Solar System Project
A 3D interactive solar system where users can explore planets and learn about them. Key features include:
- Realistic planetary textures and lighting effects.
- Interactive controls: Zoom in and focus on individual planets.
- Orbit path toggle for a better understanding of planetary orbits.
- Adjustable orbit speed for the planets.
- Twinkling Stars, adding depth to the simulation.
If you'd like to run this simulation on your local machine, head to the Installation section. For usage instructions, check out the Usage section below.
To set up the Solar System Simulation project locally, follow these steps:
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/QasimMasood/CS460_FinalProject.git cd CS460_FinalProject - Install dependencies:
Ensure that you have Node.js and npm installed on your system. Then, navigate to the project folder and run the following command to install the required dependencies:
npm install
- Start the development server:
To run the simulation locally, execute the following command:
npm start
- Click on planets to focus: Select any planet by clicking, and the camera will zoom into it.
- Switch views: Toggle between a bird’s-eye view and an angled view using the provided button.
- Toggle orbit lines: Use the orbit toggle button to display or hide planetary orbits.
- Adjust orbit speed: Use the slider to control the planetary orbit speeds.
- Hover for details: Hover over any celestial body to display its name in a tooltip.
- Back button: Return to the bird’s-eye view using the back button.
- Add realistic moon systems to planets like Earth and Jupiter.
- Implement dynamic time-lapse functionality for visualizing planetary motion over long periods.
- Add educational tooltips with planet-specific facts and trivia.
- Improve visuals with additional effects like atmospheric scattering or solar flares.
Authors:
- Qasim Masood
- Alexander Troetsch
This project was created as part of the CS460 - Graphics course at the University of Massachusetts Boston.