Space Graphics Toolkit & Planets

What do you mean dot artefacts? The detail map?

The space to surface transition is automatically handled by the SgtAtmosphere component, and the SgtTerrain component handles the LOD.

If you want more triangles in the terrain up close then you need to add more split distances so the mesh can subdivide more. You can then use the SgtTerrainSimplex component to make this new detail not look so smooth.

 

I think it is the detail map; I do not have the project open in front of me now, so can't say.

I see, so these 2 components handle the LOD. I will have to try as you said. Would that be enough to get a usable terrain with variety? The planet example feel almost flat; so I assume you did not add too many subdivision for the terrain?

 

The 'Displaced Terrain' demo scene only uses a heightmap, so there is only so much variation in height up close. You can add an SgtTerrainSimplex component (or more) to add some detail up close though to make it look less flat. Also, the 'Flying On Terrain' demo scene only uses simplex noise to make the rolling hills, and again you can add more of these components with different settings to get more detail. You can also modify this component to do more advanced stuff, as it's quite basic right now.

 

Awesome, I didn't check the "flying on terrain" demo; I will try to mix both of the examples and see what comes up. Not sure if you have time, but eventually if you put an example scene like this, it would benefit other customers too. Probably half of the people that bought this asset pack, are interested in planet to space transition.

BTW do you have plans to make a more complete documentation for the product? The examples help, but having a proper documentation explaining what each component does, beside the API docs, would be helpful to minimize the learning time spent on the package.


Thanks for the reply!

 

The SgtTerrain component will see some improvements in the next version, but the amount of new demo scenes depends on how good these improvements turn out.

I plan to record new video tutorials for most of my products next week. I don't have any plans to expand the documentation though, unless you have some specific good idea? I feel that experimenting with graphical settings is the best way to learn, and that some more in-depth explanation (beyond the tooltips) won't really speed up any understanding of the systems.

 

Looking forward to the new version and the video tutorials...they are usually the best and fastest way to learn something. At least for me

On the documentation side, I was thinking something very simple: a brief description of each component, what it does, how you usually implement it code side (the editor part is trivial, it is easy enough to play with parameters to see what works best).
As someone that just buy the tooklit, sit down and has no clue how to start, I think that such brief documentation could help to understand what each component do; a sort of headstart before moving on the examples. Not sure if it is just me, but I rarely look at the examples, unless I read the docs and understand what am I doing and how

 

Any updates for Unity 5.4? Getting a ton of errors from SGT after upgrading

 

I'm trying to set up some Jovian planets in a project in 5.3.5. The planets look good until I press play, then they turn pink and I get this error:

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
SgtJovianModel.SetMaterial (UnityEngine.Material newMaterial) (at Assets/Space Graphics Toolkit/Scripts/Player/SgtJovianModel.cs:43)
SgtJovian.UpdateMaterial () (at Assets/Space Graphics Toolkit/Scripts/Player/SgtJovian.cs:187)
SgtJovian.CheckUpdateCalls () (at Assets/Space Graphics Toolkit/Scripts/Player/SgtJovian.cs:514)
SgtJovian.OnEnable () (at Assets/Space Graphics Toolkit/Scripts/Player/SgtJovian.cs:330)

 

How is the progress on terrain displacement? Is it possibile to make planetary FPP games with it in its current state?

 

The current implementation of SgtCloudsphere requires a cubemap for its main texture. However, our application reads in real-time cloud imagery from a website in a panoramic projection. Does anyone know of a way to convert 2:1 cylindrical projection texture2Ds to cubemaps at run-time? Alternatively, is there a version of the cloud shader that uses standard textures?
Thanks,
Eric

 

Jeeze these forums have such a crappy notification system, sorry for the late repies!

Progress on the next version is really good. I'm mainly focusing on improving the code quality, inspector polish, and small features so the new tutorial videos can look good.

Is the current documentation not sufficient for what you describe? All the major components have an associated .pdf that has a summary of what the component does, and a simple explanation of how to use each property. I designed the code so that the names are identical to the inspector, so it should still be relevant from C#. However, in the latest version I recognize I changed things around a little bit and need to add some more documentation to make usage clearer. Also, I'm in the middle of tidying up the code a little bit before I make the videos so they'll be delayed a little bit, but the code improvements will definitely be worth it!

What kind of errors? In the latest version I removed a bunch of now-unused scripts, so it's possible the errors come from those. To fix this just delete the whole SGT directly and reinstall. NOTE: Make sure you back up your whole project first!

Is this using the latest version of SGT? In the latest version I made some improvements to remove most/all errors in the latest Unity versions.

Progress is really good! I've pretty much reworked the whole terrain system to be much more flexible, and it now works along the lines of how Kerbal handles their planets. This means you can now procedurally vertex color the terrains, place objects, and easily add whatever else. I want to focus on getting this next version out soon though, so these components won't be 100% done just yet.

I use cube maps for most SGT components because it makes the code much simpler, and it also makes settings things up much easier for the user since they don't have to set 6 meshes and materials and textures. In your scenario I think it would be best to modify the cloudsphere component to take 6 textures and modify the shader to use the mesh UV instead of normal. If this is a feature you'd like to see in SGT then I can add it to the list though.

 

You can use the SgtCustomStarfield component for this. Simply fill in the Stars list with your catalog data, and call the UpdateMeshesAndModels method. To read from XML you can use the reader that comes with .NET, it's a bit annoying to use though, so you should find a good tutorial that goes through it in detail.

 

yes, I've got Version 3.2.1. (Alongside v2, but I'm trying to create a Jovian which I believe uses 3.x code, right?)

 

Right. I just tested SGT 3.2.1 in Unity 5.3.5 and don't see any errors or anything wrong with the gas giant example scene. Does it work fine if you make a new project? Maybe you can give me some steps to try and reproduce the error.

 

Well, my apologies -- I launched the project again and Saturn looks just fine, not pink at all. Huh. So..never mind!

 

You can modify the SgtStarfieldStar class to have more data if you need, and you can read this data from the same star list from your UI code.

 

The SgtCustomStarfield class has the public 'Stars' list, which you can just assign to. So you can just add a public field for this custom starfield to your component, drag and drop the component reference, then call it from your code along with UpdateMeshesAndModels. If you want to override BeginStars/NextStar/EndStars then you can make your own component that inherits SgtStarfield and implement those three methods, you can see how it works in SgtCustomStarfield.cs.

 

Hello @Darkcoder,

Have a few questions:
1) After the last update i'm experiencing a fps drop with Sgt Terrain, in some cases it's about 5-10 fps for ~5-7 seconds when getting close to the surface. Any ideas how i can optimize that?
2) Also i noticed that SgtTerrain also allocates about 50-256 kb per frame in demo scenes. Is it okay?
3) I get a lot of errors in console in play mode somehow (console_error.PNG)
4) Is it possible to make outer objects like planets or gas giants visible from the ground, like on screenshot? I could do this in SGT 2.x, but can't make it work in SGT 3.

 

1 - The main difference between the previous version and this is how the patches are updated. In the previous version SgtPatch.Update was run randomly every 0.5-1.0 seconds as long as the frame budget hadn't been exceeded, but in the new version they're all updated as long as the budget hasn't been exceeded. This means the new code can reach the budget much sooner, but is more efficient under heavy load. I can implement the old 0.5-1.0 second thing with this version too, which should make it have the benefits of both.

[Edit] Actually I did implement this, I just made the default 0.1-0.2 seconds.

2 - Most of the GC alloc will happen when you first approach a planet, because it needs to create the SgtPatch and Mesh instances, but these are pooled, so the allocs should go down after a while. When updating patches I currently clear the mesh data before setting it again though, which I think wastes memory, so that could be optimized.

3 - Oops, I'll remove that.

4 - You have to make the sky transparent to do this, which is controlled by the 'Outer Power', or the left side of the 'Density Color'.

As always, thanks for finding these issues

 

@Darkcoder I have a question about random seeds in Sgt Elliptical Starfield. I have a script that randomly generates a new seed. But even though the new seed shows up within the component, the visuals in the game don't update.

 

You must call the UpdateMeshesAndModels method if you modify any fields that change the mesh data.

 

Hello, I have noticed that after the last update the free Solar System Pack and Galaxy/Nebula Pack don't work properly. Are you going to release an updated version of those?

Also, since updating Unity to 5.4.0 I have a problem rendering the Earth's city lights: I was using the example material from you Solar System Pack, but after the last update it stopped working correctly when the planet was illuminated by a point light instead of the spot light from your example. The cause seems to be a change in the way the Unity Shaders work, as I noticed this problem before updating SGT, and it worked fine before updating Unity to 5.4.0. Could you find a way to fix this? (strictly speaking this isn't part of the Space Graphics Toolkit, but it would be nice if you could fix it).

 

When did you last download the packs? On July 12 I updated them for the latest SGT: https://bitbucket.org/Darkcoder/spacegraphicstoolkitpacks/src

They work fine for me in Unity 5.4.0 with SGT 3.2.1+

I also don't see any issues with the Earth shader with the night lights, even if you change to a point light (assuming I adjust the position and Range appropriately).

 

Hi, Thank you for your amazing assets! I have some problems after the 3.2.2 update
As far as I can remember, the SGT Terrain should be split to patches by the distance from SGT Observer to the mesh surface. But after updated to 3.2.2, I found that SGT Terrain was split to patches by the the distance from SGT Observer to the terrain center, which means when SGT Terrain reaches the max split level, the camera would be inside of the planet, like this pic:

Is this by design or other purpose? Thanks (and sorry for my English)

 

Hi there, I am considering buying this but I was hoping to find out if there was a way to create an animated Jupiter with your product. Specifically animate it so that the atmosphere of Jupiter at various latitudes rotates in the opposite direction of the planets rotation much like it does in reality?

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/388629main_jupiter_skyflat.gif

There are a few other features that I am interested in but that one would be the key.

 

I must have been using some outdated version of the Solar System and Galaxy/Nebula packs. I remember dowloading them from the first page of the thread after updating, but perhaps I made a mistake when installing them and didn't overwrite the old ones. The new version no longer gives errors related to the starfields.
I still cannot figure out how to make the Earth material to work properly when using a point light: when I change the parameters I can get the city lights texture all turned on or all turned off with different degrees of intensity, but they act the same on the illuminated side of the planet as on the unlit side. The effect is not too bad, as the lights are much more noticeable on the dark side, but I cannot see a real lit/unlit transition as I could see before updating unity to 5.4.0.
For example, if I use the Earth scene from the Solar System pack and turn the directional light into a point light, and move it to position (5,0,0), with range 100, I see the city lights texture illuminated for all the planet, not just the dark side. I have tried playing with the Divide and Sharpness parameters, but haven't managed to get the effect I want.

 

This bug has been fixed in 3.2.3 and is awaiting approval. I've sent you an early copy of it though, so check your messages

SGT does not have any gas giant animation feature like this, unless you replace the gas giant texture every few milliseconds.

You're right, I must have been looking at a part of the planet without lights! I think the issue is each shaderlab lighting model is defined by 2 (or more?) functions, and I only define the one for directional lights.

 

Hey Darkcoder,

I've been using SGT 2.7 for quite some time now, but I'd like to remake my app with the latest SGT. I modified SGT_Starfield_Procedural.cs (v2.7) and added some custom distribution cases. An easy example would be:

Code (CSharp):

1.        
2. case SGT_StarfieldDistribution.GalacticBulge:
3.         {
4.             position = Random.insideUnitSphere;
5.          
6.             //Galactic Bulge
7.          
8.             var magnitude = distributionConstantB + position.magnitude * (1.0f - distributionConstantB);
9.             position.y *= distributionConstantA;
10.             position = position.normalized * magnitude;
11.             position.x=OvalityX*Mathf.Sin(position.x);
12.             position.z=OvalityZ*Mathf.Sin(position.z);
13.         }

In the new version I saw a custom example with a Sine function. Is it possible create custom scripts similar the way the Sine script was built to extend SGT? To be able to specify all the info in one script and not modify SGT's core functions. Like in SgtSineStarfield.cs - by changing the code below (and also the public variables):

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2.                    if (star != null)
3.                     {
4.                         star.Position = currentP + Amplitude * Mathf.Sin(currentA * Mathf.Deg2Rad);
5.  
6.                         currentA +=    AngleStep;
7.                         currentP += PositionStep;
8.                     }

Would this type of modification be sufficient to generate an ovoid shape such as a Galactic Bulge?

Also for the Spiral Starfield - is it possible to make the spiral longer without modifying the twist? By modifying the twist, the arm will be longer, but the twist angle is different.

And controlling the stellar distribution would be perfect. In the actual Spiral generation, all the stars are cramped up in the first twist, leaving a few scarce stars at the end of the arm. By controlling the stellar distribution I would be able to do a non-standard arm such as the Orion Arm which is probably a remnant of the collision between our galaxy and a satellite galaxy.

Many thanks,
Raydekk

 

The SgtSineStarfield script is an example to show how you can modify an SgtCustomStarfield component. The SgtCustomStarfield component should only be used if you need to read & write star positions, e.g. for a galactic map you can travel to or something.

If your GalacticBulge distribution doesn't require you to read & write the star positions after creation, I recommend you create a new starfield component. For example, you can duplicate the SgtSpiralStarfield script and call it SgtGalacticBulge, then open the script and replace all 'SpiralStarfield' with 'GalacticBulge' and it should appear in the GameObject creation menus and everything. You can then modify the 'BeginStars' and 'NextStar' methods to your liking.

For example, to make the spiral longer without changing the twist, it would be easiest to add an additional field like 'SpiralStretch' that multiplies the star x/z position and the twist. To make a galactic bulge your method might work, though I'd probably want more control and use an AnimationCurve for the height vs distance, like the SgtAdvancedBelt.

 

Thanks for the tips! I've implemented the spiral stretch and the bulge.

Any idea on how to generate stars uniformly distributed across the spiral arm?

 

Right now the star distance from the spiral center is uniform, but the thickness of the arm depends on distance, so to account for this you could Mathf.Pow the distance and invert it to bias it to the outside.

 

Is there any way to force a SgtCustomStarfield to render itself or update via script?

I populate one with a script randomly on start but nothing show up until I manually touch some traits like a star radius or position in the inspector at which point every star becomes visible. Changing radius or position by script does nothing. There used to be a Regenerate function or something like that but it's removed nowdays.

 

@Darkcoder do you have any web demos of the space to surface transition? I checked out the link to the web player demo but it doesn't seem to include any of the new LOD/surface tessellation, although it does a show a bit of what the atmosphere would be like flying in/out of the earth planet.

Even a video/bunch of screen shots would suffice. I own a lot of space/planet assets already, but none that do a space-to-surface transition (they're all just pretty spheres). So I'm really interested in what I could do with your product but other than a few people talking about it in this thread there's nothing that shows it any justice.

 

You can now call the UpdateMeshesAndModels method. Check the inspector code at the top of each script to see which update method needs to be called for each field modification.

There's no demo for that, but I'll make one this week.

 

HERE's a demo of the LOD and atmospheres. It uses 2048x2048 textures which isn't too high res, and the final LOD is via simplex noise. However, this still makes it 100mb, so it might take a while to download. Once the procedural generation system is good enough I'll include a similar demo in the main demo player to keep the file size down.

 

@Darkcoder cheers for putting up the demo but the link is broken?

 

Works for me in Opera and Firefox.

 

Ah yes, that is cool. Now I fear I must part with some money

And this is done via the simplex noise component in editor? I read in an earlier post you can use a heightmap, so I assume you would also use a single texture map for the entire planet, that way you could make beaches where an ocean meets a sand color, and green representing grass on the flat areas, white for snow on mountain tops that kinda thing?

Being a single texture map means it would be just a diffuse color, can't use separate maps for the different topology, no dirt/grass/mud textures?

 

The terrain heights in that demo are generated from a 2048x1024 height map + 1 octave of simplex noise for low frequency detail. The height + albedo + normal textures were generated using Grand Designer.

The terrain mesh is a cubed sphere, so by default it is UV mapped to use 6 textures. These 6 textures can be (and were in this demo) generated from a single texture using Unity's cube map texture import feature along with a cube face texture extraction tool (comes with SGT). However, if you really want to use a single texture then you can attach the SgtTerrainCylindrical component, which maps the UVs to cylindrical/equirectangular/polar coordinates.

This demo just uses the built-in Unity Standard shader for the terrain surface, so you can't use separate maps for different topologies. However, if you have a shader that supports that kind of thing then you can easily swap it out.

 

Hi, just letting you know that both Spacetime scenes don't (seem to) work in Unity 5.4.1 (don't know about former Unity versions). The mesh isn't deformed at all, and in the Spacetime Wells demo it even isn't rendered.
I've loaded SGT into a new project as only asset, so there can't be side effects with other assets.

 

Thanks for reminding me. Unity recently changed the way shader arrays work, which breaks spacetimes. I'll send you an updated version as soon as I fix the code!

 

Does it have source code? So I can edit it. Also do you plan to make the planets enter able like No-mans sky has, and more like star citizen, where you enter planets, also if you don't would I be able to add that?

 

Yes, full source code is in the package (no .dll).

Yes, you can fly from space to planets like in No Man's Sky or Star Citizen, but these games have incredibly large (e.g. almost real-life) scales, which isn't possible with SGT planets without modifications. The most important modification you need to do is to implement an 'origin shifting' system to the GameObjects, and possibly change the calculations to use doubles.

 

Um, just to clarify I mean like to entering the orbit, landing, and going on the ground with walking, and stuff, also how would I be edit the terrain to make it look real, along with adding plant life that's generated, bases, AI, ect and I want the planets to be actual planets with a interactive enviroment, as I'm making the solar system, It's sci-fi and there will be different bases on the planets, that are interactive, just like GTA has AI, activities ect. I'm just wandering if I'd be able to do things like that, or would I have to do a S*** ton of editing the code for your program. I know I'm ganna have to do a little already, but i'm just wandering the extent, and Yes i don't need a insanely massive planet, I only want it to have a circumference of like 500-1000 km, More like 750 though. Also if the code in Unity java Script, or C# (C-sharp)

 

The code is in C#. The planet feature of SGT just generates the surface mesh, and handles the shader code for the atmosphere sphere to make it volumetric. There is a basic component that allows you to spawn stuff on the surface, but making it look realistic and have AI and whatever else is up to you and your skill and media.

 

I'm building a scene in a deep crater on a small moon of Uranus. I have a starscape skybox and a SGT jovian (beautiful) and vertical ring system. I also have a number of standard particle fx designed to look like ice volcanoes. There's a problem when viewing those particles when Uranus is in the background of the shot. The particles above the edge far side of the terrain are invisible, when they should be obscuring Uranus. This does NOT happen with the SGT rings. Any thoughts?

 

I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at, maybe a video would be clearer? In any case, it's likely some sort of draw order issue. Does the issue only occur at certain camera angles or rotations? If you hide and show certain GameObjects, can you track the issue down to just one or two things?

 

Where ever you go in the scene, the particle effects are culled at the point where Uranus is in the background. The effect moves and shifts with the camera. When running the scene, if I turn off the Uranus object itself, the particles appear as they should. Turn it back on and the particles are occluded by the object.

Note that this does not happen with the rings, which work fine.

EDIT: SOLVED!

I changed the render queue offset in the Jovian script to 0 and everything now works as desired.

 

I know its a beta. But I installed Unity 5.5 today to see if everything in my project would work everything worked but these errors. Is there a quick fix? When I updated I also Updated The tool kit. I deleted the toolkit folder and downloaded and installed the newest verions.