Celestia Forums

Hi,

I'm brand new to Celestia. Have it running on OSX for one day.

I wish to use it in a multimedia based science/art event in May, and will credit the package.

I'm finding documentation thin on the ground so far, and would appreciate answers to the following:

I computer literate but new to apple computers - so - I copied the download file into my user folder and installed celestia from there. I'm not sure where it installed to. I have located the 'sphere' in my home dir and can run celestia. However, I downloaded the stars3db, and put it into the same dir, but celestia doesn't see it. Is there a default, static location for the original database(s)?

After installing, why doesnt celestia appear in the applications folder?

Any pointers on how to properly install on OSX greatly appreciated.


4. I wish to 'run' a sophisticated move - say a tour of the solar system, set to music. Is this possible? I seem to have to use the control panel to do movements, but noticed a scripting language on thsiwb site. How do I develop scripts? Is there an easier way to navigate this incredible package and record the movements in real time?


Can Celestia be synced to MIDI or SMPTE?


Am I correct in interpreting that people are developing new material for this package - in essence to 'go to new places in the cosmos'?

Must I install these individually?

Can 'all addons to today' be downloaded and installed in one bundle?

Will Celestia simply recognise these new locations the next time it runs?

Is there general documentation on:

1. the locations available
2. how to install Celestia and addons
3. programming and recording sequences

I'm continuing to look through the website, but find answers to the questions above not forthcoming (ok it's only a day I admit), but any help with the aboce and or general pointers will be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Kevin Nolan,
Dublin.

Kevin,
I'm not a Macintosh user, but I'll try to answer some of your questions

I wish to use it in a multimedia based science/art event in May, and will credit the package.

Celestia is in constant, rapid development. Some of the features that are lacking today might be available by then.

I'm finding documentation thin on the ground so far, and would appreciate answers to the following:

Unfortunately, there is as yet no manual for Celestia. Work is supposedly progressing on it, but it isn't being done as publicly as the source code for Celestia itself.

I computer literate but new to apple computers

The OS X version of Celestia is lagging the Windows and Linux versions somewhat. The most recent "debugged" version for OS X is v1.2.2. v1.2.5 is currently available for Windows and Linux. The corresponding version for OS X is in development.

- so - I copied the download file into my user folder and installed celestia from there. I'm not sure where it installed to. I have located the 'sphere' in my home dir and can run celestia. However, I downloaded the stars3db, and put it into the same dir, but celestia doesn't see it. Is there a default, static location for the original database(s)?

Under Windows there's a subdirectory named "data". I suspect the same is true for the Mac. Celestia looks in there for the file "stars.dat". You should make a copy of the current version of that file before replacing it with the new version.

After installing, why doesnt celestia appear in the applications folder?

Any pointers on how to properly install on OSX greatly appreciated.

Sorry, I can't help with those questions.

4. I wish to 'run' a sophisticated move - say a tour of the solar system, set to music. Is this possible? I seem to have to use the control panel to do movements, but noticed a scripting language on thsiwb site. How do I develop scripts? Is there an easier way to navigate this incredible package and record the movements in real time?

Celestia's scripting language is rather crude as yet. I'm not sure it's available in v1.2.2.

Can Celestia be synced to MIDI or SMPTE?

Not yet. Modifications for the Windows version that are supposed to make it possible to control Celestia from another program were apparently submitted to Chris, but they have not yet made it into the official distribution. I suspect they wouldn't be ready in time for your project.

Am I correct in interpreting that people are developing new material for this package - in essence to 'go to new places in the cosmos'?

yes.

Must I install these individually?

yes.

Can 'all addons to today' be downloaded and installed in one bundle?

no. Some are incompatible with one another. Some make Celestia slow to a crawl and should only be included if you're interested in that particular aspect of astronomy -- like the one that includes over 4,000 asteroids.

Will Celestia simply recognise these new locations the next time it runs?

yes.

Is there general documentation on:

1. the locations available

There are several Web sites where people have collected lists of add-ons.
The place to start is probably the link page on http://www.shatters.net itself. You also might try looking at the Web page of links that I've been accumulating. Use the "www" link just below this message.

2. how to install Celestia and addons

not really. Probably because once you learn how, you realize how "triivial" it is.

3. programming and recording sequences

There's a somewhat obsolete Web page on http://www.shatters.net that lists most of the script commands.

I'm continuing to look through the website, but find answers to the questions above not forthcoming (ok it's only a day I admit), but any help with the aboce and or general pointers will be greatly appreciated.

Do keep reading.
Also, use the "search" command (the link to it is above).
In the meantime, I hope this helps point you in a useful direction.

Selden

Hi Seldon -

Thank you - I get the general picture and you're answers help tremendously.

This is an incredible package. I am a software developer myself, I'm just completing a realtime analysis package for the ESA space probe Integral, and time is very tight, but I'd like to think I could contribute to this package at some point in the future.

The scope for multimedia realtime presentations is huge, and the future potential is _so_ exciting.

regards,
Kevin.

Kevin,

Selden has answered answered many of your general Celestia questions, and I'll try to help with the ones specific to Mac OS X (I've recently been working on the Mac OS X version of Celestia 1.2.5).

You install this version of Celestia on Mac OS X just by dragging and dropping the application file. There is no installer. The application file will go where you put it. If you want it to be in your Applications folder, just move it there.

The application file isn't actually a single file. It's a folder. But it's a special kind of folder, called a package, that Mac OS X makes appear like a single file. The name of the application package is actually "Celestia.app", but the Mac OS X finder hides the file extension ".app" so it appears as just "Celestia".

The Celestia data files are actually inside the package. To find them, you have to open the package. The easiest way to do this is to control-click the package icon in a Finder window and choose "Show Package Contents" from the popup menu. This will open the package in a new Finder window as if it were a folder (which it actually is).

Inside the package you'll find a folder called "Contents". And inside that folder you'll find a folder called "Resources". The Celestia data files and directories are inside this folder.

This is rather cumbersome, and I have plans to move the Celestia data files out of the application package in future versions. But for now, if you want to modify the Celestia data files this is where you'll find them.

Except for their location inside the application package, the Celestia data files on Mac OS X work pretty much the same was with other versions.
To use an alternate stars database, you put it in the "data" folder inside the "Resources" folder in the application package. You may also need to modify the filename specified for the "StarDatabase" property in the "celestia.cfg" configuration file (found in the "Resources" folder). This configuration file is just a plain text file, but because of its extension you can't open it just by double-clicking. Either drag its icon onto the TextEdit application or launch TextEdit and use the "Open..." command from the "File" menu.

The Celestia demo script is in a text file named "demo.cel" in the "Resources" folder. You activate it in Celestia using the "D" key. You can edit or replace this file to create a customized demo.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you need further explanation don't hesitate to ask.

- Hank