Celestia Forums

Here is what I would like to do:

...make an animation of earth going through it's seasonal changes (ice cover mostly) using 12 monthly seasonal images that are available on the BMNG website and use them for the earth textures. I noticed however that their images do not show the ice coverage over the water. Are there any images that DO show the water-ice coverage? I have seen some images on the motherload site that did have polar ice added to those images. Has anyone ever added the polar ice to those 12 seasonal images?

PS. If successful, the animation will be shown at a conference in Chicago

I made an addon which shows 12 months of Earth and all textures comes from NASA Blue Marble Next Generation:

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catal ... don_id=893

In fact, there are some areas where there are not ice in summer for exemple.
Look the 2 screenshots (December and August):

Yes I have DL'd those textures but they do not show the polar ice caps and the surrounding sea ice that changes dramatically during the seasons. Those BMNG images don't have sea ice for some strange reason. I saw some texturs that Don Edwards (i think) made but i could not open the zip files--but he only had 4 seasonal images anyway and i need 12. I actually HAVE 12 seasonal images that i made last year for an animation but I wanted to use the BMNG images because they are so detailed. I cringe thinking about having to edit those 12 BMNG texures...

I am still in the process of making all 12 seasonal textures with the polar ice fields expanding and contracting with them. It just takes time. I am also applying my ocean layer that smooths out and adds some detail to the palin dark oceans.

I don't have a timetable on the release but I am about half way done abd all are at 16k and lower.

Don. Edwards

Before the BMNG came out there used to be a site where all the data files were kept. In it there were 4 files for seaice coverage. autumn east/west spring east/west. Mabey they still exsist. My links to that page are dead but mabey you can contact someone at the Blue Marble and ask.
cartrite

Don. Edwards wrote:I am still in the process of making all 12 seasonal textures with the polar ice fields expanding and contracting with them. It just takes time. I am also applying my ocean layer that smooths out and adds some detail to the palin dark oceans.

I don't have a timetable on the release but I am about half way done abd all are at 16k and lower.

Don. Edwards

Hey Don,
I am so glad to hear that you are doing that! I can see the amount of effort it is taking. With your permission I would like to use those images in the future for animations. What is the procedure for that?
The project I am doing now has a deadline of Sept. 5th so I will just be using my old textures for now.

The way I am doing it is that I have animated snow and ice data that show the avaerage coverage per year. I then have to try and replicate that on the each 16k texture. Also each of the textures has there own shall we say noise that needs to be cleaned up. Allot of the visual data on them for snow and ice is has a jagged stair-step look to it do to the resolution changes in the various data soures. So I am cleaning this up as I do each one. There is a chance I may have them done by mid September but I wouldn't count on it. I have ben working on these on and off for almost a year now!

Don. Edward

Will the images you are working on be able to show the specular reflection? That is one of the other big requirements for our animation.

I'm pretty well along creating the CEL file. Once you get done with your editing (and please don't hurry on my account ) I'll just plug them in and recapture the AVI.

We're studying the change in albedo due to seasonal ice fluctuations and the amount of reflected light from the oceans at different angles. Then it's off to find an extra-solar planet....

Well I cracked open the folder and took a look at where I am at this point. I would have to say that I am not as far along as I thought. I still have to add southern polar ice data so it?€™s going to be a while before they are ready.

As for the use of specmaps, of course this will be able to be done. I am going to probably put the specmap for each texture in the alpha channel to save overhead and to keep things simple.


Here is a animated gif showing where I am at this point.



Don. Edwards

It is definitely going to be worth the wait. I can see how much effort it requires just for each local area not to mention both poles for 12 images. ugh! I'd help you out if I only had the time and energy....

Good luck with it and we're rootin' for ya!