Navigation tools - NEW: TRUE 3D cockpits

[jogad]

 
This addon is a plugin that works as well for the Lua Edu Tools or the Lua Plug-ins
It has two main functions:

cockpits management

navigation and maneuvering help.
Even if you are not interested in the cockpits, this independant last feature deserves that you get this addon.

COCKPITS MANAGEMENT

It allows you to choose a cockpit among a set of cockpits and use it without leaving Celestia.
You choose the cockpit in a popup menu. This menu comes in the language you want.

(Click to see the details)

choix.png

The cockpits can be simple panels or multiview panels.
It is also possible to have outside views.

Multiview panels are useful because they fill a lack in Celestia: they offer the possibility to easily look sideways without changing your actual direction while you are moving.


Four views from the workbee cockptit.

Since the V.3D version the plugin is able to manage TRUE 3D cockpits
For more details see the 3D cockpits presentation later in this thread.


NAVIGATION AND MANEUVERING HELP

This features works independently of the panel management. Even if there is no cockpit installet you can enjoy it.

The movement starts with a reasonable speed with respect to a reference object and then adjust the speed to move faster or slower according to the distance. This is especially useful if you are close to a small object. You can of course easily accelerate or decelerate.

The plugin comes with an extra manoeuvre panel. It provides an easy way to move in the six possible directions: sideways or up and down as well as back and forth.
You have also the possibility to rotate with a precise specified angle or to determine exactly the distance to cover.

mponoff.png

- Even if you are stopped the starting speed is displayed and you can adjust it before you start.

INSTALLATION and DOWNLOADS

download the addon from here
Cockpits pluging V3D-1 for Lua Plug-ins and Lua Edu Tools

Unzip in the "celestia/extras" directory
Donwload the proper documentation and read it. If you don't, you will miss important features.


THE COCKPITS

The plugin is aware of all these plugins:

The standard cockpit

Apollo cockpits by MIR
Atlantis shuttle and fictional spacecraft cockpits by Alexell
Atlantis shuttle with external views

Mynock Cockpit
Star Trek Workbee Cockpit
Manoeuvre cockpit

This means that you have just to download the cockpits you want and put them in the "panels" directory of the plugin without worry about modifying anything else.
If you have or if you make another cockpit, you must declare it in the cockpits_config.lua as explained in the documentation (readme.pdf)

3D cockpits
In fact, 3D cockpits are full 3D models and the cockpit is only a part of the spaceship that you control. You can pilot and place this craft anywhere you want.
You can even fly from your spacecraft to another and take control of it.

To learn more about 3D cockpits see the posts later in this threat
viewtopic.php?f=23&p=132702#p132597

For downloads and installation instructions, see here
viewtopic.php?f=23&p=132702#p132598


About the cockpits

- "The Mynock" is made from a 3D model provided by Thepyratecaptain <here in this forum>.

- The "Workbee cockpit" is made from the Beepilot model that can be found in the addon "Starbases V2" by Fungun and which is available on the Motherlode.

- The "manoeuvre cockpit" which is almost empty and consequently requires virtually no work an no talent is made entirely by me.


DOCUMENTATION

The manuals are available in different languages

English manual V3D-1
Manuel fran?ais V3D-1
Руководство пользователя V3D-1
Nederlands handboek V2.6c

For those who would like to translate or update the documentation for other language than English, here is the original English manual in .doc format.
Original English manual in .doc format
As this manual is probably bad English, feel free to improve it too.


VIDEOS

Navigation facility: the tracking when moving feature.
Keeping your direction when you are tracking an object.
http://youtu.be/KWUd-6R0mB0


Here are some videos of the plugin.
* The first one is very short (30s) with a bad video quality (sorry).
It shows how the different cockpit are called from the Lua Edu Tools
http://youtu.be/HJgs5h9sJdY

* The second is a 4 mn 30s High quality video.
It gives an example of the possibilities of the plugin.
It is made with Lua Plug-ins rather than Lua Edu Tools to benefit from a more open screen.
Please adjust for youtube at the HQ 720p quality and view the video in the enlarged window.
http://youtu.be/UsWTq1_-SU0
All is not shown in this video. The readme.pdf covers most of the plugin's capabilities.

* Yet another little (1mn) video
http://youtu.be/gj8202Eeas0


And two videos to demonstrate the possibilities of 3D cockpits

Demonstration cockpit bridge Type 11 (2mn 20s)
http://youtu.be/f1PSv1VTCa0

This video (1 min 05 sec) shows how to capture a spaceship.
http://youtu.be/YMdhWataEjs

In these videos, the movements are not scripted. It would have been very difficult to do without the help of the speed control by the plugin.

[jogad]

Ola,

my question is this:
Celestia become a game ?

Nothing very new:

Long ago that the cockpits exist in Celestia. But you could use only one at a time. To change the cockpit you had to get out of Celestia and move or rename some files.
This addon allows you to use cockpits much more easily.
It also lets designers produce more sophisticated cockpits if they want.

Standard Celestia also has a navigation mode: press "a" and "q" and you can go back and forth.
It even has a rudimentary joystick management!

The plugin adds an additional control of the speed and also allows lateral and vertical movements.
This feature comes with the cockpit management to enjoy the additional possibility to change the view direction without changing the travel direction. This way we have a full control of the view and the movement.
This is the reason of the "manoeuvre cockpit": you don't see any cockpit but you can still enjoy the ability to look where you want while you are moving.

In my opinion this makes Celestia easier to use but is not enough to make it a game.
But you're free to develop a game from this plugin if you want.

[MiR]

Hi Jo?l,

Standard Celestia also has a navigation mode: press "a" and "q" and you can go back and forth.
It even has a rudimentary joystick management!

The plugin adds an additional control of the speed and also allows lateral and vertical movements.
This feature comes with the cockpit management to enjoy the additional possibility to change the view direction without changing the travel direction. This way we have a full control of the view and the movement.
This is the reason of the "manoeuvre cockpit": you don't see any cockpit but you can still enjoy the ability to look where you want while you are moving.

In my opinion this makes Celestia easier to use...

I entirely agree.

I saw the movies on Youtube, but haven't install the add-on yet. Though, I am sure I'll enjoy your improvements pretty soon!

..maybe someday I'll find some spare time to optimize the Apollo-cockpits for wide-screens...
or an american Celestia-friend near Washington D.C. find the way to Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and send new and better pictures...?

At the moment I'm trying a restart to understand 3D-software...

Thank You for your commitment.

Michael

[jogad]

Hi,

..maybe someday I'll find some spare time to optimize the Apollo-cockpits for wide-screens...
or an american Celestia-friend near Washington D.C. find the way to Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and send new and better pictures...?

That would be great! I look forward

===========================

I have uploaded a small update:

Thanks to Alexell and Marco Klunder we have now a Russian and Dutch localization of the plugin.

A minor change:
"0" is no more displayed before the starting speed displayed between parentheses.
Since we are not moving, the starting speed in parentheses is displayed with a more reddish color.

And two little bug fixes:

- The program now works even if the install directory of Lua Edu Tools is not "lua_edu_tools"
- fixed a bug visible with a Russian locale.

Locale files have been updated to allow an easier translation from the English locale. If someone is interested...

[jogad]

Hi,

Version 2.6 is released

The main improvement concerns the manoeuvre panel:
In addition to translational motion, you can also perform rotation movements.
You can also precisely control the angles and the distances.

If you are using Lua Edu Tools, cockpits and control panels do not disappear if you hide the Edu Tools toolbox.

The the view point of a cockpit view now accepts a displacement in addition to the rotation of the view.
This make possible to create views outside the cockpit without causing parallax error when you are near a small object like a spaceship.

All functions are explained in an illustrated manual in pdf format.
The program becoming more complex, reading is strongly recommended.

[piellepi]

Hi Celestians!
I use and always have used Celestia as a scientific tool, just to make snapshots of situations, that I often consider as reality instead of a simulation!!
I never needed cockpits that could have broken this illusion ...

IMHO Celestia is great for the fact that can be adapted to our needs, but definitely is not a game...
but nothing prevents Celestia to become a spaceship that can fly around alien manufacts and ships...

[Alexell]

Yes, Celestia is not a game. But
more interesting to many users surf the cosmos with the
cockpit

[Alexell]

The program becoming more
complex, reading is strongly
recommended.

Manual should be translated
into Russian. But I do not know
much English, and I have little
free time (((

[jogad]

...but definitely is not a game...
but nothing prevents Celestia to become a spaceship that can fly around alien manufacts and ships...

Yes and it is a shame.
I suggest to remove the joystick management feature from the next version of Celestia.

Thank you for the feedback anyway.

Of course you can hate the idea to show a cockpit in Celestia. Nobody forces you to use this feature.

On the other hand you can adapt this possibility to show something interesting.

This is an example of its use with the new outside views of the cockpits.
(Just 2 views of a cockpit with 3 views inside the cockpit and 8 views outside.)




I must say that it is pretty impressive when you are moving and your outside view of the shuttle seems to fly above the ISS.

You can even consider multiple cockpit views as a quick and easy way to display a series of slides. (Simply put {0,0} for the parameter "orientation" of each view)
It would be a shame because I have not done this plugin for this purpose.
I could say that this plugin is definitely not a slide projector.
But if you want to use it in this way it is your right and I see really no objection.

keep also in mind that the cockpit management is not anymore the most important part of this addon.
The manoeuvre tool is available even if you have not installed any cockpit.
Aside its "game" possiblities it allows you to place your point of view very easily and with a great precision.
I find this is useful in many situations, especially to make good screenshots.
Since it can be hidden, the illusion of reality that you were talking about can be preserved.

[jogad]

Manual should be translated
into Russian.

Yes. Good Idea.
Take your time. I can put your translation in-line very quickly as soon as I have it.
If you need the original file (in .odt or .doc format), please send me a PM or an e-mail.

At this time the manual is availabe in English, French and Dutch (thanks to Marco Klunder)
As I dit the English version myself, it is probably the worse version.
Everyone is welcome to do a translation in another language. Just contact me.

[Alexell]

All right. I slowly begin to translate the manual. On my forum, we develop a modification: Lua Edu Tools Pro and I'm going to include in your program it, so guide her we need. I hope you will not
mind PS Maybe we slightly
modify your program, but I'll be sure to tell.

[jogad]

Although not present in the actual beepilot.lua, the manual states the
axample for this model regarding the external view with the displacement
parameter.
My question (not stated in the manual), HOW TO GO to That external view?

Yes the manual is not so clear
The beepilot actually doesn't have external views.
It is a fictive example , just to mention this possibility.

An external view is not a special view and the displacement parameter doesn't actually create such a view.
You can specify a displacement for an inside view as well. But the displacement is very small and has no effect on the perspective of the external view.
This is not the case for an external view. See the example of the Atlantis above the ISS (3 posts above).
Without displacement, the position of the shuttle would have seemed behind its actual position, with the ISS at the same position on the screen.
The displacement is an actual change of the observer's position.

Going to an external view is made as for every other view: by linking this view to an arrow of the cockpit view command with the parameter "viewpath"

To see how it works, you can download the Atlantis shuttle with external views.

- You have three inside views forward:

Click to enlarge

vuesinterieures.jpg

- and eight external views

vuesexterieures.jpg

The description file "atlantis_ext.lua" is commented to explain how this works.
This cockpit is designed for my screen which has a ratio width/height = 8/5. The result may be less good with another screen ratio. In this case run Celestia in a windows with these proportions if possible. (Or better, adapt the size of the pictures and send me your version )

I have done a little updatde of the plugin to make possible to assign specifically a link to the central button of the cockpit command.
This way, the back view is reachable from any of the four views forward (3 inside and 1 outside).
This is only only possible with this new version (2.6b) of the plugin.

[jogad]

Thankyou!!! I think it will help me because I am building a huge add-on and the plug-in will (hopefully) get me real close and personal with the objects I am building.

You are welcome. The manoeuvre tool is preciseley designed for that.

when i'm in front of cockpit, how can I get the model to disappear ?

I am not sure, but I presume that you are talking about this view

Snap9.jpg

This is not a model but a mere flat "cockpit" image.
You are in front of the cockpit but you are looking backward. It is the rear view.
You can consider it as every normal cockpit view.
Use the green triangle arrows to change view.

To clear the view you can:

- choose "no cockpit" in the cockpit menu
- Press "shift + W" to clear the view temporarily. If you press "shift + W" again, you recover the view.

Il you want a very clear view, you can hide the left bottom speed display as explained in the manual.

[MiR]

I agree. This is very useful

one remark:
Celestia is not a game!
But I think it's better playing with Celestia software than playing with ego-shooters or wargames... :wink:

Michael

[jogad]

Can you help me ?

I fear I can't!

This view is impossible and there is more than one evidence that this is a montage.

I would be grateful if you would troll elsewhere.

Long live and prosper !

[Alexell]

Today I finished the translation manual into Russian. Here it isn't loaded therefore i loaded file on RGHost: http://rghost.ru/42406531

[jogad]

Today I finished the translation manual into Russian. Here it isn't loaded therefore i loaded file on RGHost: http://rghost.ru/42406531

I am very sorry: I have lost your translation and the link is no more active

Can you send it again with the litte addition for the version 2.6c ? (see next post)

Thank you very much

[jogad]

 
Version 2.6c released!

Just two little additions in the navigation help:

tracking when moving
reset the view in the direction of the movement.

These two functions add some possibilities that don't exist in Celestia.
These functions are driven by keys. Adding more buttons to the manoeuvre panel is not difficult but I find it crowded enough as is. If someone thinks of a better layout, please tell me.

This is a little video to demonstrate how it works:
The default quality is the poor 240p.
Tho have a better view, set the quality to 720p(hd) and enlarge the video window.

http://youtu.be/KWUd-6R0mB0

At the beginning we are stopped (red speed)
M31 on the right is selected and we are following M33 which is farther, a little on the left

Action Keys:

[Shift+X] : The visor appears at the center of the screen to show the initial direction of the movement: between the two galaxies.

[Shift+T] We want to track M31 (> M31 appears in blue juste above the speed indicator). As we are not moving, nothing else happen.

[enter + M 33 + enter] we select M33 for a further step.

[w] We start moving in the direction of the center of the screen.

Because we are now moving, M31 gets centered but we are always travelling in a direction between M31 and M33

[shift + R] As we pass near M31. The view is reset in the direction of the movement. M31 is no more tracked and we can see M33 approaching on the left.

[shit+T] again! As M33 is selected it is now tracked. (> M33 appears in blue above the speed indicator)

[shift+T] again after a moment. M33 is no more tracked but the view remains in the same direction. We can see M33 escaping to the left.

During the whole travel the speed is adjusted accordingly to the distance of the reference object (M33) but the direction of the movement is kept unchanged.

[Shift+R] is the conterpart of [x] that forces the movement in the direction of the view.


For this release I give you separate links for the programe and for the documentation.
This way, you can load only the documentation in the language you need. (And updating is easier for me)
At this time the documentation is up to date for English and French
If you are interested in updating or translating this documentation, please send me a PM and I will give you a link to the original documentation (English or French) in word .doc format.

[jogad]

I thought the last version was the final version, but some time ago, Fungun gave me a 3D model to make a new multipanel cockpit.

This model is beautiful and it was a shame to reduce it to some flat images.
That is why I looked for a way to use it as a true 3D cockpit.

I have read the discussion between Cham and Fenerit about scripted orbits in the tutorials section. I didn't unerstand all but I thought I should follow this path to solve my problem.
Then I found the diary addon by Selden which have interactive commands. It helped me to understand some obscure points about scripted orbits. And I borrowed his idea of hiding objects in the center of the Sun.

And here is the result : Cockpits plug-in version V.3D

The good news is that you can use any 3D model you want!
There is no need to modify the existing files of the original addon. (except the .ssc file where you have to replace the original orbit description)
All you have to do is to edit the .ssc file and install the script that manages the position and orientation of the model.

Cockpits plug-in version V.3D allows easier use of this possibility.

In fact, this is far beyond a simple cockpit.
You can control the spacecraft from inside or outside and place it where you want.
You can even fly from your spacecraft to another and take control of it.

Here are two small video to get an idea of what it is.
They are available in HD. Also do not forget to enlarge and increase the resolution to

Demonstration cockpit bridge Type 11 (2mn 20s)
http://youtu.be/f1PSv1VTCa0

This video (1 min 30 sec) shows how to capture a spaceship.
http://youtu.be/XnKapMZK5K4

For now, all that is a bit experimental and the manual is not updated
I will describe the installation procedure next post.
The manual will be updated if necessary to suit your comments.

[jogad]

 
installation of a 3D cockpit

For an explanation of what is a 3D cockpit, see the previous post.

I can't provide ready for use cockpits as I did for multiview 2D cockpits. In fact they are part of addons that are not mine.
You need to download the corresponding addons yourself.

For the moment I attach the description files and control scritps of four models to this post.

You can find the corresponding addons here

- Startrek Workbee as part of the addon Starbases V2 by Fungun and available on the motherlode.
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catal ... on_id=1515

- Atlantis shuttle as an addon by El Christou available on the otherlode here
http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catal ... don_id=861

- The Mynock available by a link on this forume here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=13162&start=75#p129439

- Type 11 Shuttle bridge By Fungun
No link available for instance. Fungun is still working on it.

Here is the installation procedure:

Download and install the Cockpits V.3D plug-in as stated in the first post of this thread.

Download the addons that you want to install. (see above)

Create the following directories depending on the addons you have downloaded

- extras/cockpits/panels/atlantis3D
- extras/cockpits/panels/mynock3D
- extras/cockpits/panels/type11
- extras/cockpits/panels/workbee3D

Install the addons in the directories you have just create for.

Download and unzip the control files in the "extras/cockpits" directory.

This will replace the original ssc file. So make a backup of this file if necessary.

The four above directories will be created if they do not exist.
As these files work with corresponding addons that you downloaded, you must delete the directories of the addons that are not intalled.
For exemble, since you have not downloaded the Type 11 bridge, you must delete the "extras/cockpits/panels/type11" directory