Universe

Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Beginners Area/Universe

ingenium(Posted 2006) [#1]
What is the best (and easier) way to create a planet with atmosphere and others?


GfK(Posted 2006) [#2]
Perhaps you'd like to pin down a couple of the key issues instead of asking such an open-ended question?


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#3]
I want to create a planet in 3d (a textured sphere) with an atmosphere (another ball with entityalpha and a cloud texture) and a stroposphere (another ball with an high entity alpha). The problem is: It doesn't look like real. Have you got any ideas?


octothorpe(Posted 2006) [#4]
What is the best way to write a science fiction novel with spaceships and things? How about the best way to build a house with a fireplace and stuff? Or the best way to make a sandwich with lettuce and fixin's?


octothorpe(Posted 2006) [#5]
Can you better describe "it doesn't look real?" Maybe with some screenshots?


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#6]
Stupid question: what is the tag to show a screenshot?


GfK(Posted 2006) [#7]
What are the forum codes?


Andy(Posted 2006) [#8]
http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/faq/faq_entry.php?id=2

Andy


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#9]
This is a screenshot... Enormus....




Nicstt(Posted 2006) [#10]
I'd suggest you start with something more basic, learn the various types of software you need (or would be helpful) to use.

Try a dungeon, or perhaps just a large valley surrounded by mountains, they act then as a natural break.

Browns the forums and code available, also the software packages.

There isnt easy, and I suspect best depends on the individual.

for gfx:
I use Cartography Shop v4 (5 now available)
Maplet
Milkshape
Ultimate Unwrap
Painshop Pro

Sound
Goldwave

I use other stuff as I come accross it and try it out. Taken me a while to get where I am and its still a longway from a viable 3d game, but its fun (usually lol).


Steven Noyce(Posted 2006) [#11]
You could try having like 5 spheres for the atmosphere instead of 2. This might help them fade together a bit more. Also, try to make your textures a bit more similar, it looks like one is grey and one is blue. I think the main thing that makes it look bad is the fact that you can distinctly see the edges of the 2 spheres. In real life, they fade together.


octothorpe(Posted 2006) [#12]
There was a thread not so long ago that outlined a very attractive solution to something that looks a lot like your screenshot. I think the atmosphere was done with an inverted spherical reflection map?


Jams(Posted 2006) [#13]
If it was me, i wouldn't use spheres at all, but instead a quad aligned to the planet with a blurred ring texture. That way it would fade into black in a much more realistic manner...


Buggy(Posted 2006) [#14]
What about making the spherical textures for the atmosphere more detailed? Add a bunch of clouds and such.


SheepOnMintSauce(Posted 2006) [#15]
Here's a pretty good photoshop tutorial, I spotted on 3dtotal.com a while ago. Not sure if it's any use to you?


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2006) [#16]
Artemis, please use real JPGs, not BMPs renamed to JPG. 2.3 megabyte for a screenshot - no way.


_PJ_(Posted 2006) [#17]
Beg Mustang for a demo of his planetary atmosphere thigy-whatsit:

http://www.blitzbasic.com/Community/posts.php?topic=54901


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#18]
k. Thnx. By the way if I'll use a more detailed texture it wouldn't look like to a real atmosphere... I've tried it. Also if I'll use more than two or three balls the program would go slowly (I want to create about ten planets).


_PJ_(Posted 2006) [#19]
Does the planet NEED to be an actual spherical object?

Can it be made smaller and moved CLOSER to camera?

If it's just needed as part of the background, making one face of a Skybox contain a 2-D planet image with sprites over the front giving the illusion of clouds will be much faster.


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#20]
Does the planet NEED to be an actual spherical object?
Yes, it does.


vivaigiochi(Posted 2006) [#21]
HI artemis i thing that the best solution is given to you by Jams. I thing that your solution is'nt realistic because you however can see the spherical delimitation of the sphere that you use. instead if you use a plane ( in a similar way of sprite in front of camera...) with an image more deformed (according with the type of atmosfere you imagine) it look more realistic. Try with this solution and thing that in this case a plane use only two triangle and so it is more fast.good work.


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#22]
Ok problem solved!!! If anyone is interested I used a sprite to create the atmosphere (with a gradient glow ring) that faced always to the camera, three other sphere with entityalpha, the first was textured by clouds the second by the same texture but inverted and the third wasn't textured... Probably I'll create a screenshot and upload it on... so you could say how much you don't like it :D


Gnu(Posted 2006) [#23]
That would be sweet Artemis. I'm curious;)

Gnu


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#24]
Some images :)
What do you think? You can post everything ... ;)
@jfk EO-11110: Sorry... :D
Sun:

Planet:

The sun watched from the planet's atmosphere:



big10p(Posted 2006) [#25]
I think you've over-done the effect, somewhat.


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#26]
Maybe, but in the future (a day if I'm lucky) the planet will be far away from the sun.... so I won't see the "big star" if I reduce the intensity of the "light"...
By the way do you like it?


big10p(Posted 2006) [#27]
Yeah, it's looking good. :)


ingenium(Posted 2006) [#28]
Thnx :)