Celestia Start-Up Location

[cartrite]

I thought it was the window background too. I just wasn't sure. I also get a white screen when I start up Firefox. Before I changed the code in celx.cpp, the word Celestia was slightly visible while the screen was white. Now there isn't any words. Just white.
cartrite

[chris]

Chris,

Sorry: I forgot to do that.

After changing the script awaken time to 0 and recompiling, I see no flash!

p.s. Still, I'm sure there are system performance issues which would still let the flash be seen. There is a barely noticable pause on my system between the time the outline of Celestia's graphics window appears and the time the first graphics appears within it. Some systems may display a flash during the interval when I don't see any graphics.

I don't think that system performance should have any effect: now that the script awaken time is set to zero, the script should always execute before the first frame is rendered. Zero seconds doesn't leave any slack The transparent window frame is unrelated, though I'll see if there's something that I can do to make the interior fill with black before the first frame is rendered.

--Chris

[chris]

I suppose my problem is due to the loading time of textures... I get sometime part of the script but not the nice spiral seen when loaded from script menu... memory problem for sure.

The texture load time is probably the issue. You can try this variation and see if it improves things for you:

http://www.celestiaproject.net/~claurel/celest ... start.celx

--Chris

[ElChristou]

The texture load time is probably the issue. You can try this variation and see if it improves things for you:

Tx Chris, of course, with the preload things are just fine.

Concerning the start script, I was wondering if it would be possible to have it only the first time Celestia is launch on a computer; it could be a normal script played only once, then the "real" start script could be for example to place the observer at a static point looking at the sun...

[BobHegwood]

Bob,

Which version of Nvidia graphics drivers is installed?]
The current version for Vista is 163.69, released about 6 weeks ago.

NVIDIA 3D, ,Games, Display and Video settings are version 7.15.11.6230
Control Panel is 1.4.310.02

Just updated four days ago...

Thanks, Bob

[Adirondack]

NVIDIA 3D, ,Games, Display and Video settings are version 7.15.11.6230 Control Panel is 1.4.310.02

Bob,
that are no version no. of the forceware driver.

Just do a right click on the desktop
-> select 'NVIDIA Systemcontrol' (or similar)
-> Help -> Systeminformation (or similar)

See 'details': ForceWare-Version


Adirondack

[BobHegwood]

Ulrich,

Sorry about that... Forceware is 162.30

Don't know how to update it though. I thought that downloading automatically
from NVIDIA would do that. No?

Thanks, Bob

[Cham]

The texture load time is probably the issue. You can try this variation and see if it improves things for you:

http://www.celestiaproject.net/~claurel/celest ... start.celx

To me, the issue isn't really the texture loading. I still see the Sun as a large and agressive white patch on the screen, immediately after Celestia as started. The camera shouldn't start at coordinates (0, 0, 0).

[selden]

Bob,

Select the driver update on Nvidia's Web site at
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Here are the XP procedures. I assume Vista isn't too different.

Deinstall the old drivers -- that should force a reboot.
if not, reboot manually to make sure the old low-level drivers are deinstalled.
Login to an account with administrative rights which is not your usual account -- the installation script will change the screen resolution which will reorganize your carefully arranged desktop.

Run Nvidia's installation program (reject Windows' offer to install the drivers).
Again, the installation program should force a reboot.
login to the admin account and set the correct screen resolution, etc.
logout
login to your personal account.

I hope this helps a little.

[ElChristou]

The texture load time is probably the issue. You can try this variation and see if it improves things for you:

http://www.celestiaproject.net/~claurel/celest ... start.celx

To me, the issue isn't really the texture loading. I still see the Sun as a large and agressive white patch on the screen, immediately after Celestia as started. The camera shouldn't start at coordinates (0, 0, 0).

Cham, even after compiling with Chris's change?

[Cham]

Cham, even after compiling with Chris's change?

Yes, I still see a brief "solar" flash, immediately before the screen is fading to black (before I spiral to the Earth). That screen fading feels unatural, because of this (since I have time to recognize a part of the sun, before the fading process). The startup sequence still needs some work.

Chris,

isn't that possible to place the camera far away from the sun, at t = 0, directly at the start sequence, without using the initial location (0, 0, 0) ?

[chris]

Cham, even after compiling with Chris's change?

Yes, I still see a brief "solar" flash, immediately before the screen is fading to black (before I spiral to the Earth). That screen fading feels unatural, because of this (since I have time to recognize a part of the sun, before the fading process). The startup sequence still needs some work.

Chris,

isn't that possible to place the camera far away from the sun, at t = 0, directly at the start sequence, without using the initial location (0, 0, 0) ?

Yes, it's possible to have the start position at some arbitrary point that's more distant from the Sun, but isn't that just masking a real problem? The startup script should be able to set the position without having a flash of some other viewpoint visible. The problem is more obvious when the Sun happens to be in the field of vision, but it's still present when the starting location is somewhere else. I believe that I have the bug fixed on Windows; we should do the same for other platforms.

--Chris

[chris]

Yes, it's possible to have the start position at some arbitrary point that's more distant from the Sun, but isn't that just masking a real problem? The startup script should be able to set the position without having a flash of some other viewpoint visible. The problem is more obvious when the Sun happens to be in the field of vision, but it's still present when the starting location is somewhere else. I believe that I have the bug fixed on Windows; we should do the same for other platforms.

And here's my attempt at a patch for the Mac version:

http://www.celestiaproject.net/~claurel/celest ... riptstart/

Since you've already applied the celx.cpp patch, all you need to do is replace you CelestiaController.m file with my (very slightly) patched version.

Let me know if it fixes the problem.

--Chris

[Cham]

Chris,

this latest file (from your last message above) apparently solves the Sun issue (no more flashy yellowish screen at startup). However, that fade effect is annoying. It feels more like a "blink" than a "fade". I think it's now useless (on my Mac, at least).

Also, why is there a "long" sequence just after the splash screen, and before we enter in Celestia's space ? Textures loading ? The splash screen should stay there then.

[Fenerit]

My one cent. I recognize all thats start's problems. The white screen seem unrelated with the Sun because it shows itself before the orange of TH Sun add-on. Usually I obtain the white screen when start Celestia for the second time after having closed the first instance quickly, once the program is wait for input, that is, when ready . Plus, in this case, I obtain two Celestia iconized windows on the taskbar (win), where the second desappear after the white screen is ended, whether in preloadtex mode or not.

[BobHegwood]

Just a little bit more information from the Brain-Dead...

It seems that Nvidia - under Windows Vista - learns what you do. After
playing with the render modes, the start cel, and trying all of Selden's
fixes, I no longer see a white screen at all now. The very first image I see
is the Celestia logo displayed against the background of the Sun. It looks
like I'm located about 100 miles above the solar surface, then my start
cel backs out to the proper location for viewing the Sun, and then on to the
Earth. Would still prefer the opening sequence as it was in 1.4.1 though.
Was much nicer from the starting position, AND you could modify the start
cel to take you wherever you wished to go - without any distractions.

Have NO idea why I no longer see the white screen. <shrug> Remember,
I'm using the 1.5 pre3 version that is commonly available. I do NOT
have access to any revised 1.5 versions, and that's okay with me...
Just FYI.

Thanks, Bob

[Cham]

Chris,

after using your new start CELX script for several days, I now think it's way too slow. The spiral motion to Earth should be much faster. I still prefer the original script in 1.4.1. Feels more professional.

[BobHegwood]

And my start CEL still starts at the Sun's face and then backs away to the
specified distance from the Sun... Just FYI...

Cheers, Brain-Dead

[Christophe]

I've just commited a fix for KDE. Adding a tick just after start does the trick

[BobHegwood]

I've just commited a fix for KDE. Adding a tick just after start does the trick

Boy... How's THAT for service? Thanks, Christophe. Damn, you know that
there are entirely too many Chris's around here. I'm gonna hafta start
numbering you guys.

As far as I know though, there's only ONE of me.

Seriously though, thanks for the effort sir. Much appreciated out here in
Vista land. I'm starting to get the hang of it.