Showing posts with label solar system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar system. Show all posts

Saturday, 19 May 2007

Balls keep on spinning


One preliminar shot from my Multimedia final project: the solar system, rendered with OpenGL.


What's done so far:
  • The abstract solar system is modeled: distances are proportional, dimensions are proportional (but the Sun), speeds (rotation and revolution) are correct;
  • everything is parametric, so it can be altered realtime;
  • Moon actually rotates around Earth and every planet spins on his axis, also the moon itself (showing the same face to the Earth!);
  • every planet has its own satellites, the real number, correctly distanced each other. Discovered yesterday night that Jupiter has 63 satellites!! Oo"
  • Saturn and Uranus now feature their rings; I used a transparent toroid to represent them, gotta place some serious texture;
  • stars on the background and debries around the system are implemented, for enhanced flight experience ;D
  • the camera follows an arbitrary planet, and it is highlighted with a nice green cube.

The todo list:
  • depict asteroids belt between Mars and Jupiter;
  • fix the eccentric revolution of Pluto;
  • place clouds layer around Earth, and possibly to bump-map the Moon;
  • insert Simmetry's song "R.O.D.O.L.F.O." as musical commentary;

Open issues:
  • learn how to apply a spherical texture without always showing the same face to the camera;
  • learn how to specify the extension of the texture over a simple glutSolidSphere;

I have one week to achieve this results. Surely I won't, but who knows.

Probably I'll have to stress someone, starting from Alessandro Re (that I thank for the suggestion on the project and the patience in answering me every time :D)!