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For this developer update, we\u2019re going to take a little break from looking at our work on Surface Grids & Lasers to turn our attention on the upcoming new galaxies (these are a work-in-progress and are not yet available in Universe Sandbox). <\/span><\/p>\n You can check out <\/span>Dev Update #1<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Dev Update #2<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Dev Update #3<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Dev Update #4<\/span><\/a> for a more in-depth look at Surface Grids & Lasers.<\/span><\/p>\n Keep in mind this is a development log for work-in-progress features. Anything discussed or shown may not be representative of the final release states for these features.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019ve been saying for a while now — and the community has been making sure to regularly remind us — that the state of galaxies in Universe Sandbox has not been so good. There was a pretty good looking preset simulation for a Milky Way & Andromeda Collision, but when it came to adding any type of galaxy to another simulation, you were left wondering why they all looked like the same amorphous blob, why they were difficult to work with, and what exactly all those red dots were. <\/span><\/p>\n Case in point, here\u2019s a Milky Way added to a simulation with the old galaxies:<\/span><\/p>\n And here\u2019s a new Milky Way:<\/span><\/p>\n We hope you agree this is a massive visual improvement. But there\u2019s more than just beautification happening. Here are the major parts that make up the new galaxies:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Black holes & nebulae<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. Individual, editable properties<\/strong><\/p>\n 3. Accurate motion<\/strong><\/p>\n 4. Data-driven visuals<\/strong><\/p>\n GIF: Editable properties and the different visuals for different types of galaxies.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. Procedural generation<\/strong><\/p>\n 6. Support for trails & orbits<\/strong><\/p>\n 7. No more dark matter<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019re very happy with the status of galaxies right now. Before we can release them, there are some minor changes we need to make with the interface and other miscellaneous areas around the edges, and we still need a round or three of testing and bug fixes. But the simulation itself is in great shape. <\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to simulation features in Universe Sandbox, though, we almost never consider them a done deal. There are always improvements we have in mind for making them more realistic, performant, and fun to experiment with. <\/span><\/p>\n After the initial release of these new galaxies we\u2019ll likely take a break from them for a bit. But here are some improvements and additions we\u2019d love to explore more in the future:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019re hyped on galaxies and hope you are, too. Fingers crossed that the last stretch of finishing out this feature goes smoothly and quickly! <\/span><\/p>\n But of course, we\u2019re also still working on Surface Grids & Lasers, so here\u2019s a small update on those features:<\/p>\n Chris has been working on the saving and loading system for Surface Grids. This is a little less straightforward than it had been for saving and loading objects and simulations, due to the sheer amount of data that can be included with a lot of objects using the new Grids system. <\/span><\/p>\n Jenn has continued with making an accurate water vapor model, with the challenge of creating this accurately and performatively without single-handedly developing Weather Simulator 2020. <\/span><\/p>\n Georg has been applying his shader magic to galaxies and helping with proper rendering for <\/span>Universe Sandbox on Magic Leap<\/span><\/a>. Now that the graphics work for both of those are mostly finished, he\u2019s got his eye on Surface Grids again as he continues to shape water data and heightmaps to get nice looking coastlines on Earth and other planets. <\/span><\/p>\n Stay tuned for another announcement about an opt-in version of Universe Sandbox that includes these new galaxies — we need to squash some of the nastier bugs still, but we\u2019re getting close. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\nA Whole New World (of Galaxies)<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\nImage: A collection of randomly generated spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Future of Galaxies<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Surface Grids Sidebar<\/b><\/h2>\n