not at the CoG or CoL.

Statistics

• Mass - 82kg
• Force - Thrust is calculated as (9804 * [Power Factor]) * ([Current Temp] / 120).
• Lift - 1,088,750
• Fuel Usage - 1,800 L/H