New Maps of Ganymede and Callisto

[Commander David]

I`ve made new maps of Genaymede and Callisto. They looks like real, as you can see on a NASA picture:
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/GanCall.htm

And here are my screenshots from my maps i`ve made:
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/callisto_neu.htm
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/Ganymed_neu.htm

Mail me if you want it. graphics@stadt-geyer.de


And here is a Screenshot from my Uranus Ringsystem. I have it colored.

http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/uranus_rings.htm

[Pixel]

Wow David,
These textures are gorgeous!

What is the data source for these images?

Congrat's,
Pixel.

[Guest]

Thanks.

The data source are http://www.mmedia.is/~bjj/planetary_maps.html (maybe?) I have this maps a little bit modifyed.

[Rassilon]

Ahh thats the same place I got my saturn texture...I figured you had larger images...

Those look nice btw...

You wouldn't by chance know where to get a 2048 x 1024 map of neptune?

[Axel]

Hi Commander

I`ve made new maps of Genaymede and Callisto. They looks like real, as you can see on a NASA picture:
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/GanCall.htm

And here are my screenshots from my maps i`ve made:
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/callisto_neu.htm
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/Ganymed_neu.htm

Agreed. They look absolutely perfect. Which resolution do you have?
If they're large enough you could send them to Fridger, I hope he hasn't done Callisto yet.

Mail me if you want it. graphics@stadt-geyer.de

I'll do so in the next days...

And here is a Screenshot from my Uranus Ringsystem. I have it colored.

Also very nice. My only remark would be that the ringsystem isn't visible under normal observing conditions. If I remember well they had to enhance the foto material they got from Voyager to discover it. So I don't know if it's better to enhance as well to show it or to stay realistic?

http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/uranus_rings.htm

I'd be very interested in Saturn's rings and in Europa with alphachannel and or bumpmapping.

Take care and good work!
Axel

[t00fri]

Hi Commander ;)

Agreed. They look absolutely perfect. Which resolution do you have?
If they're large enough you could send them to Fridger, I hope he hasn't done Callisto yet.

Take care and good work!
Axel

He sent them already last week. Ganymede is not new, I have that since some time, but David did apparently some bumbmapping to it.

The Callisto raw data are probably blown up to 2k (and bumpmapped) from an existing 1800x900 texture that I had.

There seems to be nothing else "on the market".

Bye Fridger

[Commander David]

@ Axel

the resolution are not very big:
Callisto is a 2048*1024 and
Ganymede is also a 2028*1024 map.

But for me is`nt big enought, i`ve a monochrome Image from Io that is 5760*2880 but how can i colour it?

Right, the uranus rings are not visible from earth but if you are in orbit of uranus i think you can see it (maybe). It looks graet for me.

And here are screenshots from my Saturn ring system, i have it coloured to. And a view of Europa. Tha Map of Europa are 2048*1024.

http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/europa.htm
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/saturn%20ring.htm

[t00fri]

@ Axel

the resolution are not very big:
Callisto is a 2048*1024 and
Ganymede is also a 2028*1024 map.

But for me is`nt big enought, i`ve a monochrome Image from Io that is 5760*2880 but how can i colour it?

Right, the uranus rings are not visible from earth but if you are in orbit of uranus i think you can see it (maybe). It looks graet for me.

And here are screenshots from my Saturn ring system, i have it coloured to. And a view of Europa. Tha Map of Europa are 2048*1024.

http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/europa.htm
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/saturn%20ring.htm

I think, Europa that is largely covered with ice and hence would come out very nice, if besides bumps that you added, also some specular reflections are implemented. I'll try that tonight.

Bye Fridger

[Pixel]

for close view to Europa don't mis this picture.

http://www.solarviews.com/cap/jup/europa.htm

[t00fri]

for close view to Europa don't mis this picture.

http://www.solarviews.com/cap/jup/europa.htm

Great! One may also see very clearly the reflection shine from the ice that I shall put in tonight....


Bye Fridger

[Axel]

Hi,

for close view to Europa don't mis this picture.
http://www.solarviews.com/cap/jup/europa.htm

This linked NASA-Europa image unfortunately can also highlight the problem of getting some reliable info about the hue and saturation of solar system images in general.

Too different the optic properties of the cameras/CCD-sensors and especially attached filters and used image processing to get similar results about the same object.

Examples would be the rather ocker color of Europa in that small image on that page as opposed to the more ice-white appearance a lot of images relate to the flat uncracked surface areas.

The next example could be the asteroids booth in Celestia and OU. They generally appear as greyscaled objects. In several images of Eros, Ida and Dactyl some metallic shines and butter yellow parts (as the visible light astronomer's have put it) appeared.

But my most concern belongs to the appearance of Saturn's rings and the Earth's Moon.

If you view those Hubble or Voyager images of the rings, you'll note they are not grey, rather they just have a *little* purple-brown undertone. This is currently not present. The rings Pixel are clear to see, but they're just too intense in my eyes

Reg. Earths Moon: We have it in with a pure greyish appearance, but it's lightsource is not bright, clear white. Hence it's appearance in reality is some smoothed grey with a tiny bit of yellow. That is a color that you can observe with the naked eye.

Take care,
Axel

[Axel]

Hi Commander,

But for me is`nt big enought, i`ve a monochrome Image from Io that is 5760*2880 but how can i colour it?

Uhmm, this ought to be not so difficult. You got a large grey-scale and a smaller colored one? NASA has the same prob all along

Blow the smaller one up (keep it's x/y-length ratio). You can do this with almost every grx tool. A good one on this is Irfan-View if you use it's 'resampling' with 'aspect ratio'.

Once you have the same dimensions, load them into your fav image app. Load the greyscale into one layer of the new image, load the colored one into another layer.

Now I become more specific and refer to PaintShopPro. Here you can display some layer manager. Just look to the right of the according layer and shift the mixing or overlay mode. There's one called hue/saturation or so.

If you use this you ought to mix them together. You'll have to play a bit with the settings, but it'll work. And everything can be done with Photoshop, the GIMP and so on.

Take care and good luck,
Axel

Right, the uranus rings are not visible from earth but if you are in orbit of uranus i think you can see it (maybe). It looks graet for me.

And here are screenshots from my Saturn ring system, i have it coloured to. And a view of Europa. Tha Map of Europa are 2048*1024.

http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/europa.htm
http://home.stadt-geyer.de/g-p/terracon/saturn%20ring.htm
[/quote]

[t00fri]

But for me is`nt big enought, i`ve a monochrome Image from Io that is 5760*2880 but how can i colour it?

In GIMP there is a very sophisticated option for coloring grayscale images. One may even map the gray shades to the colors of another image etc.

Worth trying it...

Bye Fridger

PS: Note the URL of your saturn-ring image above points to Nirwana;-)

[Pixel]

The rings Pixel are clear to see, but they're just too intense in my eyes

Rings are not mine - they are David's.

About true Europa colors look at this:
http://www.solarviews.com/cap/jup/eurgal5.htm

[chris]

These are some great looking maps . . .

So who wants to volunteer to compile them into an 'ultimate solar system' package, with bump maps and hi res DXT textures? Maybe one version without DXT textures, and one version with . . . I'll put it up on shatters.net and see if I have enough bandwidth to handle the downloads.

--Chris

[Pixel]

But for me is`nt big enought, i`ve a monochrome Image from Io that is 5760*2880 but how can i colour it?

How to color high-res grayscale images.
The best way still known to me, is to do following:

1) take an existing good collored low-res image.
2) scale it up to the resolution of your grayscale image.
3) then replace the luminosity channel with your grayscale image
4) that is all.

good look.

[Axel]

Hi Chris,

I already aplied for that job somewhat, I guess. But I'll start with Fridger's textures, then I'll integrate anything not(not as good included yet.

I'll point for a Geforce1/2MX as main target, any other opinions?

Would also be good to get some info on what can be done in Celestia with that card (size, file-type etc limits).

Thanks,
Axel

Btw.: If you don't reply to the logo by then, I'll include it in the texture pack LOL

[t00fri]

Hi Chris,

I already aplied for that job somewhat, I guess. But I'll start with Fridger's textures, then I'll integrate anything not(not as good included yet.

I'll point for a Geforce1/2MX as main target, any other opinions?

Would also be good to get some info on what can be done in Celestia with that card (size, file-type etc limits).

Thanks,
Axel

Btw.: If you don't reply to the logo by then, I'll include it in the texture pack LOL

There is an important caveat that should be monitored by someone with practical experience in this particular stuff: a number of my textures are /matched/ and thus should not be used or packaged separately!

E.g.
earth texture & earth clouds & night-earth!

jupiter texture & rotating jupiter cloud belt

also, the specular illumination is most important, as defined in solarsys.ssc. This affects my earth, europa, pluto textures.

Similar remarks apply to Pixel's textures, I am sure.

Bye Fridger

[Pixel]

My opinion for that matter:
Personally i think that "official ultra-pack" is just too early. I suggest to call it "high-res pack" that contains texures not bigger than 2048x1024 (2k) in both 'dds' and 'png' versions. Exception could be done only for Earth(4k max): 8k + alpha is still 43Mb dxt compressed file!!!
My point is that Celestia is still not capable to map clouds and bump-maps bigger that 2k. So, our static bumps and 2k tweaked clouds could in future make damage to Celestia. And also specular and bump-maps still can not be run simultaneously.
Also i think that the additional alpha channel to base texture is used rather inefficient in Celestia. An usual specular map is just B&W data that doesn't need even to be in the same resolution as base texture...but now it increases size of dxt3 file by factor of two. So i vote for separate specular mask file (or at least adopting dxt1a - 1bit alpha) and/or method for specular lighting that even don't require any hardware extensions or shaders. I can wait for these extras for years when everybody will have 128Mb+GPU graphic cards as minimum.

[t00fri]

My opinion for that matter:
Personally i think that "official ultra-pack" is just too early. I suggest to call it "high-res pack" that contains texures not bigger than 2048x1024 (2k) in both 'dds' and 'png' versions. Exception could be done only for Earth(4k max): 8k + alpha is still 43Mb ;) dxt compressed file!!!
My point is that Celestia is still not capable to map clouds and bump-maps bigger that 2k. So, our static bumps and 2k clouds could in future make damage to Celestia. And also specular and bump maps still can not be run simultaneously.
Also i think that the additional alpha channel to base texture is used rather inefficient in Celestia. An usual specular map is just B&W data and is not neccessary even to has the same resolution as base texture...but now it increases size of dxt3 file by factor of two. So i vote for separate specular mask file (or at least adopting dxt1a - 1bit alpha) and/or method for specular lighting that even don't require any hardware extensions or shaders. I can wait for these extras for years when everybody will have 128Mb+GPU graphic cards as minimum.

As some of you might guess, I largely agree with Pixel. However, I have nothing against such attempts.

I simply prefer at this time a "living" archive, where people active in "texture fabrication" typically deposit regular updates etc for general download, along with some caveats, hints of installation and format conversion.

These matters are so much moving recently. I communicate with a substantial number of people who (like me too) are continuously finding out new improvements, cool effects, etc. Simply not the time for THE official "ULTRA pack";-) yet.

Bye Fridger