An experiment with models and textures

[Laura]

Here are some results of me fiddling around with putting new textures and models in US2.
It was a proof of concept excercise, but I might as well show it off 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA7Cl6Z4sY8&fmt=18

[deoxy99]

Here are some results of me fiddling around with putting new textures and models in US2.
It was a proof of concept excercise, but I might as well show it off  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA7Cl6Z4sY8&fmt=18

How...did...you...do...that...*dies*
I can make Sanduleak's systems, but not put new models in it.

[atomic7732]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice! That's cool! 

[Naru523]

Epicness.
Although I prefer this Earth texture:

But that's my opinion.

[Naru523]

EDIT: You can have the system.

Which then looks like this:

[Laura]

Epicness.
Although I prefer this Earth texture:

But that's my opinion.

It's a nice one, too, but it's missing some clouds. That's pretty easy to arrange, though.
In choosing the one I did, I picked the highest resolution that I could find which didn't have underwater topography showing and/or bad colors. It's 4000x2000. Too large to post here, unfortunately.

[Dan Dixon]

That looks really great.

Did you have to modify any files in the installation folder to do this? Be careful that they may be overwritten when you update to a new version.

Nothing in My Documents will be overwritten or deleted when you update.

I need to add better support for adding your own models and textures. It's coming (but not in the next update).

It's 4000x2000. Too large to post here, unfortunately.

And I just upped the upload limit to the forum to 6MB, is that big enough?

[Laura]

That looks really great.

Thanks

Did you have to modify any files in the installation folder to do this? Be careful that they may be overwritten when you update to a new version.

I created an entry for the ISS in Appearance.xml, and added the model file to the Media folder.

Code: [Select]


                <Object>
         <Name>ISS</Name>
         <TextureDiffuse>iss.dds</TextureDiffuse>
         <Type>Object</Type>
         <Model>iss.x</Model>
         <ColorReal>fffff</ColorReal>
         <ColorVivid>White</ColorVivid>
       </Object>
I was able to keep the texture file in the Media folder of My Documents/Universe Sandbox.
The Earth texture could be defined entirely using that folder and the .ubox file for the system.

Nothing in My Documents will be overwritten or deleted when you update.

Good to know

I need to add better support for adding your own models and textures. It's coming (but not in the next update).

It's 4000x2000. Too large to post here, unfortunately.

And I just upped the upload limit to the forum to 6MB, is that big enough?

Looking forward to more straightforward moddability
It would particularly excellent if all the required non-standard resources could reside in the .ubox file itself.
6 Mb should be enough, yes. Thanks

[Laura]

Here's the cloudmap I used.

[Laura]

And the texture.

EDIT: Is this working? For some reason, try as I might, it seems to always download a file of 0 bytes.
I tried reuploading it numerous times. Odd, since the cloudmap works fine.

Alternative location: http://flatplanet.sourceforge.net/maps/images/earthmap_hires.jpg
Note that this is 4000x2000 - for best results, resize to 4096x2048.

[deoxy99]

I created an entry for the ISS in Appearance.xml, and added the model file to the Media folder.

Code: [Select]


                <Object>
         <Name>ISS</Name>
         <TextureDiffuse>iss.dds</TextureDiffuse>
         <Type>Object</Type>
         <Model>iss.x</Model>
         <ColorReal>fffff</ColorReal>
         <ColorVivid>White</ColorVivid>
       </Object>


Now I understand. Thanks for the code Laura.

[Laura]

I created an entry for the ISS in Appearance.xml, and added the model file to the Media folder.

Code: [Select]


                <Object>
         <Name>ISS</Name>
         <TextureDiffuse>iss.dds</TextureDiffuse>
         <Type>Object</Type>
         <Model>iss.x</Model>
         <ColorReal>fffff</ColorReal>
         <ColorVivid>White</ColorVivid>
       </Object>


Now I understand. Thanks for the code Laura.

You're welcome
You'll need some sort of modeling software, of course, and the capability of exporting .x files.
I use 3D Studio Max 9 myself, and for that there is a free DirectX exporter called Panda. There are several versions of it, most of which wouldn't work, but version 4.something worked.
I realize Max is a huge investment, so maybe there's something similar for Blender, or something along those lines.

[Dan Dixon]

In addtion to .x files you can also use the .3ds file format.

I look forward to adding better model handling capabilities so no manual file manipulation is required.

[Laura]

In addtion to .x files you can also use the .3ds file format.

I look forward to adding better model handling capabilities so no manual file manipulation is required.

I assume using .x and .dds provides the best possible performance?

[APODman]

I did a simulation with three different maps to earth, one with the Earth 200 million years ago (Pangea), another with Earth was at 65 million years ago (Cretaceous) and another with the current map of the Earth.

Big changes !

The maps used are attached.

[ ]´s

[Naru523]

Nice...
I have a global warming staged Earth as a simulation. Ill try to get it here when I get on the other computer.

[Naru523]

Done.

Two possible future events: Global Warming - ice caps melts and lowlands flooded.
or
Snowball Earth - everything is covered in ice and snow except for high mountains.

(note: centered on North America)

[atomic7732]

Woudn't mountains be covered first?

[Chaotic Cow]

Some nice textures. Love the space station!

[Laura]

Some nice textures. Love the space station!

Ding! You triggered the bonus 

[atomic7732]

AWESOME HOW THE HECK? I NEED THIS! (In tone of "Don't breathe this")

[Laura]

AWESOME HOW THE HECK? I NEED THIS! (In tone of "Don't breathe this")

Lifted the model from the Celestia collection of spacecraft (on their site). It came in a lot of individual objects, so I attached everything to the most central of them. Then I exported it as a .x file, though Dan says US2 will accept .3ds as well. I rendered to texture with automatic UV unwrapping and blurred the edges of the resulting collection of faces in photoshop to prevent any unseemly seams.

EDIT: No, that's what I did for the ISS... the cassini texture is just blotches of colors plastered over the relevant areas.

Then it was just a matter of dropping both those files in the Media dir of US2 and adding code similar to that shown earlier in this thread.
I'll attach the files, as I believe the model is public domain.

[atomic7732]

So this is the first step towards uncircular meshes? For like asteroids?

[deoxy99]

So this is the first step towards uncircular meshes? For like asteroids?

It's the first and only step towards it.

[atomic7732]

Only? You pessimist.

[deoxy99]

Only? You pessimist.

No, it really is the only step! You just make models, and you put them in!

[atomic7732]

I need to learn 3d then... Can someone teach me? I would like to make an asteroid. Or something.

[deoxy99]

I need to learn 3d then... Can someone teach me? I would like to make an asteroid. Or something.

Use Blender. *slaps your face* Just go into a certain mode that allows you to move the points on the sphere.

[Laura]

Only? You pessimist.

No, it really is the only step! You just make models, and you put them in!

Quite true 
An asteroid was actually the first thing I did.

That is just a sphere with many faces with a displacement modifier using random perlin noise.

[atomic7732]

Does that make dds? And how do you make stuff? I'm not skilled.