Orulex 1.0 Alpha testing

[jedidia]

did you try several locations? because around KSC, the terrain IS flat. It's supposed to be. when you get flat terrain in all the landscape-scenarios, then something is quite wrong...

 

[MJR]

I tried just around KSC. I will check around in a minute.

 

[MJR]

I ran lunar suicide and I didn't see anything after 2158 seconds.

 

[jedidia]

you mean you ran it for 2158 seconds and didn't see anything the whole time, or it disapeared after 2158 seconds?

if the first, in which directory do you keep your heightmaps?

 

[jedidia]

I ran some more tests about this memory leak and am now fairly certain about its mechanics. The speed at which memory runs full seems to be dependant on

-Camera distance: the closer, the faster. when I zoom out of the planet so nothing gets rendered anymore, Orulex stops growing in memory, when you move closer, the growth speed increases.

-Time compression: the speed of Orulex filing the memory increases with time cmpresion.

Actual speed of camera movement doesn't seem to be a factor. At least it would be too insignificant to see a difference. I tried several experiments: flying at different speeds, and moving the camera in a big radius (several hundred kilometers) around the camera target close to the floor. I couldn't make out any increasement of the "leaking-speed".

Orulex definitaly does free it's memory correctly, It ocupies the same size in memory at every startup (around 210 Megs).

while doing these experiments on the moon, I found some reflection bugs:





they are rather frequent and weren't there in previous versions. Could have something to do with the ocean reflections that have been implanted. they did not show up on Mars.

 

[Artlav]

Update - Alpha version from 080322:
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/orulex-0.9.993-080322.zip (650 Kb)

Changes:
*Ocean reflection defaults fix
*The big memory leak fixed
*Log file CTD fixed
*Rendering drop outs bug fixed
*Vessel motion prediction direction error fixed
*Some tune-ups all around solar system, cfg files updated

Known bugs:
-Dislocated patches when flying, multithreaded mode on offset
-Absence of normal smoothing (tile edges visible)
-Windows Vista random CTD
-Textures getting colorfully random on some machines (probably Orbiter/DirectX bug)

Performance guidelines:
*If you got a multi-core CPU, it is almost always better to keep multithread mode on.
*If you got single-core CPU and Orulex feels slow on response or pre-computation takes longer than 10-15 seconds, try turning multithread mode off.
*Reducing polygon count may help if you got an old video card.
*Reducing LevLimit may give a more stable-looking landscape, but dropping quality exponentially.
*If you got FPS jerks on older/single-core PC's, look on texture timings.
TexGen-H defines time slice allocated when there is a lot to generate, TexGen-L defines time slice allocated when there are only small changes, like when you are flying around. Reducing them make Orbiter more responsive and terrain less responsive. Timings are not defined in multithread mode.

Any corrections or additions to above guidelines are welcome.


For the purpose of comparison, here is a video of Orulex in normal action:
China, flying in Gregburch's Swift1.

http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/oru-flight-080321-x264.avi (x264, 21Mb)
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/oru-flight-080321-xvid.avi (xVid, 31Mb)

I ran lunar suicide and I didn't see anything after 2158 seconds.

Is there anything happening at all when it is on?
Is "Orulex loading" text displayed?
Are you sure orulex-core module is still on?
Any luck with today's version?

 

[myles]

Hi, I'm thinking of installing this. The only thing is that on your site it says that the level 9 heightmap is 466MB! Is that just the whole Earth? I would be fine with just the moon and a few spots here and there on Earth (Grand Canyon, hometown, etc.) Also, where can I get the heightmaps- World Studio? When I download it, I'm overwhelmed with tons of things, and I'm not sure what to do. If there is any documentation out there, please link.

Thanks!
Myles

 

[Artlav]

Hi, I'm thinking of installing this. The only thing is that on your site it says that the level 9 heightmap is 466MB! Is that just the whole Earth? I would be fine with just the moon and a few spots here and there on Earth (Grand Canyon, hometown, etc.) Also, where can I get the heightmaps- World Studio? When I download it, I'm overwhelmed with tons of things, and I'm not sure what to do. If there is any documentation out there, please link.

Well , you don't need to get a Lv9 heightmap to run it, you can get Lv8 ones (80Mb apiece) and some local ones on the first page of this thread.
(
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/earth-hmap-lv8.zip (84Mb)
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/mars-hmap-lv8.zip (82Mb)
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/moon-hmap-lv8.zip (81Mb)
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/everest_lv11.zip (5.3Mb)
http://orbides.1gb.ru/orbf/grand_canyon_lv13.zip (9Mb)
)
In any case, whole-world heightmap downloads are not supported in the alpha yet.

There are hardly any documentation yet, only the internal help text and hopefully meaningful button names.
Basically, you run World Studio, turn download mode on (Download button in main menu), use the map to select the area you want, use download menu to select type and level, start, wait, apply.
Should be simple once you done it once.

 

[MJR]

you mean you ran it for 2158 seconds and didn't see anything the whole time, or it disapeared after 2158 seconds?

if the first, in which directory do you keep your heightmaps?

I ran it for 2158 seconds and nothing appeared. I keep my heightmaps in the mian Orbiter directory.

 

[Coolhand]

Great work Artlav, this is definately an essential orbiter addon, thanks for sharing your efforts with the rest of us. it looks more and more beautiful with each release and i am beyond impressed with what you've done with orulex. I hope you don't mind me asking, i'm sure its something you've already considered, are there any plans to implement some kind of distance fog effect to immitate an atmosphere?

btw, i've found it to be very stable on my setup, hasn't crashed once - amd dual core 3200 with 2 gb ram.

 

[jedidia]

I keep my heightmaps in the mian Orbiter directory.

At the instalation of Orulex, the directory "Heightmaps" should have been created. that's where you have to put them.

 

[MJR]

Oh okay. Thank you very much. I hope that will fix my problem.

 

[amalahama]

Wow Artlav :speakcool:, everytime this piece of gold is better!! Really, it's great, I wish see that in OGLA someday.

Well only a suggestion:

- How difficult would be to have realistic coastlines, lakes and rivers? I know that SRTM files have coastline info and I think they have rivers and lakes info too, so maybe in the Heightmap download these kind of info can be retained. Water reflection would be more realistic too.

Regards!!

 

[amalahama]

Some screens for Sierra Nevada, South Spain, Colour Lvl 15, Terrain lvl 13:









Many thanks, Artlav!!

Regards!!

 

[silent_protagonist]

Some screens for Sierra Nevada, South Spain, Colour Lvl 15, Terrain lvl 13:
[pics]
Many thanks, Artlav!!

Regards!!

Wow, those almost look like shots of the DG photoshopped onto the real thing.hmy: Orulex never ceases to amaze.

 

[Namahage]

I hope you don't mind me asking, i'm sure its something you've already considered, are there any plans to implement some kind of distance fog effect to immitate an atmosphere?

Something like this?:

[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3199"]Nebo - Fog module 080102[/ame]

 

[McWgogs]

Ok, I've got 15fps with the last version on default settings, which is very good compared to the older versions.
The pre-computation (including texture load time) is around 25 seconds long, and i reach full polycount at around one and a half minutes.
Great work Artlav!.

How do i turn the crater tear thing without eliminating the whole crater?

Now a few suggestions.

• The texturer tool in world studio is indeed very handy to create blending textures, although it doesn't work in other places than earth. It should. or rather it should work just like the download tool - editing configs and saving a bmp, but instead of downloading images it would save the specified bit of the global texture, which could be then edited to add detail, fictional or realistic.
• Same thing for height maps, they should be saved as bmps if so desired. I would like to edit the heightmap around Edwards and manually lower the whole lake bed to ground level, without the use of a crater
• Add a 'smooth hole' to the base crater options.
• An option to change noise draw distance.
• An option to brighten the whole mesh a bit.

 

[Coolhand]

Something like this?:

http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3199



Can't wait to try out this new Orulex version. DLing now! Thx Artlav.

I've never managed to get that to work to confirm if it's actually useful.

 

[Artlav]

are there any plans to implement some kind of distance fog effect to immitate an atmosphere?

Most likely no, that is too far beyond the line of impossible for default Orbiter.
OGLAClient is the closes place to see it fully.

I wish see that in OGLA someday

Like that?
http://orbides.1gb.ru/ogla-gal.php

- How difficult would be to have realistic coastlines, lakes and rivers? I know that SRTM files have coastline info and I think they have rivers and lakes info too, so maybe in the Heightmap download these kind of info can be retained. Water reflection would be more realistic too.

The main problem here is to make the Orulex engine itself to render the reflections with enough resolution.
Then, only way to select what is reflective and what is not currently is by checking for on/below sealevel altitude. Some sort of reflection map, like Orbiter uses will be needed.
Hm. Could you clarify what exactly "SRTM files have coastline info" means?

Ok, I've got 15fps with the last version on default settings, which is very good compared to the older versions.
The pre-computation (including texture load time) is around 25 seconds long, and i reach full polycount at around one and a half minutes.

Any kind of improvements with non-default settings? Single-threaded mode, or other lines from performance guidelines?

How do i turn the crater tear thing without eliminating the whole crater?

Hm. Looks like no way now. To be fixed.

The texturer tool in world studio is indeed very handy to create blending textures, although it doesn't work in other places than earth. It should. or rather it should work just like the download tool - editing configs and saving a bmp, but instead of downloading images it would save the specified bit of the global texture, which could be then edited to add detail, fictional or realistic.

Saving the specified bit of the global texture along the download net is exactly the only thing what the texturer tool can do now, being a work in deep progress.

What exactly "it doesn't work in other places than earth" means?
Just tried it on Mars, works fine.

Suggestions about it are welcome. Currently i plan to make it to merge and blend the textures different ways - flat blend, blend with edges, like below, etc.

Same thing for height maps, they should be saved as bmps if so desired. I would like to edit the heightmap around Edwards and manually lower the whole lake bed to ground level, without the use of a crater

Heightmaps are 16-32bit while any legible BMPs are 8-9 bit most.
They could be saved in crazy color mode, but not much editing that way.
I think, making heightmap editor in world studio along with image to heightmap import/export could help.
What kind of instrumentation is expected in such a editor?

Add a 'smooth hole' to the base crater options.

On the planned list.

An option to change noise draw distance.

microtex_lev parameter in planet cfg files.
Or do you mean something different?

An option to brighten the whole mesh a bit.

? More specific please.

 

[amalahama]

About SRTM's coastline, river and other water bodies info:

http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/

NASA has released version 2 of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital topographic data (also known as the "finished" version). Version 2 is the result of a substantial editing effort by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and exhibits well-defined water bodies and coastlines and the absence of spikes and wells (single pixel errors), although some areas of missing data ('voids') are still present. The Version 2 directory also contains the vector coastline mask derived by NGA during the editing, called the SRTM Water Body Data (SWBD), in ESRI Shapefile format.
The data may be obtained by anonymous ftp to: ftp://e0srp01u.ecs.nasa.gov and moving to the directory srtm where both version 1 and version 2 directories may be found. Please read the appropriate documentation, also found in the directories.

You can use the vector data for "drawing" water bodies above the surface.

And it would be possible some Landsat images post editing doing automatically for World Creator?? It's common to see two different Landsat tiles with different colour tone - it would be great if all the Landsat tiles have the same colour tone, some like an automatic colour equalization or something like that - yeah, maybe I'm a little demanding here haha.

Regards!!