What's Next in December

[Dan Dixon]

If I seem quiet it's because I've been working on a few unannounced projects:

• Creating visuals for a museum.
• Setting up a new delivery path for Universe Sandbox.

These improvements are coming in the next version:
* Improved mouse click handling code to prevent missed clicks when the frame rate is really slow.
* Renamed the 'Systems' folder to 'Simulations'.
* Update system will only update to the upcoming 2.1 version if .NET 4 is installed.
* All included simulations will be in the UBOX format (and no longer raw XML files). I used the built in File Tools to convert them all.
* Added 'Show FPS' checkbox to View Panel. FPS readout appears on the Simulation panel.
* Added support for pressing ESC key to dismiss message boxes.
* Updated data for the star Spica.
* Fixed crash after opening the list of 3D modes, but then clicking elsewhere.
* Fixed crash when opening rope panel and then deleting the selected bodies.
* Fixed problem with the Shift key triggering commands when editing a textbox.
* Corrected various spelling errors.
* Fixed problem with web browser only updating every other resize.
* Fixed problem with system scrollbars appearing in web browser on the first page load.
* Fixed flickering cusor in Free mode.
* Fixed problem with Enter key triggering feature disabled panel.
* Update system will no longer ask to restart if it's clear the problem is on the server and not local.
* Removed debug code that was saving out gradient textures to the image folder.
* Fixed problem with trails not clearing properly when setting a body to be the 'Center of the Universe' (what trails are drawn relative to).
* Fixed problem with curor not changing on the main menu button (...).
* Fixed problem with constellation lines flickering when view is zoomed in on a body.

[atomic7732]

Yay!

What museum are you working with, or whatever?

[Darvince]

Holy schist! joke from da funny farm Wait... Did Spica move a lot or something?

[Chaotic Cow]

I want to see the visuals.


Also good stuff. Lots of good fixes!

[Dan Dixon]

What museum are you working with?

I'll announce that information later.

Did Spica move a lot or something?

No, the data for the star was missing mass and diameter.

I want to see the visuals.

It will be a few weeks at least, but I'll make sure you get to check them out.

[luciencd]

here is some thing i would like to see in the next update!

next to makemake or something tere would be an icon for a hot jupiter or a super earth or a water world
or a "custom" section where they're would be a list of planets that would have textures
and user generated planetary settings. like not having to change the texture of any solar system planet to get a tottaly new planet
without having to sacrifice an other venus planet that you would want to have.
what i am tryng to say is that you can really only have 9 different planets, with different textures. unless im missing something.

also protoplanetary systems would be nice like a menu where you could specify how much matter in the nebula.
or an option to make the parent star evolve through its main sequence( or supernova, planetary nebulae, etc)

that would make me enthralled

[Darvince]

You can make a custom planet by doing it in the .XML file, and setting the <Texture> of the planet to something in the Media folder. I'm pretty sure that it works, and doesn't make Venus something new.  I think.

[kevin94]

that wood be cool to form dust into planets

[Dan Dixon]

The video project took longer than I expected and so the next update won't be released until January.

luciencd's suggestion won't be included in this update, but being able to add custom planets to the menu is something I hope to add early next year.

[atomic7732]

but being able to add custom planets to the menu is something I hope to add early next year.

Make it so there's like a plus button, and then a blank body menu comes up (just the way it is when placing the object, but with texture option and rotation options), and you fill it in, and then a button at the bottom says "add to presets".

That might be a good idea as well, adding an area to change the texture in the body menu.

[kevin94]

 

[Darvince]

wtf smileys

[kevin94]

If I seem quiet it's because I've been working on a few unannounced projects:

• Creating visuals for a museum.
• Setting up a new delivery path for Universe Sandbox.

These improvements are coming in the next version:
* Improved mouse click handling code to prevent missed clicks when the frame rate is really slow.
* Renamed the 'Systems' folder to 'Simulations'.
* Update system will only update to the upcoming 2.1 version if .NET 4 is installed.
* All included simulations will be in the UBOX format (and no longer raw XML files). I used the built in File Tools to convert them all.
* Added 'Show FPS' checkbox to View Panel. FPS readout appears on the Simulation panel.
* Added support for pressing ESC key to dismiss message boxes.
* Updated data for the star Spica.
* Fixed crash after opening the list of 3D modes, but then clicking elsewhere.
* Fixed crash when opening rope panel and then deleting the selected bodies.
* Fixed problem with the Shift key triggering commands when editing a textbox.
* Corrected various spelling errors.
* Fixed problem with web browser only updating every other resize.
* Fixed problem with system scrollbars appearing in web browser on the first page load.
* Fixed flickering cusor in Free mode.
* Fixed problem with Enter key triggering feature disabled panel.
* Update system will no longer ask to restart if it's clear the problem is on the server and not local.
* Removed debug code that was saving out gradient textures to the image folder.
* Fixed problem with trails not clearing properly when setting a body to be the 'Center of the Universe' (what trails are drawn relative to).
* Fixed problem with curor not changing on the main menu button (...).
* Fixed problem with constellation lines flickering when view is zoomed in on a body.

this going to be great.

[Dan Dixon]

December is nearly over and it would appear that nothing happened. A 10 day trip back home for the holidays didn't help my immediate productivity, but I'm looking forward to releasing a new update in the first full week of January.

The videos for the museum are complete. The videos can be seen in the Boonshoft Museum's new Sun room exhibit (which may not be open yet):
http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/

[Darvince]

Oh so that's why you were gone for like ten days and Anything went insane? 

[FiahOwl]

in this december i hope ubox3 will be released