My wishes list for Celestia 1.5
Posted: 11.09.2006, 20:05
Here are some extra features that I would be very happy to see implemented in the next release of Celestia. I'm just giving my personal "wishes list" here, with the confession that I hope that some of the items presented here could really become part of version 1.5. Maybe I'm asking too much. If it's the case, I apologise 
. So here are my wishes, in random order :
1- Better date and time format in upper-right corner. The date is actually hard to read and a bit cryptic.
2- More markers options (asterisks, circles). I know that there are some developments about arrows, but I think that a simple asterisk and a circle could be a good thing too.
3- More "classes" of objects : one to three custom classes that could be activated with a keyboard shortcut (using numbers with a modifier key ?), especially to use coordinate grids on the fly (graticules). We need graticules to help the user, when it comes to orientation in space.
4- Better resolution of the celestial grid. Actually, spacing is too large on that spherical grid. The equatorial coordinates grid isn't precise enough to be really usefull.
5- More info in the upper-left corner (Ultraverbose mode ?) : kilopsc and Megapsc distances also in LY. SemiMajorAxis and revolution period, if relevant for the selected object.
6- The ability to fix a model's orientation toward any SSC or STC declared object, using a simple command line in the model's SSC, something like : OrientationLockedTo "object name".
7- Periodic motions with .xyz files, declared in SSC file with a command like "PeriodicMotion true". Of course, that option should be set to false by default.
8- The ability to change the Precession axis. Adding a command line like "PrecessionAxis [x y z]" after the usual command "PrecessionRate". Of course, values by default should be [0 0 0] (present state of the precession axis).
9- Star textures. Since the latest version of Celestia, stars lost their "individuality". By default, they are using only one texture. Stars are then very dull to watch. The atmosphere's color doesn't even match that texture in many cases. In some previous version, stars were using four base textures (astar, bstar, gstar and mstar). I want those textures to be back, without having to add a custom texture to all the stars in the database.
10- A compass to oriente ourselves on a planet's surface, the kind of things that was recently suggested by ElChristou : a simple and discrete compass at bottom-center of screen. That compass should be visible only when the user is cruising on a planet's surface.
11- A scripts menu. Lets remove the "D" binding to the demo, so we could use it for another thing. Lets add a menu called "scripts", associated to a "scripts" folder inside the CelestiaRessources directory. All scripts located in that folder would be listed in the scripts menu. The usual Demo could be the first script in this menu, separated from the others with a separator.
. So here are my wishes, in random order :
1- Better date and time format in upper-right corner. The date is actually hard to read and a bit cryptic.
2- More markers options (asterisks, circles). I know that there are some developments about arrows, but I think that a simple asterisk and a circle could be a good thing too.
3- More "classes" of objects : one to three custom classes that could be activated with a keyboard shortcut (using numbers with a modifier key ?), especially to use coordinate grids on the fly (graticules). We need graticules to help the user, when it comes to orientation in space.
4- Better resolution of the celestial grid. Actually, spacing is too large on that spherical grid. The equatorial coordinates grid isn't precise enough to be really usefull.
5- More info in the upper-left corner (Ultraverbose mode ?) : kilopsc and Megapsc distances also in LY. SemiMajorAxis and revolution period, if relevant for the selected object.
6- The ability to fix a model's orientation toward any SSC or STC declared object, using a simple command line in the model's SSC, something like : OrientationLockedTo "object name".
7- Periodic motions with .xyz files, declared in SSC file with a command like "PeriodicMotion true". Of course, that option should be set to false by default.
8- The ability to change the Precession axis. Adding a command line like "PrecessionAxis [x y z]" after the usual command "PrecessionRate". Of course, values by default should be [0 0 0] (present state of the precession axis).
9- Star textures. Since the latest version of Celestia, stars lost their "individuality". By default, they are using only one texture. Stars are then very dull to watch. The atmosphere's color doesn't even match that texture in many cases. In some previous version, stars were using four base textures (astar, bstar, gstar and mstar). I want those textures to be back, without having to add a custom texture to all the stars in the database.
10- A compass to oriente ourselves on a planet's surface, the kind of things that was recently suggested by ElChristou : a simple and discrete compass at bottom-center of screen. That compass should be visible only when the user is cruising on a planet's surface.
11- A scripts menu. Lets remove the "D" binding to the demo, so we could use it for another thing. Lets add a menu called "scripts", associated to a "scripts" folder inside the CelestiaRessources directory. All scripts located in that folder would be listed in the scripts menu. The usual Demo could be the first script in this menu, separated from the others with a separator.