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3DSOL system

[Deleted User][Deleted User]331 Posts: 0
edited May 2011 in Work in Progress #1
SOL

Diameter - 1,392,000 km
Mass - 2 x 10(30) kg
Sol system mass percentage - 99.86%
Stellar classification - G2V
Surface temperature (approx.) - 5,778 K (5,505 C; 9,941 F)
Ring system - Planetoid and debris

References -

http://www.spacestationinfo.com/images/sun.gif
http://theabysmal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/sunflame_soho_big.jpg
http://www.sunorbit.net/picts/Sun_gr.jpg

Done -

Polygonal sphere
PArray surface emissions
Basic textures, procedural noise materials for surface
Basic textures, radial gradient for surface emissions
Intermediate textures, procedural noise materials for sun spots
Glows: Exterior, interior, highlight, dark hue and particle

To do -

Particle based animated solar flares at particular / random surface points
Glows for flares (to be balanced with glows for sun)
Evolving / animated sun spot texture
Texture map for surface emissions (replacing current radial gradient map)
Animated differential rotation (polar rotation 33.5 days, equatorial rotation 25.6 days)

Things to consider (answers if you've got them ladies and gents) -

Current scale 1:1,000,000 how can I approach 1:1 for simulation purposes?

Software - 3D Studio Max 2010
Renderer - Scanline
Lighting - Basic ambient, self-illumination and traslucency materials, lens glows

02-Sol_zoom_01.jpg

01-Sol_whole_01.jpg
89395.jpg
Post edited by [Deleted User] on
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  • ArmondikovArmondikov0 Posts: 0Member
    Looks spectacular. I'd almost say it was the real thing when you put it next to an actual shot of the sun.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]331 Posts: 0
    Thanks Armondikov I'm going to map out the entire solar system with planet, satellite and ring models that are at least as detailed so there's plenty to come :)
  • InvidInvid331 Posts: 0Member
    You did a good job the only thing I would say is that you could add more swirls on the surface to give it a more dynamic look.
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    Firelode wrote: »
    Current scale 1:1,000,000 how can I approach 1:1 for simulation purposes?

    I have no idea, but I know that Steve Rivers (Stevie_D) was trying to do something ambitious like this, and he found some troubles in the way. Just drop him a pm. ;)

    The sun is looking excellent! :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]331 Posts: 0
    Invid - Thanks and definitely agreed, I need more surface differentiation to break up the pattern a bit, I'll work on it.

    Starship - Thanks for the info, I've composed and sent a PM hopefully it won't be as difficult as I think it's going to be!
  • MelakMelak332 Posts: 0Member
    From what I remember from Steve's thread max has more of a problem with too small objects, to the point that they will jitter about when rendering due to lack of precision. The limitation toward large objects is I believe more of a viewport thing, go beyond a certain size and zooming out / centering will kill the viewport, so you might have to use cameras to get around really huge scenes.

    Nice looking sun by the way :)
    Make your dark spots a little redder, your hotspots a little whiter, and you've pretty much got what can be seen in the picture Armondikov posted.

    As for the turbulence and flares thing, pete draper used to have an article about a pflow sun thing with spectacular flares on his site (www.xenomorphic.co.uk) but the links for the articles seem broken :(

    I think it's covered in more detail in one of his "deconstructing the elements" editions though, I can check the one I have when I get home.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]331 Posts: 0
    I've messed with Max a bit now, changed the scale to kilometers and I can fit the sun at 1:1 into a scene with no problem to the rendering of the sphere, although like you said Melak the viewports go a bit squiffy, seems it's only the orthographic projections though the perspective view seems just fine.

    As for modelling the whole solar system, not in one file by the look of it as the maximum distance my Earth could be away from the sun is 100 million kilometers, some 49 million short of where it should be (on average) which makes the asteroid and kuiper belt impossible to even block out, however a planet in its' own file should pose no problem whatsoever.

    I'll create a scaled down graphic map for the system including all named moons with attached information for easy reference and to keep track of the project.

    Thanks, it's looking okay at the moment, more to do as always. I think you're absolutley right about the redness of the dark spots and I'm going to make the white spots a little bigger too, a lot of sun images seem to have a great deal of surface activity around or near the equator so it seems apt to mirror that.

    I haven't been to www.xenomorphic.co.uk for years, I think I may even have read the sun tutorial at some point, the thumbnails look familiar. Anyone know of any mirrors for tutorials?

    Checking your copy would be most appreciated, thanks. I've checked up the books on Amazon, I'll have to get a copy of one.
  • MelakMelak332 Posts: 0Member
    The sun/solar flare tutorial is in the online resources that accompany the third edition book. Complete with PDF of the pages (from either the 1st or 2nd edition I presume), scene files and reference movies & images :)

    I have never personally messed around with things that huge, biggest I ever tried was a box the size of the ISS against an earth sized sphere.
    What exactly happens when you try to set the position to something greater than 100.000.000 units from the origin?

    Also, have you tried messing with the system unit setup some more? I think if you set those to kilometers as well, and wiggle the "distance from origin" slider, you can sacrifice decimal precision for larger numbers. At least that's what I think this might do :confused:

    Hmm, playing with that a bit there still seems to be a hard limit of 100.000.000, all this accomplished was that I can only move objects in intervals of thousands of km. :/
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    I have one edition of that book. When in home, youA’ll see if I can help you. ;)
  • japetusjapetus2937 SeattlePosts: 1,397Member
    Nice sun! It looks very real. As far as a 1:1 scale goes, I doubt that you'll be able to. At such a large scale you will probably start getting a lot of "rounding errors" which is what happens when numbers need to be multiplied by too small or too large a factor in the 3d program. Shadows and lights could start to be weird in addition to procedural maps. I'd try to settle on a 10:1 or 100:1 scale so that the viewports and other things are useful. No one will know but you when it comes down to it :)
  • Darth ZiggyDarth Ziggy0 Posts: 0Member
    Great idea and well done.

    One question: What does "squiffy" mean? I love colloquialisms.
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    Firelode, you have a pm. ;)
  • MartocticvsMartocticvs444 Posts: 524Member
    Talking about scale, I once tried a 1:1 scale solar system in Cinema. Everything was fine until Pluto, which looked more like a ball of scrunched up paper, despite being a regular sphere. Weird things can happen at the extremities of the co-ordinate system.
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