Introducing SpaceGen, a simple space backdrop generator

Hi there!

SpaceGen is a small, easy to use tool to make colorful and various space backdrops quickly.
It offers a ‘oneclick’ solution to generate, fine-tune and save/load (through prefabs).

The generator uses multiple small textures, and produces high quality, seamless results.
SpaceGen is compatible with the free version of Unity3D.

Please note, this extension is going to supported, and developed at least until the end of 2014.
The documentation and scripting is under development, and new features and bugfixes will come monthly.

You can view the intruductions pdf here: http://faragozo.com/spacegen/SpaceGenIntroduction.pdf
If you have any questions, feature request, or just want to report a bug, please contact me!

This project is about to make a complete, but easy-to-use system to generate environment for space scened games, started with the backdrops, through planets, suns, to asteroid fields. The first step is this actual version.

You can find the package at:
http://u3d.as/content/zoltan-farago/space-gen-seamless-space-backdrop-generator/4JB

Enjoy!

 

Looks nice. In some of the images it looks like the star density is linked to the nebula shape. Is that what's happening or is it just my small phone screen? I look forward to giving this a try.

 

Hi!

Thanks, ForceX! Currently, you have a chance that the star clusters match to the nebulas, but this is a good idea to link them together directly, I will put this to the next release

 

Hello,

Looks interesting!
Can you post some images of how it'll look in Linear Color Space?
In addition, I'm sure everyone will be happy to see a highdef (1080) video in order to have a better evaluation.
Or even a real WebPlayer demo - will be better!

Thanks
Chen.

 

Hi rosevelt!

I took a screenshot to able to compare the color spaces, and in linear space. There is a diffrenece, but the backdrop looks even slightly better in Linear color space



I compose a small look-around demo soon!

 

I purchased Space Gen a couple of days ago and I love it. However, I'm having trouble when trying to use different generated space backdrops in multiple scenes. In one scene I generate click the Generate button until I get a look I want. Then I drag the object to my project folder and it creates a prefab. Then from another scene I add a new space gen object and do the same thing. However, both scenes end up having the same backdrop as the last one I generated.

 

Hi, I am sorry about this. I am going to check this as this is not the right behaviour. Thanks for writing.

 

I made a demo project and I tried to reproduce the situation you mentioned. Two separated scenes, I made a space backdrop in both and save them as prefabs. Then I made couple of switches in the two scenes to see if the backdrops are mixed / switched, but It worked right.

So please send me more information and a sample project would be the best.

zfarago85 | gmail

 

Well, before I do that, could you give a more detailed step-by-step procedure on how you did it? The docs are somewhat thin and not really clear on some things. For example, I have a space backdrop object in a scene and I generate something. Then I drag the object as a prefab to the project folder. Great so far, but now what? I mean, why did I drag it to make a prefab to begin with? Do I now delete my space backdrop original object and drag the prefab back in the scene? You see what I mean? It's kind of weird.

 

If you are using different backdrops in different scenes, you dont have to make prefabs of them.
The prefab saving is needed when you want to use the same backdrop through many scenes. In that case, the prefab file is the one that stores the backdrops's data. When you modify an instance of this data (object in scene), you have to apply the modifications unless the prefab will not get it. You can read more about prefabs in the Unity documentation.

Deleting scene objects after making prefabs of them is not necessary.
If you are using multiple backdrops and making prefabs of them, take care not mixing them. Making one new backdrop based on an other backdrop's prefab can make changes on the other backdrops connected to this prefab.
The documentaion is short, thats true, I am going to expand it and complete it with tutorials.

I hope I could help

 

OK, so this is totally not working then. That's the way I had it at first. I simply had 2 space backdrops in 2 separate scenes with their own generated data. But no matter what I do, the last generated data is always used for both scenes. I only started looking at the prefab thing because it wasn't working as expected. I know how prefabs work so no issue there. I was just confused because things weren't working as expected.

 

I am really sorry that you experiencing such a bad working. Still triying to reproduce the bug as you explained but with no luck. I just simply made a scene, put a backdrop there and hit save. Repeated this with a new scene. After switching between the scenes, everything looks fine.

I would need a video or a demo scene where can I see this bug. What Unity version do you use? Do you use the latest version of SpaceGen?

 

I'll try to do a demo project and maybe a video, but can't right now. I would like to resolve the issue, but it's not my number one priority at the moment. I'm actually using 4.3.7 Wii U version.

 

I actually just figured out how to fix it. Something you said made me think and I remembered that the way I made my second scene was to do a "Save Scene As" from my first scene. So, the second scene was based on my first scene that already had a space backdrop in it. I still think that shouldn't matter, but apparently this is what was causing both space backdrop objects to act as one. So, I deleted the second scene's space backdrop and create a fresh new one. That fixed the issue.

 

I was thinking about this all the day, and came up with quite the same: Only two possible way can lead to this situation. The first is the one you mentioned (save as..), and the other one if you duplicate the scene file itself to get new one.

Explanation:
When you make a new backdrop, it genereates two materials for itself and start using them. Those materials are generated under the spacegen folder. If you save the scene to another file (save as, duplicate), the backdrop's materials are not do the same automatically, as the backdrop doesn't have this information to do so. The backdrop in the new file countinues using the same old materials and this leads to the situation you experiencing.

Possible solution:
1.) I fix it in the next release somehow It will take some time, but this is the long term way.
2.) When you using "Save as..." or, duplicaitng scenes, avoid yousing the backdrops in them, but make new ones in the new scenes. Deleting backdrop objects not deletes their materials, so you can use this workaround to fix your scenes.
3.) Manually duplicate the mateirals and manually replace them in the backdrops' mesh renderers. This is the hardest way, and may be the worst idea, so I will not explain this

Thank you for your help, please throw me an email (zfarago85 | gmail) or write me in private. I cannot able to start a private conversation to you somehow.

 

No problem. I fixed it easy by just creating a new instance in the new scene. I don't really think a fix is necessary, but you might want to outline this behavior in the documentation so others can avoid it in the future. I don't know why you can['t PM me. I don't think I have any restrictions turned on, but I'll check.

 

Is there an option to choose the final resolution of the output?

 

Hi!

Unfortunately not

 

Is the package writing out a texture?
Just wondering if it's possible to take that texture into photoshop and paint on top of it?

 

Hi!

No, it isn't. Yet. The shader itself mixes the input textures to make the final look. Anyaway, the cloud and mask textures are able to modify. I am currently working on a panoramic capture function to get a long-lat map from the generated space.

 

Hello ZFarago, I´m working in a space game for mobiles.

Do SpaceGen works well on mobiles?
Could be added a facein/faceout transition when it´s generated a new space?


Thanks in advanced!

 

I think it could be possible, yes, let me check it

 

Hi
I see that this has gone on sale with promises for an update later this year with a price increase.If I buy this now on the promise it will be updated soon (assuming to latest Unity standards) at the sale price will there be a charge for the update or will it be handled like a regular update for free.??
thanks for your time

 

It will be a regular update, no extra charge!

 

Any news on the update ??
thanks

 

Sorry I missed to update here, just in the Store description page: there is a small delay in release.

 

released and now deprecated ...

 

This is new to me, thanks for the info.

 

It is now back online. It seems it removed by accident. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

What are some of the new features you are planning with the next release?

 

Hi!
Key planned features:
- Rewrite the code to C#, shader rewrite (Done)
- A new method for mask textures, the current one is hardly configurable
- More customizable properties, like color change individually (mostly Done)
- Render to panorama map, and to Cubemap (Done)

 

Hi, is there a way to turn the output into a skybox instead? Seems like the output is some kind of Sphere, not really useful for what I intended it for: generating backdrop/skybox for space game.

 

Hi!

Right now it is not possible. It is a planned feature, but I never finished it. This package is quite old and I wans't sure if needed by anyone Please write me via email and I figure out something!