New Add-on: Mars 3D Terrain

[Boxx]

Hello everybody!

My new (and first) Celestia add-on has been published on Celestia Motherlode here

• "Chandor Chasma 3D" in the section Mars Surfaces
• Summary: Accurate 3D Terrain on Mars (located in Valles Marineris)
• Description: Demonstrator for 3D Terrain on Mars, based on actual NASA/MOLA data: 3D model of Chandor Chasma area at Level 4 + a detailed zone at Level 8 (and also a 3D-surprise-inside, see readme.txt file.)
• Note : my e-mail address and the credits are provided inside the readme.txt

There is already a started discussion on Celestial Matters about it here: "3D Mars - Chandor Chasma".

This first terrain is from Valles Marineris because it is a nice one but the project is not limited to this region.
The aim is to create an accurate point of view "from" Mars' surface as well as from above and, step by step, to detail and add here and here what is worth (not only the Grand Canyon!). Also later will come some "xyz" to navigate "inside" the terrain at a human scale...

Your comments (and rating) will be very much appreciated as well as your tips and knowledge about the following difficulties:

• accurate spheroid of Mars (radius vary from 3373 to 3396 km, excentricities and their orientations...)
• accurate modelization of the atmosphere (with/without dust storm: density, color, reflectivity...)
• accurate surface properties (as seen from the ground) : (RGB values + rate) for Ambient, Diffuse, Specular, Emissive, Rough, Brillance
• use of CTX textures onto the 3D terrains (.an8 or .obj and finally with .cmod formats in Celestia) : tutorial or experience
• conversion of a path in (Lat, Long, Radius) tabulated file into (xyz) Celestia files

Well, I know, that's already quite a lot...

[herryjohn]

hope a better article

[Boxx]

hope a better article

?!?!
would prefer a better comment... or no comment

[chris]

hope a better article

?!?!
would prefer a better comment... or no comment

Ignore this--I think herryjohn is a spammer. Sigh.

--Chris

[BobHegwood]

Just for your information here my friend...

I have the add-on installed, but I am not enamored of the colors associated with it.
My normal Mars textures are not quite so bright an "orange" hue for lack of better terminology, and this
makes me less than enthusiastic to use it. This coloring is not limited to just your add-on though. It
seems to be the norm for virtual textures too, and I hesitate to use these for the same reason.

There is just something about the "orange" color of the surface textures that turns me off. Sorry, but
can't explain it any better than that. Hope it helps a bit with your understanding of my perception of
the add-on though.

Thanks, Bob