GTruf/SolarSystem-3D: 3D scene with a model of the Solar System

Project logo

Overview
Features
Dependencies
Building (for Windows)
Limitations
Project screenshots and video snippets

Earth
The shadow of the clouds on Earth
View from the Moon to Earth
Phobos in the background of Mars
Jupiter
A video snippet of a flyover of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn with Titan from behind
Saturn with Mimas and Titan
Shadow of Titan
Uranus
Uranus from behind
Triton in the background of Neptune
Pluto
Sun
Sun with modified parameters 1
Sun with modified parameters 2

Overview

The project is an animated 3D scene with a model of the Solar System.

Features

🎮 First-person camera control with acceleration and zoom capabilities
🖼️ High resolution textures (8K+) with dds extension
🖼️ Photoshop-processed skybox with high resolution textures (6K)
💡 High-quality shaders
💡 Blinn–Fong reflection model with normal maps to visualise surface irregularities
💡 Accurate atmospheric scattering of planets and satellites
💡 Mie scattering and accurate shadows for planetary rings
💡 High-quality soft shadows using PCF and ray tracing
💡 Omnidirectional shadow maps simulation when using a single unidirectional shadow map
💡 Shadows from the clouds
💡 Lens flare
🎵 Background music
⚙️ A simple graphical user interface with all the information the user needs and for managing a small set of parameters (music volume, time control, planet and satellite hints control, sun parameters, etc.)
⚙️ Using 3D models with obj extension for planets, satellites, planetary rings, etc.

Dependencies

Building (for Windows)

Run an auxiliary script from the command line to automatically run the necessary cmake commands using the .\build.sh command, while in the directory with the root CMakeLists.txt file (the root project folder). Then an exe file with all necessary dlls will appear in the build folder.

Limitations

Due to virtual memory limitations (mainly if the executable file is compiled with a 32-bit compiler and uses 32-bit libraries, as in my case), a bad_alloc exception may be thrown when launching the entire Solar System at once (with all planets, satellites, etc.).