Piper
Orbiting Space Addict
Ok, I've completed beta testing of version 2.0. I hope everybody enjoys the new improved version, as there isn't a single feature that hasn't been updated or changed, not to mention many new features. With this program, you will be able to travel to ANY asteroid or dwarf planet that is known. Enjoy!
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"MPC Database Viewer/Exporter" is a program that allows you to import any known asteroid and dwarf planet into either Orbiter or Celestia. It automatically creates all the files necessary, and automatically adds the planet into your sol.cfg file, allowing you to instantly start Orbiter and go to the minor planet without having to edit any files.
There are a total of 10 different small body meshes, plus a "rough sphere" mesh for objects large enough to be roughly circular. Objects above 900km in diameter are made into smooth spheres. There are also 5 different possible textures, this means that there are 50 different possibilities for what an asteroid can look at, 5 different possibilities for small spheres, and 5 different possibilities for smooth spheres.
When you start up the program for the first time, it will ask you for the folders for Celestia and Orbiter, if you do not have Celestia, just leave the default variable as it is.
To use the program, simply click on an minor planet that you want to put into Orbiter (or Celestia), and then click on "Export Single to Orbiter."
Alternatively, you can create a list of minor planets to add to Orbiter/Celestia by searching through the database for specific properties. If any of the minor planets have the same name as a minor planet/moon that is currently in your sol.cfg file, it will warn you before hand and let you rename it if you wish. If you do not wish to rename it, it will replace the old file, but not create a duplicate entry in your sol.cfg file. While it is possible to replace/update minor planets, you can not replace any moons, you must rename these.
Thirdly, you can create just the elements and update a file manually.
The program also has a built-in sol.cfg editor, allowing you to painlessly move around minor planets/moons and delete unwanted ones.
The program comes with a MPCORBcr.DAT file, downloaded on November 23rd 2008, however you can download a new one any time, plus other MPC files. The MPCORBcr.DAT file is very large, so it takes a few minutes to download. You can also download a database file manually from http://www.astro.cz/mpcorb/ .
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"MPC Database Viewer/Exporter" is a program that allows you to import any known asteroid and dwarf planet into either Orbiter or Celestia. It automatically creates all the files necessary, and automatically adds the planet into your sol.cfg file, allowing you to instantly start Orbiter and go to the minor planet without having to edit any files.
There are a total of 10 different small body meshes, plus a "rough sphere" mesh for objects large enough to be roughly circular. Objects above 900km in diameter are made into smooth spheres. There are also 5 different possible textures, this means that there are 50 different possibilities for what an asteroid can look at, 5 different possibilities for small spheres, and 5 different possibilities for smooth spheres.
When you start up the program for the first time, it will ask you for the folders for Celestia and Orbiter, if you do not have Celestia, just leave the default variable as it is.
To use the program, simply click on an minor planet that you want to put into Orbiter (or Celestia), and then click on "Export Single to Orbiter."
Alternatively, you can create a list of minor planets to add to Orbiter/Celestia by searching through the database for specific properties. If any of the minor planets have the same name as a minor planet/moon that is currently in your sol.cfg file, it will warn you before hand and let you rename it if you wish. If you do not wish to rename it, it will replace the old file, but not create a duplicate entry in your sol.cfg file. While it is possible to replace/update minor planets, you can not replace any moons, you must rename these.
Thirdly, you can create just the elements and update a file manually.
The program also has a built-in sol.cfg editor, allowing you to painlessly move around minor planets/moons and delete unwanted ones.
The program comes with a MPCORBcr.DAT file, downloaded on November 23rd 2008, however you can download a new one any time, plus other MPC files. The MPCORBcr.DAT file is very large, so it takes a few minutes to download. You can also download a database file manually from http://www.astro.cz/mpcorb/ .
