Celestia Forums

I downloaded Celestia several months ago and had wonderful color display. Afterdownloading and installing a coupl eof add-ons, I lost color. I have uninstalled everything and re-downloaded 1.4.1 several times now with no color still. I would love to use the program but can't understand what the problem is.

This is the first I've heard of a problem like this, so I can only make some vague suggestions.

It's always a good idea to update the graphics drivers to the current version provided by the manufacturer of your graphics card. They're frequently upgraded, and Celestia does make use of several advanced features.

Assuming you're running Windows, if you recently upgraded Microsoft's DirectX software, you need to re-install the graphics drivers, using the versions currently provided by the manufacturer of your graphics card. The drivers provided by Microsoft are very out of date.

I agree with selden that at first GUESS that when windows updated it
( all on its own replaced the vender driver with the
OpenGL " DISABLED " windows one that MS rewrote )
so get the new driver ( most likely nvidia http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp )

then reinstall Celestia

Thanks, I tried downloading the driver, which I found on HP website. Then I re-installed Celestia. No effect. By the way, I have a HP Pavilion dv4275 laptop with graphics card: Mobile INtel 915GM/GMS, 910 GML express chipset (could there be 2?- two are listed by HP when they check my hardware on-line). Beats me. It should be obvious I am not a hardward whiz. Anyway, what is happening is that Celestia starts in color, then when it zooms to earth, it is a translucent BW image. You can see the stars behind the earth.
Other planets seem to have appropriate color. Bummer. It is weird. I got the new driver fromthe HP website, so I am notsure where else to look. I amassuming the other driver you suggest only works for that graphics card. It worked in the first weeks that I used it. This problem began after installing some add-ons for earth, but though I have ong since uninstalled them and re-instyalled Celestia core program only, the problem persists. No other complaints like this?

starnovice wrote:I downloaded Celestia several months ago and had wonderful color display. Afterdownloading and installing a coupl eof add-ons, I lost color. I have uninstalled everything and re-downloaded 1.4.1 several times now with no color still. I would love to use the program but can't understand what the problem is.

Have you made sure that the add-ons responsible for the vanishing of your color were REMOVED from the celestia install directory C:\Program Files\Celestia before you reinstalled Celestia 1.4.1? I am assuming you are using Windows XP, since you didn't care to tell us your operating system...

Note that upon deinstalling celestia the (faulty) add-ons would NOT be removed automatically from
C:\Program Files\Celestia\extras !!

What is presently located in your Celestia\extras directory?

Also I have NEVER heard of vanishing color after installing add-ons. While many add-ons are faulty in some way (since they were created by unexperienced users), loss of color has never been reported before.

Bye Fridger

Hi starnovice,
Here are a couple of things you can try.
Right click on the black and white earth. You should then see a menu. Chose the Alternate Textures entry. The Alternate Textures entry (if there is one) should have an entry for Normal. Chose the Normal entry.

Click on the Help menu item at the top and click on OpenGL Info. Take note of the top 5 lines. If you could copy them and post them here it may help us to find out whats going on. At the very least, post your Max texture size.

cartrite

starnovice wrote: This problem began after installing some add-ons for earth, but though I have ong since uninstalled them and re-instyalled Celestia core program only, the problem persists. No other complaints like this?

Tell us what Earth's add-on are, too.

It is starting to sound like the EarthClouds.png map is to big for your chip set
or
the Spectral map is to big
or
The bump or NormalMap is to big

Also exactly what Earth addon did you install

give this a try -- my dl 's for earth are a bit old but work
1) download ( dl) http://celestiamotherlode.net/creators/ ... _Earth.zip
rename the 2k map to Earth.png and past it into textures/lores do the same for the 4k map but past it into textures/medres
2) open solarsys.ssc in the data folder with notepad

edit about line 76 to read
Texture "Earth.png"
------------------
for the normal map repeat the above but with thia dl
http://celestiamotherlode.net/creators/ ... Normal.zip

and add this line under Texture "Earth.png" to the solarsys.ssc

Normalmap " EarthNormal.png"


3) dl http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/creat ... Clouds.zip
you mostly likely nead to resize the map
from 4096x2048.png to 2048x1024.png or even as small as 1024x512.png pixels that is shrink it by 1/2 or 1/4 the orig. size
save ti as EarthClouds.png and past it into textures/medres
edit the solarsys.ssc

at about line 98 to read like this
CloudMap "EarthClouds.png"
and start celestia
-------------------
P.S.
yes i do need to update thees but seeing as the jupter and saturn maps/addons i updated LAST MONTH are still not updated /nor are the screen shots