[DGIV BLOG] News about developpment of DGIV (part 3)

[DanSteph]

You can find previous "DGIV BLOG" part 2 thread here:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/forum/index.php?topic=12011.msg185146#msg185146



Introducing the latest new feature never seen in Orbiter: Reentry Progressive heat shield
(from an idea of Pagir)


It start like a normal day, Norma Jay and his crew are coming back on earth:




Temperature start to raise:




Bottom of ship start to be heated, 900°C:








Don't touch this whit your finger, 1100°C:



Temprature at max, nose is at 1400°C



Bottom view:



Rear view:




Also from last blog, previous new feature, high AOA wings vapor:





Dan



Message modifié ( 03-05-2007 16:02 )

[picto]

YES !!!
C'est mieux que le blanc !
Tant que tu y es, remplace carrément la texture du dessous par du cramé en fin de parcours ...



Message modifié ( 03-05-2007 15:54 )

[Pagir]

WoW!

This is hot!

Pagir

[Heywood]

fantastic, very cool.

Thanks much, SuperDan.

Heywood

[Voyager]

Amazing Dan, your outdoing yourself

Can't wait to test Beta 10

[lord wolf]

everytime we think the dgIV has gotten to its best; you step it up a notch!

well done dan!:applause:

[Louis Wu]

Outstanding Dan!! This is going to be the best addon I've seen.
Hoping for public beta soon. Keep up the great work!



Post Edited ( 05-03-07 17:52 )

[sunshine135]

The plethora of features continues to grow!!!! That is too hot!

Burn baby burn!!!

[DanSteph]

UNfortunately Orbiter have a bug with this advanced feature...
The sun disappear...

Seem a problem with the function "oapiSetMeshProperty" wich is rarely used.
this function allow to set alpha chanel mixed with texture alpha chanel
for a mesh.

Problem: this function seem buggy in Orbiter, instead of setting this feature
for one mesh only it seem to set it globably for all objects in scene, the sun
wich have also an alpha channel texture simply disappear.

I scratch my head since three hours on this, I'm 99.9% sure this Orbiter
function have a bug.

See Case 1:

I set object "A" to have this property
I set Object "B" to NOT have this property

Object "A" alpha doesn't work.

Case 2:

I set Object "B" to NOT have this property
I set object "A" to have this property

Object "A" Alpha work.

The final proof:

I set object "B" to have this property

Object "A" Alpha work. (shouldn't work as I didn't set it on "A")

Seem the last call set the property for all objects and the MeshHandle is ignored.


Workaround:

-This setting will be applied only when an effect is running (ie: sun will only disappear during display of wings vapor or
reentry heat shield)

-An option in DG4config will allow to disable thoses effects for those that can't sustain that their sun disappear.

Anyway, the sun is rarely in field, this bug will not be too visible.

Dan



Message modifié ( 03-05-2007 18:17 )

[picto]

Fallait bien que tu pompes une source de chaleur quelque part
Dommage ... mais tu vas faire remonter ce bug sans doute

[Pagir]

Strange bug...

Anyway, between the sun and the heating shield, I know which one I prefer!

Pagir

[willy88]

WOW!

What's next? Warp drive?

[Heywood]

With or without bug, the heating shield and wings vapor are very good.

Heywood

[Nouzy]

Pagir wrote:
...between the sun and the heating shield, I know which one I prefer!

I really don't.  

On one hand, we have a source of energy which is the key to sustaining all life on the world, and on the other we
have some cool effects.  

...

I'll have to think about that one once I get my hands on a copy of this thing.  (This may soud like sarcasm, but it's
not.)  

I also have a question:  

Does the red glow also occur if the ship breaks apart (which I still think is by far the coolest "feature" on any ship) ?

EDIT: Can you give us a screenshot of what the sun looks like pre and post glow?  I know this is a stupid request, but it will help me in making this tough decision.



Post Edited ( 05-03-07 20:58 )

[DanSteph]

well, no pics, simply the image of the sun disappear and reappear as soon as the effect stopped.
(not the light,* the picture of the sun* diappear)

Notice it's just because I needed to have the ship oriented toward the sun
and searched it that I noticed this strange bug. I'm not sure you would have
noticed it without my information

Dan

[picto]

Ce ne serait pas simplement une histoire de superposition de couches alpha.
J'ai eu des phénomènes comme ça en testant de grandes structures de pylones
à base d'alpha selon la méthode Schimz.

Quand plusieurs faces se croisaient dans le champ de vision, certaines disparaissaient.
Je ne sais plus si c'était sur deux ou trois superpositions.

[Nouzy]

Does the sun reappear after the effects are over?  

Perhaps we should reprt this bug for fixation in Orbiter 2007?

[DanSteph]

nan nan, martin c'est planté sur ce coup la simplement... Je connais directX7 martin a oublié de restaurer un
render state d'un objet, du coup ce render state s'applique globalement a tout les objest. Comme le soleil a aussi un
texture alpha et un material.a=0 il disparait.

Exemple tu met le parametre "alpha+texture" sur l'objet "A" et du coup ca marche aussi pour le "B" (alors qu'on l'a
pas mis)

Enfin...crois moi sur parole j'y ai passé la journée

Dan

[DanSteph]

Nouzy a écrit:
Does the sun reappear after the effects are over?  

Yes, and bug report of course...

Dan

[MattNW]

WOWSERS!!!

I don't see much of a problem with the effect. I've never had a situation where the star was in the view while re-entering.
Besides, you should be looking at the cool effects not the sun.

[Jay Gatsby]

Absolutely stunning graphics!  Bravo!

[willy88]

Are there the same problems with the tinted windows?

[Pagir]

Si Mahomet ne peut aller à la montagne, est-ce que la montagne peut aller à Mahomet???

Peut-on changer la texture du soleil pour éviter ces trucs alphas auxquels je ne comprends que dalle?

Can't you change the sun texture?

Pagir

[DanSteph]

willy88 a écrit:
Are there the same problems with the tinted windows?

No,

Pagir a écrit:
Can't you change the sun texture?

The problem is not the texture but the material, specifically alpha chanel.
if you apply a sun without alpha even if it solve the orbiter bug (I doubt)
it will be a white square.

Dan

[Nouzy]

MattNW wrote:
Besides, you should be looking at the cool effects not the sun.

You really should be looking at the reentry display and the surface mfd...



Post Edited ( 05-04-07 01:29 )