Celestia 1.7.0 for OS X available here

[Cham]

I'm publishing an unofficial Celestia 1.7.0 for OS X.

This is the OS X application only. You need the default installation for the ressources.

This version has many bug fixes. It is totally stable on all the Mac systems I've tested. It is virtually uncrashable !
It is 64 bit, so you can use all the memory you have on your computer !
There's a new splash screen. If you don't like it, it is very easy to change.
Bug fixes and compilation made by Da Woon (aka Dirkpitt), two years ago with my help.

This is the version you would want, to properly run the sprites nebulae models that I've shown some times ago, and that I may publish on the forum later.

Reports problems/bugs here.

The attachment CelestiaOSX1.7.0.zip is no longer available

Have fun !

EDIT 1 : Just to show off some sprites nebulae that can be used with this special version of Celestia :

EDIT 2 :

In the configuration "celestia.cfg" file, check that you have the following. The orbital fading code is new :

Code: Select all

#------------------------------------------------------------------------
# The following lines are render detail settings.  Assigning higher
# values will produce better quality images, but may cause some older
# systems to run slower.
#
#   OrbitPathSamplePoints defines how many sample points to use when
#   rendering orbit paths. The default value is 100.
#
#   RingSystemSections defines the number of segments in which ring
#   systems are rendered. The default value is 100.
#
#   ShadowTextureSize defines the size* of shadow texture to be used.
#   The default value is 256. Maximum useful value is 2048.
#
#   EclipseTextureSize defines the size* of eclipse texture to be used.
#   The default value is 128. Maximum useful value is 1024.
#
#   * The ShadowTextureSize and EclipseTextureSize values should both be
#     powers of two (128, 256, 512, etc.). Using larger values will
#     reduce the jagged edges of eclipse shadows and shadows on planet
#     rings, but it will decrease the amount of memory available for
#     planet textures.
#------------------------------------------------------------------------
  OrbitPathSamplePoints  128
  RingSystemSections     256

  ShadowTextureSize      512
  EclipseTextureSize     256


#------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Orbit fading effect.
#------------------------------------------------------------------------
  OrbitWindowEnd 0.0
  OrbitPeriodsShown 1.1
  LinearFadeFraction 0.4



[john71]

Looks nice, but I use Windows...

[FarGetaNik]

Me too

[selden]

Cham,

Can you make the source code available?

It might be possible to use it to build a new copy of Celestia for other operating systems.

[mjoubert]

Hello,

I am using Celestia on both Windows and Linux, and it is always difficult to build Celestia with two different GUI. There are many GUI for Celestia (Visual C++, Mac, GTK, QT)

Maybe we can go to qt5 that will bring the same interface and generation scripts on all the target systems.

Mathieu

[selden]

In general (not just for Celestia) there's a disagreement between people who prefer a GUI design to be consistent for all of the software that they're using on a particular system, and those who prefer the GUI of a particular software product to be consistent across all operating environments.

That said, I've personally given up on trying to build the QT5 GUI on my Windows system. Although others have been successful, my own environment results in inconsistent and conflicting build error messages, with different errors depending on which build method I've used. I've wasted too much of my life trying to resolve them.

[Cham]

Selden,

I don't have the source code for the version I've published above. Da Woon has it all. I don't think that he commited all the changes to SVN, while he was supposed to do so (that's what he told me, 2 years ago). The fix for the sprites nebulae is very important, and I don't think that it was commited to SVN.

About the "universal" interface, I'm not interested in it. As Selden point out, I'm the kind of people who much prefer a consistent interface across all of my GUI. I don't believe at all in any kind of "universal" version of Celestia.

Guys, by the way, you should restore your avatar pictures.

[Sagegami]

Hi there, I'm new to this process, I downloaded the file and have a blank (i.e. unmodified) copy of 1.6.1 running on my mac. (current OS and all that) When I download this and open it I immediately get "fatal error" "error loading data files. Celestia will now quit."

So I assume there is an important step in applying the 1.7.0 update into the already existing 1.6.1 structure. I have no idea how to proceed on this.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Cham]

First, you need to get the "CelestiaResources" folder out of the application (use "Show packet contents" with right click, I'm not sure of the proper English spelling on OS X, since I'm using a French version).

Then place that folder next to the Celestia 1.7.0 app. It should be enough. (in my opinion, that folder should be next to its app anyway, not inside ! But this is all optional)

Take note that there are some specific 1.7.0 options that could be added to your celestia.cfg file. These are optional. I may give some suggestions later.

[Sagegami]

Thanks for the information. For me it seems I have to take the "CelestiaResources" out of the 1.6.1 version and place it into the "Resources" folder of the 1.7.0 version. However, I am not sure this is right because even though Celestia opens properly at that point with the new splash image and the application info says its running the 1.7.0 version, nothing about the program seems to be different otherwise. No GUI changes or anything. Where there supposed to be?

Also as soon as I load in my custom extras folder into the celestia resources file in my library folder the 1.7.0 version crashes on start up every time. It just says "celestia quit unexpectedly" I think there is some code in some of those addon files that this version does not like. Unfortunately I need those files for use in my copy of the program.

[Cham]

You need to put all your files in one CelestiaResources folder only. Not two. Put everything in the same CelestiaResources, next to the application (or inside the app if you prefer, or even in the Library).

There is NO interface changes in this version. All the changes are under the hood. Mostly bug fixes, and 64 bit. A few renderings also have been changed (orbital paths).

[Sagegami]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. Thats what I did. I only have one folder in one program. It works all works just fine up until I put back in my extras folder and then it crashes on start up.

[Cham]

It means something is wrong in your addons. Try isolate the culprit by moving in one at a time.

[Sagegami]

But all those addons work perfectly in 1.6.1

[Cham]

This is because v1.6.1 is "slack" ! There are bugs in it, and allow some bad junks to be loaded, until it will crash after some uses.

In other words, 1.6.1 cannot be trusted.

[Goofy]

Guillermo Abramson was performing a continuos update of windows builded Celestia SVNs.
I just checked his web page, but the last release is still the svn5063 (+fading orbits, +new star rendering), dated 2010-11-01, here:
http://fisica.cab.cnea.gov.ar/estadistica/abramson/celestia/svnexec/
Nothing more recent, alas!
Cham, what SVN did you use for your MAC v1.7 release?
Later than 5063, I think.
Bye
Goofy

[Cham]

It is the latest 1.7.0. There is NO new star rendering, by the way. That code never got commited to SVN, AFAIK.
The only apparent differences from 1.6.1 are the fading orbits (which is pretty cool, by the way).

Sagegami,

check the edit 2 of my first message above. The fading code not in your config file may be (or maybe not) related to your problem.

[Goofy]

Thank you Cham, but you gave me bad news.
Anyway, given you are in closer contact with Da Woon (aka Dirkpitt) than me, could you please ask him if there is any possibility to have that SVN compiled for Windows?
There are very interesting improvements, the 64bit use of all the available memory (I have 32GB on board, up to now uselessly, alas!), and the capability to satisfactorily show your nebula sprite models, whose I'm very found of, as you know.
Please!
Bye and thank you.
Goofy

[Cham]

AFAIK, Da Woon is extremely busy with other things, and was participating in the Celestia.sci project only. I don't think he may return to the standard Celestia anymore. He was supposed to commit all of his changes to 1.7.0 SVN a long time ago (2 years), but never did it for unknown reasons.

Yes, I agree that it's a pitty and a shame that all the modifications that I can use in the special built above aren't part of the official distribution (which really sucks, compared to the version above !)

[Goofy]

I understand, Cham, I know that Da Woon is fully involved in Celestia.sci, but just a little try?
In the worst case the reply will be "it's impossible", I suppose.
Don't you think it's worth a try, for all the windozed Celestia people?
Please......
Goofy