Work progress 0.990

02 Feb 2017 18:17

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for that new recording tool. Its all I ever wanted for the Space Engine trailer I've been doing. Guess I'll have to wait for this version to finish it up

YouTube · 03 Feb 2017 01:39

This is sooo interesting, I guess it was a prerequisite for making tutorials, but still a very very useful tool for recording.

I can't wait to try educational routes, because I'm pretty sure someone will make some very good ones (they can be put on the next official version eventually). Those routes looks a bit odd on Celestia because the graphics is not as good as SE, imagine how cool would be leaving the mouse and letting the game take you to most amazing (raymarched) nebulae, or to most amazing alien planets, or to best views of our Solar System. It there was the functionality to add audio clips to tutorials... well, it speaks for itself.

For what concerns rings, they look awesome from high distances (first and second photo), but they look kind of weird from low distances (third photo), maybe it's just me but it looks like a stretched texture

Quarior · 03 Feb 2017 04:12

It's long time since last update, because simply nothing to show. I am working mainly on internal engine systems, including the scripting system and various UI improvements.

ABBC3_SPOILER_SHOW2changelog
- Clouds on gas giants and emission textures on stars cannot be switched of
- Going to the saved location adds it to the journey log
- Updated loading splash window and loading screen
- Quotes on loading splash window
- Click on a planet/star disk selects it
- Improved performance of the envmap rendering
- Mouse cursor is captured in screenshots/video in "record with GUI" mode
- Mouse cursor hides itself after 2 seconds of inactive
- Mouse cursor in VR with VR controllers is only visible over GUI
- Introduced mass of a ship modules and thrust of an engine modules, recalculated total mass and thrust of all default ships
- Updated ship editor
- Updated video capture dialog
- Spline paths for scripted flybys, editor, integration to scripts and video capture system
- Updated close-up noise effect of rings
- Introduced new parameters for the planets scripts: SemiMajorAxisKm, PericenterDistKm, PeriodDays, MassKg
- Character '|' in a planets catalog scripts to replace '/' character in a comet, asteroid and moon names (such as "S/2006 S 1")
- Added moon of Uranus Perdita
- Complete list of moons of Saturn
The most interesting feature is a spline path recording tool (it is called 'editor', but editing options are not implemented yet). Spline is mathematical thing that allows you to calculate a smooth curve based on a few 'knot points'. In SE it is used to record camera path and then replay it. The spline path editor saves the recorded points to a script file, which could be loaded back, or called from a .se scenario script. It is also linked to a video capture system - by pressing a single button you can simultaneously start replaying of a camera path and capturing a video in frame time mode. In future this system also could be used to show a scripted paths of a spacecraft such as Cassini or New Horizons.

[youtube]_GM19aLoUnQ[/youtube]

Today updates are mostly related to Saturn (started from "Updated close-up noise effect of rings"):

New close-up noise effect, tried to make is similar to recent Cassini images:
scr00233.jpg
scr00234.jpg
scr00228.jpg

Now Saturn has all its 62 moons:
scr00230.jpg

And a cool egg-shaped moon Methone (note that rings are invisible from its orbit):
scr00232.jpg

Thanks for the update (even if it is not released yet) and the new parameters (SemiMajorAxisKm, MassKg) will make it possible to be more precise I think.
But for camera path, when we play the "camera path", we "teleport" in the time it was recorded or it keeps the current time (in-game, no real time) or it is parametable ? Same question for speed of time. I have another question about it but I think there will be tutorials on this subject like :

Can the read speed be changed ?
Can we set the speed of the camera ? This question is associated with the 1 since for example if you want to make a clip at the speed of light, if you have to film for about 4 years in a row from Sun to Proxima, I think you understand the problem and then in the you can change the playback speed.
Can we see the effects of speed ? That is, blueshift, redshift depending on where you go (blue as it gets closer to us and red when it gets away). And if he will have this option also by traveling with or without vessel to see the effects ?

grampipon · 03 Feb 2017 04:51

Hey, I can see that in the camera path videos the mountains look better than they currently do. Did you change the generation process?

03 Feb 2017 15:07

But for camera path, when we play the "camera path", we "teleport" in the time it was recorded or it keeps the current time (in-game, no real time) or it is parametable ?

Recorded path is bound to planet's surface, if the option SyncRot is checked. So it will rotate together with the planet. You may make a timelapse video of sunset while camera slowly moving. I forgot to show that in the video.
If the option SyncRot is unchecked, then recorded path is bound to planet's center, i.e. following it. Useful to record space flights.

Can the read speed be changed ?

Do you mean speed of replay? Yes, there is a Duration option which overwrites the default recording duration.

Can we see the effects of speed ? That is, blueshift, redshift depending on where you go

This is not implemented in SE yet, right?

Hey, I can see that in the camera path videos the mountains look better than they currently do. Did you change the generation process?

I set up LOD to 1 before starting video capture.

I have a feeling that the game at its current state doesn't take it into account. I could be wrong though.

Realism is goal of this project. But I am not a wizard, sadly

I still haven't time to implement many modern realistic rendering techniques such as PBR and volumetric clouds.

DoctorOfSpace · 03 Feb 2017 19:22

But I am not a wizard

That could be debated

ettore_bilbo · 04 Feb 2017 04:36

Great Job!!!

In future this system also could be used to show a scripted paths of a spacecraft such as Cassini or New Horizons.

only to show or maybe also for creating a new one?

Teterrimo · 04 Feb 2017 05:38

Thank you very much of your work! Always fantastic!

Only a thing: the orbits of the planets of our system, will be corrected in the next version? Will be fantastic to have a precise orbits of the planets, for observe the eclipses for example, but also for the realism.

06 Feb 2017 08:07

Implemented "rings winter" effect on Saturn (don't know if this effect has some name, "rings winter" is my invention). It is a well known effect of winter hemisphere became blue as if receives a rings shadow. This is because there become too cold for a methane haze which makes Saturn look yellowish. The atmosphere became clear and cloudless and we see just a clear blue air, like on Uranus and Neptune.

Before:

After:

The system is completely integrated into engine. New variables were introduced for surface and cloud layers and for rings to control the effect, which are:
- integrated into planet scripts to use with catalog planets;
- procedurally generated for procedural gas giants and cold planets;
- integrated into the planet editor.

Teterrimo · 06 Feb 2017 13:02

Good work! However, for the orbits, i mean the VSOP87 implementation instead of the keplerian orbits. Will be implemented on the next version?
Bye
!

07 Feb 2017 19:17

I love this new nebula style, this is REALISTIC than now 0.980, I wish the 0.981 will release

.

09 Feb 2017 20:47

Spent 3 days to make this manual. Note that it describes a functions which will be in 0.981, although you can play with variables (most of them didn't changed).
If you find some mistake/typo, please report. I must polish my English

YouTube · 10 Feb 2017 02:04

This is incredible, you can do a lot of stuff with these scripts!
About typos, I remember I've found a word that was repeated two times, but I don't remember where I've seen it, it's possible it was correct in its context. But I do noticed a typo, on the Camera Control Commands there is "MoveMode" and after that "Speed" and "SpeedKm", the description on these last two keeps being "MoveMode"

In conclusion a few questions about the implementation itself:

Would it be complicated to play an one-shot-sound (similar to one when you hover buttons in main menu) eventually?
Are spacecrafts considered objects exactly like others? (so you can orbit them, etc...)
Do you plan to change variables of spacecraft by script? (for the spaceship control tutorial, if there will ever be one)

There is already a lot of stuff and these are not important functions, so it wouldn't be a problem if they are complicated for some reasons so they can't be implemented

10 Feb 2017 02:54

I miss the possibility to choose an object randomly, and for loops.
For example:

Until Break
    SelectRandomObject
    Goto {Time 10}
    Wait 10
Loop

10 Feb 2017 03:55

Would it be complicated to play an one-shot-sound (similar to one when you hover buttons in main menu) eventually?
Are spacecrafts considered objects exactly like others? (so you can orbit them, etc...)
Do you plan to change variables of spacecraft by script? (for the spaceship control tutorial, if there will ever be one)

I know what do you want - scriptable autopilot. This requires much more than this system could suggest: reading back data from SE, variables, functions, loops, multithreading (you want you scripts to work independently for each ship). Later I will integrate Lua support, so that will be possible.

I miss the possibility to choose an object randomly, and for loops.

How do you define a "random object"? A nearest star? A furthest galaxy? A planet 16 of a star RS xxxx... Wait, it could not exist! This is not easy if you think a bit.
I understand what do you want - random flights, like screensaver. But this will not look good, because simple Goto command cannot bring you to interesting places on a surface (it's even impossible to determine what is "interesting" programmatically). It cannot detect a fancy event such as dawn or solar eclipse - a special complex command will be needed.

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