To import a ship from Kerbal Space Program:

1. Click File in the Blender menu.
2. Select Import.
3. Choose KSP Craft.

Next, navigate to the Kerbal Space Program folder that you bookmarked earlier when installing the add-on.
From here you have two options:

• Ships – Contains the stock ships included with the game.
• Saves – Contains ships you have built and saved in your own game files.

For this tutorial we will import a stock ship.
Navigate to:

• Ships
• VAB
• Kerbal X

Select the craft file and import it into Blender.

Blender Version Note

Working in Different Blender Versions

At this point, you do not need to remain in Blender 3.6. You can save the imported craft file and then append it into another Blender version if you prefer.
This tutorial continues using Blender 3.6, since it is commonly used for animation workflows, but the process should work in other compatible versions as well.

Separating the Ship Parts

Converting Instances into Real Objects

When the craft first imports into Blender, it will appear as one combined object and will contain many empty objects used by the game.
To separate the parts:

1. Select the imported ship.
2. Click Object in the top menu.
3. Choose Apply.
4. Select Make Instances Real.

This converts the instanced parts into individual objects so they can be edited and animated.

Removing Unnecessary Empty Objects

Cleaning Up the Scene

After separating the objects, the scene will still contain many Empty Objects that are not needed for animation.
Instead of deleting them one by one, you can remove them quickly using the following method:

1. Click Select
2. Choose Select by Type
3. Select Mesh

This selects all mesh objects in the scene.
Next:

1. Click Select again
2. Choose Invert Selection
3. Press X to delete the selected objects

This removes all the empty objects and leaves only the ship parts.

Checking Materials and Parts

Reviewing Imported Materials

Switch to Material Preview Mode to see how the craft materials were imported.
You should now see:

• Colored parts
• Engine covers
• Various materials used by the craft

At this stage, you want to delete any parts you do not need and clean up the model before continuing.

Preparing the Ship for Animation

Parenting the Craft to an Empty Object

Since the craft is made up of many individual parts, animating it directly can be difficult. A simple solution is to parent the ship to a single control object.
To do this:

1. Press Shift + A
2. Add an Empty → Cube
3. Move the empty object to the center of mass of the ship
4. Press A to select all objects
5. Press Ctrl + P
6. Choose Parent to Object

Now when you move or rotate the empty object, the entire ship will move together as a single unit.

Result

At this point you should have:

• A clean ship model
• Unnecessary objects removed
• The entire craft controlled by a single empty object

Your ship is now ready to be positioned, animated, and rendered inside Blender.