New model for Celestia in construction (DOWNLOAD link)

[Malenfant]

It??s NOT incredible.Your model is very,very heavy,since you have a MONSTER computer with 4 GB of RAM,7900 GTX in SLI and Athlon FX-57.
I won??t even try with my modest configuration.
If this continues,soon Celestia only will be COOL to people with TONS OF MONEY.
Many developers are more concerned in developing models that only works well in SLI than building a 32k map of Moon or Mars,for example.And we have plenty of data for both...

You really need to shake this inferiority complex you have about your computer, daniel.

Sure, some models are going to be too huge for you to run. In that case, either don't run them, or upgrade your computer, or maybe if you asked nicely you might be able to persuade the person who made that model to create a lower res version of it for more 'normal' computers like yours.

But as Selden pointed out, most people don't have these uber computers anyway, and you don't hear them complaining all the time about how they're being left behind - because they're not. There's still a lot you can do even with an older computer.

[ANDREA]

Cham, I would like to reach the SS Kepler, approaching from far away, directly on the inhabited forward part of the ship, in order to allow me some movements using cel script, including a close view of Phobos with Mars in the foreground.
Is there any possibility to have the goto not centering the SS Kepler at half of its length?
I understand my English is terrible, so here are two images that will clarify my doubt:

Actually



later, perhaps?



Obviously, I would like it only if this is possible and if will not need a long work, Cham.
Thank you anyway.
Bye

Andrea

[buggs_moran]

Hey, cool ship. I took it for a test drive around V426 Oph (one of these days I'll post) this morning. Great framerates. Took a couple snapshots on my spacewalk. The second shows dual illumination from the white dwarf and secondary star. The third is being lit from "below" by the secondary star.

[Malenfant]

That's the SS Cygnus, surely? Looks pretty spectacular there anyway!


(for those who don't get it, go watch "The Black Hole")

[Cham]

I'm testing three new models, variations of the Kepler, with less sections (so less polygons). Some of these may be used by ppl with less powerfull computers. This is easy to do, since I just have to erase some sections, and move the rest in the modeler.

Here's the SS Copernicus (compare with the Kepler. Two sections less) :


Here's the SS Carl Sagan :


And here's a taxi. Fast long range courier (bringing beer to colonies). This model should work on most computers :


Which one do you want to buy ? The Taxi is a bargain. Beer not included.

I'll give a link soon.

EDIT : Andrea, to move the model's center, I think you should try the MeshCenter command.

[t00fri]

Many developers have modest systems.

Except chris and t00fri

Well,

while my FX5900Ultra/256MB card was worth 500 Euro some years ago, it is rather antique already...Yes I do work with 3GB of RAM in a 3.2 GHz CPU, but apart from the RAM it's all at best middle class. Lots of RAM is always a good investment, though...and it's not very expensive.

Probably, I'll buy a FX 8800 + a 21" flatscreen during the next weeks....if I find some time for this. For me spare time is the real factor these days

Bye Fridger

[Cham]

Here's a link to each of the three last models :

SS Copernicus : (a bit smaller than SS Kepler)
http://nho.ohn.free.fr/celestia/Cham/Copernicus.zip (13.2 MB zip file)


SS Carl Sagan :
http://nho.ohn.free.fr/celestia/Cham/SS_Sagan.zip (10.6 MB zip file)


Courier :
http://nho.ohn.free.fr/celestia/Cham/Taxi.zip (9 MB zip file)

[bh]

Superb...I hope the taxi is ferrying 'Fullers ESB'!

[ANDREA]

Which one do you want to buy ? The Taxi is a bargain. Beer not included.

Cham, I love the taxy, it has much more human dimension than that huge, voluminous Kepler, that anyhow is the best one.
But regarding the taxy, may I make a little proposal?
You have already done that wonderful Mars Relay Station, where we have 4 spherical/cilindrical tanks, that are very close in shape to the ones of the Kepler.
My proposal is: would you like to put a section of similarr tanks (not like the Kepler ones, but like the Mars Relay Station's) in Copernicus, or Carl Sagan or, even better, in the taxy aft section?
In this way we could show Relay and SS close each other with Mars in the foreground, a very nice addition to any show regarding Men in Space

EDIT : Andrea, to move the model's center, I think you should try the MeshCenter command.

Well, I absolutely missed the 2004 post regarding this ssc command.
I found it now, and I'll use it.
BTW, I was thinking about putting an invisible barycenter internally to the inhabited section, but haven't found yet if this is possible, and if it ?¬s, how can I do.
I'll go on searching, anyhow.
Thanks a lot, Cham, very appreciated both your solution and the models.
Bye

Andrea

[Cham]

Andrea,

the Mars relay station is already an old model, made without the Kepler in mind. Compared to the Kepler, or even the Taxi, the relay station is a tiny piece of junk. There's no way the taxi could dock the relay station (it could crush it !). Lets say the relay was just a first small relay station placed there, before the advent of the huge Kepler familly.

There's something wrong or stupid about my models : once in the vicinity of Mars, how do they dock to something ? How do they land on Mars ? They can't land, obviously. They weren't made for landing. So something must dock to the spaceship, so people could transfer to Mars or to a space station (not built yet). There are four doors on the Kepler (and all others too). One big door on the front, clearly visible, and three smaller doors around the head (spherical shapes). I guess some smaller spaceships (shuttles) could dock on those doors. The spherical head could also detach itself from the main structure, and maybe it can land, but I doubt it would make any sense.

[ANDREA]

Andrea, the Mars relay station is already an old model, made without the Kepler in mind. Compared to the Kepler, or even the Taxi, the relay station is a tiny piece of junk. There's no way the taxi could dock the relay station (it could crush it !). Lets say the relay was just a first small relay station placed there, before the advent of the huge Kepler familly.

I understand your reasons, and obviously agree.

There's something wrong or stupid about my models : once in the vicinity of Mars, how do they dock to something ? How do they land on Mars ? They can't land, obviously. They weren't made for landing. So something must dock to the spaceship, so people could transfer to Mars or to a space station (not built yet). There are four doors on the Kepler (and all others too). One big door on the front, clearly visible, and three smaller doors around the head (spherical shapes). I guess some smaller spaceships (shuttles) could dock on those doors. The spherical head could also detach itself from the main structure, and maybe it can land, but I doubt it would make any sense.

But why don't allow one (or more) sections of the ship to be left in orbit, like the Relay station, holding the Mars-Earth communications link, a stock of raw materials, oxygen, food, instruments and what else will be needed from Martian explorers, providing a couple tiny shuttles (winged, why not?) to go back and forth the Martian surface?
The manned section and the remaining sections, and obviously the engines, will be used to go back home.
BTW, I see no need to put the shuttles inside the manned portion of the SS, there is a lot of space in the structure, to fix the shuttles during the interplanetary flight, isn't it?
This could mean for you to save a lot of time in building up the space Station and so on.
What do you think about this proposal?
Bye

Andrea

[Cham]

Yes, I may built some small shuttles to go down on Mars. The shuttles should be holded on the structure. There's a lot of place on them, behind the parabolic antennas.

[Cham]

Here's a web page of a nice Martian model. This is the kind of stuff I wanted to produce, for Celestia :

http://www.bambam131.com/explorer1refit.htm

[ANDREA]

Here's a web page of a nice Martian model. This is the kind of stuff I wanted to produce, for Celestia

Nice, but I think that this needs a bit more than 1 million triangles, too many even for Chris's GeForce 8800GTX card, IMHO!
Bye

Andrea

[Cham]

I don't think this model has that much triangles. Actually, I think it has much less triangles than the Kepler. This model is using some textures, and apparently, there isn't much 3D details on it (just click on the pictures, you'll see large close-ups of the model). So I'm pretty sure it can be done without troubles.

EDIT : Hmm, I'm not sure anymore. Maybe this model has really that much polygons after all...

[CurlSnout]

This series of models that you have kindly provided makes a great collection. Many thanks.

The idea of shuttles with which to travel to-and-from Mars makes good sense, and would be a welcome addition.

Are you still planning on making the variation suggested on page 6 of this thread (the spherical "runabout" inspired by 2001)? I think it would round out the series nicely.

[Chuft-Captain]

Cham,

Earlier in the thread you mentioned that you tried to get a section (I'm assuming the crew quarters up front) to rotate, but without success.

I'm sure that I can easily get this to rotate for you if you can provide me the model in 3DS form. (I'm only using Anim8tor).

As I will only be able to work with 65K polygon chunks, you will need to provide it in individual sections, however as it appears you've taken a modular approach to your design, then I guess this shouldn't be a problem.

Please PM me to discuss, if you would like me to give this a try.

Regards
CC

[Cham]

Chuft-C,

I know how to make the rotating part. It's just the ship's design which is inapropriate. I'll have to design another model, that's all. That's why I said it was a failure, with this particular model.

CurlSnout,

about the spherical 2001 like model, I just lost some interest about it. I don't know if I'll finish this design. For the moment, I'm more interested in a model of the style shown on this page :

http://www.bambam131.com/explorer1refit.htm

[Chuft-Captain]

... I'll have to design another model, that's all.

A completely new model should not be nescessary... A version of this model with the removal of the six members/spars connecting the accommodation section to the framework would leave it free to rotate.

BTW: A version without any of the hexagonal framework would be quite good IMO. ie. Just the central core wth tanks and the crew quarters and engines. Of course, this would require a different approach for attaching antennae etc, but would allow easier access for attaching/detaching payloads, so could make sense I guess (especially in the case of TAXI which being smaller and shorter may not require so much structural support)

JM2CW

EDIT: Click on the thumb to take a journey in Cham's TAXI:

[danielj]

Related to this:
Is this worth upgrading my CPU from an Athlon 64 3000 to an Athlon 64 3500,even if I can??t change my memory to 2 GB,yet?
I??m planning in buying an Athlon 3500(or maybe an Athlon 3700/3800) and on April,upgrade my DDR400 memory to 2 GB.
What do you think?
Anyway,I can??t change my computer before 2008...