Rocket Simulator Feasiblity Discussion
by Jack Stone · in General Discussion · 03/25/2013 (11:14 pm) · 22 replies
Good Evening!
I am considering creating a Rocket Simulation program using real-world mathematical equations for delta V, Specific Impulsee, Exhaust Velocity, etc. It wouldn't be a game per se, but it could have game-like elements to it. It would be more realistic than, say Kerbal Space Program, and a lot more user friendly than a pure "calculator" or number-crunching program.
Since I am far more familiar with T3D than any other engine, my first thought was to use it, but there are a couple of issues that make me somewhat reluctant.
I intend to create a new class of object and use it as the subject of a simulation, making sure it is susceptable only to the physics equations I am modelling. I will not need collision, gravity, or any of the usual things, since the equations themselves account for that.
The first issue I forsee is torques infamous "jitter" when travelling more than 10,000 units from the Origin. I know that one torque unit is one Meter, and 10,000 Meters, and 10,000 meters in't nearly enough for even a simulation of Earth Orbit.
I know that this issue is caused by the 32-bit floating point numbers used to store object transforms in T3D, to properly fix it, you would need to convert to 64-bit numbers, which would be exceedingly complex.
Would using custom physics calculations help alleviate this jitter problem? Or at least reduce it to acceptable levels?
The second issue would be simulation a sphere the size of the earth. Can an object of this size simply be created in a modelling package? Detail is not important, I would be happy with just a flat plane, but if a rocket is orbiting the earth, the earth itself should be round.
Thirdly, can an object moving at the speed of a rocket be modelled realistically in T3d? The actual movement will be controlled by the physics simulation I am writing, not by torques own system, but will the raw speed itself cause an issue?
Any thoughts, ideas?
I am considering creating a Rocket Simulation program using real-world mathematical equations for delta V, Specific Impulsee, Exhaust Velocity, etc. It wouldn't be a game per se, but it could have game-like elements to it. It would be more realistic than, say Kerbal Space Program, and a lot more user friendly than a pure "calculator" or number-crunching program.
Since I am far more familiar with T3D than any other engine, my first thought was to use it, but there are a couple of issues that make me somewhat reluctant.
I intend to create a new class of object and use it as the subject of a simulation, making sure it is susceptable only to the physics equations I am modelling. I will not need collision, gravity, or any of the usual things, since the equations themselves account for that.
The first issue I forsee is torques infamous "jitter" when travelling more than 10,000 units from the Origin. I know that one torque unit is one Meter, and 10,000 Meters, and 10,000 meters in't nearly enough for even a simulation of Earth Orbit.
I know that this issue is caused by the 32-bit floating point numbers used to store object transforms in T3D, to properly fix it, you would need to convert to 64-bit numbers, which would be exceedingly complex.
Would using custom physics calculations help alleviate this jitter problem? Or at least reduce it to acceptable levels?
The second issue would be simulation a sphere the size of the earth. Can an object of this size simply be created in a modelling package? Detail is not important, I would be happy with just a flat plane, but if a rocket is orbiting the earth, the earth itself should be round.
Thirdly, can an object moving at the speed of a rocket be modelled realistically in T3d? The actual movement will be controlled by the physics simulation I am writing, not by torques own system, but will the raw speed itself cause an issue?
Any thoughts, ideas?
#22
The other game is something new. They claim they do the planetary take of and landing. That is why I suggest you talk to them.
04/22/2013 (6:03 pm)
That one is not based on Star Wars. There was a Star Wars game that featured take off and land on planetary bodies. I just don't remember the name of it.The other game is something new. They claim they do the planetary take of and landing. That is why I suggest you talk to them.
Torque 3D Owner Jack Stone
I do find a lot of "legacy" code in the lost corners of T3D, I suppose, if it ain't broke, why fix it? I have been playing through Thief 2 lately myself, that came out around the time of SS I think? I haven't played Privateer, but I loved Starlancer! I could never get it to work on any of my modern computers.
Demolishun: That game looks awesome! Do you know if that's an officially licensed game, or fan made? To me it looks like it could be fan made, which means it's going to have a lot of trouble getting to see the light of day.