One problem I've always had has been judging the size of planets and moons - there's nothing else to compare them to.
So I've built a set of map overlays that place maps of familiar terrestrial locations on top of the features of the various planets and mapped moons with radii > 100km. The current file uses either a world map or outlines of the USA, Texas or Rhode Island. (I hope to build a European and Australasian equivalent if there's interest.)
See http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/celestia/hutchison/comparisonmaps.html for more information and the download package.
Thanks as ever to Selden, for hosting the add-on.
Grant
Overlay maps for planets and major moons
-
Topic authorgranthutchison
- Developer
- Posts: 1863
- Joined: 21.11.2002
- With us: 21 years 11 months
This was a wonderful idea for an addon. And here's at least one who's interested in an Australasian alternative (request that there's at least some New Zealand in there though, I'm feeling homesick!)
PS, am I correct in thinking that the overlays you make are compatible with using VTs as the base texture not alt surface? (ie having the VT to the celestia\textures not celestia\extras directory and the overlays as the alt surface?) Or would that be opening up a godzilla-sized can of worms?
PS, am I correct in thinking that the overlays you make are compatible with using VTs as the base texture not alt surface? (ie having the VT to the celestia\textures not celestia\extras directory and the overlays as the alt surface?) Or would that be opening up a godzilla-sized can of worms?
___________
ogg
___________
ogg
___________
-
Topic authorgranthutchison
- Developer
- Posts: 1863
- Joined: 21.11.2002
- With us: 21 years 11 months
Well, I have a lot of VTs in the hires folder, and the maps superimpose nicely over the hires textures.ogg wrote:PS, am I correct in thinking that the overlays you make are compatible with using VTs as the base texture not alt surface? (ie having the VT to the celestia\textures not celestia\extras directory and the overlays as the alt surface?) Or would that be opening up a godzilla-sized can of worms?
Grant
Great idea !
Come on Grant, you've got to have the UK as a comparison map
Come on Grant, you've got to have the UK as a comparison map
1.6.0:AMDAth1.2GHz 1GbDDR266:Ge6200 256mbDDR250:WinXP-SP3:1280x1024x32FS:v196.21@AA4x:AF16x:IS=HQ:T.Buff=ON Earth16Kdds@15KkmArctic2000AD:FOV1:SPEC L5dds:NORM L5dxt5:CLOUD L5dds:
NIGHT L5dds:MOON L4dds:GALXY ON:MAG 15.2-SAP:TIME 1000x:RP=OGL2:10.3FPS
NIGHT L5dds:MOON L4dds:GALXY ON:MAG 15.2-SAP:TIME 1000x:RP=OGL2:10.3FPS
-
Topic authorgranthutchison
- Developer
- Posts: 1863
- Joined: 21.11.2002
- With us: 21 years 11 months
Howdy Grant,
Great idea and implementation! Thanks!
What about for stars? Is the Earth too small to be shown on the sun?
One note: When looking at Venus, one must turn Clouds off.
Great idea and implementation! Thanks!
What about for stars? Is the Earth too small to be shown on the sun?
One note: When looking at Venus, one must turn Clouds off.
-Don G.
My Celestia Scripting Resources page
Avatar: Total Lunar Eclipse from our back yard, Oct 2004. Panasonic FZ1 digital camera (no telescope), 36X digital zoom, 8 second exposure at f6.5.
My Celestia Scripting Resources page
Avatar: Total Lunar Eclipse from our back yard, Oct 2004. Panasonic FZ1 digital camera (no telescope), 36X digital zoom, 8 second exposure at f6.5.
-
Retirer ;-)