Solar Model 2.1 - 3D real time modeling of Solar System

[greenya]

Haven't taken a closer look but how do you draw all the small asteroids etc.?

Small asteroids it is point cloud. I generating random mesh, than applies video::EMF_POINTCLOUD flag to the material. That is why you see just a dots . I plaining to add very low quality spheres at every 20th dot coordinates -- that will make looks more realistic render.

Maybe you could code some simple check that makes them disappear once the fps drop below 15-25 fps.

no. I guess it would flick when you will get 20-40 fps. Because fps changes as objects renders (when you see less planets on screen -- fps better). I guess, it is necessary to add some config button (like "Labels") that will switch on/off rendering of certain parts.

[greenya]

Hello, all.

Since Irrlicht 1.3.1 Released I decided that it is time to release something too

Solar Model 2.0 Released

Notes
+ Reworked GUI.
+ Improved asteroids looking.
+ Located planets in the correct nowadays positions.
+ Added displaying current approximate camera's distance from the Sun (in km and a.u.).
+ Added Galaxy feature.
+ Added Options feature.
+ Added Direct3D9 renderer.
+ Added bills to gas gians (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
+ Added Screenshots feature.
+ Added ability to change camera speed.
+ Migrated map scripts on XML.
+ Fixed found grammar mistakes.
+ Updated to latest IrrLicht library (version 1.3.1, revision 721).


Check this out:


and this:


Windows binaries (5mb) & Windows/Linux Sources (170kb) are available at http://www.ffsoftworks.com/solar_model/downloads.php

P.S.: for Linux users: I hope that compiling under Linux will not be difficult. If you noticed that Galaxy rendering looks a little better on screenshots (because it was made using Direct3D9 renderer) -- yes, center bill board is hidden while OpenGL renderer used, because it flashing when galaxy rotates. (you may check this out by commenting lines at the end of GameInit() function (in GameMain.cpp) -- there is a comment, you will not miss.)

Thank You.
Hope you like screenshots

[BlindSide]

wow amazing, nice work.

There is a website that contains normal maps for planets have you thought of implementing those for a realistic look?

[greenya]

wow amazing, nice work.

There is a website that contains normal maps for planets have you thought of implementing those for a realistic look?

yes, but i got some strange rendering results.
i will make a screenshot and post it a little later.

[greenya]

Besides, Linux users may go this way -- http://packman.links2linux.de/package/SolarModel
and get RPM of Solar Model 2.0.

[de3000]

I love that galaxy view.

Maybe when we mapped out the whole galaxy Solar Model X.0 will be able to zoom in when in galaxy view.

Now the question that appears after every release of anything ever released. *Drum roll* Whats next?

[greenya]

Maybe when we mapped out the whole galaxy Solar Model X.0 will be able to zoom in when in galaxy view.

oh yeah, of cause
GoogleEarth is amazing project.
There is GoogleMoon also (not full Moon but better than nothing).
In 2040 GoogleSolarSystem will be released (just after inventing ion-engine)
In 2140 GoogleMilkyWay will be released (just after inventing hydrogen-engine)
In 2280 GoogleVirgoSupercluster will be released
In 2450-2500 GoogleVisibleUniverse will be released


of cause, if humankind will not destroy itself earlier with nuclear weapon or some plague.

Now the question that appears after every release of anything ever released. *Drum roll* Whats next?

Don't know for now.
Have an idea ?

[BlindSide]

Maybe you can use the new tangents patch in the Code Snippets to achieve nice looking bumb/parallax mapping on the planets? Also you can make the sun into alot of different particles close together.

[greenya]

I using Irrlicht library rev. 721.
When I'm setting type of the material to EMT_NORMAL_MAP_SOLID I'm getting alot of:

Error: Normal map renderer only supports vertices of type EVT_TANGENTS

I would like to specify somehow the type of the material through XML... but not so much code as listed in one of the tutorials... for such simple and common graphics feature as bump mapping.

[hybrid]

You just have to convert your mesh to the tangent type. There's a method in the mesh manipulator available. It shouldn't be more than a handful of lines necessary.

[greenya]

You just have to convert your mesh to the tangent type. There's a method in the mesh manipulator available. It shouldn't be more than a handful of lines necessary.

I use the same mesh for many purposes (some of them requires bump mapping, and some of them doesn't). And only 1 mesh used for this all. What about it?

[BlindSide]

Maybe you can use this code here it doesn't require a mesh with tangents (Generates them automatically):
http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=21186

[MasterGod]

As this looks like an amazing project I'd hope to see an update using Irr v1.4 or latest revision maybe? I'm sure we will all be happy to see an update on such a cool project.

P.S
I hope you don't mind I added it as a nominee in the 2007's Best Projects Nominees.

[greenya]

You just have to convert your mesh to the tangent type. There's a method in the mesh manipulator available. It shouldn't be more than a handful of lines necessary.

bump mapping problems here

I trying to apply bump mapping. I have model of a sphere with smooth normals. When I trying to render it with bump mapping - I creating new mesh (with tangents) because this is the only way to get bump mapping work. so i do next:

Code: Select all

...
video::E_MATERIAL_TYPE materialType = video::EMT_NORMAL_MAP_SOLID;

scene::IMesh *tMesh = Game.MeshManipulator->createMeshWithTangents(aNode->getMesh());

video::ITexture* texture_diffuse = aNode->getMaterial(0).getTexture(0);
video::ITexture* texture_height = Game.Video->getTexture(texture);

Game.Video->makeNormalMapTexture(texture_height, height);

Game.MeshManipulator->recalculateNormals(tMesh, true); // this doesn't help :(

aNode->setMesh(tMesh);
aNode->setMaterialTexture(0, texture_diffuse);
aNode->setMaterialTexture(1, texture_height);
aNode->setMaterialType(materialType);

tMesh->drop();
...

I gettings next rendering results:


At the right you can see rendering without bump mapping. Polygon edges smoothed. At the right the result of rendering with using of code block above. IMeshManipulator::recalculateNormals() doesn't smooth edges.


How to get smoothed mesh of tangent type?

Thank You.

[hybrid]

Yeah, unfortunately the tangent mesh creation wrecks the smoothed normals. There's a patch in the forum (and tracker) which avoids this problem. It will be integrated into Irrlicht soon.