Would it be possible to create solid planets with geometric terrain, such as mountains and valleys? The current bumpmaps are excellent from distance, but not very exciting at surface level. How about using the bumpmap as a displacement map? There could be a progressive blending of the bumpmapping and displacement mapping as the surface gets closer. That way, one would avoid an overly complicaded and slow-rendered planet. Another idea would be to implement a random planet texture generator into the sourcecode, so that the extra-solar planets would look more interesting.
After all, one of the exciting things about astronomy is how beautiful space looks.
terrain?
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Don. Edwards
- Posts: 1510
- Joined: 07.09.2002
- Age: 59
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This subject has been discused a few times in the past. At the present time this feature I believe is a little to advanced for the present Celestia engine. Sorry
I am officially a retired member.
I might answer a PM or a post if its relevant to something.
Ah, never say never!!
Past texture releases, Hmm let me think about it
Thanks for your understanding.
I might answer a PM or a post if its relevant to something.
Ah, never say never!!
Past texture releases, Hmm let me think about it
Thanks for your understanding.
I wonder how dificult it would be to use the bumpmap idea....I know in 3d MAX its pretty simple applying a displacement map...Maybe this feature could be coded in fairly easily with the right snippit of code....Im sure theres some around on sourceforge....And of course with all the programmers we have here maybe someone could intigrate it? maybe 
I'm trying to teach the cavemen how to play scrabble, its uphill work. The only word they know is Uhh and they dont know how to spell it!
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Guest
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the same texture you can use as a bumpmap (in a modelling program) can also be used as a displacement map ? So why not use these meshes for the planets instead of simple spheres ? It should be possible to keep specularity of oceans, just using a texture in-built into the model (I know Celestia supports specular maps, at least for planets, and models show specularity anyway.... some of the asteroids (Hektor at least) look very shiny !). Though I don't think you could have cloud maps using models, at least not so easily.
Unfortunately, bumpmaps are not meshes: they're simple grey-scale images. White indicates the highest points and blacks are the lowest. A declaration in the .SSC file (BumpHeight) specifies the scaling factor.
In principle, I think you're right though: the same maps probably could be used to distort the spheres appropriately. It's just a matter of someone writing the appropriate code in Celestia....
In principle, I think you're right though: the same maps probably could be used to distort the spheres appropriately. It's just a matter of someone writing the appropriate code in Celestia....
Selden
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Guest
Unfortunately, bumpmaps are not meshes: they're simple grey-scale images. White indicates the highest points and blacks are the lowest. A declaration in the .SSC file (BumpHeight) specifies the scaling factor.
Sorry, my post was badly-worded. What I meant was, would it not be easier to use a bump-map as a displacement map (in a totally seperate, 3D-modelling program) to MAKE a mesh to use as a planet, rather than program Celestia to use displacement data ? Of course you would need quite high resolution bump/displacement maps to get could results, but it should work. It would avoid the probably much more difficult task of programming Celestia to use displacement data.