Part clipping

Part clipping is an exploit in the game since the 1.5 'Foundation' update. It allows players to have parts clipped into each other.

How to clip parts

If two parts are placed overlapping, one will go transparent and disappear on launch. But in version 1.5, if both parts are selected and moved, they will clip and both exist on launch, allowing players to create otherwise-impossible designs like this:

Crew Dragon spacecraft by Orbital Spider

You can also put engines on top of each other and make them act as one with very high TWR, as seen here.

In 1.5.5, a new cheat called "Part Clipping" was added. The use of it is to automatically clip parts together, without selecting and moving the parts clipped.
Clipping the original way still works though.

Uses

• You can get to orbit, moon, or any other planet more easily by clipping the Frontier Engine into itself. Due to the addition of heat physics, this feature is now impossible unless you have blueprint editing, wherein to prevent the engine from being destroyed, you have to set heat_on_for_creative_use to false. Another way to prevent the engine from being destroyed is to simply activate the No Heat Damage cheat.

History

Pre-1.5

Before 1.5, when you put a part over a part, one of the parts would go translucent on the VAB and disappear on launch.

Part clipping was also possible in 1.4, however to clip parts together one had to alter their position through blueprint editing.

1.5.2

Since the 1.5.2 update, long pressing the parts will just show info on the parts you selected, but not two or more parts to show the info. Select the parts you want to clip, and move it. An alternate option is to just use the hold and drag option. Hold a part in the blueprint that is empty. And a blue box appears, select the parts you want to clip, and move it.

1.5.4

Since this update, you can no longer clip engines together. This bug can be still be found in old rocket blueprints. To access this feature, you need to blueprint-edit engines to clip them.

1.5.4.1

Clipping engines were back; however when activating the clipped engines they explode because of heat damage.

1.5.5

The Part Clipping cheat was added. If on, you can just drag and drop parts on top of each other. Old clipping still works, though

1.5.6

The Part Clipping cheat was updated. If you place 2 parts in Symmetry mode with the cheat on overlapping each other, both would now be placed. There is also a bug when where if you place a part with symmetry mode in the center with the cheat on, two parts will be overlapping each other.