Live cloud maps

[jdou]

Hi all,

I found this topic (a little by chance ) and I tried also to load the "live" clouds map.

That works on my PC XP !!!

So, It has been hard to success (because I'm not a PC specialist) but after a lot of trial and error I can propose this solution :

1. From the "ImageMagick" site (see the Christophe posts) I downloaded :
   <ImageMagick-6.2.5-1-Q16-windows-dll.exe> and installed it on my PC
   (Leave the two choices all checked during installation. Particularly "Update path.....")
2. I also downloaded and installed <Wget 1.10.1> (see also the Christophe posts)
3. I created (with notepad) in the main folder "c:\" a file named "Celestia.bat" with :
   

   Code: Select all

   cd c:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
c:\wget -O clouds_2048.jpg http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg
convert clouds_2048.jpg -negate -channel R -separate -channel A -combine clouds_2048.png
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia
start Celestia.exe

   
   There are some differences between the code given by Cristophe and mine. For example "my" wget don't accept the quote ' for the URL ?
   It don't accept also the path to store the .jpg file loaded and ImageMagick too ?
   So, after some "bricolage "...I succeed
4. I made a link on the desk with the Celestia icone to my "Celestia.bat" to start Celestia
5. In the solarsys.scc file I changed directly "CloudMap "earth-clouds.*" by "clouds_2048.*" but if you prefer you can use the code given by Christophe on his post
   

   Code: Select all

   Modify "Earth" "Sol"
{
   Atmosphere {
      CloudSpeed 0
      CloudMap "clouds_2048.*"
   }
}

Of course you may have to adapt :

• the URL to retrieve the clouds map at the right site for you
• Perhaps the path where your Celestia folder is (ie d:\.....)
• ?
  

I don't known how these clouds maps are accurate but they look well

jdou

[Fightspit]

It work perfectly on my PC !!!!!!!!!!!

Merci ?  toi jdou !!!!

Some links:
*ImageMagick for windows:

http://www.imagemagick.org/download/bin ... ws-dll.exe

*Wget (last version):

http://www.interlog.com/~tcharron/wgetw ... binary.zip

Enjoy !

[jdou]

Great !

Since, to avoid to download the clouds map each time I run Celestia, I made an other "short cut link" on my desk to have choice between :
"Download Clouds+ run Celestia" or "Run Celestia alone"


Jdou

[Fightspit]

Ohoh....

An other problem today....

[jdou]

Yes, Wilma is very big

[PlutonianEmpire]

Wow, it all seems so.... complex....

[jdou]

No, I's not very complex if you know how to download and install programs on your PC and how to create with "notepad" .txt files.

• Download et install <ImageMagick>
  http://www.imagemagick.org/download/binaries/ImageMagick-6.2.5-2-Q16-windows-dll.exe
  (Leave the two choices all checked during installation. Particularly "Update path.....")
  
• Download and install <Wget>
  http://www.interlog.com/~tcharron/wgetwin-1_5_3_1-binary.zip
  
• With "notepad" create in the main folder "c:\" a file named "Celestia.txt"
  Copy and paste the following code in this .txt file and rename it to "Celestia.bat"
  

  Code: Select all

   
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
c:\wget -O clouds_2048.jpg http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg
convert clouds_2048.jpg -negate -channel R -separate -channel A -combine clouds_2048.png
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia
start Celestia.exe
• With "notepad" again create in the folder "extras" of Celestia a file named "live_clouds.txt"
  Copy and paste the following code in this .txt file and rename it to "live_clouds.ssc"
  

  Code: Select all

  Modify "Earth" "Sol"
{
   Atmosphere {
      CloudSpeed 0
      CloudMap "clouds_2048.*"
   }
}


Now, you have just to create a "short cut link" on your desk to launch "Celestia.bat" (from Explorer click right on the file Celestia.bat and choose <create a short cut>

the site <http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg> works well for french peoples.
Take a look at this URL to choose the right site for you and modify (always with notepad) the "Celestia.bat" file with the URL choosen.
http://xplanet.sourceforge.net/clouds.php

Enjoy

Jdou

[Buzz]

Thanks a lot Jdou, easy enough indeed (after changing some paths to files here and there for my setup), and the result is more than worth it!

[jdou]

Many thanks also to Cristophe who has initiate this method.
Especially for the "convert" parameters of ImageMagick.

Jdou

[Jeam Tag]

Many thanks also to Cristophe who has initiate this method. Especially for the "convert" parameters of ImageMagick.
Jdou

YES! Merci beaucoup: even on my poor machine it works well. So, I try to add this 'Tutorial' in my catalog ("Programmes" pages : http://jeam.tag.free.fr/CELESTIAhtml/CelestiaAddons-Programmes3.htm )... SVP, est-ce que ma pr?©sentation en Fran?§ais n'oublie rien? Et surtout, n'y a-t-il pas d'erreurs? Merci, Jeam

[Fightspit]

Ton tutorial semble correct mais ?  part ?§a il faudra ?©crire un peu plus gros, non ?

[BrainDead]

I love this concept, but I'm having a bit of trouble with the syntax here.

I keep getting the "File cannot be found at location" error when I try to
re-size the output I do receive from WGET.

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong here? All I'm trying to do is add
the re-sizing feature so that I can convert the clouds_2048.png to a 1024x512
format for my poor, Brain-Dead machine.

Code: Select all

cd c:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
      c:\wget -O clouds_2048.jpg http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg
      convert C:\clouds_2048.jpg -negate -channel R -separate -channel A -combine C:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres\clouds_2048.png -geometry <1024>x<512> {<} C:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres\clouds_2048.png}
      cd c:\Program Files\Celestia
      start Celestia.exe

If I remove this portion of the code:

Code: Select all

-geometry <1024>x<512> {<} C:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres\clouds_2048.png

this process runs fine and I can get the 2048 png. Problem is that my
poor machine can only use 1024 x 512 textures.

Any help for the Brain-Dead?

Thanks.

[selden]

ImageMagick commands usually are of the form

program -qualifier inputfile outputfile

Code: Select all

convert -geometry 1024x512! clouds_2048.png clouds_1k.jpg


[BrainDead]

As always Selden, thanks for your help. I removed the "{<}" like you
suggested the first time around, and still got the same error. I'm going to
try to add another "convert" line to see if that's what it takes here.

I do agree, however, with another post in this thread. This is a complex
procedure, and the ImageMagick tutorials and help documents are what
led me to the format I used originally.

At any rate, I'll keep playing with it until I get it to work.

Thanks again.

[jdou]

Yes, Selden is right, that works.
So, Bob, cut your convert command in 2 lines

Code: Select all

cd c:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
c:\wget -O clouds_2048.jpg http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg
convert clouds_2048.jpg -negate -channel R -separate -channel A -combine clouds_2048.png
convert -geometry 1024x512! clouds_2048.png clouds_1k.png
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia
start Celestia.exe

And of course change CloudMap "clouds_2048.*" by CloudMap "clouds_1k.*" in the .ssc file

Jeam, you can add this tip for those as Bob with config limited.

[BrainDead]

Okay,

Thanks VERY much Selden, Jdou...

The following code works perfectly on my machine now. Posted here just
in case someone else wants to use the thing.

Code: Select all

cd c:\Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
c:\wget -O clouds_2048.jpg http://www.ruwenzori.net/earth/clouds_2048.jpg
convert clouds_2048.jpg -negate -channel R -separate -channel A -combine clouds_2048.png
convert -geometry 1024x512! clouds_2048.png clouds_1k.png
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia
start Celestia.exe

Remember to change the "live_clouds.ssc" file to use the "clouds_1k.*"
texture, as Jdou said. Also make absolutely certain that ALL
of the named textures already exist in your Program Files\Celestia\textures\medres
directory too.

Now works perfectly here. Sorry for the confusion, but I'm afraid that
the ImageMagick instructions I found at various places on the net
(including the ImageMagick web site) just added to my confusion.

One more note: This "Celestia.bat" file is contained in my root C:\
drive. Just thought I'd mention it for others as Brain-Dead as myself.

Thanks again.

[Jeam Tag]

Jeam, you can add this tip for those as Bob with config limited.

Done! But it would be nice to add a similar code four Linux... Can you provide it? I will upload the entire corrections. (And Tell me if I'm right with the Linux explanations: I don't understand this stuff Jeam

[jdou]

No linux at home so..

[Vincent]

Hi,

The script Christophe wrote, associated with Jdou's bricolage gives a very interesting result, thanks !

But I'm not convinced by the png cloudmap, more particularly because too much grey area is left, giving the cloudmap an unrealistic rendering in Celestia.

I found another link that provides an alphaed png file that is, IMHO, more realistic.
That would be nice if some of you could test this cloudmap.

- Here's the link : http://www.edendevelopment.co.uk/google ... lphaed.png

- Here's the new celestia.bat file :

Code: Select all

cd c:\Program Files\Celestia FT1.1\textures\medres
c:\wget\wget -O clouds_2048_alphaed.png http://www.edendevelopment.co.uk/googleearth/clouds_2048_alphaed.png
cd c:\Program Files\Celestia FT1.1
start Celestia.exe

- Here's the new live_cloudmap.ssc file to put in the extras directory :

Code: Select all

 Modify "Earth" "Sol"
{    
   Atmosphere
   {
      CloudSpeed 0
      CloudMap "clouds_2048_alphaed.png"
   }
}

You can notice that the celestia.bat file doesn't need Imagemagick anymore. That's why I find it simplier and faster !

[selden]

Vincent,

Unfortunately, the cloud image for which you provided a URL is extremely sparse. In other words, the transparency layer is eliminating too many of them. The picture below shows what seems to be the densest region, but the clouds in it are still rather sparse.

Cloud images for Celestia usually consist of a color layer that's entirely white, with the grey-scale cloud pattern used as the alpha channel.