Project Lunar SpacePort Base

Krishnan

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Loaded into 2016 with solar plant and trains deleted from the *.cfg file, and, with the above parameters in the *.flt file. See attached screenshot.
I tried again with the new ellipse size and now it looks great. Thanks!
What does the line of code put into the flt file do? Does it create an elliptical, flat platform for the base to sit on top of?
 

jacquesmomo

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Do you know what exact buildings to add this line of code to? Because I have a lot of different buildings :)
Since I am using default moon surface and default buildings (no custom meshes), no need for undershadows and wraptosurface code, right?
I am all new to this.
Ah yes, indeed .... :salute:

These 2 lines are only useful (and used by...) if you use meshes of your own making, not for Orbiter's default meshes ....

And I see you solved your problem. don't you ? .....
 

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What does the line of code put into the flt file do? Does it create an elliptical, flat platform for the base to sit on top of?
exactly !


here is what the doc says:

You can define *.flt files in /Textures/<planet>/Flat/ folders with the following (slightly changed) line definition:

Code:
ELLIPSE <height> <lng> <lat> <major> <minor> <phi> <falloff>
or
RECT <height> <lng> <lat> <length> <width> <phi> <falloff>

  • <height> is in integer meter, supposedly w.r.t. mean sphere radius
  • <lng> <lat> are double longitude and latitude coordinates, as defined in e.g. base configuration file
  • <major> <minor> are ellipse major and minor radius in integer meter, <minor> defaults to <major> if not defined - the meter definition might not be exact, as it uses a decimal degree guess at the latitude circle
  • <length> <width> are rectangle length and width in integer meter, <width> defaults to <length> if not defined - meter definition same as above
  • <phi> is rotation angle in double degree from equator, with <major> and <length> being parallel to equator
  • <falloff> is the integer percentage (e.g. 50 for 50%) of the shape radius where transparent merging with original height is done

Lines with comment start and/or too less arguments are ignored.

:cheers:
 

llarian

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Or you can follow this thread: "area flattening experiment - SUCCESS"
 

Krishnan

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exactly !


here is what the doc says:

You can define *.flt files in /Textures/<planet>/Flat/ folders with the following (slightly changed) line definition:

Code:
ELLIPSE <height> <lng> <lat> <major> <minor> <phi> <falloff>
or
RECT <height> <lng> <lat> <length> <width> <phi> <falloff>


  • <height> is in integer meter, supposedly w.r.t. mean sphere radius
  • <lng> <lat> are double longitude and latitude coordinates, as defined in e.g. base configuration file
  • <major> <minor> are ellipse major and minor radius in integer meter, <minor> defaults to <major> if not defined - the meter definition might not be exact, as it uses a decimal degree guess at the latitude circle
  • <length> <width> are rectangle length and width in integer meter, <width> defaults to <length> if not defined - meter definition same as above
  • <phi> is rotation angle in double degree from equator, with <major> and <length> being parallel to equator
  • <falloff> is the integer percentage (e.g. 50 for 50%) of the shape radius where transparent merging with original height is done

Lines with comment start and/or too less arguments are ignored.

:cheers:
Is this from the Orbiter manual? Or is it from D3D9 Manual?
I am so uneducated in developmental things, what does D3D9 do anyways? Doesn't it make the use of modern graphics? Kinda surprised that you are making the change via D3D9 instead of Orbiter.
 

jedidia

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I am so uneducated in developmental things, what does D3D9 do anyways?
I'd say it makes things pretty, but that much you probably knew...

In more technical terms, Orbiter has an extremely rigorous backend/frontend separation. Essentially, the physics core and the entire graphics engine are two separate processes that talk to each other through... errr... Honestly, I have no idea what protocol they're using, I never looked into it too closely.

If you are not using the default "inline" client (often endearingly called "MOGE", short for "Martins old graphics engine", which uses Dx7 and is now deprecated after Orbiter has gone open source), you therefore have to start orbiter through the orbiter_ng.exe (ng stands for, unsurprisingly, "no graphics"), and the whole graphics engine is plugged into that through a DLL.

As a result, the features available on the frontend side can vary depending on what client you are using. Though currently D3D9 is not just the de-facto standard but also pretty much the only complete client around, apart from MOGE.
 

Krishnan

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I have been busy with school, so I wasn't able to work on it currently.
I plan on adding a separate cargo terminal for the big XR5 cargo freighters , and some custom signs.
Do you know how to make these custom signs? How would I make the custom textures?
 

Krishnan

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How about the solar plant too?
I think the Solar Plant can wait until the building is complete.
I am just wondering how I can make custom signs for different gates/pads/buildings/etc.
How would I make those textures? I can use Paint.net, but is there a specific method I have to use?
Also, the textures don't come up on Orbiter Base Maker, so I will have to retexture it manually.
 

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Yes, a large flat area is possible.
See this post by jacquesmomo for examples and some "code":

It requires some trial and error to get right, but it works.

If needed you can define multiple flat eclipses/rectangles with different radius and altitudes.
But a single large one for the entire base is a good starting point.
 

Krishnan

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Yes, a large flat area is possible.
See this post by jacquesmomo for examples and some "code":

It requires some trial and error to get right, but it works.

If needed you can define multiple flat eclipses/rectangles with different radius and altitudes.
But a single large one for the entire base is a good starting point.
Yeah, I plan on just making the entire base just sit on top of a rectangle. Is it possible to add a "dirt" Runway using a slightly higher elevation than the around ground using this method? I might such dirt runway for the moon base, just for laughs or experimentation.
 

PhantomCruiser

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I'd suggest a giant landing pad over a regolith runway, a pad big enough for a craft like the XR-5 to "roll out" a bit if the pilot doesn't do a precise hover landing.
The Heinlein Base has such an example of a large landing area.
 

Krishnan

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