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How to design a solar system

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Aerjen
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Joined: 08/28/2008

Hi,

I've been looking around for software which let's me generate planets and the like for one of my prototypes. I want to be able to design a mock solar system. So far I've found a good tutorial using blender and gimp/photoshop: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24413866/gas%20planet%20tutorial%20black%20and%2... . Does anyone know of something easier (and preferably free)?

edgd00
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Joined: 01/05/2011
Spiral Graphics

Spiral Graphics has something called the Genetica Viewer which is a free app with lots of textures including planets. I believe it is free to use as long as you give them proper attribution. Check it out here: http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/viewer/index.htm

I've used it a number of times and it is fantastic.

You can see some of the textures and the planets here: http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/packs/browse.htm

mdkiehl
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Joined: 12/10/2010
How to render a planet

Another option is to use a 3D modeling tool. There are a number of free 3d programs. For example, I think a tool exists for Blender that is a planet generator. But basically you can apply a texture to a sphere and render it with some light on it and it will look like a planet.

So this depends on the kind of look you are going for. 3d renderings can have a different feel in comparison to digital paintings. And traditional illustrators will give you yet another option - because a cartoonish planet might work best if you have cartoonish characters or ships. However it is best not to mix it up, all illustration, all 3d rendering, or all digital painting, because you want your game to have a consistent feel.

Also, remember that if you are close to a planet or moon, stars become invisible in reality... (because they are so dim by comparison) but in order to make fun-looking pictures most people do put stars around planets.

Regards,
Matthew Kiehl

http://mdkiehl.wordpress.com

Aerjen
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Joined: 08/28/2008
Thanks for the replies. The

Thanks for the replies. The viewer seems interesting and I will check it out. I did try using blender for rendering a 3D planet, but unfortunately I had some trouble with the learning curve. I did find a good photoshop tutorial: http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html

and have created a couple of planets which seem good enough for prototyping. I am going to try out one more tutorial for creating planet rings: http://www.solarvoyager.com/images/tutorials/planetrings/planetrings.htm

The reason I was looking for software was to avoid spending too much time in creating these myself. So, even though I enjoy photoshop any shortcut is still most welcome.

Regards, Aerjen

dobnarr
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Joined: 07/29/2008
Really easy method with GIMP

One really super-easy way to get a reasonable-looking planet in GIMP is this:

1) Open an image file that looks like the surface of the planet you're making
2) Crop the image (if necessary) to ensure that the image is square
3) Choose Filters->Map->Map Object and pick "Sphere" under "Map To:"

You can dork with it afterwards to make it look better, but here's one I did in literally 20 seconds after searching for "rock texture" on Google Image search.

Turns this:

Into this:

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