February Update will be released this week

[Dan Dixon]

The new update is almost ready and will be released later this week.

Here's the list of new features and fixes:

New Simulations

• Galaxy Clusters - 800+ galaxy clusters including Virgo
• Galaxy Clusters & Brightest 200 Galaxies
• TrES-3 orbiting Star with Protoplanetary Disk - uses the new procedural asteroid belt feature
• Satellites orbiting Earth - preview version - uses the new orbital elements feature
• Fomalhaut System - uses the new procedural asteroid belt feature
• Gamma Ray Bursts - view the location of over 30 Gamma Ray Bursts from 2008
• Gehrels 3 Comet captured by Jupiter in 1970 - watch Jupiter capture a comet in orbit around it

Major Changes

• Seven new simulations/systems.
• Procedural asteroid belts now createable (by editing the simualtion XML files).
• Set a body's position and velocity with Orbital Elements (in the XML files).
• See a body's Lagrange Points by hovering your mouse over it and holding down the Ctrl key.
• Rotate bodies and galaxies with the mouse.

Notable Changes

• Added 'Density', 'Name', and 'Acceleration' as sortable Chart Mode options.
• Resetting the simulation no longer resets your projectile or explosion settings (this is useful when playing with the pool balls or exploding a space station above a forest moon).
• Hill Sphere color now matches body color.
• Added a toggle to show all Hill Spheres.
• Added a toggle to show all Lagrange Points.
• Background view (Milky Way, Stars, None) now adjustable in the simulation XML files.
• Switched Chart mode to plot from left (smallest value) to right (biggest value).
• System files now support <RA>, <Dec>, <Distance> for plotting positions without XYZ position values.
• Created a 3D model to represent galaxy clusters.
• Added new texture maps for Mimas, Iapetus, Miranda, and a forest moon.
• New distance unit: Redshift (distance=SpeedOfLight/HubbleConstant*Redshift)
• Removed minimum radius limit for the Explode command.
• Added a black hole button to make the selected body's radius be the Schwarzschild radius.
• Added a Chart Mode 'Make Live' button. This makes the Chart Mode view a live, editable mode.
• Added the star "Eta Carinae" and the galaxy "Triangulum" to the preset bodies list.

Fixes

• Feedback system now much less likely to fail (now uses the web to submit data instead of an IMAP email server).
• Star color is no longer calculated if set in the XML system file with the <Color> tag.
• Galaxy background orientation button works again.
• Corrected minor issue with the motion of the camera when it moves from one body to another.
• Fixed Andromeda spelling error in New Body preset list.
• Fixed problem with some stars not plotting properly in the Star chart mode.
• Rotation period problem fixed (again adjustable from the control panel).
• Fixed problem with the simulation unpausing when you switched to the control panel and back.
• Parent-Child relationships now recalculated when mass is changed and simulation is paused.
• Fixed problem with impact marks being too small sometimes.
• Fixed issue with camera not responding to a change in the focused body's radius.
• Improved depictions of the largest 10+ galaxies in "Galaxies - Our Local Group".

[FGFG]

wow! One of the best update ever!

[Andreas]

yes, i´m very excited

[FGFG]

• Added a Chart Mode 'Make Live' button. This makes the Chart Mode view a live, editable mode.

eeehm... what? 

[avadod]

the next update is going to be awsome

cool you added galaxy clusters

[Dan Dixon]

• Added a Chart Mode 'Make Live' button. This makes the Chart Mode view a live, editable mode.

eeehm... what? 

When you activate the chart mode it lines up the all of the bodies in the system but to run the simulation again you had to turn chart mode off which puts all the bodies back where they were originally.

If you turn on Chart Mode (which lines up the bodies) and then press the 'Make Live' button the bodies don't fly back to where they were and you can run the simulation from their lined up positions. You can move the bodies around, create orbits, or watch what happens when gravity acts on a line of bodies.

Does that make sense?

[FGFG]

perfectly   

[atomic7732]

There is a problem with grids. I tried making one around a Sun about half the size of ours. I made a 3D and 2D grid and they were almost all insize the star. I added mor particles and it didn't get bigger.

CANT WAIT FOR THE UPDATE!

Do you have all of this done? If so can you put it up for tomarrow?

[avadod]

yes can you put it tomorrow if your ready

[FGFG]

There is a problem with grids. I tried making one around a Sun about half the size of ours. I made a 3D and 2D grid and they were almost all insize the star. I added mor particles and it didn't get bigger.

Never noticed it. Good note

[atomic7732]

Set a body's position and velocity with Orbital Elements (in the XML files)

do we just use <Semi-Major Axis> or <a> or what? DO we need all a, e, i, node, peri, and M? How do you make asteroid belts? I can't seem to find it!

[Dan Dixon]

There is a problem with grids.

The grid has been improved in this release, but still needs some work. The grid feature hasn't ever been given the appropriate amount of attention.

If so can you put it up for tomarrow?

And I did, but only because it was finally ready.

do we just use <Semi-Major Axis> or <a> or what? DO we need all a, e, i, node, peri, and M? How do you make asteroid belts? I can't seem to find it!

Check out this message for info:
http://universesandbox.com/forum/index.php/topic,320.msg1467.html#msg1467