Universe Sandbox
Universe Sandbox Legacy => Universe Sandbox 2008 | Discussion => Topic started by: Dan Dixon on August 21, 2009, 10:20:26 PM
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The next version of Universe Sandbox (version 2) will also have an enhanced file format that will allow easy bundling of a system, custom textures, custom horizon data, settings, and even custom info screens.
The current plan is to bundle these files in a standard zip file format with a custom extension that will allow you to launch Universe Sandbox by double clicking this file.
This bundle file could contain a single system file or many files like:
- system.xml
- settings.xml
- terraformedmars.png (a custom texture)
- help.txt
- info.txt
- appearance.xml (custom modifications to the default appearance.xml data file)
- objects.xml (custom modifications to the default object.xml data file)
and when opened Universe Sandbox will automatically un-compress the files and load the simulation.
This will also eliminate the need to put textures in one folder, systems in another, etc... My hope is that this will make everything simpler.
Any comments or questions?
Any though on what the file extension should be?
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Enceladus :P
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Just very useful.
Could you rename the .zip file in something like .usf (universe sandbox file) or whatever maintaining the same functions, so that it would be more recognizable?
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USE. lol. you use it. Stands for Universe Sandbox Editor. Or USEP. Universe Sandbox Editor Page.
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.uni (uni)verse!
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Could you rename the .zip file in something like .usf (universe sandbox file) or whatever maintaining the same functions, so that it would be more recognizable?
Yes. That's the plan. It will be a standard zip file with a different extension so that when you 'open' the file it opens in Universe Sandbox.
File Extension Suggestions So Far
.use - Universe Sandbox Editor
.usep - Universe Sandbox Editor Page
.usf - Universe Sandbox File
.uni - (Uni)verse
Any others?
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Just in case anyone was wondering why I chose Universe Sandbox Editor (Page) is because it would be the primary page to edit systems. Am I right or do you have other plans Dan?
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.use is cool. :P
.uni is also good, the other ones are more informative which is also good ofc... Hmm. ???
.unsa - Universe Sandbox. :P
Or .usa lol. ;D
Err... ???
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Ummmmm... Not really getting the unsa or usa. Double abbreviations are a little too complicated. You would never be able to know what it is by looking at it. :-\
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Just in case anyone was wondering why I chose Universe Sandbox Editor (Page) is because it would be the primary page to edit systems. Am I right or do you have other plans Dan?
I'm still working out the details, but I envision this as the all-in-one file format for the program.
It could contain presets, textures, systems, tutorials, or a combination of all of them.
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Ummmmm... Not really getting the unsa or usa. Double abbreviations are a little too complicated. You would never be able to know what it is by looking at it. :-\
Don't talk like that to CoRoT! lol ;D hahaha
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Ummmmm... Not really getting the unsa or usa. Double abbreviations are a little too complicated. You would never be able to know what it is by looking at it. :-\
Don't talk like that to CoRoT! lol ;D hahaha
CoRoT? ?????????
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You haven't heard of CoRoT?
COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits?
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You haven't heard of CoRoT?
COnvection ROtation and planetary Transits?
Now that's scary. :'( :'( :'(
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Scary? How?
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It's not a question about how it's scary, it's a question about why it's not scary. :'(
Anyways, what could be other file endings?
.sys - system?
.syf - system file?
.spaf - space file?
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huh?
.spa space
.gal galaxy (why, idk)
.usb Universe SandBox (file)
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I think .gal is too un-neutral, like if you only made a solar system or perhaps two galaxies, then it doesn't work so good.
But the other ones are good. :)
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If you make a "Universe" and you just made a solar system, that's tehnically not a "universe".
The Universe comprises everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and constants that govern them. However, the term Universe may be used in slightly different contextual senses, denoting such concepts as the cosmos, the world or Nature.
.cos
.com
.cosm
All mean cosmos
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Maybe
.uss - Universe Sandbox System
or symply
.us - Universe Sandbox
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So we have:
.use
.usep
.usf
.uni
.unsa
.usa
.sys
.syf
.spaf
.spa
.gal
.usb
.cos
.com (I don't recommend it)
.cosm
.uss
.us
how about:
.uf - Universe File
Not recommended by at least one user
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XML file need change to .txt file bee easier to open in notepad 8)
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Both will open in notepad easy.
Let's take a vote. What's best?
We vote, then from those, we take them and put them into a vote. Dan chooses if majority wins (he probably will)
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Ummm I think usb and com are taken lol.
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.use - Bla
.usep Bla
.usf - Bla
.uni Bla
.unsa - hbmp88
.usa - Bla, hbmp88
.sys - Bla
.syf - Bla
.spaf - Bla
.spa - Bla
.gal - NeutronStar, Bla
.usb - Bla
.cos - Bla
.com - NeutronStar, Bla
.cosm - Bla
.uss - Bla
.us - Bla
.uf - Bla
.usandbox - monmarfori, Bla
Favorite (1) by user, approved by user, user is neutral, voted down by user.
Updated with MEEE! :D ;D :) :P >:(
And sorry anyone if I put you on in places you didn't vote, just delete them if it's false. :P
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My custom one
.usandbox - monmarfori
I am not listed on Bla's post.
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You voted down your own post lol?! You know red is for disapproval. ;)
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Dan will choose by himself what will be "end of file" named
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Dan will choose by himself what will be "end of file" named
Yes, but we're just coming up with some ideas. :)
Btw i've put monmarfori's on my list. I voted against it, I think it's too long, but if we could get another abbreviation for it I think it'd be good. :)
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Ummm I think usb and com are taken lol.
Files. Remember. Files.
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Ummm I think usb and com are taken lol.
Files. Remember. Files.
I know it was just a joke. ;)
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I know.
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You should have a new rendition for our smaller neighbor, Andromeda.
It's rings are now in a rind form due to a collision with M32 210 millions years ago.
I stretch the photo and then I edit them to make them look even better.
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Sorry for the spelling error.
I was trying to say its spiral arms are now in a ring form.
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.sys - Bla is already used in vista x64 OS file
.com - NeutronStar, Bla is already used in vista x64 Unknown program
all others r not in use by vista x64
but i donno about other operating systems
you will have to check
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I will use windows 7 in the mid-October
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Wow! So we will be able to make clouds, change temperatures, change color, and change the shape or gas of any single planet? That is so cool! 8) 8) ;D ;D :D
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How about this file format:
.unisa
UNIverse SAndbox
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Wow! So we will be able to make clouds, change temperatures, change color, and change the shape or gas of any single planet? That is so cool! 8) 8) ;D ;D :D
Actually, no. Except the shape and color.
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What does everyone think of .ubox ?
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Its like the iPod. The all new uBox! A $2 value for the low price of $99.99 plus Shipping and Handling! It's great, not only does it play songs, it glitches them! Call 1-800-BUY-UBOX now!
Edit: :) ;) :D ;D
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.ubox sounds very good in my opinion. :)
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What does everyone think of .ubox ?
Perfect !!
[ ]´s
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How about:
.universesandbox
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If we could use that, that would probably be it, but i think file names are limited to 4 letters, unless they are glitched files, for example one time an automated animation was being created and it glitched, it came out to be 700 files, each one named the file name. There was 00001.00001 and if you hover your mouse over it it said [00001 FILE]
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awsome, ubox.
but what program do u use to make own file types?! i must know!!! its realy important!
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In its simplest form the new file format is just an old xml system file that's been zipped and then renamed from *.zip to *.ubox.
This is how Microsoft's docx and xmlx files work (they are zip file containers for xml files).
In order to make *.ubox files open Universe Sandbox when you double click on then in Windows requires a few registry edits that are performed by the setup.exe program.
(where * = whatever-the-file-name-is)
Does that answer your question SuperNova?
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In it's simplest form the new file format is just an old xml system file that's been zipped and then renamed from *.zip to *.ubox.
This is how Microsoft's docx and xmlx files work (they are zip file containers for xml files).
In order to make *.ubox files open Universe Sandbox when you double click on then in Windows requires a few registry edits that are performed by the setup.exe program.
(where * = whatever-the-file-name-is)
Does that answer your question SuperNova?
yeah, but how can i open a .ubox to edit it?
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yeah, but how can i open a .ubox to edit it?
Right click on the .ubox-file, and select Open with.... Then, select the program you want to edit it with, usually Notepad.
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yeah, but how can i open a .ubox to edit it?
Right click on the .ubox-file, and select Open with.... Then, select the program you want to edit it with, usually Notepad.
it gave me a crazy code
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What does it say?
I can't even seem to find a ubox file.
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I can't even seem to find a ubox file.
Universe Sandbox Beta 1 and 2 didn't save as .ubox files I think, but if you save a system in Beta 3 they will be saved as .ubox files.
You can also rename files from X.xml to X.ubox.
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[the ubox file] gave me a crazy code
That's because it's a zip file. You need to extract the contents of the ubox file (which will be a single xml file) and then you can open that file in notepad.
You can either rename the ubox file to zip or just open the ubox file with a program that opens zip files.
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Where do you find them? In Documents\Universe Sandbox
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OK i opened it and there was a system.XML in the .zip
i edited it, but i don't know how to make it a .ubox again....cause i can change it to .zip but not to .ubox.
and when i make it system.ubox it openens US Sandbox and shows a empty universe.
XML was more easy
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that's because the computer or program does not know how to process a .ubox that isn't a disguesed .zip. The .ubox is just a file, not a compressed file. It thinks it needs to know that programming to open it, so it doesn't.
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that's because the computer or program does not know how to process a .ubox that isn't a disguesed .zip. The .ubox is just a file, not a compressed file. It thinks it needs to know that programming to open it, so it doesn't.
well, its to hard for me to edit a .ubox and make it an .ubox again
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How to edit a UBOX file
1 - Rename "yourfile.ubox" to "yourfile.ubox.zip"
2 - Extract contents of zip file
3 - Open and edit the xml file contained inside.
4 - Use program to compress xml file into a zip file
5 - Rename "newfile.zip" to "newfile.ubox"
Let me know what step you're having trouble with and I'll explain in more detail.
XML was more easy
I agree. Two new things that the new ubox file format will let us do are (that we couldn't do with xml by itself):
- Open Universe Sandbox by double clicking on a ubox file.
- Bundle image maps, help files, and multiple xml files together. (not yet implemented)