New Mercury textures

[martins]

With BepiColombo finally underway, I thought it would be a good idea to update the Mercury textures to spruce up Orbiter for any simulated missions.

They are available on the highres repository on Orbiter-Radio (other mirrors may pick them up in time).

The textures are based on Messenger MDIS images available on USGS Astrogeology. I have used the 166m panchromatic mosaic for pansharpening the 665m colour mosaic. The colour data also needed to be severely desaturated.

The elevation layer probably only works with the Orbiter beta, since it uses a 0.5m elevation scaling factor which wasn't supported by Orbiter 2016 Release version. And the label layer definitely needs the beta.

Let me know if you find any issues.

 

[jarmonik]

Thanks Martin, I don't remember when I last time visited Mercury. So, I definately have to start planning a new trip now. :thumbup:

 

[NukeET]

Thanks Martin, I don't remember when I last time visited Mercury. So, I definately have to start planning a new trip now. :thumbup:

Here's a place to start:


[ame="https://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5151"]https://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=5151[/ame]

 

[Ripley]

And here's another one:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPu_SHPaJzs7ghB_UEnh7b9Y9gJbx-5CO

 

[4throck]

A great addition to Orbiter!
Looking forward to the rest of the planets we have data for :thumbup:

 

[Abloheet]

Can we have similar treatment for Titan too? So that it works properly with D3D9 client in Orbiter 2016? A suggestion too.. specular maps can also be added for simulated fictional methane lakes on Titan.

Anyway, this Mercury map is fantastic :thumbup:

 

[4throck]

The existing Titan altimetry is of very low resolution. Up close, it would look flat.

 

[GLS]

Question: after installing the pack, the Textures/Mercury.tex file isn't needed anymore, right?
(same question for Titan.tex and Titan_cloud.tex after installing the Titan pack)

 

[martins]

Question: after installing the pack, the Textures/Mercury.tex file isn't needed anymore, right?
(same question for Titan.tex and Titan_cloud.tex after installing the Titan pack)

Correct. However, the config files in the betas will still be referring to them, since I don't want to make downloading the new textures a requirement for running the Orbiter beta. So when updating your beta installation, you need to make sure that they don't revert to the old versions.

 

[Ripley]

And here's another one:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPu_SHPaJzs7ghB_UEnh7b9Y9gJbx-5CO

Go to minute 11:32 (first video) to get a detailed explanation of the peculiar Earth-Mercury geometry and its relative launch window.

 

[Ripley]

I was thinking that these new textures need a properly dedicated scenario in "The Solar System" folder.

 

[Notebook]

Is it possible to make these a torrent? I have a machine running most days with the Orbiter torrents on it.

N.

 

[Ripley]

...And the label layer definitely needs the beta...

Martin, it doesn't hurt to copy the Label.tree file in Orbiter2016 Textures\<planet>\Archive folder, does it?
They just don't work, as expected.

I'm trying to simplify my HiRes textures management, so I copy all the .tree files in Orbiter2016, and then use this system:
https://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?p=563571&postcount=4

Besides .tree files, I also copy all the relative small .cfg HiRes files in both their Orbiter2016 and OrbiterBeta folders.

 

[martins]

Martin, it doesn't hurt to copy the Label.tree file in Orbiter2016 Textures\<planet>\Archive folder, does it?
They just don't work, as expected.

That's correct. You should even be able to leave the LabelFormat = 2 directive in the cfg file for the 2016 version, since any unrecognised directives are ignored.

 

[jgrillo2002]

Sorry martin, but that link you posted is dead. Returns a 404 error.

 

[martins]

Sorry martin, but that link you posted is dead. Returns a 404 error.

Thanks for the heads-up. The UCL web server hosting Orbiter seems to be down. I've raised a ticket. Hopefully it should be up again soon.

 

[GLS]

It's back up!!!!

 

[martins]

Not for me though. Possibly a last glimmer of life from the server? In any case, the website has been moved to a new server with a temporary address of http://orbit-uat.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/. The old address should be migrated shortly.

Oops, back up for me now as well. Probably this is currently being worked on, so maybe a bit flaky right now. Anyway, forget the temporary address.

 

[GLS]

Temporary address works, original is now offline again... :uhh:

 

[Antares14]

Would be great to have upload/authoring dates next to each of the texture packs on the website so we can know when they were added and/or updated. Save some time